I'm cycling from North Wales to Switzerland in July 2013 over the duration of about 12 days to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Trust, having never ridden a roadbike before in my life! I'm a third part of "Team Pedal" alongside my brother, Ryan, and his girlfriend, Jen.

Up until a couple of months ago I would’ve described my fitness and general exercise regime as motivational outbursts in the gym and lots of  ‘operation- get skinny’ phases. My fitness achievements vary between winning a 1500m race on Sports day 1999 (rough estimation of age in Year 4!) to having climbed Snowdon a few years back with my brothers and parents. My interest in physical sports varies greatly (I got so bored this last summer that I even dappled in skateboarding) so much so that I’d like to believe that I could achieve whatever I set my mind to.

I’ve always loved running so cycling wasn't a completely alien concept to me and my level of long-distance stamina isn’t abysmal. So when my eldest brother, Ryan, first pitched the idea of the Wales-Switzerland cycling trip to me I entertained it. Initially I thought I’d be as mad as a bag o’ cats to agree to such a thing…. But I came round when I realised how rewarding it would be overall and just how excited I was about doing it.

So, whilst I am partaking in this trip for ‘the good of my health’, I am also aiming to raise money for the MS Trust, a charity that both supports people with Multiple Sclerosis and also furthers the research into and understanding of the condition. This cause is very close to my heart and it will be my most prominent motivation during my 6am bike rides before work in preparation for the trip, up until the long slog over the Alps in July.

Finally, being the “girly fashion student” of a very outdoorsy family, this trip is also first and foremost a chance for me to show them all that I have some gusto and some outdoorsy bones in my body! So get involved, see if I can actually pull this off, and support a fabulous cause that helps millions of people. 

Check out our team's blog to see our training progress and why we're doing it: http://teampedal.wordpress.com/