So it seems every year I have to manage to find myself a bit of a crazy cycling challenge, some for charity, others just because! It started with RBL Pedal to Paris (4 days of 150 ish km’s a day, then Chase the Sun, 300ish kms starting at sunrise and having to finish before sunset. (I have competed this 3 times now), I then decided it would be a good idea to do an Everesting challenge, cycling the same elevation as Mount Everest in one, ride doing repeats on the same climb. This was done on Zwift, so indoor cycling on a turbo trainer riding up and down Alpe Du Zwift for 14.5 hrs! I’ve don’t the Cinglés du Mont Ventoux challenge, 3 ascents of Mont Ventoux using the 3 different routes in one ride. (I’ve done this 2 years in a row). I’ve completed the Marmotte Granfondo des Alpes - 177km with 5000 meters of climbing and 2 other London to Paris rides.

The reason I’m leading with that is to demonstrate that cycling isn’t new to me and I have done some fairly tough cycling challenges over the years.

So………………what I've decided to undertake this year puts all of that way in the shadows. On 3rd August I will be setting off to start the 2025 edition of London Edinburgh London. Now the title in itself gives a clue of what it involves and that is part of challenge. It’s 1530km (950miles) of riding with 13609 meters of elevation. Just those figures alone make it a daunting challenge to say the least. But of course, it has to have another twist. You only get 128hrs to complete it. That is total time, not riding time and equates to 5.3 days. In simple terms it means cycling 300kms a day for 5 days - which will mean 13-15hrs of saddle time a day, gabbing 6ish ours of sleep and going again x 5!

To say I’m apprehensive and questioning my decision making is an understatement. I can honestly say this takes me completely out of my comfort zone when it comes to cycling and I do not know if I can complete it within the time or not. But I’m going to give it all I have!

For those that know me, this has been made even harder than originally anticipated following my crash on my bike in March this year, resulting in a fractured humerus, dislocated shoulder, fractured elbow and a very bashed up wrist! Training had started well up to that point but as you can imagine the recovery from that crash and those injuries has somewhat got in the way🤦🏻‍♂️.

Still, what it all comes down to is that I’m doing it for a reason. That reason is to raise as much money as I can for the charity PTSD999.

The Charity’s aim is to ensure that awareness of PTSD within the Emergency services is raised and that training is provided to support and identify those suffering from PTSD.

You can read more about the charity here https://www.ptsd-999.com

I will be riding under the faithful banner of the Bluelight Cycling club and my brother Chris will be riding with me - we are hoping that we can pull each other through the inevitable dark point of the ride and help each other complete what will be an amazing challenge.

So please, please - can you help me reach my goal of raising £1000 for this amazing charity that is there to support the Emergency services that we all rely on to support us when we are in real difficulty. I know times are hard, but that is why I’m putting myself through hell to try and get whatever I can out of you. If it means sacrificing a week of Costa’s, this weeks take-away or that extra bottle of wine - please donate anything you can to my Justgiving page, knowing that I’m going to be pushing my body to its limits in terms of endurance, sleep deprivation and mental strength to get this done!

Anything will be greatly appreciated.

If you want to read about LEL please follow this https://londonedinburghlondon.com

I will update once I start the ride with some photos and videos of my pain on Instagram etc should you wish to follow my journey!

Thanks for reading

Ali

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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