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Just a little bike ride: Mims is off to Mexico!

Those of you who’ve been following her training progress will know that our training manager, Mims has signed up for the cycle of a lifetime to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. She’s cycling from coast to coast across Mexico and when we caught up with her yesterday, here’s what she had to say:

So, the moment of truth has come – in just over 24 hours I will be boarding a plane bound for Mexico City and 400 miles of cycling. Am I ready? Time will tell, but one thing is for sure – I have never been so excited in my life! Over the next 2 weeks, I will be sharing a tent with someone I haven’t met yet, cycling 650km in 8 days, climbing 3000m up a road 57km long, eating lots and lots of carbs, bathing in streams and undoubtedly having the adventure of my life.

I’ve trained long and hard for this moment, and it’s hard to believe it’s all happening. I remember a friend saying to me that only the ‘hard-core cyclists’ persevere on the roads through an English winter – and so I’m proud to call myself hard-core! Having been cycling an average of 100-160 miles a week for several weeks now, I feel as physically prepared as I can be – and as for mental preparation…… I find myself feeling anxious, excited, terrified and ridiculously happy all at the same time.

It’s been a long journey to get where I am now. 6 months ago I bought a bicycle and signed up to cycle across Mexico to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. 5 months ago I was terrified of cycling in traffic and had difficulties staying upright – my knees had permanent scabs and my legs were blue and black more often than not. 4 months ago I met Stephen, my cycling buddy, who got me over my fears of both my bike and the traffic. 3 months ago I cycled to work for the first time and I have done so every day since. 2 months ago, I had raised £1250 and secured by place on the Mexico Coast to Coast Challenge 2011. 1 month ago I increased my training to 100+miles a week, cycling 6 days a week. Last week I had my long ginger curly hair cut off in order to be more aerodynamic! And in 24 hours I’ll board a plane and set off on the greatest adventure of my life – raising money for a great cause, being part of a team, climbing mountains, eating tacos and discovering a country – all from the seat of my bicycle.

Now I ask you – what more could you want for?

I would like to express a big thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past few months – you know who you are. Without your support, this dream would not becoming a reality, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Viva Mexico!

We’ll be keeping you updated with Mims’ progress as she sets off on her journey on Sunday, so keep your eyes peeled and your fingers crossed. If you’d like to support Mims and find out more about the great work Macmillan Cancer Support do, you can by clicking here. You can wish her luck, offer advice, or indeed try to talk her out of it by posting a comment below!

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Gabriel Orozco at The Tate Modern

Win one of 5 pairs of tickets to Gabriel Orozco’s critically acclaimed Tate Modern exhibition.

For those of you who’ve been following our blog and diligently reading ‘Ola London, it will come as no surprise that we’re pretty keen on our art, and particularly the amazing work that is being produced by Mexican artists in recent years.

The Tate Modern is currently hosting an exhibition by one of our all-time favourite Mexican artists – Gabriel Orozco. His work is described as creative, playful and inventive, often introducing beautiful geometric symmetry into everyday objects. You can check what happened when Tommi met up with him in Wahaca and picked his brains about Mexican food, culture and generally being a world renowned artist here.

To celebrate the largest retrospective of his work being exhibited here in London, the Tate Modern have kindly donated 5 pairs of tickets for us to share with you, the lovely readers of our blog.

How to enter: We don’t just want to give these tickets to anyone though, it’s our most arty fans we’re looking for, so email us an arty photo of you in Wahaca and we’ll choose our favourite on Friday 11th March. If you want to share your artiness with the rest of the gang, then you can also post your photos up onto our facebook wall for all to admire.