Battling the road to beat MS - the cyclist who rode round Britain and Ireland

When Lis van Lynden cycled across the Peace Bridge in Londonderry it was the end of an extraordinary personal journey.

The Chiswick woman had just pedalled round the coastline of Ireland only a few months after cycling the entire coast of Great Britain.

To top it all, travel consultant Lis (50) achieved these incredible feats whilst battling Multiple Sclerosis.

“I was diagnosed with MS ten years ago, and I could sort of see the things starting to go downhill,” she says.

“I fought against it for six years and then I thought there's got to be some project I can do. I love adventure travel, so last year I decided to cycle around Britain and raise funds for the MS Trust."

After thousands of miles in the saddle – wild camping along the way – Lis felt she needed another challenge: “So I decided I’d cycle right around Ireland too and raise some cash for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.”

So far Lis has pulled in thousands of pounds in donations. “I want to raise money for research too because MS is cruel disease and it’s vital that we find a way to diagnose it earlier and develop new treatments.”

Lis jokes that most cyclists would have finished her marathon cycling challenge a lot sooner than her, but it's not about beating the clock, it's about beating MS.

Lis van Lynden: "I want to give hope, to show that we can all help beat MS.”

Her condition means that walking can be painful, but Lis says cycling gives her a sense of freedom. “When I’m on my bike it’s like I forget I even have MS.”

As she cycled across the Peace Bridge in Derry, Lis confesses she felt elated - but she was up for more.

“I'm very lucky, I'm very fortunate to be able to do that, and while my legs feel like they’re on fire at the moment, I could probably carry on for a few more miles yet.”

A remarkable achievement for a good cause – battling the road, battling fatigue, and above all battling MS.

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