COMMENT
LOOKING TO LOSE WEIGHT? EXERCISE ALONE WON’T WORK
Want to shed that spare tyre? It’s not as easy as it seems. Trust me, I cycled the length of Britain to try
Iturned 50 this year. To celebrate, I decided to cycle from Land’s End to John o’Groats – just over 1,600km (994 miles). I cycle to and from work each day, about 44km (27 miles), so felt I had enough base fitness to tackle the challenge. And I could stand to lose a few pounds, too. So far, so midlife crisis. Scouring the internet, I found Pedal Britain, a company that offers fully supported ‘end-to-end’ tours – moving bags, organising accommodation and, crucially, providing food during the day. All I’d have to do was pedal about 120 hilly kilometres (75 miles) a day for 14 consecutive days. Easy!
I signed up in December 2022 for a July 2023 ride, leaving just over six months to prepare. The cold, dark days of winter eventually gave way to spring daffodils and, before I knew it, I was at London’s Paddington station on a sunny mid-July morning to catch the train to Penzance.