Luke completes unique 40th birthday challenge
LUKE Evison is not your average cyclist; he prefers to ride on one wheel instead of two, and he has just completed an astonishing feat of endurance for charity.
Luke, from Bristol, has completed 40 individual 40km rides on a unicycle to raise funds for Parkinson's UK and FoodCycle.
This was his biggest distance challenge to date – in 2022 he cycled 400km across the Scottish Highlands over the course of 10 days to raise funds for Parkinson's UK and Mind UK.
Luke, 40, from Windmill Hill, was inspired to raise money for Parkinson's UK because his older brother, Neil, was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2018 at only 44 years of age. Luke is also raising money for FoodCycle because he wants to support people who are struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Luke completed his last 40 km ride on Saturday, January 27. He decided to take on this ‘40 on One Wheel' challenge to mark his 40th birthday that he celebrated on February 3.
Luke has travelled around the country to complete this challenge, completing rides in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, Cornwall, the Lake District, and Wales. Each ride took approximately six hours and Luke completed most of them by himself, but was occasionally joined by friends and family.
Luke said: “It's crazy to think back through all these rides over the past year. I've completed rides in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, north Norfolk, the Yorkshire Moors, The Dales, Cumbria – and more.
“I've been through the full spectrum of UK weather with this challenge and I am super happy to have completed what I set out to achieve.”
Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and currently there is no cure. It affects around 153,000 people in the UK and every hour two more people are diagnosed.
Parkinson's UK is the largest charitable funder of Parkinson's research in Europe, leading the way to better treatments and a cure.
Melissa Rankin, regional fundraiser at Parkinson's UK, said: “We are so grateful to Luke for taking on another incredible challenge for Parkinson's UK. With more than 40 potential symptoms, Parkinson's can devastate lives.
“We've made huge breakthroughs in the last 50 years,
but there is still no cure and current treatments are not good enough.”
To support Luke's fundraising, visit