A WOODFORD Green couple have demonstrated the true meaning of pedal power as they wait to be crowned World Record holders for the longest rickshaw ride.
Lianna Hulbert, from Mayfield Avenue, and her fiancé Simon Etkind - both 24 - are feeling a little saddle-sore after successfully completing a 1,000-mile journey across Britain in a three-wheeled recumbent rickshaw.
The couple chose a zany zig-zag route from England's most westerly point in Lands End to its most easterly point in Lowestoft in order to smash the previous record of 932 miles.
After almost a month on the road, all that awaits now is the official confirmation of their history-making trip from the Guinness Book of Records.
The laid-back love birds, who swapped places every couple of hours to share out pedaling duties, raised a whopping £2,000 for Action Village India (AVI), a charity which supports self-help groups in India where the rickshaw is a principle mode of transport.
Miss Hulbert, who is the daughter of the former Woodford Synagogue Rabbi, David Hulbert,, said: “Britain is beautiful and it was really nice to go quite slowly through the countryside where we could chat to people and see animals and birds along the way.
“People were very supportive and were handing us donations and waving and hooting at us.
“When we got to steep hills the one in the back would get out and sometimes even push, so I have a new found respect for the Indian drivers who do it day-in-day-out on rickshaws without any gears.”
The couple, who are due to marry in October, had only the comfort of a two-man tent to rest their aching bones in most nights, so were thankful for a stop-off in Woodford Green.
Miss Hulbert said: “We called in on a few family and friends along the way and it was so nice to spend a night in a bed when we reached my parents' house."
You can find out more about the couple's epic adventure by following their blog at: rickshaw-odyssey.org.uk, and anyone wanting to donate to AVI can contact the charity on: 7247 6406
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