No Limits: Tom’s Hand Cycle Challenge from London to Paris
23 July 2025
Meet Tom
- Dad of three
- Former Paralympian
- Part of the London to Paris cycle challenge
Twenty years ago, Tom’s life changed in an instant. A fall at a friend’s house during his final year of university left him paralysed from the waist down with a T12 complete spinal cord injury.
Today, the chemistry teacher and father of three is preparing to take on one of the biggest physical challenges of his life: cycling from London to Paris using a hand cycle to raise funds for Back Up.
“In those early days after my injury, I just wanted my old life back,” says Tom. “It probably took me about two years to really come to terms with it. Even now, I still have those ‘if only’ thoughts, I think they’re inevitable. But I try to focus on what I can do.”
Tom discovered Back Up during rehab at the spinal unit in Stanmore and signed up for a Multi-Activity course in the Lake District.
It was incredible, learning wheelchair skills, being around people who had been there and done it. I just got so much confidence.
From there, he took on water skiing, snow skiing, and then specialised in adaptive rowing, eventually competing in three Paralympic Games.
Now, he’s back in training as a hand cyclist for the 2025 London to Paris challenge. “If you’d said to me a year ago I’d be doing this, I would’ve said, ‘There’s no way.’ It didn’t seem possible.”
Tom’s been steadily building his fitness since January. “I started doing some cardiovascular training in the gym, just to get fit again. Then in May, I began getting out on the road. A couple of weekends ago I did my longest ride which was about 67 miles.”
The London to Paris ride was first established by Danny Turnbull, a former Trustee of Back Up and Partner at Stewarts Law. “I met Danny… and I always knew that the ride was an event that he had established. On first hearing about it I just thought, I don’t know if I could do that. And then I thought, why not?”
Tom knows the route will be physically and mentally demanding. “Day one’s going to be tough with the climbs. I can manage flat rides at a decent speed, but the bike is heavy and hills are hard. The big challenge will be getting up the next day and doing it again and again.”
He’s looking forward to the finish line and considering the wider impact his ride might have. “I think the biggest thing will just be that sense of achievement. It’s proving that anything’s possible with the right support and the right people around you.”
There’s also a personal motivation behind Tom’s ride. “My dad was always into cycling. He did a few events, but he loved watching the Tour de France. He’s no longer with us, but I just think he’d be super proud.”
Tom also hopes his efforts will inspire others. “There might be someone in 10 years’ time I bump into, and I’d say, ‘Well, I did that – and if I can do it, why can’t you?’”
As he prepares to roll down the Champs-Élysées into Paris, Tom is looking forward to reflecting on his own journey.
Back Up gave me the tools to go on and lead a full and independent life. I feel fortunate to have benefitted and now I want to give something back.
