Mansfield and Ashfield: Parkinson’s boosted by Paris pedal power

Richard Candlin, Andrew Charles and Alex Etches, of Mansfield Woodhouse, Matt Halfpenny, of Mansfield, and Richard Eldridge, of Sutton, set off from Tower Bridge on day one aiming for Newhaven on the south coast.

After an overnight ferry to Dieppe, they then hoped to complete their journey to the French capital on day two and finish at the Eiffel Tower.

But disaster struck shortly after setting off when Andrew Charles was forced to abandon his challenge after crashing and breaking his tibia and a bone in his ankle.

That left four riders and Mark Osborne in the team’s support van to continue their trip, initially in heavy rain.

Richard Eldridge also suffered a fall, but thankfully escaped without serious injury.

“It was a great experience, but one of the hardest things I have ever done,” said Richard Candlin.

“It was a big blow to lose Andy so early in the trip and I really felt for him after all the hard work he has put in during training.

“We saw some spectacular scenery along the way, but one of the most welcome sites was getting into Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time.”

“My wife’s grandma suffered from Parkinson’s. It’s a terrible disease, so we’re delighted to have been able to raise so much and I’d like to thank all our sponsors.”

Richard Eldridge, who plotted the team’s route and navigated using GPS, was delighted to reach their goal.

He said: “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, that we would be on the road a long, long time and we wouldn’t get much sleep.”

To view a video of the group’s trip, go to http://www.chad.co.uk/news/local/video-mansfield-and-ashfield-cyclists-raise-3-500-for-parkinson-s-uk-1-6645917