Rupert Young's Pedalo Challenge Blog - Day 14
I've been on the pedalo for two weeks now and to quote Sir Steve Redgrave, 'if anyone sees me near a boat again you have my permission to shoot me!'
However, I had two fantastic celebrity shipmates on board today so the time just flew. Neil Fox was great company for starters, helping us power through Moule on the Water and up to Hampton Court. He's had some of the best stories of the trip so far (including some very funny ones about Will!)
And former S-Clubber Rachel Stevens was sweet as ever. All hopes of spending time alone with her were dashed unfortunately though as she brought her fiance, Alex, along too! But she seems so happy at the moment and even though she's only got little legs she was able to get some real power on those peddles too. She did say when she got off that her legs felt like jelly though! And I have to say that Alex was also a great help. In fact at one point it was me and him peddling with Neil and Rachel chilling out in the back...that wasn't part of the deal!!!
Once we reached Hampton Court, Neil shot back home (well, it was past his bedtime by then) and Rachel bought me some lunch as she waited to do an interview with Magic's Jamie Edwards about her section of the trip. Listen to the latest podcasts here.
The only problem was, we'd arranged for Jamie to meet us in Kingston and hadn't got that far so had he had a bit of a walk up the towpath to meet us.
With the interview done, I said goodbye to Rachel and Alex and persuded Jamie to help me down river to Kingston. I'm then continued on to Teddington where I'll be resting up tonight ready for the last two parts of the trip which will take me into Pimlico on Saturday afternoon.
Weather wise it's been another scorcher of a day. We saw plenty of people jumping into the river to stay cool (at least they chose to get in, unlike me, who had a helping hand in from a certain Magic Breakfast Show host!) Now that really wasn't part of the deal.
Beware Foxy...I'm gonna get you back one day!
Rupert x
http://www.magic.co.uk/goout.asp?u=http://www.magic.co.uk/Article.asp?id=791206&spid=26967
From BBC Berskshire...
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Rupert Young (left) in Caversham
Pedalo power
By Linda Serck
Hungerford's Rupert Young, twin brother of singer Will, hopes to raise £50,000 by travelling 133 miles along the Thames - in a pedalo. BBC Berkshire caught up with the 29-year-old at Whitchurch to find out why.
Will Young's twin brother is on a mission, and it involves the River Thames and an old pedalo he bought for £20.
Rupert Young is raising funds for his Mood Foundation, which supports sufferers of major depression, self-harm and addiction, and hopes to reach his £50,000 when he pedals into Westminster on Saturday 2 August 2008.
He set off from Lechlade in Gloucestershire for his 133-mile trip on Friday 18 July 2008.
Rupert's route
He told BBC Radio Berkshire en route at Whitchurch: "I've done about 21 or 22 locks and I do about 10 to 13 miles a day. I'm up early - 7am in the water and then out the water at 7pm, so I'm doing well but it’s very tiring."
Hungerford-based Rupert is also enlisting the help of several of his celeb friends to help him tread the water.
Survival expert Bear Grylls helped him kick off his watery expedition, and on his journey he'll be joined by Sebastian Faulks, who's also the patron of Mood, as well as Rachel Stevens, Amanda Lamb, Dermot O' Leary and, on the last leg, his brother Will.
That is, of course, if the pedalo survives.
"I put it (pedalo) into a search engine and there was one pedalo for sale in England, and it was full of holes, it was sinking and at the bottom of some yacht marina.
"So I rang them and said 'can I buy it'. It was £20 and I got a garage to fix it up, give it a new skin and respray it. It's now patched up and in working order."
And how is the 29-year-old getting on?
"It's a lot slower than I thought," he told BBC Radio Berkshire on Tuesday 22 July, "I was quite relaxed when I went into this and didn't do too much training.
But he soon discovered it wasn't to be a leisurely ride.
"I have to pedal the whole time if I'm going to move or I just head off into the bank!"
Bear Grylls gave Rupert what at first seemed like a good survival tip - his secret recipe for Nettle Soup. "Which actually was just nettles and water".
As well as celebrities, beneficiaries of the charity are also boarding the pedalo to help Rupert out - "the more important people if you would."
His foundation aims to help people who needed the same treatment Rupert himself benefited from.
"I had my own battle with mental health issues," he says, " with addiction, self harm and major depression.
"I felt like I was able to access treatment because I was financially sound.
"It basically provides the same treatment that I was able to access but to people who aren't as fortunate as I was."
To donate money to Rupert's pedalo challenge, visit this page:
August 01, 2008
Rupert Young's Pedalo Challenge Blog - Day 16
So much for messing about on the river - today things got dangerous!
There's a totally different sort of water as you come into London and for the first time I've actually thought, 'I'm going down here'. The river suddenly felt very big and wide and me and my little pedalo felt very small indeed. The wind and choppiness were really bad, so the waves were coming in over the pedalo...I was bailing like never before! Quite scary!
Still, I had quite a short trip tonight, thanks to the tide which was on my side, thankfully! Set off at 5.00pm and arrived in Putney at 5:45pm, to be greeted by some of Will's fans, so thanks to Mary, Carly, Surahi and Julie for coming down to cheer me on at today's finish line.
If they hang about until tomorrow they might meet the man himself. Not the one who's been doing all the hard work, I might add! But Will's going to join me from Putney Bridge down to the finish line at Grosvenor Bridge, Pimlico.
Now, I've got to make a final push for donations. What am I doing all this for? The Mood Foundation, a charity I founded to help support people with depression and mental illnesses. I want to raise £50,000 and if I've counted my pennies right, I think we're nearly there. So please, please make a donation - however big or small, it will make a difference. And to find out more about the charity itself, click here.
We're just short of the total so a final push tomorrow and we should make the £50k. And if you need any extra incentive....if we make the £50,000....Will's going for a swim!
See you tomorrow, land-lubbers!
Rupert x
After the initial excitement and enthusiasm of day one of my charity challenge to get from Gloucestershire to Pimlico - by pedalo - the second day was definitely more of a struggle. Although I've been in training for the trip, it hasn't taken long for the aches and pains to set in. Ouch, my bum! Oooh, my back! Arggh, my stomach muscles! And my legs are like jelly. Still, better not start moaning this early on – there's a long way to go yet...best to take it just one day at a time. 
Today was a HOT day. 
Sat up late last night as a man who had heard about my charity trip along the Thames to raise money for the 
A weird thing has happened to me - I feel a bit strange having people on board! The boat's become home, so it's almost like I feel protective over it. I wonder if Ellen MacArthur felt like this?! And the support car left today. I decided that I want to do the last week on my own, so I've stocked up with supplies (and a new tent!) 
