IF the key to losing weight and keeping it off is motivation, then Brooklyn’s Michael Lee has plenty in reserve.
He is preparing to ride 700 kilometres in seven days for charity.
For Lee (pictured), it will be his second crack at the annual Ronald McDonald House Charity Ride for Sick Kids. Last year, he tackled the cold, rain, hills and 40km/h headwinds of Gippsland.
“I first wanted to do it in 2011, but I was a bit unfit and overweight,” Lee, 58, said. “But one of the riders in the group was a trainer who lived nearby, so I did a lot of indoor bike work and lost 20 kilograms in less than a year. The first few weeks were hell, but it got easier. So now I’m older, but I feel much newer.”
This year’s ride starts in Bendigo on August 24 and winds through Shepparton, Yarrawonga, Albury, Benalla, Seymour and Bundoora before finishing at Ronald McDonald House in Melbourne on August 30.
Lee said the Gippsland ride was a brutal experience.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve done since I was 19 and a full-time soldier,” he said. “But you just have to grit your teeth and get through it. You’ve got to be strong physically and emotionally.”
Lee has clocked up 100 kilometres a week around Williamstown, Laverton and Altona, and along the coast in Anglesea and Torquay, to prepare for the ride. Organisers hope to raise $250,000 this year.
To donate or follow Michael Lee’s progress, visit rideforsickkids.com.au
