Michel Coens

Since childhood, oceans and open water have always been important to me. I have spent much of my life surrounded by the beautiful Dutch shorelines, and when these have not formed my home ground, I have swapped them for shores elsewhere, be it on land or on board. My love of the seas may not come as such a surprise given that traditionally, the Dutch have a long standing history with sea-going trade and water management - after all, the majority of our country is based below sea-level. However, for me, it is not just about protecting the land from the sea, it's also about protecting our seas from the land. My focus centres around a desire to protect and preserve our oceans. An awareness that we have to take responsibility and put measures in place so that future generations, like my own children, not only approach marine conservation with the right mindset but can also enjoy beautiful and clean shorelines like we can.

Having finished the 2019 Blue Marine Foundation’s London to Monaco Charity ride, I felt inspired to participate for the second time. Yes, it is going to require a lot of training and no, it won’t be easy but in cycling the almost 1000 km, I know that I will be contributing towards Ocean conservation for generations to come.

If you feel as passionate towards our marine life as we do, please participate with a donation to make a difference.

I will make sure that every kilometre cycled from London to Monaco will be worthy of your donation.