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“A very special experience” - How cycling almost 500km through Vietnam and Cambodia raised £53,000 for Maison des Landes and changed Steve Taylor’s life forever.
If you’ve ever considered taking on an international charity cycle event to raise money for an organisation close to your heart, Steve Taylor’s experience pedalling through the heat and humidity of Vietnam and Cambodia might just inspire you to push beyond your comfort zone and sign up.
To start Steve’s story, we go back to 2023 when he sponsored a friend who took part in the Macmillan Jersey charity cycle ride in Italy. At 67, Steve wasn’t even contemplating taking on a similar challenge, but was very impressed by how much money his friend and the group had raised and how much fun they had.
As a trustee of Maison des Landes, an accessible hotel and community hub that gives people with disabilities and their carers a break,Steve knew that the charity would really benefit from a similar fundraising event so floated the idea with other trustees. As the idea snowballed, and the ride organisers Discover Adventure were selected, Steve ‘had his arm twisted’ and signed up for the challenge.
It wasn’t long before Steve’s life was filled with weekend cycle rides with new friends and a brand new gym membership at Healthhaus with regular Milon training sessions.
Read on to find out more about this amazing adventure,Steve’s training plan and the ways his life has changed since saying YES to the challenge!
Cycling highs and lows of the changing landscape through Vietnam andCambodia
Taking on a charity fitness challenge abroad opens up the mind and body to new experiences and encourages a group of relative strangers to form strong bonds of solidarity and support; to motivate each other during difficult times and celebrate each milestone along the way.
“The event was called The Road to Angkor Wat and started in HoChi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam. We cycled all the way to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, upstream along the Mekong River, for about eight or nine days covering a distance of 464km.
It’s generally a flat landscape (Jersey is more hilly!), but that doesn’t mean it was easy! There may be no hills to climb, but that also means there are no hills to go down. You have to pedal every single kilometre!Cycling around the Mekong Delta was relatively easy from a mental perspective because we followed narrow paths alongside the river and could only see about50 metres ahead. Every time we turned a corner there would be another great view.
In Cambodia, that all changed. We were met with coarse tarmac roads thatcreated a lot of resistance for our chunky mountain bike tyres. Plus, the roadswere often straight for two or three kilometres at a time, so you’d come rounda gentle corner and see a 3km stretch in front of you and just have to get yourhead down and keep pedalling without looking up!”
Daily challenges in high heat and humidity
Of course, this wouldn’t be a ‘challenge’ without some aspects of difficulty. Steve and the group were well supported, hydrated and fuelled throughout each stage of the event which meant everyone was able to push beyond their comfort zone and achieve things they never once believed possible.
“Each day we’d start at around 7 or 7.30am and would cycle all day until arriving at the hotel about 5.30 or 6pm. The longest day of cycling was 90km but the main challenge was not the distance but the heat. At 35°c and with high humidity we easily lost a lot of bodily fluid and needed to stop every hour or so to recharge with water and salts, plus fresh local fruit like mango and pineapple which were so juicy and delicious. One day, my watch recorded six litres of sweat lost!”
An inclusive Jersey group of all ages and abilities
Group charity events are well known for their inclusive nature, allowing people of all backgrounds, ages, gender and abilities to join in the fun for a worthy cause. Meeting regularly as part of a training plan encourages group cohesion and provides an opportunity for new friendships and connections.
“There were 22 of us, all from Jersey and all very different calibres of cyclists and different capabilities ranging from those who were very experienced who would knock off 90km before breakfast and not even think about it (!), to people like me who hadn’t cycled for 15 years!
Chris Palmer, another Maison des Landes trustee and event organiser (and the one who persuaded me to take part), helped organise our training plan for the five months leading up to the event inNovember 2024. We started in June and met on Sunday mornings to go for a group cycle ride, followed by tea, coffee and croissants which was a lovely way of getting to know everyone. The group rides worked very well but it was up to us to sort our own individual training programme.”
Steve’s secret weapon: Milon gym training at Healthhaus
When it comes to any endurance sport or event, the key to success lies in a cross-training approach; building up muscular strength and endurance in the gym, building aerobic fitness through Zone 2 (aerobic) training and focusing on rest, recovery and a nutritious diet.
“Before signing up to the event, I wasn’t really doing any type of specific exercise. I enjoyed walking and sailing but wasn’t doing anything strenuous. A friend had recommended Healthhaus a while before so it was already something I’d considered and at the back of my mind I knew I needed to do something.
Then we went on a big three month holiday around the world and despite saying before we went that we wouldn’t have a bottle of wine every day, we did of course! So I had returned from holiday a little heavier and knew I needed todo something - which was ultimately the motivator to join Healthhaus and signup for the cycle ride. It’s become second nature now in a way, which is bizarre.
