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A
KEEN cyclist from Waltham Cross, who sells cleaning
products from the back of his bike, pedalled
from his home town to Paignton in Devon for
two good causes.
Phil
Watkins, 44, of Abbey Road, uses his bike for
his rounds as a Kleeneze
franchisee, but cycled more than 230 miles (370
km) to a caravan park in Devon, where he is
a frequent guest.
He
handed over £1,600 he raised to Cancer
Research UK and the British Heart Foundation
at the Vine Inn, High Street, Waltham Cross,
recently.
But
he was disappointed it was not more.
“My target was £3,000, but some people
who promised money didn’t pay up and I
feel let down,” he said.
Recalling
his trip, Mr Watkins said: “I must have
picked the worst weekend possible – May
Bank Holiday. I had a 25mph wind against me
and rain in my face that made my eyes sting!
“All
in all, it was 25 hours of cycling: 11 on the
first day, 11 on the second and three on the
third – I wanted a nice, easy final day.
“It was very hair-raising in parts. I was
going along one road that had no pavement or
cycle lanes, and the cars were missing me by
inches.
“I
was close to stopping when I was going up the
hills and being blown back down – but I
decided it was too dangerous.”
When
he arrived at the caravan park, the tired cyclist
found to his delight that he had been given
a week’s free accommodation rather than
the few nights he had negotiated.
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