During the current circumstances, we have seen some incredible responses to “lockdown fundraising”. What started amongst the TRIBE community with the TRIBE Stronger Every Day challenge has led on to a 24-hour indoor cycling challenge on Zwift and the first TRIBE Balcony Marathon! Below, Alvaro de la Camara gives us an insight into his epic 24-hour ride to support TRIBE Freedom Foundation:
As an adrenaline junkie, I am always looking for the next challenge – to test myself, mentally and physically. As part of this, I always aim to use each challenge as a way to raise awareness of different causes that I believe need more exposure.
Over the last year, I have been volunteering with TRIBE Freedom Foundation, helping to raise awareness through different events including the TRIBE 10K For Love, completing a 2500km cycle for London to the South of Spain and helping with the renovations for the safe house they are supporting for modern slavery survivors at Ella’s. Through volunteering with the Foundation, I have learnt about their work to fight modern slavery and it has made me want to help as much as I can.
Modern slavery is something which victims suffer from 24 hours a day until they get support and are freed from that situation. That is how the 24-hour ride came to my head and why I wanted to, again, join forces with TRIBE Freedom Foundation.
I have done long rides before, but never 24 hours nonstop. I wanted the ride not just to test my physical and mental limits, but to have a symbolic reference to what a significant number of people all around the world are currently having to suffer. Initially, the ride was to be from London to the Lake District, however, due to COVID-19 it had to be cancelled. So, I decided to go ahead with the ride and make it a 24-hour Zwift indoor ride!
The first 15 hours the ride sped by. We held a series of live raffles for everyone donating and I had the pleasure of interviewing a number of ultra-endurance athletes all whilst on the bike! It was after the 17th hour when things started to get harder and my brain started checking for the clock instead of the miles. Every hour was becoming longer and longer making the last stretch the hardest mental test I have ever been through.
However, there were a number of things which kept me going to the end: the support of everyone out there sending encouraging messages, each donation (big or small) and my partner by my side through the graveyard (night) shift …
… But especially, it was the thought of doing it for those who are not as lucky as we are and are still out there suffering. I always feel overwhelmed and thankful for all the support received. It is because of you that I engage with every pedal, every stride and every pull in the water.
“Modern slavery is something which is happening in many different shapes and forms and I believe that the more exposure it gets, the easier it will be for other people to spot it and stop it.”
Together, we go further and faster to end modern slavery.
To support the campaign and read more, head over to Alvaro’s JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tribexcycling4soup1 and check out the Cycling 4 Soup website here: http://www.cycling4soup.com/