Ryder trainee cycles 180 miles from London to Paris for The Brain Tumour Charity

Emma Ansell, an architectural trainee at Ryder, has cycled from London to Paris over three days with Women in Property's all-women Sweatworking ride, raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity.

Ansell wrote about the challenge for Ryder, saying she set off on 23 September 2026. Her fundraising page on JustGiving lists the ride as 24 September 2026.

Ryder's account says she rode with 50 women from Women in Property. The organiser's own report of the event puts the group at 51 cyclists.

Each rider chose her own cause. "I am raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity, a fantastic cause close to my heart," Ansell said on her fundraising page. The charity describes itself as the largest dedicated funder of research into primary brain tumours globally, with a stated vision of a world where brain tumours are defeated.

The route

The ride was split into three stages, according to Ansell's account for Ryder, with a fourth day spent returning to London by Eurostar.

Stage	Distance (miles)	Climbing (m)
Day one: London to Newhaven	60	1,000
Day two: Dieppe to Beauvais	70	700
Day three: Beauvais to Paris	50	600

A cancelled ferry on the first night meant the group docked in France at 04:00, Ansell said. The riders crossed the finish line together at the Trocadéro in Paris. Women in Property said the final destination was the Eiffel Tower, followed by an evening celebration party.

Women in Property said the ride was guided by Discover Adventure and thanked its sponsors MUSE, Highgate Transportation, Harley Haddow, CitiVale and CDA Architects.

Awards and lessons

Ansell said she received the Energy Engine award for staying positive and completing every mile. Separately, Women in Property said an "Ultimate Spirit of the Ride" award was presented at the Paris celebration; neither source links the two.

Women in Property described Maddie Difazio Wright as the driving force behind the ride and the creator of WiP Sweatworking. Ryder's article gives her name as Maddie Difazio-Wright.

Speaking on the start line, Difazio Wright said: "The difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude." She added: "Each person here has their own reason for doing this event and I urge you to be aware of that."

Ansell credited Difazio Wright with an analogy she took from the ride: an endurance challenge is like a tadpole, with the event itself the head and the months of training, kit testing and mutual support the tail. Reaching Paris mattered, Ansell said, but the months leading up to it were just as important.

The organisations

Women in Property says its purpose is to create opportunities, expand knowledge and inspire change for women working in the property industry, and that it seeks an industry that is balanced, diverse and inclusive. Women in Property Ltd is a company limited by guarantee.

Ryder was founded in 1953 as Ryder & Yates in Newcastle upon Tyne by Gordon Ryder and Peter Yates, according to the practice's heritage page, which also records that the firm became an Employee Ownership Trust.

Ansell's fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity was run through a page on JustGiving.