1000km cycle across countries, in memory of Zoe
This September, friends, Sylvain and Lee will ride over 1000km from Chambéry, France to Naomi House & Jacksplace in Sutton Scotney to raise vital funds and awareness for our hospices.
They are doing this in memory of Sylvain’s daughter, Zoe, who died of brain cancer (DIPG) in June 2019. Sylvain, Zoe and their family visited Naomi House to spend precious family time together and stayed at the hospices during Zoe’s last days and after she died.
Sylvain and Lee, who both teach at Solent University in Southampton, will be starting the challenge on Thursday 5th September and cycling over 1000km for 10 days before they reach Naomi House & Jacksplace. The pair have been training hard and taking on different challenges to push themselves, ready for the big day, including the Clarendon Way Walk.
There is a team of four going on the journey, including former colleague, Will and post graduate student, Bailey. The team will encounter many sights on their journey, and will follow some of the main rivers in France; ‘Le Rhone’, ‘La Saone’ and ‘La Loire’. They will also pass the famous castle, ‘Château de Chambord’, and climb mountain ‘Col du Chat’ just after departing Chambery and saying goodbye to the Alps.
We spoke to the courageous duo about their motivation behind the challenge.
Tell us about how you came up with this challenge and the decision making behind the commitment
Sylvain said:
“As a family, we used Naomi House for my little daughter, Zoe. She had a type of brain tumour called ‘Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma’ (DIPG). She was diagnosed when she was 5 and suddenly passed away at 8 years old. She actually had her 8th birthday at Naomi House.
“Every year, me and my colleague, Lee, talk about doing a charity challenge, and we were talking about raising money for Naomi House, because the hospice was there for us at the worst time. So, we finally decided to go for it and to do a long ride across from Chambéry, France to Naomi House. I’m from Chambéry, and Zoe visited every summer to see her grandparents, so there’s a meaningful link between there and Naomi House.”
Tell us about the training involved for such an incredible challenge
Lee said:
“Training-wise, I have been doing between 200-300+km a week recently and will continue to hit at least 200km+ over the next three weeks. Sylvain has been in France and so has had the benefit of having lots of mountains to cycle up.”
I love to cycle. I'm quite sporty. I need to be active. I can't stay at home, otherwise I overthink. So, for my mental health, I'm doing a lot of sport and over the last 10 years, I started cycling and have done it much more since Zoe passed away.
“Training for me is just trying to cycle as much as possible in the summertime, during my time in France and in the UK.”
Tell us about Zoe – what does it mean to you to do this challenge in her memory?
Sylvain said:
“So, Zoe was our first and only child. She was full of beans until her 5th birthday, when we noticed a problem with one eye. And then after many, many checks, they discovered DIPG, a brain tumour. We’d like to advocate for DIPG a bit more because they have no cure. Nothing is possible, apart from radiotherapy.
“So, with our cycle, we’d like to advocate for DIPG and for Naomi House as well. So that's the story of our Zozo.”
Lee said:
“For me, this is a great opportunity to support my friend and cycle buddy, who I am in awe of. Despite everything, he continues to be positive and is great to be around. The students at work also love him and his lessons!”
What does Naomi House & Jacksplace mean to you?
Sylvain said:
Naomi House helped us a lot. They were beside us during the worst time, and I don't know how we would have got through it without their care. I've got lots of love for Naomi House, but it's a tough place for me, I’ve always struggled to go back there. I've got a lot of appreciation and love for Naomi House.
How are you feeling about the cycle?
Lee said:
“Feeling a little apprehensive but I think that’s only natural when you put pressure on yourself to achieve a goal and other people are relying on you. But I am also excited to get going.
“I’ll be motivated by the thought of hopefully raising a lot of money that will support the hospices and seeing friends and family at the finish line. Plus, a good sense of humour!”
Sylvain said:
“I feel good about it, as long as it's sunny. The tough part will be the bad weather. If we have rain or wind or if it's cold, I'm going to be miserable and I'm going to swear in French quite a lot!”
During those ‘dig deep’ moments, Zoe will motivate me. I have a little lanyard on my bike with a photo of Zoe, so every time if I put my head down, I will see her. She will be with me the whole time and that will definitely give me the energy to keep going.
Sponsor Lee and Sylvain's 1000km Challenge
If you'd like to support Sylvain and Lee on their 1000km cycle challenge across two countries, you can sponsor them at their JustGiving page below.
Lee and Sylvain's JustGiving page