Wymeswold cyclist Dan (41), completes tough 388 mile bike ride to Paris for kidney awareness

Dan Norcott has pedalled 388 miles to the French captial in just 10 days, raising over £7,500 for the Leicester Kidney Care Appeal.

The 41-year-old took to the saddle with friends Rich Moss and Andy Stafford despite battling with polycystic kidney disease - the same condition that unfortunately led to the death of his father, Malcolm, in 2004.

Dan said: “England was hot and sunny and we stopped at pubs for lunch and dinner every day, meeting friends and even a fellow kidney patient on the way.

“The hardest bit of the whole ride was East Grinstead to Newhaven on day five because it was the longest, 54 miles and 2,900ft of climbing. I also had a blood pressure crash, which meant that I was on the verge of fainting for much of the day, but I got through it.

“In France, the roads were smooth and the cycle paths great, although the weather a bit duller. Shaun Chatterton came with us driving my car with suitcases in and checked us in and out of hotels. He was an absolute lifesaver.

“We got to Paris alive and cycled down the Champs Elysees as happy as can be, and proceeded to get nicely drunk in Paris and ate a lot of nice food. While we were there we went to see Sacre Couer, the view from Galleries Lafayette, Montmartre, lots of Saint Germain and the Marais. We also took a boat trip down the Seine before I drove us all home in the car with the bikes on a rack.

“So far we’ve raised £7,736 for the Kidney Care Appeal, a small specialist charity in Leicester, that funds many small scientific research projects which are then often taken up for more funding by larger charities.

“Recently they funded a trial of a specially adapted exercise bike for patients undergoing dialysis which was a great success and has now been funded for larger trials by a bigger charity.”

Dan blogged daily about his cycling journey to Paris. To see how he got on in his own words visit http://pedallingtoparis.com/blog/

l To sponsor him visit his JustGiving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/Pedalling-to-Paris-with-PKD/5