A high-flying businesswoman has taken on a pro-style training regime in a bid to break the women’s round the world cycling record and raise £1m for charity.
Earlier this week, Liz Dimmock unveiled her “almighty challenge” to ride more than 18,000 miles (almost 30,000km) around the world and raise £1m for War Child, which supports children affected by conflicts.
When she rolls away from the start point in Istanbul, Turkey, on 12 October 2013, the 35-year-old from Oxfordshire will be encouraging people – especially women – to join her as she averages 120 miles a day for 150 days. Her supported westward route through Europe, America, Australasia, the Far East and Asia will take her through 22 countries.
If she hits her target, Dimmock will break the current women’s Guiness World Record held by Juliana Buhring. She completed the challenge in 152 days and one hour in December 2012. Dimmock would become only the second woman ever to complete the trip.
The project, WorldRide, has been more than a year in the planning. Dimmock started out riding sportives, and was the only woman to complete the 2012 Tour de Force, an amateur-level challenge to ride the entire Tour de France race route.
“I’m a believer that it’s about doing your homework, and this feels like it’s an almighty challenge, but I feel if you do the right steps you’ll hopefully get there,” she told BikeRadar.
Dimmock training for her WorldRide on part of the Giro d’Italia route
Dimmock worked in senior management for companies such as HSBC and KPMG before focusing on the project, and has recruited a number of sponsors, including Rapha, Condor and cycle insurance company Cycleguard. She has also adopted a training regime fit for a pro, using power measurements and working with coaches to push up her lactate threshold.
Strength and core conditioning have been key pillars of her programme, and during winter she committed herself to epic four-hour indoor roller sessions that she admits to enjoying.
“[I’ve been doing] lots of long steady miles, but I also do lots of training on the rollers. It’s efficient, you can do it rain, or shine, snow, sleet or whatever, and it mixes it up. I actually really enjoy it,” she said.
Dimmock approached War Child after reading about their work in civil war-torn Syria, and likes the ethos of the small London-based charity. To sponser her, visit her Just Giving page.