Whittington Army veteran takes on Royal British Legion’s Pedal to Paris cycling challenge

The 33-year-old ex-Army Sergeant from Whittington is among 150 Armed Forces veterans, serving personnel and volunteers cycling 285 miles to the French capital in aid of the UK’s largest Armed Forces charity.

Backed by RBL staff and supporters, she departed yesterday morning and will travel through the Kent countryside before arriving in Dover bound for Calais. Once in France, Leanne and her fellow riders will pass through the French towns of Abbeville and Beauvais in the Somme, arriving in Paris on September 7 to ride down the famous Champs-Élysées to the finishing line at the Arc de Triomphe. 

The much-loved event, now in its 29^th year, continues to be the longest-running London to Paris charity bike ride, and to date has raised more than £9 million to help the Royal British Legion continue its vital work supporting veterans, serving personnel and their families.

Leanne grew up attending the Army cadets with a friend and joined the Army at 18 years old to pursue a dream career as a Physical Training Instructor (PTI). Whilst on a training course to gain the qualifications needed, Leanne suffered what turned out to be a career-ending injury – a bilateral patella tendon rupture. This injury ruptures the tendons that hold the kneecap down and connects it to the bone or muscle, and meant Leanne had to undergo surgery and learn to walk again. Following a 10-year career, Leanne was medically discharged from the forces and the RBL has been supporting Leanne not only with her physical recovery but also helping her through the transition from military to civilian life.

Leanne says: “This injury not only took out my sporting life but also my career plan. It’s a rare injury to suffer from, and the recovery has been hard as I had to learn to walk again. Signing up for Pedal to Paris has provided me with something to strive for and has helped bring back some of the old Leanne as I embark on this next chapter of my life. The RBL has been there for me, and I’m determined to give back to this incredible cause. I bet a lot of people wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for them.”

Also participating in Pedal to Paris this year for the second time is RBL staff member, Andy Ansell. Andy, 53 from Burntwood in Staffordshire, is Head of Estates at the National Memorial Arboretum and was the winner of the yellow jersey on the 2024 Pedal to Paris ride after fundraising the most out of all the riders last year which was over £8,000 for the RBL.

Andy says: “I really enjoyed Pedal to Paris last year, and I’m really excited to be doing it again. Every penny I can raise to enable the RBL to keep supporting the crucial work they do for the Armed Forces community makes it all worth it. I don’t think people realise the breadth of what the RBL does, whether it’s supporting veterans with camaraderie, helping injured personnel or remembrance events like what we delivered for VJ Day, it’s all so important.”

Teresa Greener, spokesperson for the Royal British Legion, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming participants to our 29^th annual Royal British Legion Pedal to Paris ride. It’s so inspiring to see riders from across the country come together to show their support for the Armed Forces community. In the last year we’ve been able to provide support to over 22,000 service personnel and their families, and we’re only able to continue doing that with the help of the money raised by people taking part in events like this. A huge thank you to everyone generous enough to give their time to this event, and we’d encourage anyone interested in joining us for our 30^th year of Pedal to Paris next year to visit our website.”

If you’d like to sponsor Leanne, please visit: Leanne Buehling Pedal to Paris Fundraising

If you’d like to sponsor Andy, please visit: Andy Ansell Pedal to Paris Fundraising