Iceland, only a far-flung terrain of harsh climates to many, is home to a very warm hearted population. A case in point is Sverrir, a Reykjavik based psychology student and long distance cycling aficionado, who just added sought-after barista and local hero to his list of skills. Read more about him while he introduces us to MALLORY, his companion during a recent cycling challenge that got him riding his bike from Manchester to London in the name of charity.

Sverrir and MALLORY, a fit made in sports heaven

Sverrir's recent adventure started earlier this year, when he signed up for 'The Manchester to London Challenge'; a 220 mile cycling challenge organised by cycling gear manufacturer Rapha to raise funds for 'Ambitious About Autism', a charity supporting autism research. This cause is very close to his heart: “My best friend’s son was diagnosed with autism. And as a psychology student, I can see that the causes of this development disorder have not been researched thoroughly enough. So I saw this as an opportunity to do something good. Bike my ass off and raise money for autism research.”

Hoping to collect the minimum amount of money required to enter the challenge, Sverrir came up with the idea of opening 'Puffin Coffee'; an impromptu, donation-based coffee shop, that he runs out of his kitchen window. He lives in a residential street in downtown Reykjavik and praises word-of-mouth for being the cause of his immediate success: "The idea caught the eye of the local media, and by the 2nd day I had a queue of six people waiting for a cup. In only ten days I managed to raise the mandatory minimum — but I decided to continue with the Puffin Coffee project and raise more money for the cause."

Everything at Puffin Coffee is free of charge, but the patrons, who don't seem to care about its completely random opening times, are encouraged to make voluntary donations to the cause. He's very pleased and grateful for how people have responded to his project and contributed to its success in many ways: his cousin baked oatmeal cookies to be offered at the shop, people have sent him coffee beans from places as far as Hawaii, an even the illustrations on the to-go cups are the oeuvre of a young artist who volunteered her skills to help with Sverrir's project.

On the evening of September 7, 220 miles and almost 15 hours of bike riding later, Sverrir had finally reached his goal; he completed the challenge of biking from Manchester to London in a single day. All of it in the name of charity, and a cause he'll continue to support in the future.

I instantly fell in love with MALLORY and its distinctive style that I have not seen before. (During the ride) the sun was shining and I had them on I think for almost 10 hours straight, they did the job and I hardly noticed I had them on since they are so god damn light.

His first contact with MYKITA was in 2012, when he spent some time living in Berlin. Last year, a friend of his recommended MYLON as a comfortable sport frame for cycling after she wore a pair while touring through the french alps. After watching our video 'MYKITA MYLON: The future look of sports' he was convinced that this was the kind of frame he wanted to wear.

"What is most important is that they have side protectors and cover every part of my eyes. I'm also a big fan of usability and the MYLON collection has a lot to offer both on and off the bike. I instantly fell in love with MALLORY and its distinctive style that I have not seen before. (During the ride) the sun was shining and I had them on I think for almost 10 hours straight, they did the job and I hardly noticed I had them on since they are so god damn light."

MALLORY and the MYKITA MYLON collection can be found at all MYKITA Shops, selected opticians, concept stores worldwide and online at the MYKITA e-shop.