Xani Byrne is cycling around 50 miles each day on a tandem for about two and a half months this summer, always with someone new on the back.
He is making his way round the coast of mainland UK in memory of his sister Alice who died from suicide in 2022. On Friday when we spoke to him he was on Day 60 of the 88 day journey.
He had spoken to Alice often about the idea of a tandem ride to boost her confidence in cycling round Edinburgh, and regrets that they did not get to do that. As a former rickshaw rider he is a seasoned cyclist.
Now he is being joined by someone different every day to ride on the back (never the front!) of the bike and he told us they have great chats. The people who cycle with him have also been affected by suicide and they have much in common, but the talks can range from the scenery around them to their own experiences.
The ride is also a fundraiser for two charities which he has found extremely helpful. These are SOBS (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide) and Papyrus UK (Prevention of Young Suicide).
To date, Xani has raised more than £26,000 for charity through his JustGiving fundraising page.
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
