Welcome to the latest of a regular new OM series,
'Midweek Missions'
by
Tim Moss.
Tim's personal mission is to inspire you to inject a little unexpected
outdoors adventure into your life.
And this week's Midweek Mission, should you choose to accept it, is to
keep your feet off the ground.
Keep your feet off the
ground
As I turn the corner the red hue sinks my heart.
This was the last real test before my destination and it wasn't going
to be easy. I applied the brakes from a distance of almost 80 yards and
set about criss-crossing slowly this empty street.
This was a foe I had faced before but the introduction of road works
added an element of the unknown. I stood up on the pedals, fixed my
eyes on the traffic lights and crept forward as slowly as the laws of
physics would allow.
-
Cycling to work can be a drag. It can be cold, it can be wet. Traffic
lights aren't on your side, buses can blindside you and pedestrians
turn lemming without warning. But I have in my arsenal a secret weapon
that when deployed tactically can transform a daily commute into a full
blown challenge:
Cycling from departure point to destination without touching the ground.
That means no stopping and no putting your feet down.
Junctions need to be anticipated. Red lights will be battled against
with careful application of brake and pedal. Right turns must be well
timed as will roundabouts and you'll have to think twice before
squeezing past traffic.
You'll be surprised how far you can go and how quickly you'll get good.
It was only on about my third attempt that I managed Acton to South
Kensington (~8km, 25 minutes) and that included Kensington High Street
in rush hour. I still can't balance on the spot like those bicycle
couriers you see and I've had inumberable embarrassing stumbles in
static traffic but I've had great fun trying.
-
I've come so far. Too far for it all to be dashed by a set of innocuous
traffic lights but it's not looking good.
I've been counting the seconds and it's gone well past 60. I've crossed
the white line and, no matter how slowly I creep and how wide I
zig-zag, my front wheel is nudging into the road ahead. I'm not
planning on passing a light and I've no intention of eeking out into
four lanes of traffic. Before I can make the decision consciously, my
left leg lurches awkwardly to the floor and ends my reign.
I'd been doing for over an hour. It started in Surrey Quays, had taken
me through Bermondsey, along the South Bank, over Parliament Square,
through three parks and along Notting Hill but I had been defeated
after nearly an hour of no contact with the physical world around me.
Until next time Shepherd's Bush...
About the author:
Tim Moss runs adventure website
The
Next Challenge.
He has climbed in Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Bolivia, and spent two years
organising Arctic expeditions for the British Schools Exploring
Society.
After travelling around the world using eighty
different methods of transport and swimming across the Solent to visit
a friend on the Isle of Wight, he set about pursuing a more adventurous
lifestyle full-time from his urban base.
He is currently
running the length of every Tube line in London and planning a South
Pole expedition to tie in with the London 2012 Olympics.
Read his regular
blog and follow his adventures at
www.thenextchallenge.org
