On yer bike! Phil’s fundraising cycle ride to Brighton
Phil Neal took on the challenge to ride from London to Brighton for CAFOD, raising an amazing £400.
Over 100 years ago John Mayall Jnr became the first person to cycle from London all the way to Brighton, making cycling history.
Today the route has become popular among many passionate cyclists and several fundraising events take place between the two cities each year.
Each year willing participants from across the country swing onto their bike saddles to pedal along a 55-mile route that starts at south London’s Clapham Common and ends on the Brighton beachfront, where they all receive a warm welcome and can celebrate their brilliant achievement.
On Sunday 15 September, 79-year-old Phil Neal accepted the grand cycling challenge.
Along with his granddaughter and his eldest son, who met him after 30 miles at Turners Hill, the ambitious trio cycled all the way up to Ditchling Beacon to get to their final destination.
For Phil it was a journey full of challenges, but it was the teamwork that got them through this exciting experience.
“The whole ride was definitely a team effort. I was dehydrated and also realised that my seat was one-and-a-half to two inches too low,” said Phil.
“The result of both of these things was that I thought one of my quads was about to snap. However, after a huge intake of energy drink and raising the seat, I was ok.”
So far Phil has been able to raise £400 for CAFOD. Thank you Phil for your amazing effort.
Would you like to cycle for CAFOD? If so please email our team at events@cafod.org.uk.