RTTR 2023 - Calais to Paris

Last week I joined Ospreys in the Community and Tyhafan for a 370km Cycle Ride to the Rugby (RTTR) from Calais to Paris. We are currently at over ￡17,000 raised.

It was an amazing experience from which I learned a lot. We were a group of people (most I did not know before the trip) getting together to achieve a single goal of getting into Paris together and as one. Throughout the 3 day ride we all had times when we thought we couldn't make it but we stuck together and dug deep. By doing so we bonded further, got stronger together and rode into Paris as one proud group.

We had a few stops along the way. The one above at the Welsh Memorial in Mametz Wood was the most poignant for me. We heard the story of how soldiers from the 38th Welsh Division suffered severe casualties: One-fifth of its total strength on the eve of the battle. Of these, 565 were killed, 585 reported as missing (most of whom would have been killed, although a few were captured) and 2,893 were wounded. As we sung the national anthem our own aches and pains ebbed away as we choked up with emotion, grounded by the sacrifices' others have made for us to be here today.

As the days passed all of our characters started to appear. I was reminded of how much I missed my time playing rugby predominantly because of the camaraderie and banter. We were group 2, albeit we should have been called group 1. Some of us had very little experience on a bike, some none at all. We had certainly not rode as a group / peloton before, hence why we hold the record for falls. My 2 falls were in the last 5 miles. The last on the ramp to the Stade de France. By that point we had all established it was Ok to be vulnerable, we were all in it together. My bruises, ego and physical were just another reminder of the trip.

A massive thanks to everyone involved and particularly group 2 for making this an experience that has bonded us for a life time. We all knew the days would hurt, yet we all helped each other. Through shear determination and Ian Gough's draft we accomplished our goal. It was a blast guys - thanks Tom Sloane , @alex Lawson , @Eliott Thomas , Robert Neil Armstrong , Jeremy Horton , Jason Evans , Joe Gage , Kyle Tucker , Mark Stobbs , Melissa Sartain , @stef Andrew , Robert Govier , Neil Davies CeMAP CeFA , @igough

Anyone that would like to donate more towards the cause, please click on the link below