I cycled as a kid - that's me, the one on the left, on my first bike! I did a bit of mountain biking at university. Then I stopped cycling until I moved to Woodstock in 2006 and started riding the 8 miles into Oxford to work. I discovered that commuting to work on a bike was, well, kind of fun. So I got a better bike and started cycling further - just for fun!

I now want to set myself a challenge - and to raise some money in the process. I am going to ride Stage 1 of this year's Tour de France - a 191 km route from Leeds to Harrogate - http://letour.yorkshire.com/stage-1 - as part of a team supporting Mines Advisory Group. We are riding the stage on Friday 4th July, the day before the Tour starts.

I am riding to raise money to support the vital work that MAG does saving lives and rebuilding shattered communties in the world's conflict zones. You can find out more about the amazing, courageous people that MAG supports by visiting their YouTube page - http://www.youtube.com/user/MinesAdvisoryGroup

Please support my ride by donating what you can. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.