THREE friends have completed an epic bike ride to Africa to raise money for a children’s charity.
Max Malpass and James Hillary, of Downend, came up with the idea of the 1,800-mile journey from Frenchay to Fez in Morocco ten years ago, when they took part in a ride from London to Rome.
Along with Dave Squance, a friend of Max’s from his time at Cardiff University, they took on the challenge over 25 days in May, riding through England, France and Spain before crossing to North Africa for the final leg of the journey.
During the journey the friends raised money for Make-A-Wish, a charity that helps children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions to fulfil wishes.
Max, an engineer at Abbey Wood, said: “We all have personal connections with Make-A-Wish and know people close to us who have been supported by the charity, and have seen what an amazing cause it is.
“This was by far the biggest challenge we have embarked on and, as well as carrying all our own kit, the time-frame was tight meaning that we had to make sure we were keeping to schedule, so didn’t have any rest days.
“The hills and headwind in Spain were also a challenge and in Morocco it got hotter and hillier, which left us pretty exhausted by the time we got to Fez.
“It was tough but also an amazing experience.
“It is further than any of us have cycled – we wanted to reach another continent and also all wanted to buy a Fez – a long way to go just for a hat!”
Much of the journey followed the Eurovelo 1 cycle route, which stretches from Norway to Portugal.
The trio camped as they passed through France and stayed mainly in hostels, hotels and apartments in Spain and Morocco.
Max, fellow engineer James and Dave, who works for the Environment Agency, did find time to briefly explore some of the cities on the route, including Salamanca and Seville in Spain, and post pictures on their Instagram page, Frenchay2Fez.
But Max said the best thing about the journey was being able to enjoy the countryside, towns and cultures they might have missed if they had been driving through in a car.
He said: “We had such a warm welcome in Morocco. People were driving past and waving out of their cars – they probably weren’t used to seeing three crazy Englishmen cycling in the midday heat!”
Max, James and Dave had raised around £2,500 as the Voice went to print. Their JustGiving page is still open at tinyurl.com/2mp34jh4.