Cross-continent charity bike ride raises more than £8000

A woman from Maidenhead has completed a near 2,000- mile bike ride from the UK to Italy and raised more than £8,000 for charity in the process.

Yasmin Jenkins, 34, took on the continent-spanning cycle with a tandem bike, supported by several friends who hopped on the bike for parts of the ride and her dad, Mick Jenkins, in a backup car.

Her journey began at Crowthorne Rugby Club, where she is a member, and, after travelling through seven European countries, finished outside Palermo Cathedral on the Italian island of Sicily.

The money raised will be donated to three charities: the Mityana Charity, Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, and The World Land Trust.

Yasmin said: “I feel a bit numb now that it’s all over, it’s a bit surreal.

“The last portion of the ride was tough, there was really dense traffic and you had to keep your eyes open.

“Once we got into the city and saw the cathedral though, it was so beautiful. I almost couldn’t believe that was the finish line.”

The route had been planned to culminate in Tunisia, however, as a gay woman, Yasmin decided against travelling to the country, where same-sex relationships are outlawed.

She said: “I thought in the end, I’ve pedalled the distance and put in the same effort, but I didn’t want to compromise myself.

“My partner, Hannah, was with me at the end and we sort of said together ‘do we want to go as a couple to somewhere that we’re not welcome?’”

Even with the amended route, the 28-day journey took her across the breadth of Europe battling downpours and alpine mountain roads along the way.

Although managing to avoid injury on the trip herself, the tandem bike did encounter a few mechanical issues.

Yasmin said she was thankful for a maintenance workshop with Maidenhead Cycle Hub before setting out, adding: ‘a lot of what they taught us has been used on the road.’

With the cycle now over, the fundraising journey continues. Yasmin said she was ‘committed’ to raising more money, having set a target of £100,000.

Donations can still be made at tinyurl.com/nhcfk435 and her ‘Get on the Back’ Facebook page will be updated with any future charity work.