Residents complete 400-mile fundraising cycle to Paris in extreme heat

Melksham residents have completed a 400-mile cycling challenge to Paris in soaring temperatures, raising funds for a local boxing club and a malaria campaign.

Tracy Steel, along with Laura and Andrew Vidler, completed the journey in five days, travelling from Melksham to Dover before crossing to Calais and continuing on to the French capital.

The group battled extreme heat throughout the trip, with temperatures reaching around 40°C at times, while cycling up to 10 hours a day and camping overnight along the route.

Tracy, who is relatively new to cycling, said, “It was amazing to reach the Eiffel Tower, to just know that we had managed to achieve that.”

Funds raised will go to Melksham Amateur Boxing Club, where Tracy is a coach, supporting young people to build confidence and resilience. A further portion will be donated to a malaria campaign supported through Tracy’s workplace, Nando’s.

“We wanted to get it done in three days but because of the weather we needed to take it slow,” she said.

“When we got to Calais, the heat was intense. I didn’t realise the amount of water we had to drink to stay hydrated. We were knocking on people’s doors asking if we could refill our water bottles.

“We had to drink every 20 minutes otherwise you would be in big trouble. We had to understand the heat and how to avoid getting heat stroke.”

Experienced cyclists Laura and Andrew led and navigated the route, while the challenge was a first long-distance ride for Tracy, who said she fell off several times due to gravel, sand and clipped-in pedals.

“I had only ever done two cycles before this one. I got on the bike and said, ‘right, let’s go.’”

“I don’t think I will do this again, but I am pleased I have. I like to pick challenges and see how I get on.”

The group are now calculating the total amount raised.