Please do still donate!
The hundreds of us involved in this, each from our own homes, managed to together add up mileage equivalent to cycling more than twice round the world. We all pushed ourselves so hard.
Any further donations of any size would be much appreciated by the excellent projects funded by Help Refugees, several of which I know well through volunteering for them directly.
Thank you so much to everyone who has donated!
Love Sophie xx

We've all pushed ourselves hard with sore muscles to get more miles in to impress you to donate. The 40 days are up and our aching bodies can relax, while watching more donations come in. What's the real reason we went more than twice round the world in our virtual relay, and have already won the support of over £100,000 from you amazing people?

We've each got a unique story as to why we know how tough it is to be a refugee, how forgotten you can become, how even when you get asylum recovery is long and hard.

It was my younger daughter who brought me to direct contact with refugees. Age 13 she wanted to help in Greece. After much investigation and networking via Facebook, we went to Athens, set up a little school in a refugee squat. Her youth brought us closer to everyone.

Alone and with family I returned to help in Athens several times, including to work at Khora. Khora provides food, clothing, training, legal advice, and most importantly community, to the dispossessed in Athens. More recently I’ve joined small support groups around Calais and Ventimiglia.

I’ve seen young boys prostituting themselves in parks as the only way to have the money to keep going to reach their families rather than being put alone indefinitely in camps. I’ve seen teens with scared eyes trying to act nonchalant alone in unknown places. I’ve seen children with sores on their faces through lack of nutrition and basic hygiene. I’ve seen parents in deep depression staring into the middle distance. I’ve seen homeless migrants keep themselves and their surroundings spotless despite only having a small bag of possessions. I’ve seen grown men crying from pepper spray, having been woken up by a face full of it from police who know they can get away with it. I’ve given breakfast to people let out after being kept illegally in custody overnight at the border without food or water or a roof. I’ve seen clearly desperately mentally ill people receiving no care or even shelter. I’ve seen glitzy wide-boy people-smugglers trying to merge in, confident that ‘they all look the same’, so they can benefit from desperation and unfairness. I’ve seen people chatting with their friends and sharing whatever food and drink they have with each other.

To offer more than shared humanity and basic necessities is almost impossible, yet in itself is invaluable in order to provide dignity and hope. That’s what your donations will directly fund, as well as legal assistance and the space to learn languages and skills. The feeling of solidarity these organisations create has brought kinship, sometimes akin to family (with its ups and downs), that I treasure. To be able to join Thighs of Steel, Khora, The Refugee Community Kitchen and Kesha Niya (all very special), brings much happiness. Long may we support such dedicated, meaningful and low-cost humanity on the ground through the dedicated screening provided by Help Refugees.

Thank you so much for your donation! Don't worry if you can't afford much. Every penny will be well used.

Hello all! I've passed my target miles and am keeping going - last day is Wednesday 1st July. That's true of everyone. We've been round the world twice all added up, and we're pedaling on, yet we need to focus on fund raising just as much.
We need £5000 more in the next two days to reach our target £100k. Anything donated through this page will reach that, and go to supporting people just like us, displaced by war, persecution and terror.
If you want to see into the lives of refugees, for the next few hours this beautiful film is still on line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou1xjabCU3g

Today is World Refugee Day, so we're doing extra miles today.

Thighs of Steel normally cycle for real from London to Athens to raise funds to feed, clothe and support refugees. I've been part of some of the projects funded, so I've seen how essential they are. One is Khora in Athens, currently delivering 2400 meals a day, as well as free legal support, and much else besides. They change lives.

During lockdown we're cycling a virtual round the world relay.
You can join in:
- add your miles to mine or create your own page
- cycle with me if you are local (I can be your guide or you mine)
- share this page with your friends
- donate what you can

Thanks so much!

All the riders have been cycling hard. We've made it around the World in just 20 days. So we're heading back - hoping to double our distance and our fund raising!

I've added 146 miles so far, at least few fitted in most days. Aiming to increase my distance covered on the way back round the world, to give some of the top scorers a break.

These funds go to feed and clothe asylum seekers, and get them essential supplies. One of the places that will benefit is Khora in Athens, where I have volunteered a few times. It doesn't discriminate between people in need, whether local and homeless or displaced.

Khora is a volunteer collective, through community spaces and facilities they support displaced people and vulnerable groups in Athens. Currently they’re running a kitchen that’s serving over 1000 meals a day, a free clothing and basics shop, a legal team who support with the complicated asylum seeking process, the beehive creative space (focusing on women and LGBTQI+ groups) and the sound lab where tech meets music in open workshops. The impact they have and the value of their service to the city is beyond good, it’s essential to many, many lives, who are surviving traumatic change.

Khora is completely reliant on donations from individuals, with Steely Thighed humans making up a good chunk of that!

Nearly all my rides are off road mountain biking.
I've added in my miles since 23 May, as recorded on Komoot, so now I really did start at the beginning of this.
I'm now aiming to increase average mileage.