A Darwen man who survived a terror attack represented the UK by cycling a small stretch of the Tour de France route alongside other survivors.
On Friday (July 19), Travis Frain, who survived the 2017 Westminster terror attack, cycled from Monaco to Nice (around 20 miles) with other victims of terror attacks.
This was two days before the race competitors travelled along the route, the final stage in this year's race.
The event was organised by Together Stronger, a charity that raises awareness of the consequences of terror attacks, in collaboration with Tour de France.
Travis said: “Myself and other victims of terror attacks from around the world cycled the final stretch of the Tour De France from Monaco to Nice to raise awareness that the threat of terrorism has not gone away.
"We need to be vigilant and aware of these issues and also to remind our government that the victims of these attacks need support.”
Due to the Olympics, the Tour de France finished in Nice rather than Paris, the first time in its history the famous race has not ended in the capital.
Rather than the traditional procession and sprint finish along the Champs Elysees, this year's final stage was a 20.9-mile individual time trial.
The finish line was on the spot where 86 people were killed in a terror attack in 2016, when a lorry drove through a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day.
Travis said: “Because of the location, organisers decided they wanted to dedicate the event to victims of terrorism worldwide.
“They contacted me and asked if I was interested so I was the only person who represented the UK, which was a massive privilege.
“Meeting other people who have been through something horrific and seeing them get to the finish line was quite powerful. Cycling alongside them was a massive honour.
“As soon as people read our jerseys they understood we were supporting victims of terrorism. People were voluntarily lining the streets and clapping us.
"It was an incredible moment to arrive at that finish line. After we arrived, we cycled to one of the two memorials marking the Nice attack and had a moment of silence to remember the victims.
“I am not a natural cyclist and I probably should have trained a bit more for this. Regardless, it’s the principle that matters here and [it was an honour] to be able to take part in such a historic event.”
Travis hopes this event will raise awareness for terror attack victims. He will continue campaigning to put support in place for potential future victims.
He said: “It’s through events like this we are able to get the word out there and remind people terrorism exists. The impact of these attacks on victims can be lifelong.
“We can use this to open a dialogue with the new government to get these conversations going with them. We’ve been campaigning for many years to improve the support for terrorism victims in the UK.
“This isn’t for us - we’ve been through these acts of terrorism and have to live with the impacts. It’s for future victims.
“Attacks will continue to happen in future so we need to get that support in place before they happen.”
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