How about this for a commute?

Let’s start by saying that I’m not a morning person. At all.

This morning, I got myself up at 5am to meet a friend that I’d not seen for a good few years (come to think of it, it may have been more than 10 years). We were at school together and I can say, without hesitation, that our main connection in the five years of boarding school was a shared love of athletics. That’s what I’ve come to call ‘Track and Field’ these days: Simon was a 110m hurdler and I was a sprinter that used to think a mile was a long way to run. We’ve been back in touch for a while, but meeting up hadn’t quite happened yet, so I think it was fitting that we actually got to meet up again over something sporting.

At 6am this morning, Simon and his friends, Tim and Matt, got on their bikes at Marble Arch to cycle to Edinburgh (450 miles) before running the Edinburgh Marathon (26.2 miles). Strictly speaking, they started their challenge last night with a swim in the Serpentine Lido, but the bike and run was the original idea. In these days of Ironmans and Ultramans, I suppose many wouldn’t think that this was such a hard challenge – but I was impressed for several reasons.

How often do people come up with an idea in the pub and then never do anything about it? These guys came up with the hair-brained plan and are actually doing it. Simon and his friends have a great adventure ahead of them and are doing it to benefit Cancer Research. You see, Simon's mum was diagnosed with brain cancer, and tragically passed recently. This has only steeled Simon to make sure they went ahead. I really admire them for having a good go at this. I tagged along to see them out of London (well, for the first few miles anyway) and wish them the best of luck on their journey.

So, if you need an excuse to donate to Cancer Research, follow this link and make their efforts worthwhile:
http://www.justgiving.com/edinburghmadness

2 wheels good, 4 wheels bad

After several months in the wilderness (Cambridge), I'm moving back into London. Unfortunately, it's not into the flat - that's still being worked on... But really, we can't take the commute from Cambridge any longer. 4 hours of our day was just way too much. So, I thought this would be a great time to get a new bike, to pootle around London on. Since it looks like summer's coming, this has got to be a great time to get back on a bike.

Now, I should say that I already have 2 other bikes. Unfortunately, neither is really appropriate for leaving on the street and going around town on. I don't think they would last very long. So I figured I'd get a cheap second hand bike from Cambridge. After all, there's nothing like re-using something good. I went to a small shop in Cambridge where they were insistent on me trying out loads and loads of bikes. I was there for almost 2 hours - riding up and down. It was a great way to shop, and I did finally get myself a bike. It's a beautiful 1980s gent's 3-speed made by Hercules.

It doesn't quite compare to my super light race bike, but it's got tons of character. Maybe a bit too much, judging by the rust on the wheels...but it's a joy to ride. So, as much as I can be, I'm off the bus and the tube now. There's nothing quite like traveling under your own steam.