Jennifer Richards

I started cycling as a teenager, going on Youth Hostel tours with friends and family in the Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and Scotland. When our third child was born, and it was no longer logistically possible to go hiking, we turned back to cycling as a means of being out in the country and getting some exercise.

The children enjoyed the experience, at first being pulled along and then progressing onto pedalling. It was essential to stop along the way to keep the day as an enjoyable experience rather than an exercise regime, so we always incorporated places of interest to rest, or the inevitable ice-cream stops!

In December 1998 my husband Howard and I embarked on a cycle ride across Cuba to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind.