New Exercise and Fitness Review
If you love your fitness and are looking for a summer break with a difference, why not join owner of Chilly Powder, Francesca Eyre, as she cycles 100 miles around Lake Geneva in May for Cystic Fibrosis.
Francesca, an avid fitness fan, who is usually found hiking up the Alps then skiing down near her home in Morzine, is offering anyone who wants to take part in the cycle with her a great deal on a stay at Chilly Powder.
Prices start from €635 per person based on two adults sharing a twin bedroom for three nights on a full board basis. Price includes accommodation, return transfers from Geneva Airport, Transfer to Evian for the start of the Cyclo Tour event, return trip from Lausanne to Chilly Powder, race entry, team cycling shirt, support vehicle and ride leaders on tour days.
If you would like to take part in the Cyclo Tour du Lac Leman from 17th – 19th May 2014 as part of the Chilly Powder team go to www.chillypowder.come-mail info@chillypowder.com or call 020 7289 6958
Read on to discover why Francesca is so passionate about raising funds for cystic Fibrosis.
‘My 100-mile cycle through the French Alps in memory of my brother and sister’ – Francesca Eyre
Francesca, 43, is the eldest child of four. She lost her sister Jo (aged 15) and brother Nick (aged 34) to Cystic Fibrosis and is a carrier of the faulty gene. To raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust she is cycling around Lake Geneva in the French Alps this May and encouraging others to join her in the 100-mile race.
Francesca explains, “In the 1970s cystic fibrosis was a very rare illness and sufferers didn’t live until adulthood. It’s a life-shortening genetic condition that slowly destroys the lungs and digestive system. Mucus builds up on your lungs and because you are not getting enough oxygen around your body, your main organs begin to suffer.”
She continues, “Growing up I was very aware of it. Mum spent a lot of time away in hospital with Nick or Jo so I started cooking quite young and became a second mum for my brothers and sister. I would also give Jo and Nick their chest physiotherapy during lunchtimes at school. This helped to clear their airways of mucus and they needed it three times a day. We were a very close family but I always knew that Jo and Nick were going to die at some point so I put up a barrier to protect myself. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get close to them but you have to protect yourself or else you will fall apart when something happens to them.”
Despite barely being able to breathe, when Jo was 11 she rode 25 miles to raise money for cystic fibrosis. Francesca says, “I remember Jo being very poorly and everybody saying it will be too difficult for her. But she did it and raised over £100, which was a lot of money back then. This is why I do so much sport because my brother and sister never could. I’m breathing for them.”
Jo died when she was just 15 and Francesca moved to Ireland to train as a chef in Dublin. She set up a very successful catering company but returned to England when her mum was diagnosed with cancer. She says, “Mum died when I was 21 which left me in charge to look after her two brothers. Nick, now nearly an adult, it was a lot harder to cope with cystic fibrosis as he was more aware of what’s happening.
With Nick being cared for by family, Francesca took a catering job in Morzine, France where she met and fell in love with her now husband Paul. After running a series of chalets together they decided that it made sense to set up their own chalet business with Francesca as the chef and Paul as the surveyor. This was how Chilly Powder was born. Francesca and Paul designed the chalet and literally built up the business from nothing. Now 20 years on, Chilly Powder is one of the most desirable ski chalets in the region.
Married with their own business, the couple started to think about starting a family. Francesca explains, “We didn’t know if Paul was a carrier of the faulty gene but decided to try for children. The chances of him being a carrier were 1 in 20 and we decided that as a couple that we would not terminate a cystic fibrosis baby. Thankfully all three of my children are healthy. There are five children with cystic fibrosis in Morzine and three babies are born each week in the UK with the condition, it is for these people that we’re raising money with the 100 mile Cyclo Tour du Lac Leman. We are raising money to make a daily difference to the lives of those with cystic fibrosis and the people who care for them.”
She says, “For me I live my life to the absolute full, on behalf of my mother, my brother and my sister, who have not being able to. I breathe for them.”
To join Francesca and take part in te Cyclo tour du Lac Leman, 17-19thMay, visit www.chillypowder.com e-mail info@chillypowder.com or call 020 7289 6958.
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