A 13 year old boy from Carmarthenshire, has recently completed a mammoth undertaking by cycling the distance of the Tour de France – 3,333km – in the space of three months to raise money for Walk Wheel Cycle Trust and two other charities.
Gildas Davies, who loves cycling, felt compelled to take some kind of positive action in the wake of what’s been happening in the world.
“It is upsetting to see terrible things happening in the world, and I felt inspired by a quote from Dr Martin Luther King, who said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,”” said Gildas.
“So, I want to show kindness and do something positive about the things that matter to me.”
At the time of writing, Gildas’ efforts have raised a fantastic £1,181.33 which is to be shared between Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, Welsh Refugee Council and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
Gildas was joined along sections of his ride by members of his family and his local cycling club, the Towy Riders.
Along with many local people, Gildas has found the forced closure of the Swiss Valley route in Carmarthenshire to be a real difficulty.
The route, which forms part of National Cycle Network Route 47, was forcibly closed last year following a devastating landslide which led to a large section of the route by Tumble being washed away.
As a result, Gildas chose to take it upon himself to raise money towards its repair, and to support the work that Walk Wheel Cycle Trust does in supporting people to cycle in Cymru.
“I hope the money will make a difference and help to repair the Swiss Valley route,” Gildas said.
“I chose Walk Wheel Cycle Trust because they can help the community to keep cycling.”
Though a daunting distance, Gildas wasn’t put off by the size of the challenge he had set himself.
“The cycling itself was a big challenge – some of the climbs were hard, but I had to keep going with the challenge,” he said.
“The challenge was a lot of fun as I had to cycle close to 40km every day for three months.”
“That was a lot of fun, and I feel good and proud of myself.”
His incredible efforts will make a difference and help support the work that Walk Wheel Cycle Trust does to make it easier for everyone to walk, wheel and cycle.