One of the attractions of Milon is its effectiveness in a short space of time. You can get a really great workout in under an hour, including getting showered and changed, whereas when you’re cycling 50km on a bike around Jersey, you’re out for at least two to three hours which makes a big difference. It’s a whole morning or afternoon gone.”
The highlights of the trip
For Steve and his group of intrepid cyclists, the landscapes throughoutVietnam and Cambodia formed a colourful backdrop against which to highlight thecultural aspects of community, laughter and joy exhibited by so many localsevery day.
“We cycled through the Mekong Delta, along bare roads just two metreswide that locals use as their walking path, with mopeds going up and down, pasthouses, through factories and even one day through a wedding tent! You’re soclose to the locals and the children come running out shouting ‘Hello! How areyou?’ and wanting their hands slapped as you ride past.
The scenery in Vietnam and the Delta is very lush and beautiful withlittle houses and bridges over the rivers. And at the other end, Angkor Wat isan iconic temple complex that is jaw-droppingly magnificent - there’s no otherway to describe it. It’s huge and was built 900 years ago, with everyspectacular surface inside and out carved by hand.
Instead of doing the normal tourist thing and getting a bus between eachtemple, we cycled around the walls, up and down from temple to temple exploringthe sights. That made it really special.”
A reminder of the fragility of life
The echoes of atrocities in the Far East still live on, so it was onlyright that Steve and his group spent some time understanding more about theVietnam War and visiting the killing fields in Cambodia.
“There were some sad moments too of course. In Vietnam, we visited thewar tunnels preserved as memorials that share their version of events and inCambodia we stopped in Phnom Penh and visited the infamous killing fields. Wealso went to a place called S21 which was originally a school but was turnedinto a processing centre. The number of people they murdered was absolutelyhorrendous and to witness the brutality of it maintained in its original statewas sickening.
I think that’s the flip side of a place that, on the face of it, appearsto be a very peaceful and fun-loving country. It has a very dark history withevents that only happened in the last fifty years - within my lifetime. Thesevisits weren’t ‘low’ points of the trip, but rather a reminder of what happensin life.”
Inspiring others to try something new or step out of their comfort zone
Whether you’re someone who loves going to the gym, running or cyclingfor fun and health benefits, or someone who takes part in big fundraisingchallenges and events, it’s almost certain that at some point along the wayyou’ll inspire friends, family members, colleagues or even strangers on theinternet to give something new a try.
We asked Steve if any of his family or friends have stepped up to thechallenge and signed up for a charity event…
“Not that I’m aware of… yet! Who knows, maybe when I do another cyclechallenge in a year or two someone will join me!
We haven’t decided on a specific challenge to raise money for Maison desLandes yet, but there are lots of folk in the group who are very keen to doanother challenge so there are lots of ideas being banded around.”
What advice would you give to anyone reading this who might want to dosomething similar?
“I would say do it - even though I embarked on it with a great degree oftrepidation. You think, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s an awfully long way to cycle ina short space of time! Will I be able to do it?’ So I would say do it, embracethe challenge, enjoy the journey and you’ll feel a whole lot richer for it atthe end of it all.”
“I’m even looking forward to getting back out on the bike once theweather picks up a bit. I’m actually starting to miss it a bit now!
What do you think you’ve learnt about yourself either during thetraining or the event itself?
“Oh, that’s a deep question! I think if you put your mind to it you cando it. It’s just a matter of being strong enough to make the change from notdoing any exercise to going to the gym on a regular basis and to go from notdoing any real long challenges to signing up to do something. To saying ‘yes,I’m going to do it and there aren’t going to be any excuses!’
I think what I’ve learnt is that it’s actually possible to achieve that,and going to the gym on a regular basis certainly makes me feel a lot better(being well past 60!). I feel a lot better physically and it also helps withyour attitude to life and mental health and wellbeing.”
Tell us more about the Maison des Landes Trust and why the charity meansso much to you and the group
“The team worked very hard to raise a total of £53,000 which isincredible. The money isn’t going into a general pot, but is going to be usedspecifically to help people who are caregivers in Jersey to have a break. Thisis not for professional carers, but people who are in their own homes lookingafter their families, caring for that person 24/7 for months and years on end.Maison des Landes supports them by offering them a break - especially as thereare so many who could never afford to take a holiday or even a short breakaway. We make it accessible to them. So that £53,000 is going to be usedprecisely for that.”
Get involved
If you’d love to support the incredible work by Maison des Landes, oryou want to find out more about ways to offer help and support to a carer that needs a break, please visit their website:
If you’d like to join Steve and the crew on the next charity event, please reach out via email to the fundraising team at Maison des Landes:
fundraising@maisondeslandes.co.uk
