Club president Tim, 68, set off on his epic unsupported solo ride on April 15, arriving home to a welcome from family and friends on Saturday June 1. He said: “In 2020, a good friend of many years, Andy Newhall, was diagnosed with FSHD, a type of muscular dystrophy caused by genetic mutation. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to our daily newsletter Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Lancaster Guardian, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
"FSHD and all other types of muscular dystrophy cause various groups of muscles in the body to weaken and waste away. “As a way of trying to help I decided to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK by riding from Gibraltar , through Spain, over the Pyrenees, through France and through England to Gibraltar Farm at Silverdale. “I'm familiar with long bike rides, and I expected it to be enjoyable, but at 68-years-old I was also aware this would be something of a challenge!” Tim travelled solo for most of his trip, carrying everything he needed including camping and cooking equipment.
Advertisement Advertisement Friends rode with him for the final three days of the journey through England back to Lancaster. He said: “The trip was a mixture of peaceful solitude and opportunistic contact with strangers I met along the way. “Although there were some challenging days in the wind and the rain, I was able to choose the pace and distance to suit me, and slow down a bit if it got tiring and wearing.
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