Cyclists’ 800-mile trip to Turin in memory of Philippa

Monday, 15 October 2012

by Anders Larsson

THE sun shone on the group of 28 cyclists that left Axminster on Saturday morning, heading for Italy.
They had about 800 miles ahead of them on as they set off for the Salone del Gusto slow food festival in Turin - in memory of Philippa Corbin.

Philippa worked at River Cottage Canteen but tragically took her own life at the age of 27 in January 2011 when suffering from depression.
Formally named Slow Ride To Turin, the ride has been organised in her memory and to raise awareness and acceptance of depression and funds for two charities; The Humans Given Foundation and The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust. Team members and supporters gathered in River Cottage Canteen for a breakfast and pep talk by River Cottage boss Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who cycled along for part of the first leg.

Gavin Tyte is the vicar of Uplyme and one of the 28 cyclists. The vicar and one of his fellow team members, Lis Harden from Lyme Regis met up with Pulman’s View to talk about their aims and preparations.

Lis had just been for a swim in the sea and has been preparing for about a year. She used to do downhill mountain biking and is a keen gig rower.
An injury has prevented her from rowing for a while, though, but she appears to be more than ready for the ride ahead. Apart from the physical challenge, she hopes the ride will help to rid depression of the stigma attached to it.

She said: “It’s rife [depression]. There is an awful lot of publicity about obesity, for example, and it is almost accepted – but the acceptance of depression is not there. It is not a self-indulgent illness. If, by doing the ride, we prevent at least one family from going through what the Corbins did, we won’t give a damn about sore bottoms and legs from the ride.”

Vicar Tyte has been preparing for three months. He explained: “The physical bit has been quite a shock to the system and it has been a massive learning curve to get used to the bike as well.”
Although they are yet to start, he feels the ride has already served its purpose to an extent. This is because so many people engage in conversation about depression when they hear about Slow Ride To Turin.

Gavin took Philippa’s funeral and both he and Lis said about the ride: “It is a great way of honouring a lovely girl.”

All you need to know about the ride, including how to sponsor and regular progree reports, are available online at www.slowridetoturin.co.uk.

Email: pulmans@tindlenews.co.uk

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