Tom March will undertake the Pedal3Peaks Challenge, an epic cycling and climbing challenge, next month to honour his sister, Caroline, and raise money for spinal research.
The 34-year-old husband of event rider Piggy March is aiming to cycle the 870 miles from Balmoral Castle to Windsor Castle and climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, the UK’s three highest mountains, in 100 hours. The Pedal3Peaks Challenge will finish at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, which has chosen Spinal Research as its 2025 charity.
Caroline March died by assisted suicide last year after being paralysed from the waist down in a cross-country fall at Burnham Market Horse Trials in 2022.
“There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Caroline and while we couldn’t save her, perhaps we can make a difference and help others who suffer a spinal cord injury,” said Tom.
“Since Caroline’s death, within the wider equestrian and horse racing community, there have unfortunately been other young riders who have suffered similar devastating injuries.
“It transforms everything”
“When you have someone with a spinal cord injury you see just how much it affects them, what it does to their life. It transforms everything.
“Like many people I was totally naïve and thought being in a wheelchair was just about not being able to walk, but it’s so much more than that. It was something that Caroline did not want to live with, but she also really believed in the need and value of pursuing scientific advances to find a cure for paralysis.”
In November 2024, Tom, Piggy and several other members of the equestrian community completed Cycle4Caroline, a 1,100km cycle ride from Blair Castle in Scotland to the Savoy Hotel in London which raised almost £350,000 for Spinal Research and the British Eventing Support Trust.
Individual effort
“Cycle4Caroline was very much about the power of the group to get us collectively through something that, at times, seemed impossible,” added Tom.
“This time it’s just me. I’m less of a cycling novice now but each day is going to be very long with more than 10 hours in the saddle as well as the mountain climbs, so it will be incredibly tough but this is all about supporting the work of Spinal Research to try to achieve a positive change in Caroline’s memory.”
The Pedal3Peaks challenge will start at Balmoral Castle on Sunday 11 May and finish at Windsor Castle on Thursday 15 May.
To find out more about the Pedal3Peaks challenge and to donate, click here.
Images © Tom March.
