Duchenne Dash: 24 Hours of Racing to Fight the Disease!
This page is translated from the original post "Duchenne Dash: 24 heures de course pour lutter contre la maladie!" in French.
- 19/05/2023 16:10
Duchenne Dash, does that ring a bell? It’s a cycling race between London and Paris over 24 hours to fight against this disease.
A charity in England called Duchenne UK organized last weekend a cycling race between London and Paris to combat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Participants raised over £600,000 (€690,000) for the organization, thanks to the efforts of the 160 cyclists involved.
The Duchenne Dash 2023 took place from Friday, May 12th to Saturday, May 13th. Yes, these cyclists aged over 18 completed the journey from London to Paris over twenty-four hours.
The race started at the Herne Hill Velodrome in London, then continued to the port of Newhaven to take a night ferry to Dieppe. Afterwards, the cyclists rode through the French countryside toward Paris.
A wonderful initiative and an original way to combine soft mobility by bike with a charitable donation supporting a degenerative disease!
How does the Duchenne Dash work?
Firstly, know that Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a disease that causes gradual degeneration of all the muscles in the body. According to the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), this degeneration is due to a lack of the protein dystrophin. It is located on the X chromosome, which is why young boys are the most affected by the disease. INSERM estimates that each year, 150 to 200 new-born boys in France are affected. Approximately 2,500 people are affected by the disease in France.
To explain the participation process for the Duchenne Dash, we looked at the procedure for next year. Cyclists interested in participating must register via the Duchenne UK website. They then pay a fee of £553.50 (around €640), including a £8.50 service fee to reserve their spot at the event.
This fee includes participation in the race as well as medical and mechanical support throughout the event, both in England and France. Cyclists also receive a night ferry between England and France to start, and a Eurostar ticket back to London.
At the end of their journey, cyclists enjoy a meal at the Eiffel Tower during a specially organized Gala. They sleep in shared rooms before heading back to England the next day.
If you want to participate in the next edition of the Duchenne Dash, click on this link!
Mobiwisy thanks all the participants of the event and hopes even more will join next year!
Also read: May by bike: explore France differently during the month of May!
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