Fairfield dad’s mini Tour de France

A Buxton dad who cycled to Paris in memory of his daughter has returned with aching legs and £2,000 for charity in sponsorship.
On yer bike! Meningitis ambassador Jim Lowe, of Fairfield. Photo contributed.On yer bike! Meningitis ambassador Jim Lowe, of Fairfield. Photo contributed.
On yer bike! Meningitis ambassador Jim Lowe, of Fairfield. Photo contributed.

After starting in London, Jim Lowe pedalled more than 300 miles across four days before reaching the finish line at the Eiffel Tower on Saturday.

The 57-year-old, of The Front, Fairfield, has now raised more than £14,000 for the Meningitis Research Foundation, since his daughter Rachel, 15, died suddenly from the disease in 2003.

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“In my mind Kent was flat but it wasn’t,” he joked after the race. “Northern France wasn’t as flat as I’d imagined either, so training in the hilly Peak District was a real bonus.”

Jim’s previous charity feats for Rachel have included Buxton Carnival Race, the Manchester 10k and a bungee jump outside Fairfield’s Devonshire Arms.

But the bumper bike ride proved to be his toughest challenge yet.

He said: “As I’m getting older, it’s getting more strenuous. We had to cycle 80 miles on the first day, which was quite a big ask. But I had to, or I would have missed my ferry!”

The retired adult education officer added: “I’m certainly no superhuman, if I can do it, anyone can.”

To make a donation, visit justgiving.com/jim-lowe.