I’d love you to help me raise money for a hand powered bike for Mark Allen who has AS (Ankylosing Spondylitis.)

Last year I decided to push myself and book a cycling challenge to ride 400KM from Vietnam to Cambodia in November 2017. The challenge started off as a personal challenge to see just how far I can go, having completed the two day 185 mile London Revolution earlier this year.

Recently at a family wedding I caught up with my old school friend, Mark. Through school Mark was guaranteed to share a one liner, a comedy voice, and make you smile. There’s no change there either! Years on and Mark still is upbeat and making everyone laugh with his funny Facebook videos and tuneful songs! He has a chronic physically debilitating inflammatory disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis.

This is an inflammatory Arthritis which affects Mark’s organs, his joints and bones, especially the spine.His mobility is severely limited due to the arthritis fusing joints, and his spine is nearly fused to a solid curved bone, giving him extremely limited movement in his neck and back.

This condition also means that Mark’s walking is severely impaired. A 10 yard walk is hard, but anything more and the use of a wheelchair has to be considered.

Proven to be, exercise is the best thing for AS, but as he is in constant pain, and with restricted movement, it’s a bit of a Catch 22 situation. Although cycling is great therapy, a standard bike, for someone like Mark would just be to dangerous due to his physical limitations..

The money we raise will buy Mark a hand powered bike that will not only give him more freedom, it will benefit his health too.

There’s a warmth about Mark and seeing him again and how the AS has effected his life has given me a reason to peddle harder and raise money for him to be able to go out and ride too.

I do hope you will join me in helping to raise funds and any contribution is much appreciated.