“Bring them Back”: London to Athens on Two Wheels

Elginism (ĕl’gĭnĭz’əm) n. 1801. [f. the name of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin (1766-1841)]. An act of cultural vandalism. A term coined by the destructive actions of Lord Elgin who illegally transported the Parthenon Marbles from Greece to London between 1801 and 1805.

At 5 a.m. on 5 August I was standing alone outside the British Museum wondering where the others were. That was the time we were to begin our race to Athens to bring attention to the theft and refusal to return the Parthenon Marbles to their rightful home in Athens. This was a very unusual bikepacking race: one with a very important purpose, and as I was to learn, highlighting an issue of very deep importance to all Greeks.