...my then fiancé, now husband (just!) was training for the London to Brighton Bike Ride. I thought it would be really cool if we could do it together next time round. Then I forgot about it until some people at work were organising a team entry for this year's ride. I must have been having a mad day, because I signed up, straight away, without thinking about it. So far, this sounds like something nearly every would be marathon runner, long distance cyclist, Kilimanjaro trekker and so on could have written. The one tiny, weeny little catch in my sudden act of bravado in signing up is that, as of this moment, I cannot ride a bike. Well, I can, sort of. But I haven't been on one for two years (and that was for about an hour) and before that I hadn't been on one for 24 years.
You see, I learnt to ride when I was 6 or 7. I had a shiny blue bike with a brown checked saddle bag. It had stabilisers on, and I would happily pootle up and down the garden path or make an occasional sojourn to the park on it. My Dad decided it was time for the stabilisers to come off, so they did, and he did that "Dad thing" of holding on to the back of the saddle for a bit and then letting go so I didn't realise I was doing it all by myself. Then I would realise and I would either stop or fall off. This went on for a few weeks, and it became more and more difficult for me to ride my bike because I'd grown and it was too small for me. I never got another bike, at least not until now. Some of my biggest childhood regrets are that I didn't make more use of that beautiful, shiny blue bike and that when I grew too big for it I didn't ask for another for Christmas - the moment had gone and I grew up to be that most unusual of British specimens: the one who can't ride a bike.
Many people have told me to "get on my bike" (and meant it literally) over the years, but having a husband who loves cycling has really hardened my resolve to just get on with it, and that's where this challenge comes in. I now have a bike. I've had it for about 18 months. I've never ridden it - I've made loads of excuses about being too busy and it being too rainy and so on but, frankly, I'm just too scared to get on the thing. I also have some Lycra, but I'm not so sure about wearing it in public. Being able to ride a bike would give me a level of transport independence I have never previously enjoyed (I can't drive either - I know, it's ridiculous) at the same time as keeping me fit. However, there is no way I'm going to achieve this goal without having some other motivating factor involved - so that's why, in 66 days' time, I'm going to cycle the 56 miles from London to Brighton. That's right, I have 66 days to learn to ride confidently and to be fit enough to last the distance.
I'm not just doing it for my own (and everyone else's) amusement, either. The intention is that I will raise as much money as possible for British Heart Foundation while I'm at it.
If you'd like to contribute an incentive to help motivate me to learn to ride and get to Brighton, please click on the link to my Justgiving page on the right hand side of this page. In return, I'll keep you updated with the trials and tribulations of my training! In the meantime, please feel free to share your thoughts on Lycra in the poll at the bottom of the page!
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