There is a saying in reporting that you need to ask 5 questions to get any story covered properly. Those questions are simply
Who, what, why, where and when.
Quite clearly it is possible to elaborate and delve deeper with follow up questions to gain a deeper understanding of the story but for now lets just get it started.
WHO: The team is a collection of people who until this event will never have been in the same country, never mind room, as each other. The common bond is Parkinsons Disease (PD). Every team member has someone close to them affected by the neurological disorder or indeed has been diagnosed with it themselves. Five of the team have this diagnosis.
The team come from all over the world, 2 Canadians, 2 Irish, 2 Icelanders, 3 Scots. We will introduce them individually to get a clearer understanding of the personal reasons for becoming part of the “Cycle from Parkinsons”
WHAT: The WOW Cyclothon, it is the longest road race in Iceland.
WHEN: 25TH TO 29TH June 2019
WHERE: Route 1 Iceland, circular trip from Reykjavik. 1358 km around Iceland in a maximum of 72 hours.
WHY: This is the tricky bit. One answer is that the team is committed to raising awareness of Parkinsons Disease, especially Young Onset Parkinsons Disease, YOPD. Half of the team have been diagnosed before their 50th birthday, some significantly earlier. Another answer may be that taking the WOW Air Cyclothon challenge is a metaphor for challenging Parkinsons. My hunch is that this why question can be looked at rather like throwing a pebble into the still waters of a pond. Initially there is a splash (the idea to ride round Route 1) then the ripples start to expand from the centre (the idea evolves and crystalizes) eventually the whole pond has a ripple across it (the team is born and the momentum becomes unstoppable). Or as is most likely it just sounds like an unmissable experience.
CYCLE OF HOPE 