The day started at 6am. Minutes later I was on a folding bike, circling the block for a mile. Then onto a single speed bike before breakfast porridge. 2 miles down, 38 to go. Em put on a film she'd edited together, little happy birthday messages from friends around the world. By 6:48am on my 40th birthday I was crying. Here we go.
Celebrating a birthday this way had been on my mind for five years. Gently inspired by this Arcteryx sponsored film, 35 but adding in my own flavours of choice evaded action when I was 35, and 36, 37, 38 and 39. And really, when it came down to it, 40 was too round and juicy to ignore. Although as our host Tim said over breakfast on the morning of 25th October 2019, “you should have done this when you were two, you’d be finished by now.”
40 miles, one for each of my years, each mile travelled on a different form of non motorised transport. Organising the thing would be the big challenge, taking this paper list and working out which ones were possible, which ones fast enough, which ones our friends - or Facebook friends - could bring a contraption to North West London for the day.
Like any big adventure, there was a sense that as long as we decided to do this the plan would come good. Certainty generates a response. I made a video blog and asked for help. Em created a spreadsheet. Our friend John found the perfect venue and I called them up and a wonderful man named Rob said “yes” without a moment’s hesitation.
Hannah bought a couple of things on eBay, Patrick chucked a Tall Bike, a tandem trike and a recumbent into his van. John brought the canoe. Rosen delivered a Halfbike. London roller skis loaned us a pair, plus the obligatory elbow and knee guards. And there were plenty of others, it was a community effort before we were together in person.
All day long there were surprises. Old friends appearing, total strangers with temporary loans of transport for a mile. A carbon longboard, brought my old friend Danny who once drove at 10km per hour for five months as I skated a similar board across Australia. A dinghy, a fat bike, a Sbyke, sailboat, stilts.
Oh, the stilts! I was aiming for an average of fifteen minutes per mile and these two long pieces of wood, tried for the first time just six days earlier, they took one hour and two minutes and a hundred back massages to get us around the lake. The relief at finishing that leg was only tempered by the thought of another 29 miles to go. This was a very strange ultramarathon
One by one the miles fell and every so often the movement was taken out of my hands. A little rest while a small group pulled me along for a mile in a camping trolley or kids cycle trailer, and pushed in a shopping trolley or wheelchair. Leg 39 saw me aptly flat on my back, eleven friends taking turns on the six points of a stretcher.
The people made the day. Familiar faces from the YesTribe and the Facebook Community Leadership Programme mixed with my parents, my wife, old friends and passers-by. Even complete strangers turned up with modes of transport having heard about the challenge online. Steve with a Hobie Kayak, Peter with his handcycles.
Very few miles were solo, whatever I travelled on there were bikes and trikes, kayaks and waterbikes alongside, their riders shouting words of encouragement. There was no doubt on this day, just people embracing new tricks. Three year-olds to seventy-somethings, age doesn’t really matter, although at 40 this hurts a lot more than it would have at 25. 35, even.
The party’s worth will stretch into next year. Donations poured in from around the world, raising almost £3000 for The YesBus community space, and a 20-something crew from Facebook hovered on the sidelines, catching moments which will soon become an advert about The YesTribe.
This was my 40th birthday. A day of hugs and of love, of self propelled transport and teamwork, a day of community and stories, laughter and the occasional struggle.
A mirror of my entire life so far, a true adventure, only possible because of the weird way my head works mixed with the resounding support from others - the only true way to turn an idea into reality.
Big big thank yous to Rob and Gail at Bury Lake Mariner’s Club for letting us basecamp with you all day, and being so game in the face of what must have been a rather random request! To Bamboo Clothing and Trespass for your support and donating some fab prizes to our raffle, as did DryRobe, Aquapac, Sungod and Zaini Hats.
To ICE Trikes, not just for your friendship over the years, but for allowing Patrick a day of epic performance, delivering three swiftly wonderful forms of transport and getting involved in so many of our miles in true Yes fashion. And dare we say it, but the Back to Back Trike must certainly be on the list for one of our next 1000-mile journeys?
To my wife Em, who pushed me to commit to this just three weeks out and once the decision was made, got to work behind the scenes as she always does.
To Tim and Annabel Foley and their bemused daughters for letting us stay and hosting the afterparty.
To Tracey Bravo, for being our post box and sounding board.
Hannah Miller for going above and beyond in the lead-up, and making the windy water legs bearable.
To John Wright for recommending the park and carting in the Trike, Canoe and Fat Bike.
To Tom Napper for the design only you could make, a present I’ll never forget.
Andy Bartlett for turning up on the day having cunningly missed the entire build-up, only to take over timing and photography, and general on-the-day bossing.
And Ben Arthur, mate, you’re a hero and I can’t wait to see the film.
