Hong Kong hotel quarantine challenge sees sisters cycle 2,194km to Beijing for charity seeking to counter affects of isolation
- Rachel and Sarah Rockowitz want to make the most of their time indoors and help those suffering from isolation due to Covid-19 social restrictions
- The pair are halfway through their 10-day challenge and are drawing on the good cause to keep pushing themselves
Faced with spending two weeks locked in a Hong Kong hotel room, two sisters decided to make the most of their time by cycling the distance to Beijing on spin bikes.
“When they changed the rules so you had to quarantine, it was a bit daunting. Being in a room by yourself is a challenge in itself,” said British-American Rachel Rockowitz, who grew up in Hong Kong.
Rockowitz, 25, and sister Sarah, 22, will cover 2,194km in 10 days and are raising money for The Cares Family charity, an organisation combating the mental health affects of isolation.
“People have been doing it around the world, elderly people are struggling in particular, so we decided to do the challenge for them,” Rachel said. “And as it’s coming up to Christmas, it’s timely as people would usually be spending time with family.”
The pair have spin bikes in their hotel room and set a distance target each day. They usually cycle together, but as long as they hit their target they cycle when they feel like it. On day one, they did it in a four-hour block, but they are now on day five and have learned to break up the distance.