Riding 306 miles from Falmouth to London in one day is a long way by anyone’s standards, then you throw in the 6,795m of elevation, and you have “Ride the Trafalgar Way.”
I first learned of the event last autumn when I met Jim Bellinger at an event in London. He had come across the ‘Trafalgar Way’ a few years ago while cycling down some roads local to his home in Wiltshire and immediately began investigating how he could turn it into the fantastic ride it now is.
The Trafalgar Way is the name given to the historic route used to carry dispatches with the news of the Battle of Trafalgar overland from Falmouth to the Admiralty in London. The first messenger was Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotière, who raced to London after arriving in Falmouth bearing the dispatches containing the news of Lord Nelson’s victory and death in the Battle of Trafalgar.
The route is steeped in history and will take us across a part of the UK I have never ridden.
It will be the biggest distance I’ve done in 24 hours, so although I am sure I can do it, my nerves are high! Over the last few years I have learned that whether it’s your first event or your 50th, it’s normal to feel nervous when you’re about to take on a new challenge. It’s just all about how you manage your nerves. For me, it’s just about accepting them and reminding myself they are only there because I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
This ride is especially important to me as it is the first real ride I am doing since my dad passed away from brain cancer last month. My dad was always one of my biggest supporters when it came to my cycling and it has felt so strange not being able to talk to him about this event.
Watching someone you love lose their battle against cancer makes you feel so helpless.
So it was important to me to find a way to do something where I felt like I could make a difference. With that in mind, I have decided to do this 500km ride for Cancer Research UK. Hopefully, this will be the start of a partnership with them to promote the amazing work they do.
Tomorrow morning I’m off to Falmouth… wish me luck!!
If you want to follow my journey I will be posting on Twitter and Instagram