The Final Furlong, into the Centre of Africa - Part 4

Today’s post is our fourth and final instalment from Mike ‘the Bike’ McLellan, cycling enthusiast and long-time supporter of Yes to Life who just completed his mammoth trip from Italy to West Africa to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and raise lots of money to help us support people with cancer along the way.

For most of the journey through Europe then North and West Africa I had been travelling on the coast with its moderating effect on the climate, so it was rarely too hot or too cold. After reaching Casamance in Southern Senegal I headed inland rather than continue into the Ebola ridden countries along the coast and from here it got just got hotter and hotter.

As I said goodbye to my English fellow cyclists Zak and Alice who were taking a different route I crossed the border from Mali to Burkina Faso. I stopped for a long time at the border settling into a comfy chair under a mango tree and chatting to the very friendly Burkina border police. Stopping and resting in the shade during the day had already become a necessity as temperatures soared. I didn't  think it could get any hotter, but it did!

The hardest part of the whole journey was the few days from the Burkina border to the capital, Ougadougou. It had become too hot at night to camp so I planned a route that would bring me to a town, which meant a room in a hotel or guest house each evening. The thought of being under a cooling ceiling fan was enough to give me the strength to keep going.

Welcome to Sub-saharan Africa - Senegal, The Gambia and Mali - Part 3

Today’s post is our third from Mike ‘the Bike’ McLellan, cycling enthusiast and long-time supporter of Yes to Life who is cycling from Italy to West Africa to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and raise lots of money to help us support people with cancer along the way.

The cultural differences between Mauritania and Senegal was probably the most striking of any of the border crossings. Senegal was colourful, noisy and much more in your face than any of the previous African countries.

St Louis is the first city you come to heading South, and was fascinating with its French colonial architecture and vibrant markets. A few kilometres south of St Louis at the popular over-landers destination of the Zebrabar camp site Annie and I met up with Belgium couple Antoine and Elizabeth who now live in the Gambia and were touring northern Senegal on their interestingly designed tandem, so we decided to continue together.

The London Marathon 2015 - The Countdown Begins

Today's post is by Nick Rose who will be taking on the London Marathon on Sunday to raise money for Yes to Life and help us continue to support people in the UK to take an integrative approach to cancer. Good luck Nick! If you would like to sponsor our marvellous Marathon man please click here.

So the count down has well and truly begun and I am less than 4 days away from running 26.2 miles around London!

I actually ran 20.3 miles on Easter Sunday – the thought of a tasty roast dinner cooked by my lovely Aunt Viv, whose house I was running to, I admit was a great incentive – but it's done and was a great mental and physical goal to achieve before the race!

But that’s my last long run as we are now in official Taper Down mode. This is where you slowly lower the intensity, frequency and distance of your running to give your body time to recover and to also refuel ready for the big day. So its all about preparation now, making sure I look after my tired legs and aching & blistered feet so I am as fit as I can be for the 26th April.

The London Marathon 2015 – the highs and lows of a long distance runner

Today's post is by Nick Rose who will be taking on the London Marathon on the 26th April 2015 to raise money for Yes to Life and help us continue to support people in the UK to take an integrative approach to cancer. Good luck Nick! If you would like to sponsor our marvellous Marathon man please click here.

This will be my 7th London Marathon! 26.2 miles pounding around the streets of London with 30,000 other runners, cheering crowds, blisters, copious amounts of Vaseline, and being overtaken by runners dressed as rhinos, Elvis, fairies and the occasional superhero! There is certainly something very special about the London Marathon.

There is the crowd mentality of the runners at the start line with shots of “Ogi Ogi Ogi” belting out across Greenwich Park. Your nerves are buzzing and there is a certain amount of trepidation (some even say fear!) at what is to come. Then at 9.15 – you start!

The Desert: Mike 'The Bike' cycles West Africa - Part 2

Today’s post is our second from Mike ‘the Bike’ McLellan, cycling enthusiast and long-time supporter of Yes to Life who is cycling from Italy to West Africa to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and raise lots of money to help us support people with cancer along the way.

