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logo     Chris Bell   -   3400 km from Wales to Gibraltar

2014   -   Background

 
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Tarifa£ 10,500 raised for 'Médecins Sans Frontières'

Another long-distance, fundraising trip on my own, this time over 3000 km from Wales (UK) to Gibraltar in aid of 'Médecins Sans Frontières' (Doctors Without Borders - MSF). Over £ 10,000 had been raised by the time I'd returned home - thank you to everyone who donated so generously.

MSF is a humanitarian organisation which provides medical-aid where it's most needed, regardless of race, religion, politics or gender. It won the Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness of the plight of the people it helps and for fighting the vested interests of the giant pharmaceutical companies. It's an independent, impartial organisation for which I have huge respect. As I rode across France and Spain, MSF was fighting the Ebola outbreak in W.Africa.

I rode around 40 or 50 miles a day, camping wild at night, hostelling and staying with Servas friends. This trip proved to be much tougher than any of my previous ones and my daily progress was often painfully slow. But I know that the more you put into something, the more you get out of it and, of course, I was motivated to keep pushing on as I was raising a lot of money for MSF. All things considered, I had a really great time!

 
Click on the map or the photos to enlarge them...

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Background

Prostate cancer kills 30 men every day in the UK. My own cancer is now advanced, the disease having spread to my spine where a tumour is causing me a number of problems. I was only able to undertake this trip with the help of a pannier-bagful of pills; even so, things took a turn for the worse when I reached Spain - see below.

Cycletouring in the shadow of cancer has been both a challenge and a joy. I'm a firm believer in the notion that the more you put into something, the more you get out of it. My diagnosis was a wake-up call to make the most of every precious day I have and my advice to everyone else is to do the same!

I've given several illustrated talks of my trips with prostate cancer. Please contact me if you're looking for a speaker.

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Summary

route map

 

 

4 countries:            
UK, France, Spain, Gibraltar
 
Time taken:
Distance cycled:
Average daily distance:
50 days cycling, 12 rest days
3425 km  /  2141 miles
69 km  /  43 miles
 
Accommodation:  
    (nights)
wild camping (21), campsites (11),
friends / Servas (14), hostels/hotels (16)
 
Weather:                
warm (UK, France), hot (Spain),
5 seriously wet days
 
Bicycle:
Bicycle problems:
Weight carried:
customised Dahon Cadenza folder
none
17kg (bike) + 14kg (luggage) + 72kg (me)
    = 103 kg total

 

Details and Photos

>   Click for photos and information from each region that I visited.

 

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Thank you...

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Problems

 
>   2014 photos      

>   2014 JustGiving

 
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Wales

DI + CHRIS BELL
Cornant, Cribyn, Lampeter, Ceredigion, SA48 7QW, Wales, UK
di@cornant.uk           chris@cornant.uk

 
©  Di + Chris Bell