Tough Guy!

A very, very silly day out...
How do you get your kicks when the adventure is over, life is busy, and only the weekends are free? Myself, my brother, my friend Pete, and his buddies set off to compete in the annual Tough Guy cometition last Sunday. Thousands of people run eight 'country miles' then throw themselves at the 'Killing Fields'- a ludicrously muddy, wet and cold assault course. Holding your breath to plunge under water, wading through swamps, running through piles of burning straw, clambering over giant cargo nets: it is all great fun, if a little silly. This was the first of (hopefully) many similar events I will be doing to keep raising funds for Hope and Homes for Children. If you would like to make a donation please click

A Carbon neutral book!

Bike It

We know that millions of children want to cycle to school in this country - yet only 4% do.

Sustrans

has stepped in to sort this out with

Bike It

, a ground-breaking project which has already quadrupled the number of children cycling to its target schools.

I have just spent three great days in Lancaster, one of Britain’s

Cycling Demonstration Towns

, helping to launch a competition to encourage more Primary school children (and teachers!) to ride to school. Details of the project, which could be used in any school, can be found

here

in 'Cycle Around the World Info'.

Here is a little information about the work of Bike It:

"We started Bike It two years ago with just four Officers working in 10 schools each. After great success (some of our schools have up to a third of all pupils now cycling in!), Bike It has a new manager and six new officers, including two in London. That's 10 officers across the country.

- Teachers say Bike It has transformed their schools. Children are energised, excited, ready to learn and travelling safely and independently.
- Everyone loves the empty car parks and full bicycle sheds. 
- Local authorities enjoy the success of Bike It in their areas which has attracted the praise and attention of many Government ministers and national newspapers and TV. 

Parents know that we are offering something really positive for their child and many join in our bike events and school projects. Many help to run bike clubs and are keen to pick up information on safe cycling and help their child to receive cycle training in school. All trust us to do everything we can to help their child towards a healthier, happier journey to school."

For more information about how your school can become more cycling friendly please email kathy.bashford@sustrans.org.uk

The feeling of riding

Perhaps you won't be surprised to hear that I have not done a lot of riding since returning home. But I have done a lot of thinking about my time on the road. Memories come back at unexpected moments. The ripe smell of sweat on the Underground reminding me of a smelly man I asked for directions in Mozambique. The crisp crunch of leaves on London's dry autumn pavements reminding me of the Danube valley in October and crisp mornings in central Argentina.
But this morning, in an uninteresting suburban gym, in a small room with seven out-of shape men and a middle-aged woman, I remembered once again. The class was a Spinning class (pain on an exercise bike basically) and this was the first time since I got home that I have really spun my legs smoothly, watching my feet rise and fall, feeling my breathing and the sweat pricking through my palms and then soaking my shirt and dripping from my nose and seeping into my eyes and the acid burning in the back of my throat, and the music blasting and the relentless spinning of my legs powering hard towards an imaginary summit and the desperation to stop the hurt and the resolve that the pleasure on the other side will be worth it.
I remembered days in the mountains, hauling myself skywards. I remembered spinning fluidly along flat plains, racing the sunsets and daydreaming of home.
And now I am home, racing the fat bloke next to me and sprinting as hard as I can to recreate the burn and the pain and the glory of those days that are passed.

A Podcast from Puerto Rico

Proof that the world is a small place...Gabriel from Puerto Rico called me up with Skype and I chatted into my laptop with him about my bike ride. Proof that technology is racing on...Gabriel is running a regularly updated PodCast all about travelling by bike (http://biketourist.podomatic.com). You can listen to it here.

True Heroes

Watch this video - I promise you it will be the most important 6 minutes of your day. A father, whose son cannot walk or talk, competes in Marathons and Ironmans because his son loves them so much. He competes WITH his son- pushing him in a wheelchair when he runs, carrying him on his bike, and towing him in a rubber dinghy during the swimming stages. A staggering display of love and determination. These guys are true heroes!

A brilliant adventure

A friend of mine, Dom Gill, is well on the way with a brilliant adventure. What's more, he is filming it, and has put together this little trailer. Well worth a watch. Also follow along with his website updates; he writes very well...

There are fewer and fewer excuses

One of the aims of my talks is always to try and batter away people's excuses. We all have fears and reservations and laziness that can so easily stop us doing that difficult thing that we so want to do. Everyone's dream is different. Everyone's excuses for procrastinating are different. Now I am delighted to point out that being "too young" no longer counts as a valid excuse...Michael Perham, aged 14, has just sailed his 28ft boat across the Atlantic! Fantastic stuff! Read about his adventure here, and make a donation to his charity. Anyone who takes their homework on an Atlantic crossing deserves a pat on the back!