The Next Challenge

Tag: Cycling

  • Some stats from my rickshaw ride

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    Tim Moss
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    Distance travelled: 1,001 milesCurrent World Record: 950 miles Average daily distance: 40 miles (not including rest days)Longest day: 74 miles (roughly Hereford to Oxford)Average speed: 7.71 mphFastest day: 9.82 mph (Aldershot to West Molesey, 33 miles)Slowest day: 5.23 mph (Shrewsbury-Bishop’s Castle, I blame the girl running with me)Top speed: 28.8 mph (may have been faster…

  • The Vehicle of Poets

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    Tim Moss
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    The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets. Christopher Morley   The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man.  Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish.  Only the bicycle remains pure in heart. Iris Murdoch   When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the…

  • Three world-beating cyclists

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    Tim Moss
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    Having worked for a couple of years in the Royal Geographical Society, steeped as it is with the rich heritage of great British exploration and frequented still by the modern world’s most exciting expeditioners; and spending so much of time reading and writing about adventurous people and their achievements, it’s easy to become blase about…

  • Cyclists Wanted

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    Tim Moss
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    I have three rather exciting opportunities to share with you today. If I were able to go myself then you could bet your bottom dollar that these adverts would not have seen the light of day at The Next Challenge but, sadly, this time they are not for me. How about you? 100-Man Peloton –…

  • An irrational hatred of traffic lights

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    Tim Moss
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    On the A3 near Kingston-upon-Thames, there is a pedestrian footbridge that crosses the road. When following the cycle lane down from Tibbet’s Corner, if I want to turn right up Kingston Hill I used to have two choices: charge across three lanes of A-road when the coast was clear, or carry my bike over the…

  • Commonwealth Cycling Project

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    Tim Moss
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    Sean Newall is preparing for his first of four grand expeditions which will take him through all 72 Commonwealth countries. Expedition number one will see him cycling 20,000 miles around the world from Glasgow. And what makes this different from the many other people cycling around the world, you say? Well, Sean is hoping for…

  • How to prevent bike theft

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    Tim Moss
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    I watched someone steal a bike last month. Right in front of me they cut the cable lock with a pair of pliers and pushed off with it into traffic on Notting Hill High Street. I was gutted. Seeing the man work frantically with his tool I asked: “Hi. What are you doing?”. Don’t worry,…

  • I Write Frequently of Cycling

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    Tim Moss
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    I write frequently of cycling yet know very little about it. I do not and cannot cycle very fast. My longest trip was three weeks and I’ve not really ridden much outside of Europe. My bike draws laughter from enthusiasts and bystanders. It is nicknamed the Beast of Burden because of its “heavy bones” and…

  • Who is Bob?

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    Tim Moss
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    Bob is evidence that the Good Samaritan is more than a fable Bob is the reason I get up in the morning Bob is my personal trainer Bob is what Nietzsche never had Bob is the cause of ants in my pants, the mountain from the mole hill, my moment of epiphany Bob was my…

  • 8 strange situations in which I’ve found myself wearing lycra

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    Tim Moss
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    I like cycling and I like lycra but I appreciate that there are some situations in which it is not the most appropriate attire. The problem is, I don’t always have time to change. Here is a list of some odd places and situations in which I’ve recently found myself lycra-clad. For easy visualisation (which…

  • Adventure from the Front Door – Guest Blog: James Bowthorpe

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    Tim Moss
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    James Bowthorpe is famous for breaking the speed record for cycling around the world and for hitting a wombat whilst doing so. He also happens to be raising a lot of money and awareness for a cause important to him and is a nice guy to boot. I met him in the pub last week…

  • Angry Young Man – Guest Blog: Julian Sayarer (This Is Not For Charity)

    Angry Young Man – Guest Blog: Julian Sayarer (This Is Not For Charity)

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    Tim Moss
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    I enjoyed following Julian Sayarer’s cycle around the world – This Is Not For Charity – and his wonderful writing from the comfort of my home last year. I was thrilled and disheartened in equal measure to first see him break the world record and then risk having his words and messages lost in the…