Kevin Crowley
I have now completed five Macmillan cycling challenges:
2002 Ecuador
2003 Cambodia
2004 Brazil
2005 Sth Africa
2006 Peru
(2007 Nth Vietnam)
The bike rides are usually about 500 miles over six or seven days and involve rough camping every night in the middle of nowhere with basic food and very basic facilities.
We cycle through the heart of the rural areas of these countries, far away from the luxuries of modern western life that we take for granted.
The daily distances vary depending on the number of hills we have to climb but we are generally cycling from about 8:00am to about 4:30pm.
The rides have all been very difficult, the factors contributing to the level of difficulty being road surface, distance, extreme weather (hot or cold, dry or wet), and altitude. On one particular day in Peru we were climbing continuously for 75km!
Additionally, the rides also involve a commitment to training for several months before the trip and, of course, there is the small matter of raising £3000 in sponsorship. A challenge in itself.
I probably haven't made this sound too attractive so far but there are huge positives.
Any body of average fitness, with some training, can complete these trips and, in fact, in Cambodia one of the participants was in his 70's.
The trips are a fantastic way to see these places as they really are, rather than from the typical tourist view, and to get to know the local people.
There is a great sense of camaraderie and I have made some very good friends on each of the trips who I remain in contact with.
The trips are voyages of self discovery and there is a huge feeling of achievement in completing one of these trips whilst, at the same time, knowing that what you have done is helping others.