Those of you who’ve been following the blog and reading ‘Ola London will know that our Training Manager Mims Smith has been spending inordinate amounts of time pumping the pedals and fundraising for her attempt to cycle across Mexico to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Care. We’re very glad to report that she’s made it back in one piece and you can read all about her adventure here. Over to you Mims:

On the 26th of March this year, I set off on the biggest adventure of my life. Little did I know, the experience was one that would change my life.

At 7am, a group of people met in Heathrow Terminal 4 for a flight to Mexico City – 45 strangers with a common goal – to cycle across Mexico in order to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. All of us had our reasons for being there – all of us knew someone who had been touched by cancer – some of us had lost loved ones, some of us were survivors, some of us were living with it – all of us had our own fears and anxieties and none of us knew what to expect, but there we were, willing, able and very committed.

10 days later, the same group of 45 people reached the Pacific Ocean after cycling 650km up mountains, down potholed roads, through farmland, across jungles and all in 40 degree heat. We’d slept on the ground for 8 nights – through heat and storms – we bathed in streams (when there was one – mostly, we just didn’t wash), we’d eaten nothing but carbs and sugar, and we’d pedalled day in day out for 8 days straight. During this time, I learnt what it truly meant to be part of a team – we put tents up and took them down again, we laughed and cried, we shouted and sang, we’d fallen off just to get up and get back on, we’d charged up hills only to come back down and encourage the others to ‘keep pushing, keep pedalling’ – and we got there, not as a group of 45 individuals, but as a team – Team Mexico 2011.

On the 28th of March, we left the Gulf of Mexico as a group of 45 people with their own personal motive. 10 days later we reached the Pacific Coast as a team of 45 people bound together by adventure, emotion, hard work and a sense of achievement – a group who had raised a whopping £152 000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Words cannot express how that last convoy into Puerto Escondido felt – happy, sad, victorious, relieved, joyful and an overwhelming sense of what we had achieved – there were tears, laughter, hugs, and smiles all around, before running, leaping, diving into the ocean. I have never felt so good in my life.

This was the toughest thing I’ve ever done. It was also the most inspirational, enjoyable and humbling – it taught me that impossible is nothing, that you can achieve anything you put your mind to and that a ‘wall’ is not a ‘wall’ – it’s just a moment outside your comfort zone, an extra obstacle to make you realise you’re alive – and you only live once. It’s a feeling that’s addictive. During the cycle, I met several people who travelled and cycled the world with Macmillan every year. I’ve become one of them. Next stop? Kenya and Tanzania, Autumn 2012. I can’t wait.

Towards the end of last year we were delighted to be asked to help out with sponsorship of the Action Against Hunger Twin Peaks Challenge – A double tower run that had people running to the top of 2 of London’s highest buildings to raise money for charity.

Whilst our prize of a meal for 8 was offered in Wahaca Canary Wharf to keep to the tower theme, the winners were glad to hear the restaurant is only on the first floor of 1 Canada Square (and there’s a lift if the legs still haven’t fully recovered).

In total the event raised over £21,000 which will be going towards helping to ease the suffering of those caught up in the crisis in Haiti. You can check out the fun and games that were had on the day in their rather exhausting looking video below.

The FT London Twin Peak Challenge, starring Amy Williams! from Action Against Hunger on Vimeo.

If that looked like your cup of tea and you’re up for a challenge, The London Twin Peak Challenge 2011 will be taking place in June and that people can register their interest now by emailing: c.cavalier@aahuk.org or phoning: 0208 293 6138.

Having considered buying a bicycle for quite some time, the only thing that held me back was the thought of commuting through London traffic. And then I heard about ‘El Grandisimo’ – 612km of cycling from the east coast of Mexico to the west – and that was all the convincing I needed. I enjoy spinning classes at the gym – how hard could it be? Surely I could survive commuting in London traffic if 2 weeks in Mexico was at the finish line?

