Paralysed man becomes first person to cycle the length of Britain using bike controlled only by his chin
A PARALYSED man has become the first person to ride the length of Britain using a bike he controls with his chin.
Andy Walker, 47, completed a 1,000-mile route from Land’s End to John o’Groats in two weeks on Saturday on his battery-powered quad cycle.
The former competitive swimmer was 28 when he hit a rock diving into the sea in India, paralysing him from the neck down.
Speaking about his world-record-setting achievement at the finish line, Andy said: “It’s emotional.
“I was crying my eyes out.
“Without a doubt, it’s the biggest challenge that I’ve ever encountered in my life.
“It’s never been done before – probably for a good reason – and I definitely wouldn’t think about doing it again.
“There’s a sense of relief.
“I can’t wait for a pint, without a shadow of a doubt, and I want to find out how the football is getting on.
“But it’s been amazing, and I’ve enjoyed the pain of it because that’s the challenge.
“I want to set a precedent and say to the spinal community, people coming through, ‘Look what you can do with a positive mindset, great support and a sense of purpose’.”
Andy, from Oldham, previously rode 350 miles across Kenya, but said this was much harder.
Andy raised more than £12,000, some of which will go to Leeds Hospitals Charity for its new Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease.
A spokesman for the charity said: “We have been absolutely amazed by his dedication.”