Acknowledgements

Here is a massive THANK YOU! to everyone who is helping me with this trip:

Organisations

Hilleberg
For understanding the meaning of customer service and replacing my shattered tent poles without even a quibblelet.

The Open University
For supporting this trip by allowing me to blog it on their community website, Platform, and a mention in Sesame, the OU magazine.

OUSA - The OU's Student Association
For promotion via the OUSA website, Facebook and Twitter.

The Blood Pressure Association
For massive support via their popular website and magazines, and through their press contacts. And especially to Mark Hooley, for all the effort and cycling from Milton Keynes to London with me.

The BBC
For covering and helping to promote my story.

ITV
For putting me on the telly.

The dozens of UK regional newspapers and radio stations
For telling people about my story.

Individuals

Friendly OU Students and Staff everywhere
Thanks to the dozens and dozens of students and staff scattered across Europe who have already agreed to meet me. I'm looking forward to meeting each and every one of you. And special thanks to all those that have already met me. It has been my pleasure in every case.

Individual sponsors
Thanks to everyone who has or who will put their hands in their pockets and donate to any of my three charities.

Facebookers and Tweeters
Thanks to everyone who passed on the message to others via these two websites.

...and in alphabetical order...

Adele, Chas, Chris, David, Don, Jamie, Lisa, Matthew, Sarah and Sonya
Thanks for making the OU residential MSXR209 an absolute joy.

And to Alaine, Damian, Graham, Kate, Mel, Peter and everyone else for making the SXR208 astronomy residential in Majorca just as good.

Alexandra and Sarah
OU staff, for breakfast in Vienna.

Annie Foy
OU student, for cycling with me from Milton Keynes to London despite never having cycled anything like that distance before.

Antony Kelsey
For sponsorship from Capital International and providing an official Capital cycling outfit just as my own clothes fell apart.

Boz
For completing the first year's ride with me and looking after all my gear in the gap before the second year.

Christian Payne (AKA @Documentally)
Photographer, blogger and occasional shepherd, for taking some cracking photos and properly explaining Twitter to me.

Clare
For a roof and a meal in wonderful Andorra.

Damian and Jo, Pete, and Nige and Nem
Long time mates, for collectively putting me up in Graz. And especial thanks to Damian for cycling with me up what was then my biggest hill, and enjoying the Stadtfest on the other side.

Elli Broxham
OU student graduate, for hosting my bike in Switzerland as I sodded off back to Blighty for the residential in July, and for sourcing a marmot for me to eat and spending days preparing it.

Fenella Fudge
OU student, BBC Radio 2 newsreader and all round good egg, for the name 'UniCycle' (which is causing endless confusion with people who think I'm actually doing this ride on a unicycle but, bugger 'em, I like it) and lots of support, plus cycling the leg from Milton Keynes to Trafalgar Square with me.

Georgie Wallis
OU student, for a very welcome bed in Southsea when my tent was playing up.

Jacci and Vicci at Comfort Quilts for Kids
For helping to promote the ride. These amazing people give a massive amount of their free time to bring smiles to the faces of terminally ill children and their parents with their quilts. Have a look at their web site. Lovely people!

Jamie Marshall
Prague superstar, for two evenings of Czech guitar-based entertainment.

Jana and Lucka
OU folk, for sharing an enjoyable pint or three in Prague.

Jo Potter
OU student, for being my goods depot in Brussels, providing a roof when Brussels' hotels were overrun by fish people and showing me the delights of the Belgian capital.

Julian
OU student, for a tour of Sarajevo and its haunting hills.

Louise
OU student, for tea and cakes in Kitzbühl.

Mike Bond
Costa del Sol local radio presenter and musician, for providing early morning, beach-based entertainment over the few months before the ride and arranging a radio interview on his Saturday morning show if he ever gets back on the radio. Oh, and hello Dan!

Nina
For one of the happiest weeks of my life in Berlin, and great times this year in Madrid, Rome, Athens and Istanbul.

Robyn Bateman
OU Platform, for putting my silly words on the OU's official site.

Sarah Pertuy and Vicky McCreery
My two wonderful cousins at opposite ends of France, for providing soft beds and great food and, in Vicky's case, for arranging a radio interview in Monaco.

Sasha
OU student, for giving me an extended tour of Prague. Wonderful!

Silvia and Francisco
For amazing times and meals in Italy.

Victoria Palmer Scheu
OU student, for the very kind offer of a sponsored overnight stay at her husband's youth hostel near Zurich.