TARGET ACHIEVED!

This is undoubtably one of the most proudest posts I'll write on this blog, and for good reason too. After what seems like years of pledging, begging, promising freddos and other gifts and raiding, I've reached my almighty £750 fundraising target for my London 2 Paris bike ride that starts this Saturday!

Three of us went to a "raid"* on Saturday in Salisbury (*I'm assuming it's called this because you're raiding wallets, but no-one actually seems to know), and we managed to raise around £200 EACH from the day. After counting the coins, I appeared to be £5.05 under my target. Only seconds later, that remaining cash was soon donated thanks to two close friends, and the big seven-five-oh was reached. What makes it even better is the fact that my total didn't even stop there - at last count today, I've now raised £770 for Hope for Children, meaning a project helping to restore a school suffering from flood damage in Sri Lanka is now £770 better off and counting, which I personally think is fantastic!


Over the past three days, I wanted to stretch my legs and build on a bit of last-minute stamina before I cycle off Paris-bound on Saturday. After amassing 110 miles in the past three days, I can honestly say I'm in the fittest shape yet, and cannot wait to tear down the Champs Elysees in under a week's time, hands aloft in celebration, having cycled the full 203 miles from London just days before.

As for now, a few days R+R is exactly what the doctor ordered. My overly-accommodating bed has never looked so appealing right now, and the less movement I do the more I will enjoy revelling in the fact I can do nothing - for good reason too - for the next few days.

Once again though, another huge thank you to anyone and everyone who's donated on my justgiving page and in person, helping to collect almost £800 for Hope for Children. I couldn't have done it without any of you!

Queen's

Sitting on a train en route to Bournemouth simply to dress as a chilli wearing a sombrero to my university’s Summerball this evening only to return back to London come tomorrow morning, looking extremely worse for wear and no doubt with the feeling of nausea never too far away, I still know that I won’t have any regrets at all about the amount of travelling I have, and will, be doing this fortnight. 

Usually I only come home from university about once a month, perhaps longer if I’m tied down in Bournemouth for whatever reason, but this fortnight will see me come to London three times, travel to Ascot five times, and sleep in Bournemouth – my home from home – even less. 

The first day of a busy week was yesterday. After grabbing tickets to Queens – or as I put it to friends, ‘pre-Wimbledon’ – I spent the whole day yesterday watching a small yellow ball be hit as hard and low as possible around a patch of grass. And I loved it.

Rain delays apart (typical London weather), I managed to see an unknown French chap by the name of Mannerino despatch of a far higher-ranked opponent in Juan Del Potro, saw a tightly fought contest unfold between world-class tennis players David Nalbandian and Fernando Verdasco – with the Spaniard winning in comfortable straight-sets fashion, before cheekily nipping into centre court (the one court I didn’t actually have a ticket for) to catch a glimpse of World No.1 Rafael Nadal against Radek Stepanek. 

Queen’s Club itself is remarkable. The whole place oozes class, and has much the upper hand on my rather feeble-looking Chingford School of Tennis I’m a member of. The toilets even had marble in.

The only down-side, from a student’s point-of-view, were the prices – sipping a £5 bottle of corona and chewing every bite of a £8 baguette has never taken so long and been so well-received. 

After attending Wimbledon and the ATP World Tour Finals in the past two years, Queens sure does rank up there with the two. Sure, there are less crowds and slightly less world-class players in the likes of Federer and Djokovic, who didn’t attend the Queens tournament this year, there is still so much quality tennis on show that it still makes you realise two vital things: 1) You’re witnessing the best players in a sport in the world just metres away from yourself, essentially witnessing history. 2) No matter how well you think you play, compared to these highly-skilled chaps, you’re about as good at tennis as a paraplegic in a coma. 

Oh, and Roddick – at time of blogging – is through to a tasty semi-final match up against Murray, with Brit No.2 James Ward in the second bout. Dare I say it, but I really, really hope the American shines through...

Display of Musical Brilliance

Surf the Internet whilst it's raining cats and dogs, and you're sure to find a gem - just like this.

Andre Chocron has created this genius video using just time-lapse photography. By capturing a collection of buildings at night-time in Oslo, Norway, when different lights were on and off, he was able to create this masterpiece.

Take a look!

(Oh, and the songs called Time Is Of The Essence, by Cold Mailman.)

