It all started with a bike ride.
How does one man’s solo journey from Paris become an event which has lasted nearly four decades and raised money for over 500 good causes.
Pete McQuade, founder of the Paris to Hayling Cycle Ride, brings to life the stories and personalities that turned his first pedal from Paris into the UK’s longest-running long-distance charity cycling event. This moving and inspirational tale recounts friendships made, adventures shared, and the trials overcome by a group of lively and lovable characters who have taken part in a cycling event like no other and which for many has proved truly life-changing .
Cyclists of varying standards coped with all sorts of weather and all sorts of terrain. Some got lost, one disappeared in a gypsy wedding, others gate-crashed a 14th July celebration and had the gathering singing "God Save The Queen" and one even got ejected from a nunnery. A few needed hospital trips and many partied hard but they got through it all together and came out the other side despite their raw hides and sore heads, with some fantastic tales and an even more special network of “bike ride friends”
Initial reviews on Amazon and elsewhere have been very positive:
- “OMG I’m sitting on my sofa tears streaming down my face. I got up early to finish it. What a fantastic read. It's funny, it's sad, it's inspirational.”
- “I couldn’t put it down, I read it in two nights. The characters are brought vividly to life. Also the tremendous highs and lows associated with long days in the saddle are described in perfect detail.
- “I absolutely loved this book!”
Available from Olympia. Waterstones, Amazon (paper or Kindle) and local bookshops in the East Hants/West Sussex area.