A new fitness challenge calling on Northamptonshire people to get off their sofas and onto their bikes has opened for sign-ups. Whether you’re a wannabe Sir Chris Hoy or a fitness-phobe hoping for a healthy, low-impact, exercise habit with the Sofa2Cycle training programme you can choose your goal: 5 miles, 50 miles or something in between. Sofa2Cycle participants need no prior cycling experience – just a functioning bike and a few hours a week to train.
The aim of the Sofa2Cycle challenge is to prepare cyclists for Cycle4Cynthia, a fundraising event for Cynthia Spencer Hospice, which begins at Holdenby House on Sunday 17 September 2023. To take part simply sign up through the Cycle4Cynthia registration age and add ‘Sofa2Cycle’ to your basket.
Cycle4Cynthia is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The charity fundraiser is aiming to get 1000 riders to take part, each raising £100, to raise £100,000 for crucial hospice services to care for those at the end of their life.
Esther Underwood, a Northamptonshire teacher aged 47, has already signed up for #Sofa2Cycle and said:
“I decided to do Sofa2Cycle to support one of my best friends, Rachel, whose mum sadly died of cancer far too early in her life at Cynthia Spencer Hospice. I currently cycle about once every two years but enjoy it when I finally get back in the saddle. So, this challenge is an excellent way to get focussed in the New Year and build up to September’s 20th Cycle4Cynthia.”
Anna Smith cycled 50-miles in last year’s Cycle 4 Cynthia and was the highest individual fundraiser, raising nearly £1700 in memory of her mum who was cared for by the Hospice when her cancer became terminal in 2020. She said:
“Me and my husband being the stereotypical lockdowners had purchased some bikes and put them to a very small amount of use, so Cycle4Cynthia seemed the perfect opportunity to really make use of them and give ourselves a challenge. And more importantly, it was all in aid of Cynthia Spencer Hospice who had been pivotal in looking after my mum when we found out her cancer was terminal in early 2020.
Last year, I made it a mission in memory of my mum to raise some money for this very important cause to try and give back to the hospice so more families can receive the outstanding palliative care and support my mum and my family received.”
Anita Frith, Fundraising Director at Cynthia Spencer Hospice, said:
“We want to help people across Northamptonshire take part in Cycle4Cynthia if they have never cycled before or would like to cycle longer distances but don’t know where to start. Sofa2Cycle will bring together like-minded people to support each other through this cycling challenge all whilst raising money for a brilliant cause.
Over twenty years, Cycle4Cynthia has raised an estimated £745,000 towards the £4.4 million it costs to run the Hospice and community end-of-life services and, in particular, has contributed to the costs of running the charity’s wellbeing service that helps those living with a terminal diagnosis have the best quality of life.”
