Swansea Uni students set off on a ‘Quad Tandem’ charity bike ride from London to Paris

Four Swansea University set off yesterday on a four day ‘Quad Tandem’ charity bike ride from London to Paris for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Tom, Louis, Rory, and Nathan are doing the challenge on a customised four seater bike that requires constant teamwork, with each seat playing a specific role.

The journey is a personal challenge for Tom, who studies geography as his girlfriend Lizzie suffers from cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that causes mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system, affecting people’s physical health, mental wellbeing and way of living.

It is estimated that over 10,800 people in the UK are affected by this condition, with one in 25 carrying the gene usually without knowing it.

The rugby teammates will be partaking in a 270-mile ride which will start with a trip from London to Calais on day one, to Arras on day two, Compiègne on day three, and then finally on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on day four.

Tom and his friends aim to draw attention to their different method of raising awareness to educate others about the role that the Cystic Fibrosis Trust plays as a charity, bringing people with the condition together and offering support, treatment and care.

Speaking with Swansea Bay News, Louis said, “We have had so many people reach out that have cystic fibrosis”.

“Money from the fundraising is going to be key for the trust and what they do but for us raising awareness is crucial to a condition that is lesser known.”

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It was Louis who came up with the idea of the Quad Tandem ride after speaking to his fireman father Anthony, who had previously taken part in a children’s hospital charity event in Liverpool where he had ridden a custom-made bike from Liverpool to London.

After this, the bike was quickly located in someone’s garage where it had barely been used.

The bike was then customised to fit the four rugby players and “had some work done to it by getting a new chain and sorting the brakes out”.

Plus, they switched out the front tire for a “motorbike tire…with a motorbike brake” to help with the estimated 500kg combined weight of the cyclists.

via Just Giving

All four are said to be up for the challenge despite not having used this new Quad Tandem bike before.

Tom said that they have been training on normal bikes which they have managed to either find or borrow from friends or family, admitting that “none of us are cyclists in the slightest.”

“We are all relatively fit. We are coming towards the end of pre-season with uni, it is just getting used to being constantly on a bike, we’re not too worried about the lungs or anything like that.”

Although they predict that the biggest challenge is yet to come when the “excitement and adrenaline from the start is gone”.

Tom said: “We know it is going to be a long way and you get physically tired.”

He then adds that when they’re starting to feel down he’s sure that “Rory will come up with some awful joke that will inspire us.”

“But what mostly for us will keep us going is the motivation of the cause. It will be the trigger to get back on the bike in the mornings.”

“Loads of people have donated to the trust. Also, for me, thinking about my girlfriend and people like her who have real life-long struggles our four days are nothing in comparison.”

They aim to finish along the Champs-Élysées and do a tourist-style bike ride past the Eiffel Tower to potentially catch the media’s and tourists’ attention “with four big blokes in bright yellow on a 12-foot bright yellow bike.”

To donate and support Tom, Louis, Rory, and Nathan’s “London2Paris Tandem bike ride” visit their Just Giving page here.

Featured images via Just Giving

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