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Get Mims to Mexico, Mimms, News, Uncategorized, What's Happening

Get Mims to Mexico – Power to the Pedals

So, I haven’t updated my blog for awhile, and thought it was high time I let you all what’s been going on. And to be honest, quite a lot has changed.

I would now refer to myself as a ‘proper’ cyclist. Let me tell you why, and then you can be the judge.

I cycle to work. And home again. In London traffic, in the rain, wind and dark. I do this 4 times a week, 15 miles a day, 60 miles a week. I attended a 6 hour bicycle maintenance course and now understand all the jargon – I won’t bore you by going into details just now though….. I’ve learnt how to look after my bike – I even managed to pull it apart in order to clean it properly – and gave it a bath. In the bath. My flatmate was overjoyed….  I have a cycling buddy I meet up with on the weekend – every weekend, which means no drinking. Today we cycled to St Albans and back – 60 miles in 4 and a half hours. I feel great.

2 weeks ago I attended Macmillan’s pre-Mexico meeting, which resulted in me realising 3 things: 1) in 8 weeks I’ll be in Mexico, which is terribly exciting and dreadfully terrifying in equal measures, 2) the need to increase my training (especially in preparation for the infamous ‘Day 3’ – 2250km climbed over 57km – ouch!) and 3) I still have £2000 pounds to raise and need sponsorship.

In 10 and a half weeks, I will have crossed Mexico on a bicycle. I will have climbed the height of Everest and completed Macmillan’s toughest challenge. I will feel like I have achieved the impossible, teamed with the satisfaction of knowing every kilometre I rode (all 680 of them) has helped give a cancer sufferer a better quality of life.

If you’d like to show your support, please go to www.justgiving.com/miriam-smith and remember, every single penny helps.

Thank you!

Cocktails, Events at Wahaca, Food & Drink, Get Mims to Mexico, Mimms, News, Our News, What's Happening

Margaritas get Mims to Mexico

Those of you who have read my first post know that come March next year, I’ll be cycling 680km across Mexico in 8 days, raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support. It’s my first biking event and the most physical challenge I have ever set my mind to.

On the 19th December, Wahaca is helping me host ‘Margaritas will get Mims to Mexico’ – half price cocktails, good chat, the chance to win some great prizes in a raffle or two and a good old foosball tournament.

The most important thing to point out is that ALL PROFITS from this fiesta will be donated straight to Macmillan Cancer Support through my justgiving page (www.justgiving.com/miriam-smith) – meaning a margarita really could be the difference between life and death for a cancer patient.

I would love you to join me – I’ll be shaking the margaritas – so if you’re free on the 19th December and fancy a half price margarita and a game of foosball, pop into Wahaca Soho, 80 Wardour St, from about 5.30pm onwards.

And please feel free to invite your wives and husbands, brothers and sisters, girlfriends and boyfriends, your best friend or any random people you meet in the street or on the tube!

Hoping to see you there!

Get Mims to Mexico, Mimms, Our News, Uncategorized, What's Happening

Get Mims to Mexico – The Beginnings

Having considered buying a bicycle for quite some time, the only thing that held me back was the thought of commuting through London traffic. And then I heard about ‘El Grandisimo’ – 612km of cycling from the east coast of Mexico to the west – and that was all the convincing I needed. I enjoy spinning classes at the gym – how hard could it be? Surely I could survive commuting in London traffic if 2 weeks in Mexico was at the finish line?

Am I a cyclist? No. Do I own a bicycle? I bought one last month on the Ride2Work scheme. I then immediately crashed it down on the Embankment. Since then, I have crashed, fallen off, picked myself up and got back on more times than I care to remember. But the more time I spend with my bicycle, the more addicted I am becoming – I spend weekdays daydreaming about it and weekends doing it.

But however nice cycling along canal towpaths may be I am yet to get involved with central London traffic. In order to conquer this, I started looking into cycling lesson options and was pleasantly surprised to discover Westminster Council offer free cycling tuition – 4 hrs of one-on-one tutoring with an instructor. So far I’ve had 2 hours of training – in the cleats I’ve been avoiding since leaving serious skin on the pavement 3 weeks ago and in traffic – it’s amazing how your confidence increases the longer you manage to avoid falling off!

But cycling is only half of it – and I’m realising maintenance is the other – you can’t have one without the other. So I’ve also learnt a few things recently – cleaning, lubricating and the all important ‘oh my goodness, I hope it never happens to me’ puncture repair – although admittedly, this did not go quite to plan…… I fixed a puncture on a friend’s bike which, unfortunately for him, went flat before he got home…… So more practise required I think…….

Can I turn myself from self confessed spin-a-holic and cycling amateur into a Mexican mountain climber? Time will tell. Stay tuned and I’ll keep you posted with tales of falls and spills, steep climbs, frighteningly fast downward spirals, core strength, leg power and fixing my first puncture. I’m excited!

Look out for my next blog – all you need to know about my maiden commute to work on a cold, dark November morning…….. And who said cycling was a summer sport!