Banbury lorry driver gears up for 1,200-mile fundraising cycle ride for colleague who suffered motorbike accident

Francis Saunders, HGV driver for DHL Life Sciences, will cycle further than ever before in order to help colleague Richard Fisher.

The 54-year-old will ride 1,242 miles from Banbury to Barcelona to raise money so Richard’s family home can be adapted for his needs.

Richard’s planned future was snatched away from him in May when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a car.

The 29-year-old sadly was paralysed from the diaphragm, suffering a broken back, his left forearm crushed, three broken ribs and a punctured lung.

The money raised from Francis’ cycling fundraiser will go towards Richard’s rehabilitation and help to cover some of the costs of making Richard’s mother Wendy Wadeson’s Middleton Cheney home wheelchair friendly.

Wendy intends to use the money raised to build a wet room large enough for a wheelchair, widen the doorways, purchase a specialised bed and buy equipment that will make her son’s life easier.

Wendy said: “We’re still only scratching the surface and unsure of his future needs, but it would massively lift his spirits to know he’ll be able to return to his own home after all he’s been through.”

Francis, who has taken part in several long-distance cycle rides but nothing of this magnitude, says that everyone at DHL Banbury was saddened by the news of Richard’s accident.

He said: “Richard is a smashing guy who was working with us for about a year and a half; he had a really good attitude to work and was fun and enthusiastic to be around.

“We are a very close team at DHL, and we were all very shaken up to hear about Richard’s accident because he was such a nice guy who worked hard and never caused any problems.

“It’s really sad that at that age and stage of his life, he was so badly incapacitated.”

Francis has planned to ride approximately 60 miles a day to achieve the goal of arriving in Barcelona in 21 days, passing through London, Paris and Avignon along the way.

Speaking about taking on the mammoth challenge, he said, “I’m a bit nervous about it; this will be the longest ride I have done by far.

"France is an amazing and varied country, and cycling is a great way to see a place, and it's also nice to think that I’m doing some good with the fundraising for Richard.

“I’m doing 21 days of riding, so it’s similar to the Tour de France, but they have two rest days! Obviously, I’m not going to be quite so ambitious with the miles at the Tour de France riders, but then I am 16 stone and 54 years old!”

To support Francis’ epic bike ride to Barcelona and help pay to get Richard set up in familiar surroundings at home with his mother, donate to his gofundme page at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-get-richard-home?