58 A
Kit and Piers complete John O’ Groats to Lands End charity e-bike ride challenge
year ago in a pub in Cornwall, two South Hams men planned to cycle over a thousand miles from
John O’ Groats to Lands End on electric bikes. 12 months later Kit Noble and Piers Ballard have not only completed the challenge but have also raised over £7,000 for charity. We found out a little more about the highs and the lows of the trip and what snacks kept them going...
On the 11th of September Kit Noble and Piers Ballard headed off from John O’Groats with full batteries and flapjacks in their pockets! The pair decided to do the challenge when Kit was diagnosed with early onset of Parkinson’s Disease. The 65 year old, who is well known in Kingswear sailing circles, said he wanted to do something to keep his mind and body active and thought he’d raise some cash for The Cure Parkinson’s Trust at the same time. Kit joined forces with local carpenter and long- term friend Piers Ballard, 58, who is a keen cyclist and has always wanted to do the John O’Groats to Lands End challenge. Piers has a genetic heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and sadly lost his younger brother Peter and his younger sister Heidi to undiagnosed heart conditions. He did the ride in their memory and raised money for The British Heart Foundation. The duo took only 12 days to complete their challenge covering an average of 90 miles a day (1,150 in total)
and they say it was only possible thanks to supportive other halves. Piers’ fiancé Kate followed them all the way in their campervan going on ahead at key times to prepare delicious and nutritious lunches and dinners. Kit’s wife Penny joined during the second week to help out and provide much needed moral support. So far the gang have raised just over £7,000 and the total continues to rise.
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kit- nobleshake-rattle-roll
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/piers- ballard-shakerattleandroll
KIT What were your highlights? Seeing so much wildlife. We came across red squirrels, pine martins and red deer - things which you would miss if travelling in a car. Any low points? We did go through a few deprived areas which was a bit sad to see. Did you get much support as you travelled down country? It wasn’t obvious what we were doing so we didn’t get cheers or hoots from vehicles but we did come across many friendly people who always pointed us in
the right direction if we looked a little confused. Two chaps on bikes helped us get out of the cycle mazes of Sunderland, they just said “follow us” so we did! What kept you going? Kate’s food. She made us superb meals, which were so welcome at the end of the day. We had a WhatsApp group with about 70 of our friends. We posted daily reports on there and had great responses back with funny jokes and comments which raised our spirits. Did Covid affect you? No, not at all. We could still do all the things we wanted and go where we planned.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
