A Yorkshire woman has completed a charity cycle ride from Leeds to Barcelona despite injuries which almost ended her cycling career.
Cycling over 1240 miles in 14 days, Margaret Allison's team raised £50,000 for a cancer support charity. The 55-year-old completed the ride in aid of Maggie’s, a charity which supports those with cancer and their loved ones.
The group cycled from their local Maggie’s, which is near St James' Hospital, Leeds, to a new cancer support centre in Barcelona.
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For Margaret, the challenge was ‘fate’, she told LeedsLive: “I had slipped on some diesel whilst on a ride and shattered my hip, elbow and pelvis, I had 12 stitches around my eye. I thought I wouldn’t get back on my bike again.”
Because of her injuries, Margaret had to give up her spot golfing with her husband, Rob, the following week. The man who took her place, Richard Butters, became great friends with Rob and eventually introduced Margaret to his wife, Helen Butters, who masterminded the fundraising.
Helen, one of four Yorkshire rowers who made a record breaking journey over the Atlantic in 2016, inspired Margaret to get back to cycling.
Margaret said: “She motivated me to get back on my bike. I thought you know what, I'm gonna do this. I'm not gonna let go of cycling, I absolutely love it.”
Together with seven strangers, including a 10-year-old girl, Margaret set off from Leeds on April 30.
She said: “We realised pretty quickly that if we were going to do it, we really needed to work as a team because everybody had different strengths. Everybody had their part to play in keeping activists together and motivated.”
Despite some ‘harrowing’ experiences cycling in busy cities and gravel paths, the stunning views kept the group motivated.
Margaret said: “It was beautiful. We stayed in some interesting places like monasteries, to make it feel more like a holiday.”
After two weeks, the group arrived at Kalida, the newly opened Maggie’s centre in Barcelona, on May 14. Margaret said: “I got there and I just cried. It was just really emotional and amazing. I thought, we've done this, this is fantastic.”
She has plans to do more fundraising or even volunteer with Maggie’s in Leeds after seeing their work first hand. If you would like to donate, visit Margaret’s Just Giving page, here.
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