Couple cycle to Budapest on tandem for Alzheimer's charity

An adventurous couple are hoping to look just as sweet on the street as Daisy after an epic trek across Europe on a bicycle made for two.

Nik Olliver and Richard Newton are preparing to tandem cycle 2000km from Edinburgh to Budapest

Edinburgh College health and safety lecturer Nik Olliver and her partner Richard Newton are preparing to tandem cycle 2000km from Edinburgh to Budapest.

The gruelling ride is in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK, the country’s leading Dementia charity.

The duo will cycle from Edinburgh to Newcastle and cross by ferry to Amsterdam. Their journey will continue through the Netherlands and Germany, joining the River Danube and following it to Budapest. They aim to reach the Hungarian capital roughly three weeks after starting.

Nik said: “It will be tough but we’re both really looking forward to the challenge. We will be camping on route so we can be flexible, but July 31 is our target and we hope to reach it and make as much money for Alzheimer’s Research UK as possible.”

Nik and freelance photographer Richard, who first did a long distance cycle from Land’s End to John O’ Groats 13 years ago, are applying some valuable lessons they learnt to this challenge.

“Train as much as you can!” Richard said. “You don’t get fitter as you go – you get more and more tired.”

So far, Nik and Richard have raised £815.

And Nik, who pedals at the back, joked that the secret to success is spurring each other on by nagging.

“We whinge at each other asking are you still pedalling, and who is cycling hard enough.

“We aim to do 100km a day so are frequently asking each other how far we have gone.”

And as well as preparing physically, the couple are also keen to tick off lots of landmarks along the way, and Richard is hopeful of snapping some top photographs.

Although self-funded Nik and Richard are eager to donate as much as possible to the charity. To contribute, visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/e2b.

Kyle Lockhart, Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Dementia affects a huge proportion of the population – over 70,000 people in Scotland alone living with dementia and one in three people over 65 in the UK will die with some form of the condition.

“Fantastic fundraising efforts like this will help us to defeat dementia sooner.”

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