Struggle Dales was a very personal struggle for Joe Dobinson and his Yorkshire bunch of cycling comrades. Find out how they fared...
We lost a dear friend Carl to a Motor Cross accident who later passed away in Hospital.
A few of Carls friends are cyclists. With the sport being so accessible we decided that riding to Paris would be a great challenge in his memory. I decided to raise money for North West Air Ambulance but in the process set ourselves a hard challenge.
To achieve our end goal of getting to Paris we set hard challenges along the way.
Challenges that would replicate some of the days we would be spending in the saddle en route to Paris. We decided the Struggle sportive in Yorkshire would be one of those hard challenges.
So we hit the hills of Yorkshire…
A few of us used our daily commute as training, with weekend rides thrown in. We spent time sat in the saddle - and on the tarmac! The camaraderie was present in the lead up to the event. The Struggle was the first time many of the riders went over the 80/90 mile mark.
The climbs were the deciding factor.
We set off as a group but with our mixed experience and fitness the climbs split us up over the 108 miles. We then rode to our own abilities and all got round. It was a brilliant day.
A personal high point was Chris dropping Andy on Park Rash!
Getting to the top of Park Rash in a good time is very rewarding, but the highlight was the challenge of just getting us all round this hard sportive.
Documenting what we were doing put pressure on us to finish.
We gathered loads of social coverage but having the charity in the back of our minds also helped drive us on - and the beer truck at the end.
Don't let the beautiful Yorkshire countryside pass you by.
Relax and enjoy it. If you live in Yorkshire you must do this Yorkshire sportive. This year I want to smash it!
So far Joe and his team have raise £18,044.50 and counting. For more info on their charity work visit their Just Giving page.