London to Paris - Belated Update - July 2011

Really after posting on my JustGiving page (www.JustGiving.com/James-Hartnett) that I would blog regular updates as one way of letting people know how I'm getting on with my fundraising, I should really be blogging regular updates - but I'm not. Slap on the wrist for that right there.

Since I last blogged, I've been upping the tempo considerably. A good few trips to Studland, Swanage, and Worth Matravers (each between 25 and 35 miles round trips from Bournemouth) and my fitness is building pretty effectively. After every cycle I do now, which is now no less than 25 miles at a time, my legs feel much more like concrete than jelly, and the day after a cycle is never that painful a time anymore - great news for both my legs and buttocks.

I've travelled back to London for a few days, and this is the first time I have left my bike in Bournemouth for the trip. I kid you not, I have done nothing but feel like I've made a mistake, knowing full well that tomorrow I've got a pretty free day besides a tennis match to really get out in the saddle and stretch my legs, but I can't. Amateur error.

On the plus, since these cycle rides do take a good few hours (I'm never in the saddle for less than 2 hours or so) then I have lately been substituting time-restricted days to an exercise schedule of gym work or, preferably, running. My fitness is not quite as good as it was when I was training for a half marathon two years ago, but I don't think it's that far behind by any means either.

The fundraising is slowly a touch - through, shamefully, a lack of effort which is now being resolved. I had been planning on some corporate sponsorship, but that has all but fallen through, so am now relying on a fleet of extremely generous and charitable people to build towards my £750 target. For those that have already donated to the cause, or those that are planning to, a huge thank you to you all - every penny donated will go towards making a huge difference for my cause, and this is one thing that is really driving my whole project forward. Without you guys, my journey would be almost meaningless, and for that I have nothing but gratitude.

Cycle training - a chore or a reward?

It's weird to think that only six or so weeks ago I signed up to London 2 Paris. At the time, I thought I was mad for putting pen to paper on the whole thing and confirming my place on the gruesome cycle, but boy how times change.

When I first pledged to blog updates on my progress, I must say most of my training days I would round up. 11.5miles turned to 12miles when I told company about it, with 65 minute cycle rides turning to hour-long cycle rides as my pace would seemingly seem quite good.

These days, I'm taking 22-mile (actual 22-mile, or to be exact 22.3mile) "detours" on my way to/from work, and taking casual trips to swanage via the breath-taking Old Harry Rocks that would see me muster a rather tasty 32-miles in the day.

What's more, the roads where I live when not at uni are moreorless country roads. It only takes four or five miles for me to get out of the 'smoke' and into country lanes, where I can really get stuck into training. I've only been home for less than 24 hours and already can't wait to get in the saddle again.

Let the games re-commence.

P.S. As a side, unfortunate timing and partial laziness for not checking earlier, the circle line was completely closed yesterday in London. For anyone travelling home from Waterloo with a bag, this wouldn't matter. For those carrying bikes, it meant first escaping Waterloo, since only Embankment allow bikes, and getting there to find out the only tube line you're allowed a bicycle on is shut. Commence 3-mile journey, holdall en-tow, through the streets of a bustling Sunday afternoon in London. What's best of all - I actually enjoyed this. Not once did I panic, pance, or query where the hell I was going. Top.

Is Social Media Running Students? - Infographic

This infographic is awesome. It's also a few other things - mainly scary, interesting, eye-opening, and - above all - true. Being an avid Facebook and Twitter user, I can relate to most of these albeit regarding myself or friends, and it all seems pretty accurate. One of the scariest facts on there has to be the amount of time "Facebook addiction" is Google'd though.

Note: If you can't see the writing very well, zoom into the page more by pressing Ctrl and '+', or Ctrl and scroll your mouse/cursor up.

Cycling in London is an accident waiting to happen

First off, I'm amazed there aren't tons more news stories floating about regarding commuters, or in fact just regular cyclists, involved in accidents in central London. The sheer amount of traffic on London roads means that often most of the time in the saddle is spent at red lights, in a traffic jam, or spent manouvering around parked buses and taxis it makes the whole journey so much slower than a care-free country adventure.

When I first jumped on my saddle at Liverpool Street, my first failure on a bike was met as fast as my first narrow escape. After realising I needed to turn right in two junctions time, I looked over my shoulder countless times wondering when the best time would be to cut inside the traffic and jostle for a better position to make the turn. Only thing was, with busses constantly engulfing most of the road, it's nigh impossible to go anywhere but left. Seconds later, I found myself having to chuck a left down a nearby side road, turn around when the traffic ceased, wait by a set of lights before joining the traffic on the other side of the road, so when I approached the junction I needed to turn down I could turn left without the fear of death.

