About

On August 2nd 2015 I'm cycling the RideLondon-Surrey 100 mile ride for Sustrans. 100 miles, I must be mad?! Well, Yes a little bit I guess but it's for good reasons. As a passionate cyclist with 1000+ training miles in the last 8 months I am voluntarily raising money for Sustrans and their work on the National Cycle Network. Sustrans is a leading UK charity enabling people to choose sustainable journeys. Taking part is also a personal challenge for this will be my first official mass cycle ride…with some very steep hills! --| What is RideLondon-Surrey 100? |-- The ride is a 100 mile challenging Olympic legacy event, with around 24000 cyclists it's one of the greatest cycling events in the world! Celebrating the legacy for cycling created by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Prudential Ridelondon-Surrey 100 starts in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, then follows a 100-mile route on closed roads through the capital and into Surrey's stunning countryside. With leg-testing climbs and a route made famous by the world's best cyclists at the London 2012 Olympics, it's a truly spectacular event for all involved. --| Getting fit for the big ride |-- With my friend's saying "Winter miles for Summer smiles" in mind I decided back in November 2014 to start cycling regularly regardless of the weather. Although it was cold at times, there were only a few occasions where it actually rained so hard that taking shower gel would've been appropriate. Since November 2014 I've been keeping a record of my cycle rides and so far (June 2015) me and my bike have cycled in England, The Netherlands and France and 'clocked' 1000+ miles. With RideLondon on the horizon my training schedule is gathering speed and apart from the usual regular 30-40km rides some longer rides are planned. One of them is a 145km/90mls round trip to Bristol in July...on a folding bike! --| A special year for Sustrans |-- 2015 is a really special year for Sustrans as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of the National Cycle Network and all that has been achieved. By supporting me you're helping Sustrans to maintain and develop the 14,200-mile Network for millions of people, including you, for years to come. Your donation and encouragement, however large or small, is greatly received and will help me get up-and-over those leg-testing hills. More information on RideLondon can be found here and for Sustrans's work check out their website here. Thank you, Stefan Say hello on Twitter (the background image is taken at West Bay, Dorset. West Bay was the halfway point of a 95km ride.) ################################################## --| UPDATES |-- --| Cycling from Langport to Bristol on a folding bike |-- On Sunday June 7th 2015 I set out to cycle to Bristol on my folding bike. The endpoint was a visit to a work conference. All went better than expected and at the end of the day I took the train to Taunton and cycled back to Langport. All in all a 65 mile ride through a very sunny and pretty Somerset. Have a look at some of the photos taken by my trusty handlebar-cam :-) here.