Taking Roman Chichester as their inspiration, Justin Bulpett and Malcolm Meaby are planning a remarkable odyssey, pedal-cycling more than 1,000 miles in 11 days this July and August.Fr
00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers.
00:06Lovely to talk to Justin Bullpit and Malcolm Meeby.
00:09Now you are about to set off on something that is a bit bonkers but gloriously bonkers.
00:14You're going to be cycling over 1,000 miles in 11 days for Claire A. Paul,
00:19Chairman of the District Council's Charities, Pallon House Gallery Community Programme and Stone Pillow.
00:24Now you both have form in this respect.
00:27You are picking up where you left off seven years ago.
00:30Justin, just remind us what it was you did seven years ago and why you're doing something similar, even grander again.
00:37So in 2018, Malcolm and I cycled from John O'Grace to Chichester for the Mayor of Chichester, Martin Bell at the time.
00:47And we did that for Stone Pillow in the Ox Market Gallery.
00:52So, and this time, Claire April, the Chairman of District Council, had asked us, could you, she was saying, would you consider doing something similar?
01:02And I thought, we don't want to just replicate what we did before.
01:06So we gave it some thought and, and yeah, we came up with the idea of the Roman roads, because Chichester was such a kind of a hub with Novia Magus and things like that.
01:17It made sense that actually we should try and try and use Chichester as the kind of starting point and then coming back around to it.
01:25So, yes, we are going to, we're in the 11 days where we get riding, start shadowing a lot of the time, but sometimes riding on the Foss Way, we're going over Portway, we're going to Watling Street, we're touching Deer Street, Ehrman Street for about three days, and then back on Stain Street, as well as Stain Gate, just beneath the Hadrian's Walls.
01:47It sounds fantastic. To bring Malcolm in, how much does it help that you've done similar before, in other words, how much does it help that you've done similar before, you know that you can do this kind of thing?
01:59It helps, it helps hugely. As we touched on earlier, we did this before, it was, that was a challenge and we hadn't prepared as much on that occasion.
02:09This time we prepared a lot more. So, psychologically, I think we're in a much better place. We put in the miles in our training and touch wood, everything will be fine on the 31st of July.
02:22Justin, tell me a bit about that training, the way you've approached it this time then, more seriously.
02:27Yeah, so Malcolm and I tend to, once a weekend, we try and do a longer cycle. This can range, we've done anything from like 40, 45 to about 70.
02:41So, we try and get one really longer cycle in there. We're intending to do actually the Isle of Wight at some point before we go as well.
02:47But during the day, during the weeks, I try and go out for at least 35 or 35 miles, possibly 40 miles during the week.
02:57So, kind of one of these mad people actually look for hills. So, I don't want, I don't want the flat. I want to go on the hills.
03:03So, I'm up into the downs and I go right down and right as another hill, go for another hill.
03:07I did have a beautiful moment actually when I was cycling along and I was obviously kicking up insects and there were like these swifts.
03:12It was like an onagard of swifts that were strafing me. It was only for a few seconds. I'd love to say it was about half an hour, it wasn't.
03:17For a few seconds, but it was just absolutely wonderful. One of those moments no one else is around that I thought it was worth it just for that one moment.
03:24Well, it sounds like peace and it sounds like freedom. But I always think with endurance events, Malcolm,
03:29the thing that you have to have really clear in your mind is why you are doing it.
03:34So, to put you on the spot, Malcolm, why? Why are you doing this?
03:39I think we've both enjoyed the challenge, the physical challenge.
03:42And I think the idea of actually, you know, knowing that you've got to do 100 miles and you've got to get to that destination is really important to us.
03:49So, the physical challenge is exciting.
03:52But equally, the charities that we're running for, so we're cycling for, Stone Pillow and Pallant House, very dear to our hearts.
04:00And particularly Stone Pillow is very important with, you know, currently with the economy as it is and with lots of people out in the street.
04:10I think anything that we can do to support those people is really, really important to us.
04:14And equally, Pallant House has got a really good community programme.
04:17So, it's very important that we do that.
04:19And that's a driving force too.
04:21Obviously, we're raising money to support those charities and knowing that that is an impetus to keep going.
04:27Fantastic.
04:29And Justin, tell me about the feeling.
04:32What do you imagine the feeling is you'll be like when you finish this?
04:35Will you be thinking, what next?
04:37Or just few?
04:38I think my wife will be saying, no, absolutely not.
04:41What next?
04:42I think the feeling will be, I'll be honest, as we approach it, it is daunting.
04:49And there's this kind of mixture of trepidation isn't too much in the negative spectrum.
04:55But this kind of thing like we have taken on something that's harder than last time.
05:00We've got more miles to do.
05:03And so I think once we get it done, I think the sense of relief and just and being so proud of ourselves already.
05:12For getting it done and actually testing our bodies and seeing that actually we were able to do this, I think.
05:19Absolutely.
05:20But the next one after this will have to be correspondingly longer, won't it?
05:25Yeah.
05:26You might be waiting more than seven years for that one.
05:29Yeah, we're getting older.
05:30By which time this route that you have devised will become a recognised trail, won't it?
05:36We'll see about that.
05:37Who knows?
05:38Because, I mean, as I said, I don't know that I haven't heard of anyone else doing this.
05:44But it's very unlikely in these days and age that you're kind of like you're the first doing it.
05:48But yeah.
05:49But I think the way we're doing it, it's very unlikely that anyone's done exactly the same thing we've done.
05:55But yeah.
05:57It'd be nice to have our names on it somewhere.
06:00Endurance is such a fascinating thing.
06:02I wish you all the very best of luck and have a fantastic time.
