It is Year three of my diagnosis with Parkinson’s. Each year, I’ve ridden for Parkinson’s and, for my third (and final) challenge to raise, not just money for, but also awareness of Parkinson’s UK, I’ve decided to take on my biggest bike ride yet to coincide with a rather key event.

Indeed, every three years, the international Parkinson’s community gather to discuss all things related to the condition. Over 3 busy days, conference sessions involve specialists in research and care as well as those impacted, directly and indirectly, by Parkinson’s.

Previous World Parkinson’s conferences (WPC) have been hosted in Tokyo and Barcelona and the next one is scheduled for May 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona USA.

So the same, slightly mad people from ZWAP (Zwifters Against Parkinson’s) decided it would be a good idea to highlight Parkinson’s and the club by cycling to WPC. That’s a real-world cycle, not a virtual one on Zwift, our usual weekly meeting place for people impacted by the condition.

Several teams will cycle from different points in North America, all ending up in Phoenix to highlight the benefits of exercise and cycling on delaying the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

I will be joining Team West Coast, covering 3,430km (2,131miles) and setting off from Seattle on the northwestern seaboard of the USA. Along the way, we’ll follow the coast to San Diego before turning inland to ride across the desert and to Phoenix. We’ll climb nearly 95,000 feet, three times the height of Everest.

We begin our ride on 16 April 2026 and reach Phoenix 36 days later. Please do support me and the team as much as you can, even if just by sharing this ride and details of ZWAP. It all helps work to reduce the impact of Parkinsons and, eventually, we hope to find a cure.

Donating is simple and secure. Just Giving suggest a 15% fee which I feel is high. You can manually adjust during each donation and even add a custom amount of zero.

Thanks for your support!