A NEW fitness challenge, SofatoCycle, calling on Northamptonshire people to get off their sofas and on to their bikes has opened for sign-ups.
The SofatoCycle training programme encourages participants to choose their goal, be it five miles, 50 miles or any distance in between.
The aim of the challenge is to prepare cyclists for Cycle4Cynthia, the annual fundraising event for Cynthia Spencer Hospice, which begins at Holdenby House on September 17.
SofatoCycle participants need no prior cycling experience, just a functioning bike and a few hours a week to train. To take part, sign up through the Cycle4Cynthia registration age and add ‘SofatoCycle’ to your basket www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/event/C4C2023
Cycle4Cynthia is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The charity fundraiser is aiming to get 1,000 riders to take part, each raising £100, to raise £100,000 for hospice services to care for those at the end of their life.
Teacher Esther Underwood pictured right, 47, has already signed up for SofatoCycle. “I decided to do SofatoCycle to support one of my best friends, Rachel, whose mum sadly died of cancer far too early in her life at Cynthia Spencer Hospice,” she says.
“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 focused in the new year and build up to September’s 20th Cycle4Cynthia.”
Anna Russell cycled 50 miles in last year’s Cycle 4 Cynthia and was the highest individual fundraiser, raising nearly £1,700 in memory of her mother who was cared for by the Hospice when her cancer became terminal in 2020.
“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,” Anna says.
“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.”
Over 20 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. The money has helped in particular the costs of running the charity’s wellbeing service that helps those living with a terminal diagnosis have the best quality of life.
“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 do not know where to start,” says Cynthia Spencer Hospice’s fundraising director Anita Frith.
“SofatoCycle will bring together like-minded people to support each other through this cycling challenge all while raising money for a brilliant cause.”
