When a London-based orthopaedic surgical trainee could not visit family in Malta this summer due to COVID-19 quarantine complications, she changed her itinerary and mode of transport, embarking on a 700km solo bike ride from London to Glasgow instead, in aid of the Malala Fund.
Dr Martinique Vella Baldacchino shifted her plans to scuba-dive in warm waters to being soaked to the skin in Storm Francis, wading through flooded roads to reach her destination.
Rather than mope around due to the disruptions of the pandemic – quarantine after her planned holiday would have meant missing operating-theatre training – the doctor decided to cycle to her boyfriend’s place instead, raising over £1,000 in a low-key initiative she wants to keep going.
Working in a challenging, male-dominated specialty – “females still only make up eight per cent of the consultant body workforce in the UK” – the orthopaedic trainee wants to set an example for other women as she breaks the glass ceiling.
“Yes, they can become orthopaedic surgeons too… We live in a privileged world and have come a long way over the past 100 years, but we are not yet equal.”
That is why Vella Baldacchino chose to help the charity founded by Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 for retaliating and demanding girls be allowed an education.
Vella Baldacchino only set her sights on cycling last year due to work and research commitments, learning to road race on Saturday mornings. Then lockdown kicked in, but it did not deter her, and she opted for an indoor cycling platform instead.
Building on the commonly frequented route from London to Edinburgh, it took her a week to get to Glasgow, cycling between six and eight hours a day, eating refuelling gels on her bike, with a pit stop for a peanut butter sandwich when she had covered 75 per cent of each itinerary.
The challenge, however, was not the distance riding – up to 126km at a stretch – but the hurdles of going solo, which meant being responsible for your own health and safety.
Being an orthopaedic surgeon in training, Vella Baldacchino knew she could deal with most trauma and was prepared for an open fracture. But she also recognised her limitations: “If I suffered a head injury, I would not have been able to treat myself.”
Storm Francis, which battered the UK, hit before she expected it. She was navigating the Yorkshire Dales and recalls only crossing four cars along the way, as well as the danger of cycling downhill in its record-breaking winds and torrential rain, with her wheel spinning out of control, and fearing the worst.
Unwilling to throw in the towel, she did take shelter in what she thought was an empty stable – only to find herself in the company of 30 horses.
And along the main roads from Chesterfield through Leeds and Sheffield, she was tempted to take cover in an open freight lorry at one stage. But she decided against it, fearing for her safety… and driven by those who had supported the cause and donated to the charity.
Donations can still be made to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Martinique-VB