Oli & Josh’s Ride to Riga Challenge
What was your challenge?
“In August 2022, my brother & I set off on our challenge to cycle 2200km from London to Riga, Latvia. Newcomers to the world of road cycling, we set ourselves the ambitious aim to reach Riga in 16 days - which meant averaging around 150km per day, travelling through the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Lithuania and finally, Latvia”
What was your motivation for fundraising?
“3rd September 2022 marked 7 years to the day since our Dad, John, died of a brain tumour. Since his passing we had thought long and hard about raising some money in memory of him and also to help those who have gone through or are going through similar experiences in their lives. Dad was a keen cyclist, regularly riding mid week races and long rides at the weekend and even completing one of the toughest Tour de France stages with his good friends at the Wolverhampton Wheelers. Ironically, he was probably the fittest and strongest he had ever been at the time he was diagnosed. It therefore seemed only fitting that any challenge would be a cycling one. With both of us inheriting Dad's trait of not wanting to do anything by half measures, we decided to jump on the bikes!
What did you find most challenging?
“The challenge wasn't just 16 days - it was a year of planning, training & fundraising which got us to the place we are now - with a successful trip behind us. In truth, it was some of those dark, wet training mornings at 6am that were really tough - with the trip still months away, dragging yourself out of bed to do 60k before work wasn't easy. But the training paid off, as it meant the physical aspects of the challenge itself was less painful. On the trip itself, crashing was a lowlight, mentally more than anything. I'd crashed in training and had first hand experience of the painful implications of a bike crash so the idea of doing another 50k that day - then another 9 full days on the bike - was pretty terrifying! ”
What was the best bit about your experience?
“I think any normal person might say 'the finish line' - but not for me, that just meant it was all over! The beauty of the challenge was that it took us to parts of Europe you'd never dream of going (think the northern coastline of Poland & the vast, flat plains of Lithuania). Finding a restaurant in the middle of nowhere & pitching up with the team to find some local food was, in a weird sort of way, magical. More broadly, the fact that Josh and I were able to bring so many friends on the journey with us was really special - whether that be through fundraising events or cycling with us on the trip itself - hearing how much everyone had loved the experience was so nice to hear & made it that extra bit worthwhile. ”
“My advice would be to set a date, announce it to the world & get planning! Once you make yourself accountable, there’s no going back! There’ll be some challenges - but it’s so worth it. ”