It was a challenge they now readily concede they took on with little appreciation of how tough it would actually be, but on Sunday they completed 220 miles on a stationary bike – a virtual route from North to South Wales – for Tenovus Cancer Care.
Hill, who is a patron for the charity, explains how the challenge came about. “We’re living in different times now, with everything being done virtually. I mentioned the ride to Dillon last Saturday night and he agreed to take part, but the way we’re both feeling now I don’t think I’m going to live it down! We’ve got a whole new respect for cyclists.”
Three four-hour stints on the bike have left their mark on the pair, who hadn’t spent longer than an hour in the saddle in the build-up to the ride. “I never want to sit on that seat again,” vows Lewis, who adds that after burning over 10,000 calories on the virtual journey, “the recovery plan now is to eat!”
A ‘technical glitch’ hampered proceedings initially when it transpired that they were unable to sync their ride together on the Zwift cycling app. As Hill explains: “We’d spent all week fine-tuning everything, but when we started riding we couldn’t see each other, so we were FaceTiming each other for the first four hours. By time the second leg started, the tech issue turned out to be that was that I was still using the app’s free trial!”
For the third and final leg, which started (virtually, of course) in Llanelli and finished in Cardiff Bay, they were joined by Stradey favourite Rupert Moon. “Rupert’s come on when me and Cory are in a bit of a hole,” Lewis says. “He’s there absolutely whizzing around, lapping us. He kept us entertained though, which was the important thing.”
An original fundraising target of £2,200 – a nod to the distance due to be covered – was swiftly adjusted once the donations came rolling in. As did the messages of support. “Reading the encouragement we were receiving really kept us going,” says Lewis, who describes ‘hitting the wall’ just an hour into the ride. “My backside was hurting, and the boredom of being sat in one place was really testing me. Time was going so slow.”
Hill agrees, adding: “There are some lovely views in Wales, but there I was staring at a wall under a gazebo.”
Another Wales tighthead, Tomas Francis, was among the players’ teammates to donate. There was also a surge in donations once the duo offered a bag of kit each to the cause. The JustGiving page will remain open until this weekend, when Tenovus will anonymously select the two winners of the coveted stash.
“We’re encouraging people to keep donating,” says Hill, who has seen first-hand the good work being done by the charity. “People getting cancer treatment are going through such a tough time as it is, but imagine then contracting coronavirus too. Family and friends can’t come and visit. It’s really sad when you hear the ins and outs of what everyone’s going through, so we can’t rightly whinge about sitting on a bike for twelve hours, especially when we’ve got a week to recover.”
Visit Hill and Lewis’s North 2 South Cycle donation page here.
