King Arthur, the plastic skeleton, cycling to a town near you

Imperial Physics student, Kadhim Shubber, is cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End, raising money for scholarships, which help ensure students who merit a place to study there are not deterred from applying by concerns over costs.

While most who attempt the nearly 1000 mile trip would favour a well-equipped road bike, Kadhim has opted for a tandem and the second seat will be occupied by King Arthur, an artificial skeleton.

Kadhim says: “I’ve been at Imperial for nearly five years and I’ve become the person I am today because of my time here - it’s been fantastic. It saddens me that some people may be put off applying to university because they can’t afford it or think they can’t. The Rector’s Scholarship Fund helps ensure people feel able to come and study here and I wanted to do my bit to support that. I hope it helps other students to benefit from some of opportunities I’ve had at the College.”

He adds: “King Arthur and I always got a great reaction when we were out training on the tandem. I hope the same holds true on the ride itself. If you see a guy and a skeleton cycle past please feel free to show your support and give us a wave!”

Having set out from John O’Groats on 30 June, Kadhim and King Arthur’s route will skirt Edinburgh, Carlisle, Wigan, Warrington, Birmingham, Gloucester, Taunton and Exeter. Kadhim is aiming to beat the world record for the longest tandem ride with an artificial skeleton first set by an American anti-smoking campaigner, Art Hoffman, who rode 437 miles with Oscar the skeleton during a 1987 cycle race in Iowa.

In the process Kadhim hopes to raise £10,000, all of which will go directly into scholarships for students who have the academic ability to study at Imperial but who may not be able to accept a place for financial reasons.

Fellow Physicist Sioni Summers will be following the tandem duo on his own bike, to lend moral and practical support to Kadhim and King Arthur.

Imperial’s Pro-Rector (Education and Academic Affairs) Professor Julia Buckingham said: “We’ve very proud of Kadhim and Sioni for taking up their bikes to support the Rector’s Scholarship Fund. Our aim here at Imperial is to ensure we attract the most talented and able students, and the support the Scholarship Fund offers is an important ingredient in this. We wish Kadhim and Sioni the best of luck and would like to thank everyone who supports them.”

Kadhim is tweeting during his adventure. Follow him at https://twitter.com/#!/skeletonfund.

Support Kadhim and follow his journey here .

To get in touch with him during his ride:

J-P Jones
Press and Officer
Imperial College London
e-mail: john-paul.jones [a] imperial.ac (p) uk

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