On Saturday 14th July, I'm going to ride 200km in the Pyrenees, in less than 12 hours and I'm doing it in aid of the Dystonia Society, as my daughter, Olivia, suffers from a rare form of dystonia. 

I've always been interested in the Tour de France but I've never owned a decent road bike. When one of my former work colleagues suggested we enter L'Etape du Tour, basically a Stage of the Tour de France but one in the mountains, I was a little uncertain but eventually decided that it would be fun and a good challenge. A challenge, yes, but fun?...........oh no, JP, this wont be fun!

For those of you who, like me until recently, aren’t familiar with the Etape: Every year the public are given the chance to ride a stage of the Tour De France a few days before the professionals take it on. It is done in full race conditions with closed roads, food stops and support vehicles; traditionally it is a mountain stage and this year is no different. The stage I am attempting is 201KM (about 125 miles) riding over four mountains with 5000M of height gain over the course. To make it really interesting there is also a time limit, if you drop below the minimum required pace you are removed from the course. All this is likely to be done in 35+ Degrees C, except at the peaks where hail stones are not uncommon! Of the 10,000 people who start at least 2000 will not finish.

So, the training started a few months ago but there has been the odd hiccup along the way. I bought a new bike and very proud I was of it too - a Specialized Tarmac Elite SL2 - "oh, yes" I hear you all say. That beautiful and light carbon graphite frame would be well worth it when I'm cycling up the mountains. However on a training ride in the Peak District whilst descending at speeds in excess of 30mph, my bike suffered a rear blowout and I was thrown off into a fence, fortunately landing between two fence posts and just beneath the barbed wire. Lucky! Absolutely, I was, however my beautiful and light carbon graphite frame would need to be replaced........not cheap! Another slight disruption to training was the time out taken to recover from a stag weekend in Ibiza........not good planning!

Well, my training continues and with the big day is getting closer and closer. I have committed and set up my charity page to allow you all to donate.

My daughter, Olivia, suffers from dopa-responsive dystonia. Having been originally diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Olivia was fortunate enough, through living in America for a few years, to be treated by some excellent doctors. They delivered an alternative diagnosis, that of dopa-responsive dystonia, a condition that has remarkably similar symptoms to those of cerebral palsy, but this condition is not widely known, particularly in the UK. Simply, I want to generate more awareness of this condition and all forms of dystonia, by raising as much money as I can for this charity.

Those of you who have been lucky enough to meet Liv will know that she never lets the condition get her down. Every time I see "my little Livvy" she has a huge smile for me. She is on daily medication and receives regular physiotherapy. She is making huge strides in her development and ability to control her movement of her legs. She attends karate classes, using her walker, and recently received her yellow belt. Only yesterday, when I picked Liv up for the weekend, she was beaming and delighted to show me how she could confidently walk to the car on her own without the use of her walker.

Olivia, you are my special daughter.......you are my inspiration!

The Dystonia Society aims to promote awareness of the disorder, by supporting research and by undertaking welfare initiatives.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Thanks,

JP (John Pollard)