Philippa never thought that at the age of 44 she would be cycling 5,000 miles from the top of Norway to the south of Spain. Let alone on her own. She wasn’t an endurance cyclist and had never wild camped on her own.
Yet in June 2016 she found herself at Nordkapp, the most Northern point in Europe with a tent and two wheels. After a small freak out and a lot of questions to herself she pointed her bicycle South and started cycling. Three and a half months and a lot of ice cream later she reached Tarifa in Spain, the Southernmost point in Europe, a lot fitter and with the knowledge that she had been able to overcome those fears, rise to the challenge and complete her dream. She raised money for 2 charities – Re-cycle (who send bicycles to Africa) and the Youth Adventure Trust who support vulnerable children to build self esteem, gain confidence and learn important life skills through a programme of adventure.
Since her return she has combined her professional background in events and fundraising with her personal love of adventure and just started working for the Youth Adventure Trust as their Corporate Partnership Manager. She is also training to be a Pilates teacher.
Listen Now!
Show notes
Why Philippa decided to do this journey & how having a mentor helped
Why the journey was named the “Cycle Odyssey”
Why you don’t need to be a super athlete to do challenges
Growing up and how she ended up going on her first cycle adventure
Cycling from London to Lands End on a second hand bicycle in 1999
How she decided to take control of her commute in London and become a cyclist
Deciding to cycle from London to Paris and she ended up meeting more people who loved to cycle
How her cycle adventure progressed from organised tours to wild camping and solo trips
Looking back at the start of her cycling journey and talking about the progression that has been made, and why you discover more about yourself as you continue to push yourself
Being inspired by Emily Chappell - (You can listen to Emily on the tough girl podcast - here)
Why eating food is always the right thing to do!
Cycling in London and why she loved the freedom!
Hills….
Deciding on what challenge to do next and how she made the decision
Taking it day by day and changing her mind about her route on day 3!
Talking about money and how she afforded to pay for her trip
Remembering her dad
The fears that were going through her head before the start of the trip and tips for how she handled those fears.
Why you have a choice about your attitude and why you should be positive
Her physical preparation for the trip and why testing her equipment was more important
Balance!!
The highlights from her trip and why the challenges stood out for her as well as the people
Getting to the end… and not comprehending she’d completed the journey - 101 days, 5,000 miles rode!
Why you can do it!!!!
What she’s learnt most from the adventure and her final words of advice for you and why you won’t regret it!
Learn more about Philippa on her blog! Philippa is also on twitter @cycleodyssey16
Charities
RE-CYCLE take donated bikes and reduce landfill and by refurbishing them and sending them to Africa they can change lives by helping children get to school, reduce travel time to work, carry heavy loads of water and food and give families extra time to earn, learn and enjoy life.
The Youth Adventure Trust is a registered youth development charity working with vulnerable young people aged 11 to 14 years old from across Wiltshire and Swindon. Many young people, for a variety of reasons, often do not have the opportunity to start the ‘believe – achieve’ process and make the most of their lives.
The Youth Adventure Trust provides young people between 11 and 14 years old a chance to try new things and challenge themselves. The programme enables them to experience success, learn to go beyond their own expectations and grow in confidence.
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