When was the last time you set yourself a challenge? If it was only recently, then perhaps you’re already raring to set another; if it was so long ago that you can’t remember, then perhaps it’s about time you set yourself another.
There exist many companies willing to afford you the chance at many different feats of endurance and charity challenges. For example, a London to Paris bike ride, in which participant’s cycle three-hundred miles in the space of four days.
Why should I take part in an event like this?
There are many reasons why one might wish to participate in such an event. Of course, some will require less encouragement than others – chiefly those who are naturally more inclined toward exercise. But even people who don’t naturally tend towards exercise might still be looking for a challenge of the sort that this represents. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to do something like this, but have never gotten around to it.
There are plenty of reasons to sign up to this adventure. Let’s take a look through some of them.
Improve your fitness
We all aspire to become fitter. It is through this aspiration that the health and fitness industry thrives, but that doesn’t make it any less sensible. At the risk of oversimplifying things, fitter people are likely to live longer and be happier than their slovenly counterparts. Fitter people also, notoriously, look better. Indeed, the word ‘fit’ has long acquired a sense in which it is synonymous with looking good. And everyone wants to look better, don’t they?
Whilst vanity is a powerful motivator – perhaps more so than many of us care to admit – it is not one which will haul us out of bed on a Sunday morning to go for a bike ride in the freezing cold, nor is it one which is likely to cut short our Saturday night frivolity. Clearly, the prospect of living longer and looking amazing is not enough to motivate us as acutely as perhaps it should.
This is owing to a curious element of the human psyche, which causes us to undervalue long-term benefits which cannot be easily quantified. This bias means it is especially important that those looking to get fit set themselves goals – short-term and long-term ones. The thought of some public event looming on the horizon is usually enough to get you motivated. After all, no-one wants to be humiliated when the big day finally arrives due to not doing enough and so the smaller fitness goals along the way will seem all the more important. The end result of this extra motivation is that you will end up fitter.
Charity
Of course, if there is cold, hard cash riding on said event, then the motivation will be all the greater – particularly if that cash is not yours to lose. Almost everyone has a charity close to their heart. Perhaps you even set aside a modest sum every month toward it. If you have a particular favorite, then there are few better ways of raising money for it than by taking part in an event of this sort.
If you are at a low point in your training, then the thought of the people who will benefit from your continued peddling will surely be enough to draw you onward.
Sightseeing
Another big selling point of a long charity bike ride is that it will allow you to see foreign lands. If you’ve ever, for example, wanted to visit Paris, then cycling there will afford you the perfect opportunity to do so.
Achievement
Perhaps the most rewarding thing about finishing an event of this sort is the glow of achievement you will experience shortly after crossing the finish line. For some, the experience is even spiritual. You’ve commenced a difficult (though achievable) task, put the miles in, done some good along the way and finished as promised. What is life for but to do that?
What will I need?
Some might be dissuaded by the investment in equipment that might be necessary to participate in an event like this. It’s true that cycling requires a great deal of cumbersome and heavy equipment. That said, if you’re already a cyclist, then the chances are that you already have most of what you need. Just ensure before the event that everything is in good working order and get the bike seen to professionally.
Where clothing is concerned, tight-fitting clothing is better, as it will reduce drag and thereby reduce the amount of energy you will need to expend during the ride. It is better to wear many thin layers of windproof clothes – this way, if it gets a little too hot, you can peel a layer away.
The only other thing you require is the will to succeed!
