October 2007, Thames Valley, UK

Andrew May, product marketing manager in the UK, cycled 105km from Naphill to Crays Pond to raise money for The Kingfisher Trust, helping alleviate poverty in The Gambia.

"The first hour on the bike was very tough as we negotiated a number of steep climbs and it was with some relief that we approached Henley and the road levelled out a little.

I completely misjudged a road junction and had to slam on both brakes at the bottom of a long descent, only just managing to skid to a halt in time. That was soon followed by me taking a bend rather wide on another steep descent only to find myself face-to-face with an elderly lady driving to church; I’m not sure which of us looked the most terrified!

I never expected to be fast, but out of 41 entrants, I managed to finish with 4 people still out on the course. I was just grateful not to have been last! Having nearly £800 of sponsorship money promised and a lot of poor Gambian children in my thoughts certainly helped to pull me through the times when my energy seemed to desert me."