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Category: Fitness

Ride for the Living 2017 – Speech at Auschwitz-Birkenau by Robert Desmond

Ride for the Living 2017 – Speech at Auschwitz-Birkenau by Robert Desmond

My name is Robert Desmond and 6 years ago I cycled from London to Auschwitz to teach my friends and the world more about The Holocaust. On joining the JCC in Krakow, I was inspired and overwhelmed by the community’s spirit and realised that my bike ride should not end in such a depressing place, but somewhere positive, as the story of the Jewish people does not finish in Auschwitz. I am now a keen advocate of Holocaust education and…

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A New Adventure: Home to Athens (via the Marathon)

A New Adventure: Home to Athens (via the Marathon)

After a great adventure by kayak across the whole of Poland last summer, I am itching to get back on my bike for a new adventure. The bike allows for a much faster speed and easily accessible hot food along the route! I have always wanted to go to Marathon, Greece and run the original 25 mile route from Marathon to Athens that was taken by an ancient greek messenger. From where I currently call home (Katowice, Poland), there is…

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Ride for the Living 2014

Ride for the Living 2014

In October 2013, I spent 25 days alone with my bike, cycling a WWII liberation path from London, across Europe, to Auschwitz. (See articles here) It was a deeply meaningful trip, I did not want to dwell solely on the painful memories of this time in history, instead I wanted to look at the positive side of liberating Europe, the good that came with stopping the Nazi regime and celebrating the freedom we have today. Inevitably there were parts of…

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Adventures in Poland

Adventures in Poland

Cycling to Krakow from Katowice A few weekends ago we (my girlfriend Basia and I), spent the Saturday on a fairly flat 80km cycle from our flat in Katowice to Krakow. The weather was perfect blue skies and not too hot at about 16 degrees. Having not done too much cycling since the big ride out here, almost 6 months ago now, where I averaged 100km a day for 22 days cycling, I was still in a good place to do a…

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Cycle Touring: My Way

Cycle Touring: My Way

Below are some cycling specific rules I have given myself whilst touring (usually solo) over the years. It is by no means a bible and I know many other people who do things completely differently. Water Always have water. If you are running low then you MUST stop at the next available place as you don’t know when you might get lost! Never get dehydrated – down what you have and fill it up as often as you can. Remember,…

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Cycling from London to Auschwitz

Cycling from London to Auschwitz

I recently spent 25 days completing a 2222 km (1350 mile) cycle trip from London, England to Auschwitz, Poland. Travelling alone, with just 2 large panniers full of warm clothes and my laptop, I spent 22 days on the bike and 3 rest days in Paris and Prague. I am a freelance software consultant by trade and my aim was to continue my work throughout the trip. With a laptop and WiFi connection I was able to work in any…

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London to Auschwitz: Day 25, Katowice to Auschwitz (Oświęcim) 42km today, 2222km total

London to Auschwitz: Day 25, Katowice to Auschwitz (Oświęcim) 42km today, 2222km total

My final day on this journey was expectedly unforgettable. Again the weather gods were on my side as I was awoken by the sun shining on my face. I had just over 40km to reach the destination that was still so distant in my mind. I held a strange sense of excitement of reaching the end of the trip, yet knew the day would be filled with sombre emotion. I visited Lvov in the Ukraine earlier this year (by plane)…

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London to Auschwitz: Day 24, Opava, Czech Republic to Katowice, Poland, 105km today, 2180km total

London to Auschwitz: Day 24, Opava, Czech Republic to Katowice, Poland, 105km today, 2180km total

So many miles from home yet I still have exactly the same possessions as I began with. Definitely moments have changed me yet so many things are still the same. I have re-learnt many life lessons from the experiences I’ve had and created opinions on the world and its people. The weather today was perfect. Pure blue skies, very little headwind and not too many hills. Finally I was about to reach the final country of the trip: Poland. But…

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London to Auschwitz: Day 23, Ústí nad Orlicí to Opava, 140km today, 2075km total

London to Auschwitz: Day 23, Ústí nad Orlicí to Opava, 140km today, 2075km total

Yesterday was a tough day and a long one. I remembered a 10 mile section that stank of manure and the whole area was covered with flies which kept latching onto my legs. You learn to keep your mouth closed in places like this and breathe only through your nose. The people were so miserable throughout the whole day and it really was quite painful with the strong headwind. It was all just rubbish. But somehow when I reached the…

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London to Auschwitz: Day 22, Prague to Ústí nad Orlicí, 155km today, 1935km total

London to Auschwitz: Day 22, Prague to Ústí nad Orlicí, 155km today, 1935km total

My mother, friend and I have had some quite poor experiences with the locals in Prague, as well as an abysmal boat tour! To add insult to injury, the hotel staff were also very rude on several occasions, which made us feel rather unwelcome in their country. This did not bode well for the remainder of the trip through the Czech Republic. Especially as I’ve been warned that the further east you go, the worse it gets… Leaving the familiar…

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