You may have seen a couple of dapper gentleman in and around Henley precariously balanced atop the the most beautiful Penny Farthings. No you’re not seeing things or time travelling, it is Matt Richardson and Bill Pollard who are in training to ride their Penny Farthings from Henley to Paris in June of this year.

Why would anyone in their right mind want to do that? Well, they are not just mad as a box of frogs for doing it, they are doing it to raise money in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support as in 2022 Matt was dealt the dreaded cancer card.

At the age of 56, he was diagnosed with the same cancer that killed his father. Matt is still recovering from the illness, intensive chemo and radiotherapy, but he is determined to continue fundraising, this time for Macmillan Cancer Support who are critical to cancer care in the UK and were an integral part of his treatment and recovery. 

Matt Richardson has been raising money on bicycles for cancer related charities since 2007, the first of which was part of the Firefliesride, a media-industry charity devoted to supporting Leukaemia research. These annual rides are from Geneva to Cannes involve eight days riding over the Alps and twelve days away from home. Having become a father and not wanting to be away from my family for so long, he concentrated his efforts more efficiently, organising his own events. The first of these was Raleigh Chopper vs Mt. Ventoux in 2014. Raleigh Chopper vs Mont Ventoux

This was followed in 2015 by Raleigh Chopper vs The Hour – Raleigh Chopper vs The Hour. Both challenges were in memory of Matt’s father who died from throat-related cancer at the age of 55 in 1999.

In 2016, Matt’s friends including Bill Pollard organised a learn-to-ride-penny-farthings session for his 50th birthday.

“I loved the experience and resolved to buy one. As with so many such ideas, other things were always more important and I didn’t do so. Having survived my cancer treatment, however, I decided to buy a machine from Trott & Sons in East Sussex and began riding it in October 2023. I was amazed at the positivity of everyone I encountered and, as soon as I felt that I was improving, decided to harness the positive response and plan a ride from Henley to Paris to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.“

You can read about Matt’s treatment and his reason for riding from Henley to Paris and raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Care here – Henley to Paris by Penny Farthing

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