Thank you for taking the time to visit my fund raising web page which shall illustrate how and why I wish to spend my remaining free time after university to make a difference.

Let me first introduce you to my story:

 

Bill a school friend of mine and myself have decided to go on a rather wild adventure to help raise money for Diabetes UK which has always been very close to me ever since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on my 17th birthday (which would explain the GCSE results!). 

Diabetes UK plays a huge role in making the lives of people like myself with Type 1 diabetes as well as those with Type 2 diabetes much easier, and what is more, allows certain elements of life such as adventures like this to become more possible. The charity does this by channelling funds donated by people like your self towards vital research that not only helps in developing better treatment and preventing the disease but also towards finding an eventual cure.   

 

In addition to raising funds for Diabetes, I personally also feel strongly that due to the nature of the illness, there are many people who since being diagnosed have lost confidence in going out of their comfort zone due to the medical risks involved. The route that we hope to complete can be seen as dangerous due to the isolation and poor physical conditions but by enduing this challenge and staying alive I hope to send out the message that as long as you’re prepared, diabetics like my self can do almost anything. 

 

I shall also be working with Diabetes UK to build a report that shall be published afterwards in their magazine and on their website highlighting from my experiences how to (or not) manage diabetes in these rear circumstances.

 

In 2006 I travelled South America and was taken back by everything the continent had to offer. During these travels however I was unfortunate enough to go through a hypoglycaemic fit which hospitalised me in Le Paz. Although I have no memory from the actual incident I was told that the medical services there were very poor and struggled to cope with what is a fairly common disease. Along our route I intend to visit hospitals in Peru and Bolivia to also report back on their progress since I was last there.   

 

To be maybe the first diabetic to have cycled this route I could not do it alone and so Bill, a close friend from the Shrewsbury School days, has made the trip possible by joining in on the expedition along side me. Together we shall prove that being diabetic should not restrain those who feel nervous about being adventurous.

This is why we both need to raise as much money as possible to make this trip worth while allowing us to prove this point.

It won’t be easy and this is why:

Cycling the long way round, up and down:

During October and November we intend to cycle from Lima in Peru, through and over the Andes in Bolivia and down into Salta in Argentina.

Distance: 2,627 km / 1,632 mi
Cycling Time: 7 to 9weeks
Average Height: 3000 meters upwards with a 4,200 meter pass which makes the trip very difficult due to the lack of oxygen 
Road Conditions: Generally rough yet at times there will be no road
Climate: between -10 and 30 degrees
Degrees of isolation: In some areas we may not see anyone for days+ we intend to cross the Uyuni Salt Flats (100 miles).

Here are a few details for those who have a map in front of them what our trip will involve:

From Lima we shall head east high up into the Andes in the direction of Macho Picho before turning south passing Lake Titicaca and on to La Paz which sits at 3800 meters anyway. From hear the trip does not get any easier as we’ll venture further into the unknown before having to cross 100 miles over the famous salt flats of Uyuni. It’ll then be a long and arduous 150 miles to the border where we’ll finally find ourselves amongst the gauchos of Argentina. The route shall then become very much, and deservedly so, a gradual decent into the lowlands before finishing at Salta where we’ll be rewarded with a beer and a juicy steak.     

 

Ross could have not done this trip alone without support from others. Bill Forrest’s who will have to also train off the bike and instead with a doctor form the Humming Bird centre at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, to learn about diabetes and what to do in the worst case scenario. Peter Bird and his team at the Bicycle Hub in Jackfield near Ironbridge have also been very supportive in providing equipment and valuable experienced advice to these two fairly novice cyclists.

This trip will be very testing to the body and especially the mind so please donate generously giving us that extra urge to go the extra mile.

Thank you for donating and please subscribe to our blog at  www.mytb.org/Over-the-Andes-the-Hard-Way