Jimmy's Updates...

Hotel Room in Boston , USA

So here I am, lying in a hotel room in Boston, taking an hour out off sight seeing to write an update. I'm out here with my Dad on 'Official Business'! It may sound fun but believe me - it's all hard work, and someone has to do it.! As I'm sure you're all aware I'm heading out to Africa next summer to (attempt?) to climb Kilimanjaro - attempt my butt, I'm heading to the top, just thought I'd add it in to be PC. I've been trawling the internet for months trying to find a suitable bike to do it on. My investigations lead us to the states to a guy in Massachusetts named Mike Augspurger who runs a small company called 'One Off Titanium'. He's developed a machine he calls the 'Flyer' which is basically a specialist hand bike with an awesome off road and climbing/descending capability. I just couldn't find this sort of thing in the UK . I hate to say it but when it comes to adaptive sport the States is where it's at. What we're talking about in the UK they're out there doing and have been for years. Off road hand biking on rough trails for days at a time is nothing new out there.

Anyway, after spending a day up in New England's White Mountains (and seeing wild turkey, bald eagles, turkey vultures and a Coyote) we headed to a small, remote town called Cummington to meet Mike. The town was straight out of a time warp. The houses were all built of wooden boarding, it'd looked just as you'd imagine it did when the first settlers arrived in the 1600s. Mike ran his business out of an old shed behind his house, all off his machinery which was bought in local auctions and dated back to the 2 nd World War and there were bikes, mono-cycles and bits of metal everywhere. The place was a mess, no doubt about it, he was a typical mad inventor but there was no touching what was going on in his mind. He's doing things with bikes and titanium that no-one else can match. In this shed cum workshop of his he's completing the whole cycle, coming up with wild ideas, designing cutting edge stuff then building it from scratch himself. Given the right business assistance and investors he'd be working out of a shop in a big city making a killing but that's not what he's like. Anyway, we got a full guided tour of the workshop and then Dad and I tested two of his bikes around some tracks and up and down a slope that made my eyes water, the photo's don't do it justice. Business completed we went and ate chili and corn bread in a local shop/snack bar and talked bikes and politics. It wasn't hard seeing which side of the line Mike sat, the sticker on his bumper 'Impeach Bush!' cleared that one up.

Having finished in Cummington we headed back to Boston early the next morning to see to the second half of our business. American paraplegic Darol Kubacz and his friend Kevin Cherilla had put a team together and they were planning to climb Kilimanjaro next summer using similar equipment and a similar technique to us. They'd heard about our plans for the climb off Mike and had got in touch to discuss joining forces and making it a joint US and UK expedition. What a tremendous proposition. We all decided to meet whilst we were over and Boston Airport was the easiest location. So, over bowls of Clam Chowder (yum!) and a bottle of wine we talked plans, discussed techniques, and most importantly bonded. We all agreed that, with two recent failed attempts by Paraplegics on Kili, a rumour of a South African having made it up but no details of how, and a general buzz of interest in both the UK and the US in the mountain, it was starting to feel like a race. A race to make it to the top, totally unassisted and using arm power only.

We agreed the best way forward was to join forces in order to raise the profile of the trip and to make it more of a team effort. When we come to difficulties Darol and I can work together to overcome them and by doing so still stay with our no outside assistance ethos. Anyway, Paul's going to write a website specifically dedicated to the climb that I'll give out in due course. In the mean time we're looking for major sponsors so mail me if you have any thoughts. It should be pretty high profile with the possibility of documentaries here and in the States so it'll generate lots of great PR for the right company.

Anyway, work done today we went whale watching (and saw lots of humpback and finback whales), sight seeing and did a little shopping. All good stuff. Boston is a lovely little city with a beautiful, full of history and charm. I think I shall have to come back, maybe for the Boston marathon one year.

Anyway, all for now, see some of you at the ball on Saturday, should be good.

Jimmy