Thanks for taking the time to check this out.

In May I will be riding 3000km+ around Italy on a touring bicycle.  I will ride through scorching sun, raging winds, driving rain, and possibly even sleet and hail with extremely impressive adjectives.  While I ride, there will be around 200 professional bike racers riding the same roads.  At the end of the day, they will hand their light weight race bikes to a mechanic for cleaning and maintenance, they will go and eat the meal that has been prepared for them, get a massage and climb into bed in their hotel room. 

Meanwhile, I will be pitching my tent, maintaining my bike, cooking my dinner then eating it, then climbing into my sleeping bag.  Why, you may ask?  Well, to raise money for some great charities.  And of course so I have something interesting to write about for you!

You can follow the adventure as it happens on my website, but while you are here anyway, might as well donate a couple of quid to charity!  1 in 5 people in the UK suffer from depression, and one of the biggest hurdles that they face is that they feel isolated and alone. Knowing that they are not alone, and that someone else understands because they have been there too, is one of the most powerful things to help sufferers. Money that I raise for Depression Alliance will go directly to their new peer-to-peer support network, "Friends in Need".  The Friends in Need network will take DA's existing peer to peer support (which currently reaches around 3,000) and expand its reach to the whole country and everyone in it who is suffering from depression alone.  With 1 in 5 people in the UK suffering from depression there is a fair chance that any money you donate now will end up helping you or someone dear to you some time down the line.  So that has to make it worth putting in a few quid, right?

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Cheers,

Rowan