“I RODE TO HELP STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN ITS TRACKS”
Nigel Quinn, 65, rode 65 laps around his hometown of Drumbeg to raise awareness of modern slavery
“THE WAR IN UKRAINE HAS NOW BROUGHT THE ISSUE INTO THE NEWS ONCE MORE – IT FELT LIKE A VITAL CAUSE TO SUPPORT”
“I’m not a club cyclist, just a keen, recreational one. I’ve been fortunate enough to do various sportives including London to Paris, Belfast to Dublin and through the Alps with the Raid Alpine and Classic Climbs. I’ve also cycled in Rwanda.”
“During the pandemic, I pledged to cycle every day of the lockdowns, where permitted, thinking I may end up doing a few weeks or a month at the most. I ended up cycling for 529 days – covering 14,000 miles – and having to switch to a mountain bike during the snowier days.”
“For my 65th birthday – in August 2022 – I chose to cycle 65 laps of my home village of Drumbeg in Northern Ireland, a total distance of 169 miles. I did it to raise funds for International Justice Mission (IJM), the world’s largest antislavery organisation.”
“I came face-to-face with the reality of human trafficking on a trip to Cambodia in 2017. I met survivors who’d been trafficked into the Thai fishing industry and forced to work up to 23 hours a day. The war in Ukraine has now bought the issue into the news once more – it felt like a vital cause to support.”
“My lockdown rides meant I felt I had the fitness to do over 100 miles at least, and then I relied on the motivation of the cause, and the local support to get me through the rest. My daughter, son and sonin-law joined me for a few laps too – and the local community came out in their numbers to wave me on.”
“I ride a Giant TCR Pro 2, which is a decent carbon bike but it’s not an especially high-spec version and almost every part of it has been replaced over the years. I also added a new chain just before the event as a precaution.”
“Of course, the best laid plans do sometimes go awry. Two days before I was due to set off, I discovered that about a mile of the planned route had just been stone-chipped, which created quite a skid risk. It was frustrating having to slow down at that point but not a complete disaster.”
“Beforehand I rested well and loaded up on pasta. On the day, I did a few stops at the coffee caravan in the village – everyone was really supportive and the IJM helped publicise the event with some banners and posters too. I broke my fundraising target as well, which just added to a great 65th birthday celebration.”
Nigel took on IJM’s Just Ride cycle challenge: fundraising to help IJM scale its protection efforts throughout Europe. Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/ nigel-quinn2 to sponsor him