Liz gets back in the saddle

7 November 2005

50 miles a day for 5 days in the African Rift Valley to raise funds for Regain and celebrate her 50th birthday

Liz Chandler of Natures Corner is getting back on her bike to celebrate her fiftieth birthday in style — and for a good cause. She’s off to cycle 250 gruelling miles in just five days in the Great African Rift Valley in Kenya in aid of her favourite charity, Regain, which promotes the independence of people who have become paraplegic or tetraplegic through a competitive sports injury. Last year she successfully completed a 250 mile cycle for Regain in California.

The bike ride starting on 21 November 2005 consists of 250 miles in five days riding on- and off-road through deepest Africa around the edge of the Rift Valley, crossing the Equator and finishing on the shores of Lake Victoria. The most challenging day is a climb of the Elgeyo escarpment, a 15-mile uphill climb eventually reaching 7000 feet above sea level.

Liz, who is going on the trip with her partner Jon Williams and fifty other cyclists, is not going unprepared for the trip: she’s been training hard for months with a personal trainer at the new Top Floor Gym in Newbury. Liz said: “My personal trainer Karl Reid has prepared me well. My three-day-a-week training regime should get me ready for 250 miles in the Great Rift Valley. It’ll be quite a contrast from my usual training circuit of the Lambourn Valley."

Liz has no apprehensions about her trip, but there is one niggle. She explained: "Earlier this month I met five paraplegics who will also be cycling the route with us. They are a great bunch and told me that they are really looking forward to the celebration when we complete the ride. They’ve organised a slap-up meal at The Carnivore Pit. Unfortunately, I’m a vegetarian!"

Anyone wishing to sponsor Liz can do so at Natures Corner in Bartholomew Street. "Just ask in shop," says Liz.

Regain is a charity (Registered Charity Number 1030693) dedicated solely to improving the independence of British men and women who have become paraplegic or tetraplegic (sometimes referred to as quadriplegic) as a result of a competitive sports injury. Money is available for potential Regainers to help provide them with the specialist equipment they need to enable them to achieve greater independence and improve their quality of life.

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