After putting a slightly earlier than usual alarm clock on snooze for the tenth time, I jumped out of bed, pulled on some shorts, grabbed a quick bowl of two-minute oats and rushed out the door. And rushed back in to fetch my bicycle seat cover that a friend had kindly lent me. And rushed back out again.
It’s been a hundred years since I last hopped on a spinning bike, and I was slightly nervous. But when I got to the aerobics hall at the Rhodes Health Suite, my nerves disappeared as I was greeted by a team of friendly faces – the organisers of the annual cyclathon charity event.
After putting a slightly earlier than usual alarm clock on snooze for the tenth time, I jumped out of bed, pulled on some shorts, grabbed a quick bowl of two-minute oats and rushed out the door. And rushed back in to fetch my bicycle seat cover that a friend had kindly lent me. And rushed back out again.
It’s been a hundred years since I last hopped on a spinning bike, and I was slightly nervous. But when I got to the aerobics hall at the Rhodes Health Suite, my nerves disappeared as I was greeted by a team of friendly faces – the organisers of the annual cyclathon charity event.
My nervousness returned when I filled out a form, detailing who to get hold of in an emergency, medical aid numbers, my preferred doctor’s name and phone number and a list of ailments that we needed to confirm or deny.
A girl next to me said, “It’s as if we’re about to go bungee jumping!”
I had already paid my R30 for a place on a bike for the 45-minute session. There was no turning back. The Rat and Parrot had two of the bikes for the day, and members of their staff were happy to spin for hours on end.
Once on the bike, a gracious spinning instructor who was standing by came over and helped me adjust my seat – I hadn’t noticed it was too low. Our spinning instructor for the hour, Lindi Lombard, immediately put me at ease with her approachable and affable nature. She made sure we understood that we could push ourselves as much or as little as we liked.
At the end of the session, there was a quick raffle for a cap, a Spur voucher or a hoodie.
Some, including myself, left the aerobics hall after 45 minutes looking slightly dishevelled. Others were fresh-faced and happy and were planning on doing a few more sessions throughout the day.
The cyclathon continued for 12 hours, with all 25 of the bikes full for most of the day. All proceeds from the event will go to the Assumption Nutrition Centre, a shelter in the Joza township where underprivileged children are fed daily.
