On the 12th of July the three of us will set off on a 200+ mile cycle from London to Paris. However this is not your standard bike ride as one of us is blind!

Nige, who is visually impaired, has been extremely keen to get involved in one of our charity fund raising events for some time. With this years challenge being a cycling one we started to investigate how we make this possible. The answer, we do it on a tandem!

Matt and I (Lee) will pilot the tandem with Nige (probably resting with his feet up) on the back and when we are not on the tandem we will be riding in support on our own bike alongside.

I have already completed this cycle before and can confirm it is no easy feat. However when you add in to that the logistics of riding a tandem it becomes even more mentally and physically challenging.

The communication from the pilot must be perfect. All the things you don't give a second thought to when riding a bike solo can become an issue on a tandem.

Things like: 1.Which foot do you put down when stopping? If the guy at the front goes right and the guy on the back goes left....someone will end up in a heap. 2.Stopping, if the pilot doesn't advise of on coming hazards and wants to stop, yet the guy at the rear pedals, this will cause the bike to jolt forward and throw the handle bars either right or left.

So all this considered we are expecting this to be a tough challenge, yet an extremely rewarding one. However without the sponsorship its just three men, an odd bike and chaffed crotches... so please donate anything you can to help us hit our target. Any amount up to our target that we do raise will get doubled by our employer, which would mean a massive £4,500 going to the Alzheimer's Society.

We have all seen the impact Alzheimer's and Dementia has on individuals and families. The support received during these times of need is invaluable.

You can either donate via the page or text TAND48 £x to 70070.

Thank you for taking time to visit our page, we are all extremely grateful for any donations received.