Updated on May 13th 2012 at 4:54 PM from the JustGiving API

Made it to Paris!!! Happy days France nil, Ireland 3! Ye ha! Photos to follow when I get back!!

Updated on May 13th 2012 at 7:35 AM from the JustGiving API

Arrived in beauvais yesterday, legs are tired but its the home straight now to Paris! Setting off shortly!! X

Updated on May 11th 2012 at 10:53 PM from the JustGiving API

Day 2 France nil; Ireland 1! Am wondering why now, cycling 7 hours in a 28 knot gale full in your face over hills that were not supposed to be there on a bike made of lead is not fun! Motivation needed! £1 a message would be good at this stage to drive the wheels!! :@

Updated on May 10th 2012 at 7:36 PM from the JustGiving API

Made it!!! On the ferry to Calais! V long day through the Kent hills but glad to be on the boat now! Can't upload the photos unfortunately but will try again later! Hooray!

Updated on May 10th 2012 at 5:52 PM from the JustGiving API

England nil; Ireland 2! ;)

I’m not a cyclist. I don’t have any of the gear. I don’t commute to work on two wheels and, if I’m honest, I don’t really want to either. The idea is to do something challenging and to help a worthy cause in the process. For me this will be a challenge - I don’t even own a bike! I have hired a bike for the event, which I will collect on the morning of 10 May and then…we’ll see what happens.

For me the concept of “London to Paris” has a resonance, simply because I lived and studied in Paris and will be returning under my own steam a decade or so later from London, where I now live. The last time I was on a “real” bike was in Minneapolis last May, when I joined my new firm (photo above) and was kindly invited to join some of my new colleagues on a Sunday cycle round the lakes. A fantastic experience and perhaps, in a way, that was the start of this whole idea. I am doing this with my great friend, Celine (pics to follow) and we will no doubt send a few updates on the way.

I have chosen St Mungos to support for a number of reasons, not least because I believe in what they do and what they seek to achieve, which is directed at the most basic of levels – shelter, rehabilitation and re-education. Whatever funds are raised through this I want them to count. I don’t want them applied excessively to admin or bureaucracy but used simply in the most efficient way, with least overheads to achieve the best results.

Cities are vibrant places but they are also impersonal and harsh environments. People gravitate to cities looking for better and often finding worse. I’ve chosen something local and meaningful in the environment where I live and work and ultimately the focus is people, basic needs and hope.

All costs of my participating in the event are covered by me personally and to get the ball rolling and confirm that it really is not about the bike, I have made the first donation. If you can give up your morning coffee for a week or donate the cost of a bottle of wine or a round at the pub, it will help massively. Please do what you can and check out the website below for more info on where your money goes http://www.mungos.org/

Thanks otherwise for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Your details are safe – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails and the transaction is secure. Once you donate, they send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate.