Queen Of Clean Rides For Tiny Lives, UK

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 08 May 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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TV's Aggie MacKenzie will be swapping her skates for a bike when she competes in a gruelling ride through the Scottish Highlands for national health charity Action Medical Research this month.

Having recovered from her recent appearance on ITV1's Dancing on Ice, Aggie, who is best known for the show 'How Clean is Your House?', is now taking on a new challenge. She will be riding in the 81-mile Etape Caledonia on Sunday May 18 to help raise funds for the charity's Touching Tiny Lives Campaign.

The ride is the UK's only timed mass-participation cycling event where riders can enjoy the freedom of closed roads, and there are still places available to take part for Action Medical Research. The route sets out from Pitlochry and takes in some of the country's most stunning scenery. Not for the faint-hearted, it also includes almost 2,000 metres of hill climbs!

Aggie, 52, has resumed a tough training regime to prepare for the event, and has been kitted out by bike manufacturer Specialized. She said: "I've been cycling almost daily for nearly 20 years, but I've never done anything as challenging as this. I use a bike to get around essentially because I'm quite lazy and impatient! It's quicker than walking and easier than trying to find a parking spot in London.

"I'm looking forward to the race immensely. After all the skating, my legs are like iron girders now, so hopefully that will stand me in good stead for the hills. Nevertheless, I am working hard towards the event with cyclist and professional trainer Robin Knight."

Aggie has chosen to ride the Etape Caledonia for Action Medical Research, one of the event's two official charities*. The Touching Tiny Lives Campaign aims to find answers to life-threatening pregnancy complications, and help sick and vulnerable babies.

In Scotland, Action Medical Research is currently supporting one of the UK's leading experts in this field, Jane Norman, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the University of Glasgow. She is looking into the causes of premature birth, and is so dedicated to her work that she herself took part in last year's Etape for the charity.

Aggie, mum of two teenage sons, said: "Action Medical Research is helping doctors like Jane Norman find better ways to protect mums-to-be from the risk of pregnancy complications, reduce the incidence of premature birth, and treat babies who need special care. This valuable work aims to give more babies a better start in life and I'm very proud to be following Jane's lead by taking part in the Etape Caledonia."

The event will see Aggie returning to the area she grew up in before heading down south to pursue a career in journalism. She was born in Rothiemurchus, near Aviemore, in the Highlands.

Anyone interested in joining Aggie in the Etape Caledonia can find more information at http://www.action.org.uk.

Action Medical Research