The so called gateway to the Westernmost Sahara is Guelmim in Southern Morocco. As we approached it I could see a completely different landscape to anything I have seen before looming before me. Long barren mountains ran South from that city and were present for several days as we rode South-west to Tan Tan,  and then disappeared as we went on to Tarfaya and then to the border with Western Sahara.

Desert cycling is challenging in many ways, but probably mostly psychologically,  in that very little changes. To the mind this can be a big challenge, gone are the usual things that stimulate us; different landscapes, people, places to rest, cafes, shops. But changes there are. Hills appear and disappear,  the colour and texture of the sand changes, at times fine and almost white, at other times yellow or red, sandy or rocky. Sometimes huge dunes appear majestically in the distance and then are gone.

Mike 'The Bike' cycles West Africa - Part 1

Today’s post is our first from Mike ‘the Bike’ McLellan, cycling enthusiast and long-time supporter of Yes to Life who is cycling from Italy to West Africa to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and raise lots of money to help us support people with cancer along the way.

Italy, France and Spain have been full of chance meetings and unexpected adventures, an experience of having to relinquish ideas and adapt to reality, of 'going with the flow' and allowing things to unfold. As I reach the end of the first leg of my journey, I look back at what has already been an incredible trip; the kind people I've met, the ever changing landscape, the foreign tongues, the not knowing where I will be sleeping at night but it somehow always working out!

The Road to Transylvania 2014 pt. 4 - The Final Training Post

Today is our fourth post from Paul Stevens, a long-time Yes to Life supporter who is about to take on a mammoth cycle adventure to Transylvania, raising over £2000 for Yes to Life! Thanks Paul for your incredible effort and wishing you the very best of luck.

This year’s ride really started in Piccadilly in January, at a meeting between me and Robin Daly of Yes to Life. Having completed BIKEast, it was time to put in place BIKEast II. We planned and schemed and eventually, Robin left the whole thing in my hands. (Thanks Robin!!!) 

It was decided to make this years ride a ‘one-off’, allowing all of the trusty bikers to talk en-route about what we would like to do from 2015 onwards. (Watch this space!)

The Road to Transylvania 2014 pt. 3

Today is our third post from Paul Stevens, a long-time Yes To Life supporter who is taking part in our cycle adventure to Transylvania in September 2014 and hoping to raise lots of money on the way! 

D-Day minus one month is upon me and if training has not been too high on the agenda, it needs to be now! It is a matter of pushing yourself hard, as the joys of climbing the Romanian mountains twice is not so far away.

This diagram shows our first climb, which will take place on day two. If you can read it, it shows we will be ascending over 2000 meters in less than 9km, at an angle of almost 45 degrees! That's probably two hours of hard uphill graft, a fantastic incentive to keep training!

The Road to Transylvania 2014 pt.1

Today's post is from Paul Stevens, a long-time Yes To Life supporter who is taking part in our cycle adventure to Transylvania in September 2014 and hoping to raise lots of money on the way!

I have begun my Romania training in earnest. I have started cycling to work again!!!

I live in Potters Bar and work near Oxford Circus. Getting up at 6am, cleaning my teeth and donning my lycra ready for the ride is hard, I don't deny it. It is however of great benefit as when I get home at night I don't have to train…Amazing!!

The great thing about this kind of training is two-fold. Firstly, all I want to do is get into work in the mornings and all I want to do at night is get home, so I push just that little bit harder on each journey, which makes for great ''interval training''. There are also a lot of other cyclists about, so it brings out the unspoken ''competitor'' in me, as I strive to catch up with people in front and not let others cruise past. The primary thing is stamina and leg strength, you need to get your legs used to constantly spinning. Nothing beats getting out on your bike, but if that's not convenient try a spin class or two, either instead of or as well as getting out riding.

BIKEast 2014 Transylvanian Transfagarasan Cycling Adventure - are you up for the challenge?

Our Yes to Life bikers thought they had cracked it with the last leg of the BIKEast Challenge when they made it to Istanbul. They looked longingly at the photos of gleaming faces and reconnect with the euphoria whilst reminiscing that incredible journey. 

Well it’s time to oil up the bike chain, get back into the saddle and start training for the next big adventure with the Yes to Life team of bikers and a host of new bikers.