It has begun!

Now that the Just Giving Website is set up, I suppose it about time I started writing some articles! Why the heck am I riding from John O'Groats to Lands End!? This is after all, technically a holiday for my brother and I, as we are using our own free time off from our respective jobs. I could think of any other millions of things I would rather do with my time other than a tiring, gruelling and potentially very soggy two weeks in the saddle; but then just doing it for no other reason is not the point.

Back in 2010 our father was diagnosed with Parkinson's, a progressive neurological condition. Basically nerve cells in the brain die off and the sufferer can no longer produce enough dopamine which reduces their ability to move and control their own body, and the older the person becomes the worse the symptoms become. Whereas before my father was always very active (I will always cherish the memories of holidays climbing mountains in Wales or Scotland, or cycling in the Alps or Pyrenees reaching speeds of over 50mph on the descents), he now is unable to walk long distances, nor cycle to the extent he used to.

Naturally this has caused drastic changes for the family of which we are all having to accept and adapt to. At first it was such a big shock that all those things that we took for granted have changed. Still these things take a while to sink in but our parents have taken the correct approach; rather than sulking and trying to hide from the facts, they have taken the decision to find out more about Parkinson's, and going to Parkinson's meetings. They have also taken steps to find new things to do by way of enjoying themselves. They are now proud owners of a motor-home, something I'm fairly certain they wouldn't have bought if my dad had never been diagnosed!

I've come to realise that a lot of people suffer from this condition (not long after my dad, my best friends father was also diagnosed), and while scientists still do not really know what causes it, they have managed to make a lot of progress in finding a cure. Parkinson's UK, the charity, provides a lot of money to research; it's network of support and nursing is fantastic. Being a charity it is purely reliant on donations from people like us. I'm not entirely certain where the idea of riding from the top to the bottom of the UK derived from (probably one of those beer fuelled suggestions that would never usually ever happen) but this is what we are doing.

So who are we? I am Stuart Parsons (28), and together with my brother and fellow rider Alex (30) we will attempt to ride from John O'Groats to Lands End over two weeks in May all in aid of raising money for Parkinson's. We will be riding our own bikes, and we will be backed up by a fantastic support crew (our parents Geoff and Alison and their motor-home). This is funded purely out of our own pockets; we would appreciate our friends, family and colleagues to donate as much as they can, which will all go straight to Parkinson's. Follow this blog, as I will be keeping everyone up to date with training and planning and ultimately the progress of the ride, all in accompaniment to some rather splendid pictures, videos, and some witty bike related banter (I just hope my wits hold out by the end of it).

From the left: Stuart, Alison, Geoff and Alex

Cheers