Target: 1000 miles
Current status: 400 miles
As McFadden & Whitehead said so memorably in their 1979 disco classic – Ain’t no stoppin’ us now, We’re on the move!
You’ll notice the yellow jersey in the photo? Dougie wore the maillot jaune today just to rub it in that he has completed 222 miles and I’ve done 178. That man is so competitive even on an exercise bike. The stages of the Tour de Holbeach begin in our garage every morning and even though I start first, he’s pedalling like crazy to catch up.
Best music for cycling
The first compilation CD we tried was Now That’s What I Call 21st Century. Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ and PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ certainly gave us the lift to pedal faster. But there were other tracks which didn’t quite have the correct rhythm or we didn’t know the words. The only solution was to return to the late 70s and 80s.
Lord knows why we bought them in the first place but a round of applause please for:
School Reunion:The 80s
Hairbrush Divas
Top Gear Anthems:The Greatest Ever Driving Songs
Fantastic 80s
Now we’re putting the pedal to the metal along to Rick Astley, Bananarama and The Communards. Classics like ‘Wake me up before you go go’ start the day with a great vibe. ‘Come on, Eileen’ has an excellent rhythm plus a fabulous crescendo during the too-ra-loo-ra bit. Who would have thought that Kenny Loggins would have an exercise bike banger in ‘Footloose’ or that Dead or Alive’s ‘You Spin me Round’ would have the perfect title and tempo.
But my favourite so far is Meatloaf on his silver-black phantom bike with ‘Bat Out of Hell’. The full 9 minutes 47 seconds tells such a story that the time flies by. I’m down in the valley one minute then hitting the highway like a battering ram the next.
Still walking towards our 500 miles and 500 more
In between the bike sessions, we’re still adding up the miles by walking. On recent trips to Cambridge and Edinburgh, we kept a note of the daily distance. Dougie found it intriguing that shopping in the sales was such a motivator for me. It’s incredible how the miles add up when there’s a juicy sale rail at the end of it.
Thank you for your support
We started fundraising for the Neuroendocrine Cancer UK Virtual Pathway Challenge just a few weeks ago. Having a goal of 1000 miles to walk/cycle before 10 November has been such a boost to both Dougie and me. It’s also been incredible to see how people have supported us in this venture. We really are very grateful to everyone who has sponsored us: the charity will be able to make every penny count. If you would still like to help, here’s the link: Dougie Burgess
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