Davina McCall in plea for women to get cycling

DAVINA McCall is calling on The Argus’s female readers to “find a gang” and take to the county’s roads for her annual charity bike ride.

“Women love to gather in groups. We go to the toilet in a gang, we have girls’ nights out and we have girls’ nights in,” she said.

“To me bike riding is no different, I do it in a gang of about 10 girls and that’s the idea with the ride.

“I want everyone reading this to go out there, get a gang and just do it.”

The annual ride will take place on June 7 this year, starting and finishing at the East Sussex National Golf Club, in Little Horsted.

There are three routes: cool (21 miles), classic (40 miles) and champion (68 miles).

And while it is not exclusively a women’s only event, it is billed as “female friendly”.

Davina explained: “I have been on mixed bike races before and they are predominantly made up of men and they can be quite off putting to anyone who is a newcomer to cycling.

“The guys obviously just want to do it as a sporting thing and go really fast and beat their friends.

“I wanted to create something that isn’t too scary and where you can come in any outfit you like. You don’t have to wear lycra or have a tiny saddle.”

Challenge That is not to say the event will not be a challenge, with the 68 mile route covering some of the most picturesque but brutal countryside in Sussex.

Davina, who lives close to the route, described it as “beautiful yet challenging.”

She added: “We have the best countryside down here so the route is absolutely lovely. That is one of the good things about living in Sussex, it is up hill and down dale so it is really good for training.

“There is one hill in particular in Mayfield that is absolutely brutal and is such a good practice spot for me, I’m actually going to do it today.

“My step-mum Gabby did the ride a couple of years ago. She did the 40 miles and she lives in Gosport so she only cycles on the flat, because it is dead flat there.

“She trained for it and it was a challenge but there is no point in doing something that is easy, you always want to challenge yourself.”

She added: “So it is going to be challenging but it will be great fun, we will have a laugh.

“Girls in groups love to natter and I think that is really important when you are cycling. It can be tough so it is good to have a gang around you, especially if some are struggling.

“We are a friendly lot as well so if we see someone with a puncture or a problem we will stop and help, we are not going to be worrying about beating our record times.”

Snacks Unlike some of the more performance-based organised cycle rides – or sportives as they are otherwise known – there will be plenty of help, entertainment and food along the way.

As well as tea and snack stops along the route there will be hot food at the finish line to recharge the batteries.

With a washboard stomach and a squat thrust to put most professional athletes to shame, you would think the ride would be a piece of cake for Davina. But she – like many others who are thinking about signing up – is worried.

Last February she pushed her body and mind to the brink in her brutal Sport Relief challenge.

Over seven agonising days, she ran, swam and cycled more than 500 miles from Edinburgh to London.

Battling saddle soars, biblical rainfall and howling winds, she burned 10,000 calories a day.

At her lowest point, she was dragged out of a freezing cold Lake Windermere barely able to stand up and in floods of tears.

Willpower In awe at her incredible willpower and dogged spirit, the British public dug deep and donated more than £2.2 million.

While the incredible challenge earned her the deep respect of all who watched, it was not without sacrifice.

She said: “My knee was a bit dodgy and I haven’t really been back on the bike until now. I’ve signed up to do the 68 miles and that will be the first proper ride since so it will be a big thing for me.

“I think it is all a bit psychosomatic, I’m a bit tearful about it but I’ve done loads of work on it, squat lunges and lots of running.

“I certainly didn’t do any ski jumping in the winter though.”

While the days may be short and the temperatures uncomfortably low, we all want to get fit at this time of year. So what better way than setting yourself a challenge.

She added: “I always get messages from people saying ‘I want to get fit but I don’t have the motivation’ and my response is always the same: sign up for something.

“All of a sudden you think ‘oh my gosh I’ve got to get fit because I’ve got that event coming up in June’.

“Everyone wants to get fit around this time of year, but it is tough.

“By signing up for the ride you will have a goal. I can’t wait to see everyone on the day.”

• How to get involved

To register your place for Davina’s Big Sussex Bike Ride visit action.org.uk/davinas-big-sussex-bike-ride.

You can enter either as a fundraiser (£30) or a sportive (£55) rider. With the former, riders are required to raise a minimum of £35. All money will go to Action Medical Research for Children.

If you can get a team of at least three riders together then you can ride for free.

For those going it alone, we are offering readers of The Argus a 20% entry discount. To qualify for the discount, quote “ARGUS” when you are registering.

• Three routes to pick from

WITH three options – cool (21 miles), classic (40 miles) and champion (68 miles) – there is a route for all abilities.

While they all start and end at the East Sussex National Golf Club, in Little Horsted, each ride takes a different path through the beautiful Sussex countryside.

At 21 miles, the cool route features a total of 548ft of climbing. From the golf course the riders go anti-clockwise around the top of Little Horsted before heading down Bradfords Lane and Harvey’s Lane, down near Glyndebourne to pretty Glynde.

The riders then swing east before heading up the Firle Road to Ripe, through Laughton, up to Shortgate and back round to the gold course.

The classic route features nearly double the amount of climbing (1079ft) with the riders completing the same route to Ripe.

From there they head north east to Golden Cross before they hit the hills just outside Horam. It is then down through Hellingly, Lower Dicker, Upper Dicker, Ripe and back up Laughton and to the finish.

The champion course, which Davina will tackle, features a challenging 2,589ft of climbing with the riders reaching the highest point (534ft) just outside Dallington. The ride is identical to the classic up until Horam, when it heads east towards the hills. Passing through Marle Green and Cowbeech, the riders take a sharp intake of breath before heading up towards Dallington.

It is then east through Netherfield and down through historic Battle before turning back through Catsfield, Ninfield and down through Hooe and Wartling.

The riders then turn north up through Herstmonceux before they join the same run in as the classic group.

• 'Inspirational' gran

CHARITY Action Medical Research for Children is an organisation close to Davina’s heart.

Set up in 1952 in a quest to find a cure for polio, the charity has been funding vital medical research ever since.

More than £100 million has been spent, with a number of success and countless lives saved.

Among the breakthroughs they have made include the development of the use of ultrasound technology in pregnancy, testing the rubella vaccine, discovering the importance of taking folic acid before and during pregnancy to prevent spina bifida and creating the Matrix Seating system to help support physically disabled children as they grow.

For Davina, the charity has always been a part of her life, thanks to her 94-year-old grandmother Pippy, pictured left.

With her parents separating when she was just three and her French mother moving back to Paris, it was decided she should go and live with her grandmother.

She said: “She is amazing, she lives in a little cottage next to us, she is an all singing all dancing granny, she is brilliant. She has been very involved in the charity all her life. When I was little we would always be doing sponsored walks and bike rides.”