My Story

Back on the adventure again - this time its raising money again for Bike the Uk for  a collection of events in 2023 !

Those of you that know me know I like a challenge and what better way than to give myself a beasting than by doing a trio of testers !!!

The charity has a new initiative of create your own event – I’m doing a collection of charity events early this year just to kick start it off and am asking if you’d like to support me on my way whilst I raise money for this worthy cause. The Wales ride is the charity one, all the others are self-funded. These are the main 3 to start but I will be doing many others to add throughout the year.

Current event breakdown (to start)

Easter Weekend – Yorkshire Dales Divide Event– this is a self supported bikepacking event going from Arnside in the lake District over to Scarborough and back again.  The looped course crosses rugged off-road terrain which I’ll be riding my gravel bike over the north York moors. 400miles, 29,500ft elevation. I’ll be taking a small tent/bivvy/bin bag and proper roughing it whilst carrying all my gear - wild sleeping(ish) and trying to get back to the start as soon as possible. Please note I've never bikepacked before and the Moors have got Wearwolves I hear ! Theres also rules on this event in which I'm not allowed to except any outside help so please help me by digging deep ! https://bikepacking.com/event/dales-divide-2023/?fbclid=IwAR0KRsqM4jHbM5pacPd6YQXRK2QMNnno3o0vxjNQxfontKIm3lRi-SeTRyA

Dirty Reiver Gravel event, Kielder Forest, Northumberland – end of April, 123 miles, 11,000 ft elevation of off road big gravel riding around the forest.  I did this last year as my first ‘biggest’ gravel event and it nearly killed me. This is gravel riding at its best through hilly terrain and the event takes place over 1 day.  https://dirtyreiver.co.uk/?fbclid=IwAR365ZaOJs3aB7NFW0v8hmiFOoVjbu1ka1k6BLlLV89L71IwrFrB1k7koSI

Early May I'll be taking part in an official Bike the UK for MS Charity event in Wales. This involves riding from Holyhead through Snowdonia to the Brecon beacons and finishing at Cardiff Bay. The whole ride will be a total of 260 miles over 4 days with 19,000ft elevation and in true grit style – camping every night again (although the team will kindly carry my gear on this event).  I’m hoping the Welsh weather will be kind.https://www.biketheukforms.org/lon-las-cymru/

King Alfreds Way - this is a 230mile off road Gravel route that i solo bikepacked round in early July - My Dales Divide ride earlier this year didn't go quite to plan and i had to back out of it due to a major mechanical so i did this route to make up for that and also as my first solo bikepacking gravel event 

Sea - to Sea - Bike the Uk for MS - August this year! starting in whitehaven i'll be riding over hilly terrain over 150miles to Tynmouth with the awesome Bike the Uk for MS Team - really looking forward to this its been on the bucket for some time and has some very spikey hills (that I don't think i'm ready for!) https://ride.biketheukforms.org/pf/rosie-pickering-c70b3

Some of you might remember I cycled John O'Groats to Lands in 2021 and North Coast 500 in 2022 for this charity and absolutely loved doing them despite some horric weather conditions. So if you could please support me again I would really appreciate it.

I suffer myself from Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis and the MS Society has been great in helping me deal with my condition through treatment and I’d really like to keep raising money for my local MS Society to help give back to this worthy cause. Fundraising is instrumental to them being able to provide group and individual therapy's which without this local support would dramically effect the local MS Community.

I've been diagnosed 15 years now and have gone from times not being able to walk to current state of loving biking long miles. Fortunately, I can currently manage my condition, run a business and a young family. I manage my MS through exercise and medical interventions but basically I try my best to pretend I haven't got it but some days are are more challenging than others.

If I can help raise awareness of MS and stop people automatically ‘putting you in a wheelchair’ whilst raising these funds by pushing long biking events then I’ll carry on doing it.

I'd be really grateful if you can help me, thanks so much in advance!