A CHEPSTOW grandmother has told the amazing story of how she cycled the entire length of the UK for charity - which she said left her feeling 17 again.
Christine Green first got the idea to cycle from Land’s End to John o’ Groats after getting an e-bike for her 70th birthday.
A lifelong hiker who had completed some impressive routes, including the Cape Wrath Trail for her 60th, she decided that she needed something gentler for her advancing years.
Christine Green with entourage of family and friends at the Severn Bridge
Christine Green at Land's End
“The distinct advantage of an electric bike is that the motor helps propel you along, and cycling uphill becomes a dream," she said.
"People sometimes say, ‘Ah, but that’s cheating!’ to which I always reply, ‘Yes, but you still have to pedal.’”
Ms Green says that she had never considered cycling 1,000 miles on her own.
"There would be so many obstacles to overcome that the notion was simply overwhelming," she said.
She explained that, such was her anxiety, she sought the help of support companies to help her on her ride.
However, after being denied a place on their scheme without explanation, her anxiety was replaced by determination.
"As I put down the receiver, I said, ‘Sod it, I’ll do it myself!’” she said.
The route, known as LEJoG, is a demanding mix of urban and rural riding, challenging even the most experienced cyclists with its dizzying climbs and precipitous descents – not to mention the British weather.
On top of this, Ms Green had other things to contend with.
At the age of 33, pre-cancer cells in her womb led to a hysterectomy, followed in later years by a rectocele and cystocele, when the walls of her bowel and bladder, missing the support of the womb, began to cave in, requiring further operations.
Add in gall bladder removal, and spinal discs complaining about the strain of years of heavy farm work, it was suggested that it might be better to not risk further damage.
However, after contacting her GP, Ms Green was told that she was good to go.
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Christine Green with grandson and training partner Thom
Christine Green crosses Dartmoor
“She said it was a wonderful idea, and that she would prescribe some anti-inflammatory tablets,” she explained.
Ms Green finished her ride after thirty days in the saddle, just shy of her 71st birthday - and feeling 17 again.
“There would be moments of doubt and times when I felt very lonely," she said.
"Throughout my 1,000 miles on this journey I needed every ounce of stubbornness and determination as I battled into relentless icy rain which pelted into me, accompanied by a supernatural wind, both of which left me sapped of all energy and in tears.
"En route I broke down on Dartmoor, I received illicit offers from strangers, masked men with guns, hypothermia in the remote Scottish Highlands and accidentally gate crashed a funeral where I ended up comforting one of the mourners.
Christine Green asks policemen for directions - while they are carrying out a murder investigation
Christine Green enters Scotland
"Like the roads I travelled on my journey had its ups and downs. But it was all my choice to undertake what I did, and I had plenty of well wishers cheering me onwards.”
On the way, she raised £7,000 for Women V Cancer and was quite surprised by the reception she received when she returned home.
“I was suddenly in demand as a speaker, something which I was initially hesitant about but which I came to enjoy, and at the end of most talks someone would approach me to tell me about their cycling days, or to say that I had inspired them to take on their own challenges," she said.
Christine Green waiting for the Bodinnick Ferry
Christine Green at the finish line
"I could not have achieved all that I did without the support of so many people, from the early planning stages and throughout my ride. "People have lauded me with praise, but I deserve none of that. "The people who deserve the praise are those fighting illnesses, of all kinds, often without complaining. All that I had to do was to keep pedalling.”
Ms Green's adventures, which took place in 2017, have now been charted in her very own book End to End, which is available to buy now.
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