Philippa Cox - Shares more about her solo, Cycle Odyssey a Journey of 5,000 miles from Northern Norway to Southern Spain!

Published: Jan. 24, 2017, 6 a.m.

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Philippa never thought that at the age of 44 she would be cycling 5,000 miles from the top of Norway to the south of Spain.\\xa0 Let alone on her own.\\xa0 She wasn\\u2019t an endurance cyclist and had never wild camped on her own. \\xa0

Yet in June 2016 she found herself at Nordkapp, the most Northern point in Europe with a tent and two wheels. \\xa0 After a small freak out and a lot of questions to herself she pointed her bicycle South and started cycling.\\xa0 Three and a half months and a lot of ice cream later she reached Tarifa in Spain, the Southernmost point in Europe, a lot fitter and with the knowledge that she had been able to overcome those fears, rise to the challenge and complete her dream.\\xa0 She raised money for 2 charities \\u2013 Re-cycle (who send bicycles to Africa) and the Youth Adventure Trust who support vulnerable children to build self esteem, gain confidence and learn important life skills through a programme of adventure. \\xa0

Since her return she has combined her professional background in events and fundraising with her personal love of adventure and just started working for the Youth Adventure Trust as their Corporate Partnership Manager.\\xa0 She is also training to be a Pilates teacher\\xa0

Show notes

  • Why Philippa decided to do this journey & how having a mentor helped
  • Why the journey was named the \\u201cCycle Odyssey\\u201d
  • Why you don\\u2019t need to be a super athlete to do challenges
  • Growing up and how she ended up going on her first cycle adventure
  • Cycling from London to Lands End on a second hand bicycle in 1999
  • How she decided to take control of her commute in London and become a cyclist
  • Deciding to cycle from London to Paris and she ended up meeting more people who loved to cycle
  • How her cycle adventure progressed from organised tours to wild camping and solo trips
  • Looking back at the start of her cycling journey and talking about the progression that has been made, and why you discover more about yourself as you continue to push yourself
  • Being inspired by Emily Chappell - (You can listen to Emily on the tough girl podcast - here)
  • Why eating food is always the right thing to do!
  • Cycling in London and why she loved the freedom!
  • Hills\\u2026.
  • Deciding on what challenge to do next and how she made the decision
  • Taking it day by day and changing her mind about her route on day 3!
  • Talking about money and how she afforded to pay for her trip
  • Remembering her dad
  • The fears that were going through her head before the start of the trip and tips for how she handled those fears.
  • Why you have a choice about your attitude and why you should be positive
  • Her physical preparation for the trip and why testing her equipment was more important
  • Balance!!
  • The highlights from her trip and why the challenges stood out for her as well as the people
  • Getting to the end\\u2026 and not comprehending she\\u2019d completed the journey - 101 days, 5,000 miles rode!
  • Why you can do it!!!!
  • What she\\u2019s learnt most from the adventure and her final words of advice for you and why you won\\u2019t regret it!

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Read more about Philippa and her journey on her blog!\\xa0Philippa is on twitter @cycleodyssey16

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Charities

RE-CYCLE take donated bikes and reduce landfill and by refurbishing them and sending them to Africa they can change lives by helping children get to school, reduce travel time to work, carry heavy loads of water and food and give families extra time to earn, learn and enjoy life.

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The Youth Adventure Trust is a registered youth development charity working with vulnerable young people aged 11 to 14 years old from across Wiltshire and Swindon. Many young people, for a variety of reasons, often do not have the opportunity to start the \\u2018believe \\u2013 achieve\\u2019 process and make the most of their lives.

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