Alison and a group of women from across the UK set off on their journey on Saturday 26th November from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and spent three days cycling through rural communities, small towns and scenic agricultural land. Along the way, the group was cheered on by friendly locals.
On Tuesday 29th November, the ladies got a well-deserved day off their bikes to travel by boat to Cambodia which took them along the historic Mekong River to the border. The following day marked the first day of cycling in Cambodia which was followed by two more days of gruelling pedalling, including the trip’s most demanding day of cycling with the team completing 110kms.
The locals in Cambodia showed their support by cheering the women on as they passed through. The participants also got the opportunity to take in many temples and pagodas, before reaching the finish line at the world heritage site of Angkor Wat.
The combined total raised by all that took part in the cycling challenge was a staggering £325,000. The money raised for Women V Cancer is split equally among three cancer charities: Breast Cancer Care, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action.
Alison commented: “Words cannot even begin to describe the experience, it has been absolutely brilliant! As well as raising an amazing amount of money for charity, it really put things into perspective, a lot of the locals we met along the way had so little, yet they are so happy. It was very emotional when we crossed the finish line, lots of tears, hugs and sweat! Despite the unbearable heat and 4am starts most days, I would definitely do it again, it was a life changing experience that I will never forget!”
Alison took on this challenge as part of activpayroll’s 2016 CSR campaign #activAlison. The campaign saw Alison taking part in numerous challenges, including Ride the North which she completed in August. The current total of £21,417 raised throughout #activAlison has gone towards four deserving charities: Women V Cancer, Maggie’s, Chest Heat and Stroke Scotland and Friends of Anchor.