London to Paris Cycle ride - the thrill of achievement
Last year, as I turned 30, I decided the time had come to push myself and set myself a challenge. Something that I could train towards, that would keep (get) me a bit fitter and that would give me a sense of achievement once I'd got there. I'd done a small amount of cycling, with friends in Holland, and around London using the Barclays bike scheme, and I'd enjoyed it all. So, my challenge was to be a cycling one.
I heard about Cycletta, a 40km bike ride through the countryside in Whipsnade, not far from where I live, and thought it sounded perfect. A relaxed ride of a reasonable distance to be a challenge without being too daunting. And it was great.
I bought a bike and took myself out for gentle rides throughout the summer so that by the time the ride came I felt confident. And I was loving cycling. There is something very refreshing about being out on a bike with the wind blowing in your hair (underneath a helmet of course) and the sense of freedom it gave me.
So, when the week of the Cycletta ride came I was starting to feel worried about what would spur me on to keep getting out on my bike once the challenge was over. I'd mentioned to a colleague that I needed to find another event to sign myself up for in the new year to keep pushing myself, so I thought it must be fate when, later that day, I received an email from Action Medical Research asking if I'd like to take part in their London to Paris Cycle ride in July 2012.
It seemed like a great idea. OK, so the furthest I'd cycled up until this point (and even until now) was only 25 miles, and this was a long way off the 271 miles I'd need to do to reach my destination under the Arc de Triomphe. But I had 10 months to train! Easy!
Hmm, now that the New Year is here though I think I may have been a little slack in the training department. The words "It's not until July" have left my lips on numerous occasions over the past few months when people have been asking how my training is going but now I have realised that July is ONLY 7 months away! Time to crack on, I think.
For more information call 0870 333 1662, visit Action Medical Research or contact londontoparis@action.org.uk
We'll be following Erica's training as she gets ready for the big event. Keep coming back to find out how she gets on.