Am I a cyclist? No. Do I own a bicycle? I bought one last month on the Ride2Work scheme. I then immediately crashed it down on the Embankment. Since then, I have crashed, fallen off, picked myself up and got back on more times than I care to remember. But the more time I spend with my bicycle, the more addicted I am becoming – I spend weekdays daydreaming about it and weekends doing it.

But however nice cycling along canal towpaths may be I am yet to get involved with central London traffic. In order to conquer this, I started looking into cycling lesson options and was pleasantly surprised to discover Westminster Council offer free cycling tuition – 4 hrs of one-on-one tutoring with an instructor. So far I’ve had 2 hours of training – in the cleats I’ve been avoiding since leaving serious skin on the pavement 3 weeks ago and in traffic – it’s amazing how your confidence increases the longer you manage to avoid falling off!

But cycling is only half of it – and I’m realising maintenance is the other – you can’t have one without the other. So I’ve also learnt a few things recently – cleaning, lubricating and the all important ‘oh my goodness, I hope it never happens to me’ puncture repair – although admittedly, this did not go quite to plan…… I fixed a puncture on a friend’s bike which, unfortunately for him, went flat before he got home…… So more practise required I think…….

Can I turn myself from self confessed spin-a-holic and cycling amateur into a Mexican mountain climber? Time will tell. Stay tuned and I’ll keep you posted with tales of falls and spills, steep climbs, frighteningly fast downward spirals, core strength, leg power and fixing my first puncture. I’m excited!

Look out for my next blog – all you need to know about my maiden commute to work on a cold, dark November morning…….. And who said cycling was a summer sport!

There’s no denying it, Mexican’s have the best moustaches in the world, but after months of experimentation on the humble British upper lip, we’re delighted to announce that help is on hand for all those struggling to muster more lip-growth than a 16 year old boy. We can exclusively reveal that burritos make your mo grow.

That’s why, to show our support for those taking part in this year’s charity moustache growing campaign – Movember – we’re offering every fundraiser a free burrito from our Canary Wharf takeaway each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in November 2010.

To claim your free burrito (and yes you can come back every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday if you want) you just need to come in to our takeaway in Wahaca Canary Wharf, showing us your hairy lip and a print out of your mo-space page to prove you’re a genuine mo-brother or mo-sister.

There are 4 burritos to choose from, all of them tasting like individually wrapped bundles of heaven. You can choose from a choice of fillings – British steak, slow cooked pork, free range chicken tinga and seasonal vegetables. These are lovingly combined with green rice, cheese, crunchy cabbage and salsas and then toasted for a few minutes on the grill to give them a great combo of crunch and melt in the mouth yumminess. You might have noticed we’re pretty keen on them.

So if you’re doing your bit and donating your face to Movember this year, then please do come on down to the Canary Wharf and let us give your lip a welcome boost. If you want to find out more about Movember and the great work they do to help raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity, then check out their website.

We’re really pleased to have been asked to team up with the guys at Action Against Hunger, helping to promote their Twin Peak Challenge – A double tower run taking place on Sunday 7th November.  The challenge aims to raise money that will work towards ending child hunger around the world. The race involves a climb of 935 feet in total, covering 67 floors, and a mere 1512 steps!

We’re always looking for fun on-line ideas, and so we’ve offered to sponsor their hugely addictive viral game. In keeping with the tower theme, the person with the highest score by the 6th November, wins a meal for 8 people including drinks at Wahaca Canary Wharf – Either as a slightly dubious preparation for the tower run, or perhaps as a celebration afterwards.  Luckily the restaurant is on the 1st floor of Canary Wharf’s famous Canada Square tower, and there’s a lift if the thought of 1 more step just becomes too much.

You can find out more about the great work that Action Against Hunger are doing around the world, including details on how you can enter a team in the Twin Peak Challenge, by visiting their website, and you can find the viral game here, but be warned, it’s highly addictive!

We’d love to know if you’re entering a team in the race, or how you are getting on with the viral game, so post your time and score here (We’ve just managed to get under 45 seconds after playing for most of the day!).