Red Nose Day
This year I missed everything on TV for Red Nose Day, as I had this amazing idea, to ride in Bannatynes gym in York for 200 miles on rollers. A month ago when I offered to do this, the longest I had been on rollers was an hour. However I was sure with my amazing learning ability and balance that it would not only be ‘do able’ but really, really enjoyable. I chose to do it in Bannatynes as I knew that if I tried at home I would get bored and besides Stacey could only throw so much money into the bucket.
So at 7am on Friday 13th I got myself on the rollers and started. Thankfully over the next 2 hours Stacey had a go for 15 minutes before she went to work, although her 15 minutes did not count towards my 200 miles (as that would not be fair)
By noon I had managed 70 miles with a few stops to get water and toast. I then went and did a spin class, which meant I could eat and drink easily, although it was pretty intense. After a short lunch break and with 85 miles completed and money starting to pile up in the bucket, but with the boredom factor rising quickly, I decided to stop messing about and really get on with it. So I whacked it in the big ring and attacked, reaching a maximum speed of 37 mph, but bringing the average speed for the day up to 19.4mph overall.
At 6 pm Stacey arrived and we did 30 minute sessions alternating. Then about 8.45pm 'photoBen' arrived and took some amazing shots, which I will try to upload. If I had seen these shots before I did the ride, I would have been a lot more nervous, as the rollers look really narrow. I will get Ben to upload some as I can't figure it out (sorry)
So by 9pm I had only 8 miles to go. Stacey had completed her hour and half worth of relief, clocking nearly 30 miles. Time to really put the hammer down, however instead the ‘man with the hammer’ arrived and took me down and I managed a couple of falls. Still by 9.15 pm it was over. We counted the money and had Bannatynes had made £356, of which my effort had made £201, so at a penny a mile I was pretty pleased.
The rest of Friday night was spent at the Sidings, an amazing restaurant just outside York, which as the name suggest, is in the ’sidings’ of a railway track, with the restaurant itself being old railway carriages. Normally an Italian restaurant, tonight it was having a Greek night and by the strangest of strange coincidences my brother in law, who is a Greek musician was playing there. So lots of food, a bit of drink and I would like to say a bit of Greek dancing, but I was just not up to smashing plates and squatting down.
‘Time for bed’, said Zebedee
Red Nose Day
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Amanda Vipond
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:05 pm
Well done Brain! When you told me your plan I hadn't really considered all the implications of 200 miles on rollers! Being unable to stop peddling without falling off, risking a tumble with a seconds lack of concentartion on such a narrow tract, no breeze and nothing to look at except people arriving for a workout. Respect!