Record breakers make great sacrifices chasing their ambitions, but have you ever thought about what they gain along the way? Although my attempt couldn’t match the 22-day record, I gained so much from the ride with every twist of the crank teaching me something new.
The 31 days it took me to cycle around Britain’s coast represented a moment of acceptance in my life. Along with 1.5 million others, I was born with a little-known eye condition that restricts my vision to a narrow tunnel. This ride was a meeting of me and my eye condition. A meeting with, and an appreciation and acceptance of, fear. A recognition of a need for care and support, to achieve a goal.
Those with retinitis pigmentosa see the world differently. Biking around Britain was the first in a series of cycling challenges to raise awareness of the condition and each ride I take on is symbolic of a personal journey I am only just beginning.
Starting and finishing in the Western Lakes where I live with my family, I passed through a wild, ever-changing landscape.
This challenge had a title, a distance, an end point, and it was a choice. The challenge of my eye condition, however, is ongoing: even now the ride is complete, my eyesight will continue to deteriorate.
We all encounter challenges. We all experience things differently. We all deal with things differently. I am pushing myself to encourage acceptance and empathy, to give insight into my particular journey, and to practice compassion for myself, and others, in both moments of
joy and adversity.
Record breakers make great sacrifices chasing their ambitions, but have you ever thought about what they gain along the way? Although my attempt couldn’t match the 22-day record, I gained so much from the ride with every twist of the crank teaching me something new.
The 31 days it took me to cycle around Britain’s coast represented a moment of acceptance in my life. Along with 1.5 million others, I was born with a little-known eye condition that restricts my vision to a narrow tunnel. This ride was a meeting of me and my eye condition. A meeting with, and an appreciation and acceptance of, fear. A recognition of a need for care and support, to achieve a goal.
Those with retinitis pigmentosa see the world differently. Biking around Britain was the first in a series of cycling challenges to raise awareness of the condition and each ride I take on is symbolic of a personal journey I am only just beginning.
Starting and finishing in the Western Lakes where I live with my family, I passed through a wild, ever-changing landscape.
This challenge had a title, a distance, an end point, and it was a choice. The challenge of my eye condition, however, is ongoing: even now the ride is complete, my eyesight will continue to deteriorate.
We all encounter challenges. We all experience things differently. We all deal with things differently. I am pushing myself to encourage acceptance and empathy, to give insight into my particular journey, and to practice compassion for myself, and others, in both moments of
joy and adversity.