There’s a line we use a lot at Discover Adventure:\u00a0everyone’s summit is\u00a0different.<\/em><\/p>\n We mean it genuinely. Over 32 years of running challenges, we’ve watched people cross finish lines they never expected to cross. People carrying injuries, illness, grief, doubt. People who signed up before they felt ready and figured it out on the way.<\/p>\n But it’s one thing to say that from the outside. It’s quite another when it’s your own start-line that moves without warning.<\/p>\n Hannah has worked at DA for over 25 years. She knows our trips, our values and our ethos better than almost anyone. And three years ago, Long Covid quietly redefined what was possible for her. What follows is her story, in her own words.<\/p>\n I first became aware of e-bikes years ago, on holiday in France. Seeing three generations of family out together, grandparents pedalling next to young kids, was brilliant.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n At the time, I never imagined I\u2019d own one well before retirement age.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n That all changed when I developed Long Covid three years ago. Simple things I\u2019d taken for granted became a major effort. Even if I felt energetic enough to try a short ride, that energy drained out of me before I\u2019d pumped up the tyres. I spent summer holidays unable to join the family cycling trips that were our norm, saving my energy for the things I could do.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Last year, I bought an e-bike. On its first proper outing, my son \u2013 who tried so hard to drop me on the hills \u2013 said he\u2019d forgotten how much fun I could be on a ride. He was referring, very nicely, to the grumpy worrier that continual fatigue had turned me into.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Four months later, I was on a summer-holiday family bike ride. Flat and traffic-free, but the longest I\u2019d done for over two years, and I was buzzing. Mid-way through, a man wandered past our pit-stop, and casually commented, \u201cCheating really, though, isn\u2019t it \u2026.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n We were on the Tissington Trail, not Alpe d\u2019Huez. And I\u2019m clearly not a pro cyclist. <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n I know a lot of people have negative impressions of cyclists on e-bikes, but I really hope they learn to see the bigger picture without having to experience it themselves.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n At DA, we see first-hand how e-bikes enable people to experience new adventures and different cultures despite age or illness. Are they all cheating too? I think it\u2019s the opposite of lazy, to push your limits when those limits have been re-defined against your will.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve worked at DA for over 25 years, and I\u2019ve been moved countless times by the grit and tenacity of those who keep going when it would be so much easier to give up. Everything in our ethos \u2013 the level of support, the importance of going at your own pace, the team spirit on trips \u2013 recognises that a tough challenge isn\u2019t just defined by long distance and steep gradients. Everyone\u2019s start-line is different.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n But it\u2019s one thing knowing that, and quite another when it\u2019s your own start-line that moves without warning.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019d love to say my e-bike has fixed everything; sadly, it\u2019s not that simple. But I can now go for a ride and be pretty confident of functioning the next day, which is a game-changer. I\u2019ve started to gradually build short rides into longer ones. Thanks to that bike, regaining some level of fitness doesn\u2019t seem a pipe-dream any more.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m even daring to dream of doing another DA trip one day. A huge step, and maybe not practical, but also not downright impossible any more. The last cycle challenge I did was our much-loved Paris to Geneva Cycle (currently being rested, but hopefully it\u2019ll return one day!). 4 days, 330 miles, with a mountain thrown in. I had to train, but I didn\u2019t even consider the possibility I wouldn\u2019t complete it.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Now, my target is London to Amsterdam<\/a> <\/span><\/span>\u2013 the perfect entry-level ride. Or re-entry, in my case. A fairly flat 2-day \/ 137-mile effort, with a largely-traffic-free second day, which will massively help with the mental fatigue. On paper, my least challenging DA trip \u2013 but in reality, it will be by far the toughest. Even with an e-bike, I may not be able to achieve it.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n But we do have an incredible support crew. And when you work here, immersed in inspiring stories, it goes against the grain to keep thinking \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 Hannah, DA team<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The circumstances that bring people to the start line of a challenge vary enormously. What doesn’t vary is what’s available to them when they get there.<\/p>\n All of our cycling challenges are available with e-bike options. If you’re coming back from illness, injury or a long stretch away from the saddle \u2014 or if you simply want to spend more energy taking in the scenery than grinding up the climbs \u2014 they’re worth considering. There’s no asterisk on the finish line.<\/p>\n If you’re wondering whether a DA cycling challenge might be possible for you, the best thing to do is talk to us. We’ve had that conversation many times – We’re good at it!\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Cycle Rajasthan \u2192<\/a> <\/strong>Forts, palaces and the Pink City of Jaipur, with nights in maharajah’s palaces along the way. The heat is part of the challenge. The Taj Mahal at the finish is the reward. Available with e-bike option.<\/p>\n Ho Chi Minh to Angkor Wat \u2192<\/a> <\/strong>One of the great iconic cycling routes \u2014 from Vietnamese Saigon through the Mekong Delta and into Cambodia, finishing at the Royal Temples of Angkor Wat. Rice paddies, river crossings, ancient civilisations. The kind of ride people talk about for years. Available with e-bike option.<\/p>\n Cycle Morocco \u2192<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Smooth tarmac winding through High Atlas mountain passes and palm-lined valleys, with very little traffic and a lot of sky. From ancient kasbahs to the long climb up Tizi n’Test on the final day \u2014 the scenery changes constantly, the quality of the road doesn’t. Available with e-bike option.<\/p>\n See all cycling challenges \u2192<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"70](\"https:\/\/blog.discoveradventure.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/70%20Day%204%201st%20col.jpg?width=600&height=450&name=70%20Day%204%201st%20col.jpg\")
Hannah –\u00a0Paris to Geneva\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nCycling challenges worth exploring:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n