Bristol Uni student to cycle the length of Norway for the Tom Love Trust charity

Bristol University student Ed Watson is completing a charity cycle this month across the length of Norway.

The cause of the cycle is to raise money for the Tom Love Trust, after a friend of Ed’s passed away.

The 22-year-old medicine student will be joined by his brother, James, and friend Tommy, who are also both students at university.

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The cycle will begin this Tuesday (August 6th) from Norway’s southern tip of Lindesnes. They will aim to cycle 100km a day, meaning they will cover 3100km taking a month to complete.

The cycle will end at the most northern tip of Norway, Nordkapp, in early September.

Tom, the boys’ friend, sadly passed away in 2022 whilst taking on a solo challenge which involved motorbiking the length of Africa.

Ed said: “He was a really great guy. Funny, friendly and this challenge that he gave himself summed him up and his love of adventure perfectly.”

The charity set up for Tom, the Tom Love Trust, supports children and young people in deprived areas of the UK and Africa.

Tom, Ed’s friend, who passed whilst working in DRC.

When talking about the charity, Ed explained: “Some examples are it aims to help improve access to education and healthcare in Africa, as well as developing young people’s horizons here in the UK – showing them that you can follow your passions and give them a sense of adventure, whilst improving their quality of life.”

The group are hoping to raise over £5,000 and raise awareness for the causes that The Tom Love Trust supports in Tom’s memory.

The boys chose Norway because of the physical difficulty of the natural features of the country as well as the varying weather conditions. Ed explained: “Norway is a country we are all really excited to visit with some incredible scenery and people. The south of the country has incredible fjords and the north of the country has some extremely remote communities.

“Cycling means we get the physical challenge but also we can cover a long distance and see even more exciting places.”

Between days of cycling, the boys will be able to pitch up their tents for the night, as Norway allows for wild camping no matter how remote and isolated the area may be.

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Ed continued: “Some of the weather can be quite sunny, especially in the south, but lots of the weather will be very cold, windy and wet. In the north even in summer, it can be below zero degrees.

“We know it will be an immensely tough challenge – physically tough covering such a long distance, carrying all our kit and lots of tough ascents. Mentally, without any support, for a month-long and no rest but with the training we have done and the three of us together we know we can make it to the top.”

If you want to follow their journey, all updates will be posted on Instagram, @thehairlessbikers.

The link to their donation page is here.

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