Eventually, I did get my head around the whole cycling/death fiasco and did get a good few solid miles under my belt. The constant missed turnings (these were more accidentally though) meant I also enjoyed a cycle down the embankment too - much fresher than the tight, London streets in Bank and whatnot anyway.

I actually researched tips to cycle in London safely - something I never usually do due to being a stubborn 20-something - and some of these proved invaluable. There were ample times when I was cycling next to a bus or lorry that I would, on any other day, try and over-take to get ahead of the traffic, but knew that these buggers often turn left without warning. Every time I hung back just in case, before seconds later the bus/lorry would chuck a left with no signal at all - lucky escapes aplenty.

The funny thing is, I travelled generally well around junctions, roundabouts (including Trafalgar Sq, which is manic to say the least, and makes me scared knowing in a few months I'll be tackling the famously-dangerous roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris). The main thing that really, really got me annoyed however are the pedestrians. You'd think in such a busy city that most people would cross a road with a few wits about them, but the amount of people that just walk into a road without looking is astonishing. I must have brushed a good few suit jackets today trying to avoid these idiots... I can see why stories of cyclists dying after veering into traffic exist now.

All in all though, albeit stressful, cycling in London can actually be a really enjoyable activity. When you find a good stretch of road void of people, taxis, busses, lorries, traffic lights, foreign drivers ignoring cycle lanes, or slower cyclists, it's actually good fun. For now though, I think I'll stick to my countryside escapades cheers - a 60mph country road has never seemed so... safe.

One-click music - Try it!

I just spent an easy half an hour making music on this. Found it on a friend's Facebook wall and was instantly addicted. It actually made me sound like I knew music a bit too - minor win!


http://lab.andre-michelle.com/tonematrix

Fundraising flowing!

Apologies for a lack of updates on my fundraising target - have been inundated with work as of late, including (right now) work experience at local radio station Hope FM.

The target of £750 for my London to Paris cycle is looking more and more likely as the days go by, and I'm sure if I can keep up going as I am doing then the target should be reached by July! So far I've raised a gob-smacking £315, and am nearing the 50% stage of the fundraising which is always great.

I've started donating my tips from work as well as of this weekend, and have already got twenty quid from that in the past two days. Of the two parties I covered, both sponsors offered me a drink. When I declined, and ask for that £3 odd to be put in a donation, both gave me a tenner. Hopefully things will carry on the same!

The training has been tempermental to be honest. I don't want to blame the workload too much, but I've found it hard lately to get miles under my belt. The journey to and from work is a collective 7 or so miles, so I'm doing that every day, and I did get two 20-mile cycles finished last week, but I definitely need to do more. This will happen soon.

Until the next update, thanks for those reading/sponsoring/even just passing through!

London 2 Paris - March update #2

Slight neglect to this page since the first post, to which apologies are due. Moving on...

Since I started fundraising back in mid-March or so, the JustGiving page has received a nice bit of attention. Donations have come (family-orientated only so far) from four extremely generous people, to which I must say thanks to!

I recently went on local Christian radio station Hope FM with this bloke --->
down in Bournemouth to promote the cycle, and although donations didn't quite come, at least awareness of the cycle has been raised a bit!

I'm also in talks with the manager of my university gym regarding a fundraising event there - either a cardiovascular activity such as a 3-mile cycle, or a nice and simple sit-up challenge that anyone can enter for a quid. If this goes to plan, it should be underway in the next few days...

Also reached out to a few newspapers back home in London, and hopefully I'll be able to reach out to a few more people regarding the cycle.

As far as training is concerned, I'm getting a good few rides under my belt. I went pretty quickly from an 8-mile cycle to Boscombe, to a 12-mile cycle to Sandbanks, to a 19-mile cycle to first Sandbanks and then Mudeford in the South coast. I'm also doing a few cycles with Rubes, a mate who's doing the cycle with me, so we shouldn't be too far apart as far as fitness levels matter come the time of the cycle. Everywhere I go I'll cycle now, so I'm getting enough hours on the saddle - though the investment in padded shorts will be coming in the very near future.

Until the next update, don't forget to have a glance at my JustGiving Page! Cheers :)


(P.S. How ironic is this?