We caught up with legendary Mo Bro, Gareth Cox, who recently took on an epic cycling challenge in the name of men’s health. Hear all about it in his words below.
Tour De Mo started as a silly idea, but people seemed to like it, so I thought, let's see if it’s possible.
Essentially, it’s a multi-day cycle tour that traced a ‘Strava art’ moustache between London and Bristol. All with the goal of encouraging men to talk about the important issues and raise funds for those who desperately need support.
" Having shared a love of cycling with my Dad, it felt like the perfect fit for this challenge. "
My Mo-tivation
So what makes someone want to spend a week riding over 630km across the UK drawing (probably) the world’s largest moustache? Well for me it started with a free hat, well sort of…
If we back up a little further, in 2021 I lost my Dad to cancer. A painful experience that many will sadly face in their lives. During that challenging time, I was surrounded by people who cared and supported me. So, to put it simply, I wanted a way to repay this kindness.
I initially signed up for the Movember Cycle 100 challenge (partially to get a free hat), but from there things snowballed and even though the campaign went better than I could've imagined, I just felt I could do something more, something bigger.
Riding has always been my way of decompressing, but I also love the social side of riding with friends.
Having shared a love of cycling with my Dad, it felt like the perfect fit for this challenge.
As for Movember? Who doesn’t love a good moustache. Joking aside, with the causes they support being close to my heart and their culture of helping while having fun, it was an easy choice.
And lastly, if a moustache shaped bike ride helps even one person, who wouldn’t do that.
My top challenge tips
Back yourself - If you have a challenge in mind just go for it. The hardest part is getting to the start line. You’ll be amazed what you can achieve when you set your mind to it.
Things will go wrong - So just roll with it. Some things are out of our control. Just take what the challenge throws at you and try to see the funny side of it.
Remember to have fun - Life should be fun. Surround yourself with the people you love and do the things that make you happy. If you can do that while supporting an amazing cause, then everyone wins.
Ready to get your gears turning? Join team Movember for the Ride London challenge.