RONDJE NOORDZEE

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Echo

30 mei 2007

Bernie's excellent adventure

By Elizabeth Barrett



THERE were times, when cycling through the tears, Bernie Friend felt like giving up his epic cycle ride.

Yet even during his lowest moments, he pedalled on.

Pulling him through his epic cycle challenge across northern Europe were precious memories of his mum, Marylyn.

Despite being a fit woman of 56, and full of life, she was struck down with an aggressive brain tumour and died within eight weeks of being diagnosed in February last year.

The shock felt by Bernie was compounded when his wife Katie's mum Marion, 52, was killed by the same disease just a few months later.

Out of the twin tragedies sprung a harebrained idea concocted by the sports fanatic to tackle the North Sea Cycle Route - a daunting 6,000km trail through seven countries.

Bernie explained: "My mum was so strong when she was ill and wasn't afraid.

"I thought if she could be like that for us, then I wanted to do something for other people."

On April 10, Bernie, who lives in Leigh, packed his tent and headed for Harwich to catch the ferry to Holland, supported by kit from Richardsons Cycles and Top Gear clothing.

His seven-week odyssey saw him freewheel through the flat polders of the Netherlands, before crossing into Germany, then Denmark and taking in the stunning Scandinavian landscapes in Sweden and Norway.

Now the 35-year-old is safely back in Essex, after a knee injury forced him to curtail the final leg of his journey through the Shetland and Orkney islands back down through Britain.

He said :"It was an amazing experience. All the countries were very different, but the scenery was beautiful.

"It was good for me to be away by myself with my own thoughts after such a traumatic year."

Through his stirling efforts Bernie has raised more than £3,000 for Cancer Research UK and is now set to write a book on his adventure to be named Cycling Back to Happiness.

During his trip he met a host of quirky individuals, who took him under their wing and offered to let him stay at their homes for the night.

He said: "I've got plenty of material after meeting so many interesting characters.

"People along the way would feed me and let me sleep in their back gardens in my tent. Everyone was so kind."

A highlight of his solo ride was his frequent close encounters with nature.

During one stop just outside Gothenburg, he came face-to-face with a deer trying to cross the road.

"Amazing things like that just made the trip for me," he said.

However there were points when fond memories of his mum came flooding back.

One day, a particular song by the Flaming Lips triggered his emotions and he burst into tears.

He said: "The song contained the line Do you realise someday everyone you know will die?' And I cried my eyes out for 20 minutes while cycling along."

So close was Bernie's relationship with his mum, particularly after the death of his dad, that the pair had often joked about his homesickness whenever he went abroad.

"My mum knew that any attempt at going away would often see me come back early.

"One windy night on the route, I thought, What am I doing', then I thought of how many times we'd laughed about my numerous failed trips," he said.

"It made me stick at it."

Bernie, a former sub-editor at the Echo, thanked the Pink Toothbrush in Rayleigh for its generous donation towards his fundraising.

Now back in the comfort of his home, he is looking forward to catching up on his beloved Doctor Who episodes and putting pen to paper.

"In the future I'd like to tackle the part I didn't do, but I'm not in a rush to get on my bike," he laughed.

"My bum is just getting back into its normal shape after looking like a saddle."

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