I am part of the HMT Veterans however it's been four iterations since I last rode with them. Once upon a time I was fit and healthy, cycling 37 miles a day to work in London. Naturally I jumped at the chance to ride for three great children's charities en route to Download Festival. However in the last four years since I moved to the north I have barely ridden ten miles. I've definitely put on ten pounds  

When I saw the notice on 15 May that HMT were doing a virtual ride in support of Nordoff Robbins, Teenage Cancer Trust, Childline and Save The Children I didn't consider it a choice so much as an obligation to get on my turbo trainer and pedal 175 miles for charity once again. I haven’t given myself much time to fundraise and I definitely haven’t trained, but every little helps and that’s what’s important.

My smart trainer has stored the previous HMT rides (including the incline data), so I can virtually ride from Alexandra Palace to Donington Race Track feeling every bump, turn and hill (...) in precise detail - so this is no trundle in the park! The total incline is just shy of 7,400ft, to put that in context, that’s equal to riding a bike up your staircase 800 times, or riding to the top of the highest mountain in the UK, twice. The steepest gradient on this ride is 32.1% which funnily enough is the same gradient as your average staircase! (Ben Nevis average is 16.5%)

Please give generously to help children that cannot help themselves.

I'm chuffed to be riding again, I am sure it is going to be be bloody hard now I am more pork-ready than bike-ready. Now where are my spare inner tubes...