Well - not really - 'cos it's not his bike, but he's certainly breaking it in for someone as he's undertaken a ride from Tiptree to Carlisle this week. That's right - Carlisle which is very much up north and in a hilly part of the country, from Tiptree which isn't on either count!

google tells me it's 311 miles, but I know from first hand experience that doesn't tell the tale of the lumps between here and there, however it's all in the name of a great cause, namely Teenage Cancer Trust. So as I write this up we know the man is nearly there, which is particularly amazing considering how last minute he left his preparation (although he does at least have youth on his side), but if you're reading this and would like to pass some financial reward for his aches and tiredness then please do so here: http://www.justgiving.com/colutct

And here are some snaps from when he set off:

Happy and smiling and with very fresh looking legs

Dale and his comrades on saddles

UPDATE : Dale completed the cycle raising over £600 in the process (overall the cycle has raised over £7.5k to date). And as if it wasn't hard enough a ride he got ill too - must have been the shock of all that exercise ;) Has got us thinking about doing a company cross Britain cycling event next year though. hmmmmm