I have decided to finally complete the Land's End to John o'Groat's cycle challenge I've wanted to do for years.  I'm doing this following some bad medical advice from an unfriendly doctor, but I'm not doing it because of that.  Quite simply, this is something I have wanted to do at least since I was a teenager.  I love cycling and the sense of freedom it brings to me.

After much thought, I have decided to do this as a fundraiser for Womankind Worldwide, who are an amazing charity.  You can visit their webpage to learn more about them, but I can lay out some of the reasons why I like them right here.  First of all Womankind work with local partners to promote the rights of women; they are not interested in being white knights riding to the rescue but in helping people to help themselves.  I think that's great.  Secondly, if you visit that website, you'll see that they mainly talk in their promotional materials about results rather than problems; theirs is a positive message.  I love that.  Thirdly, it has been pointed out to me that I am not, in fact, a woman; whilst this came as some surprise, I am firmly of the belief that improving the lives of women worldwide will improve the lives of everyone. I don't believe eliminating poverty or promoting human rights are zero sum games for any particular group.

The ride is an enormous challenge, and I am eager to get going.  You can follow my efforts, both in fundraising, training, and the ride itself, on Twitter (@Zommael) and eventually on my blog.  WARNING: You may also end up following some of the other rubbish in my head as well if you choose to do so; naturally, I encourage you to!  

I'm now going to run the auto-spiel from JustGiving on here, as I think it's relevant.  Thanks for taking the time to read and donate! 

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