<p>Tandem with Abandon is the result of Tom and Leigh's commitment to help improve the lives of people suffering with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) combined with an ambition to cross Canada before starting a new life in Vancouver. During the summer of 2010 we cycled more than 3400 miles, on a tandem, from Montreal to Vancouver.&nbsp; We didn't fight once, promise.<br /><br />The purpose of our journey, battling against the prevailing winds, and the steep inclines (and scary downhills on a heavily laden bike) was to raise money for and awareness of the wonderful work done by the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre in their attempts to progress research into MS and improve the conditions of its sufferers.<br /><br />Our route took us over mountains, across prairies, and at times deep into the North American wilderness. We carried everything that we needed on the tandem and on our backs, from tent poles to porridge oats.&nbsp; When we got to Vancouver to start out new life we desperately trawled the thrift stores for non-cycling shoes and clothes, still it took Tom about four weeks to stop wearing his shimanos... <br /><br />You can read all about our amazing adventure on the blog (www.tandemwithabandon.com), and better yet you can help us to support the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre's important work by sponsoring Tandem with Abandon's ambitious journey.&nbsp; We're keeping this page open for a while, but do it now, while you're here... otherwise we'll send you our smelly cycling shoes.</p> <p>We'd like to say a humongous thank you to all of the people who sponsored us before we even set off, all of those who managed not to look terrified for us when we told them the plan, and our families for their support (and an excellent leaving party), and we should apologise for all their worry for us during the journey (and for letting us leave a lot of boxes of our stuff randomly in their houses until our return).&nbsp; We'd also like to say thank you to our friends in Chorlton, who we miss terribly, all of our other friends randomly scattered around the globe (yes, we miss you too), those who made it to our leaving party in Sheffield and observed the spectacle of us wrapping a tandem in an environmental-disaster amount of bubble-wrap... and to all of those merry and curious souls who gave us encouragement, donations, offers of beds and food, werther's originals, and a lot of hot chocolate and tea along the way.&nbsp; We, quite honestly, could not have done it without any of you. Thank you.</p>