I have been registered blind since the age of 18 and turned 60 in early 2017. Although my condition, degenerative RP, is not treatable, I have been incredibly fortunate to live in the developed world. My education, my career and my personal life have all provided me with immense opportunities in a life that has been filled with pleasure and purpose.

However, most of the 39 million blind people in the developing world are not so lucky. Blindness is an isolating and frightening disability with crippling economic impact. The family of someone without sight loses two incomes, one from the blind person themselves and one from the family member who becomes their full time carer.

But the most common cause of sight loss in the world, cataracts, can be cured at a cost of only £30 or $40 per surgical intervention.

I cannot boil the ocean, nor can I save the world, but with your help we will transform 3,600 lives.  On June 18^th 2017 I am riding a tandem across America from Oregon to New Hampshire. By raising £30/$40 for every mile we ride, we will restore sight to 3,600 people through low cost, highly effective cataract surgery undertaken by our partner See International.

Why 3,600 interventions? Two simple reasons:

• I am pledging to cure 60 people of blindness for each year or my life so far.
• This just happens to be the approximate distance from Astoria, Oregon to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Averaging somewhat over 60 miles a day, we will complete the ride in a little under 60 days, providing a perfect backbone for my 60×60@60 pledge.

I am incredibly lucky to have 2 co-riders, James and Alastair, who will be sharing the front seat of the tandem. Alastair is in charge from Astoria to Sioux Falls, where he will step aside for fresh horses, a.k.a. James.

See The Team page for a little more detail about us.

See the route page for the detail of our day by day schedule.