Not long to go now...

Well as I sit here pondering the next few weeks, I can't help but reflect back on what has been a very busy 2012. After the slow start to January and then the freezing weather that Alex and I had to cope with in February, thankfully we have managed to get in some quality training for the ride which I can only hope will be enough to see us through the 1050 miles we are set to cover. May was a superb month which saw both Alex and I pushing the mileage up in an effort to crack that 100 mile barrier.

As the sun beamed down we both set off in our respective days off covering the miles. I have managed to cycle up with Alex, on rides were I have managed to drop Alex on the hills, where we have ridden through four counties, where we have been chased by dogs, but generally got to enjoy the quiet that the roads up by Alex have to offer. Back down here on the other hand the roads are a lot busier, so I have had to contend with a lot more traffic than Alex which has led to more than a few close and unpleasant encounters with other roads users.

My rides back home have taken in a large chunk of Windsor Great Park and the Chobham Ridges. I've also managed a couple of rides up to the Chilterns, one of which I managed to go out for a spin with Dave Green and some of his riding buddies. Well I say spin in the loosest sense of the word, more like shear cycling agony. That particular day we set off from near the Great Park and rode out in the direction of the Chilterns. After the first few miles, the pace was nearing 25mph and my legs were already burning. I knew that I was in for a tough ride.

They put me through my paces and I struggled to hold the rear wheel, becoming the groups 'lantern rouge' most of the way round. Thankfully it became mercifully easier when we got to the steep hills as the group would split up but always wait at the top to regroup. After numerous punctures suffered, of which I managed to have one myself, we rode off back to home at the same torturous pace, and I am surprised and somewhat pleased to say I managed to keep up all the way home.

As I got more involved in the riding, I have then set off in the direction of the Surrey hills. Heading south from home and rising up into the heights of the hills I have managed to enjoy riding parts of the 'Tour of the Surrey Hills' route, a torturous 70+ mile ride encompassing some of the steepest most toughest hills in the area. After what would be a ritual of punishing my legs I found a fantastic cafe to stop for lunch at the top of Newlands Corner. While on your own forever worrying about leaving your bike when stopping for lunch, this particular place allows you to walk with your bike right up to the window where you can order your food. On one of these rides after completing 50 miles, I then set off back for home, but threw in another 35 miles in the Chobham Ridges. On the ride back into Staines clocking 85 miles, my legs felt fantastic, riding at 22-25mph I knew I could have done plenty more miles that day. It was after that ride that I knew I would be ready.

April came, and along came with it the rain. I managed some relatively dry rides towards the beginning of the  month, but never quite managed to crack that elusive 100 mile ride! I found myself setting off only doing up to 40 mile rides going flat out, trying to avoid the afternoons forecast heavy rains. I managed this way up until last week, where on my final two training rides the wet weather finally caught up with me! I spent two thoroughly soggy rides, of which the final 40 mile ride saw me riding through torrential downpours, marble sized hail (which hurts a lot) and more worryingly a massive thunderstorm. As the lightning flashed all around I knew it was time to foxtrot oscar back home. I have had to contend with pot-holes, pedestrians stepping out in front of me, car drivers struggling to comprehend how fast riders can actually go. I've had cars passing mere centimetres from me, nearly being taken out by another cars trailer, and have had far to many cars pull out in front of me at t-junctions, roundabouts etc.

Still all that out of the way, I can safely say that I have survived the training unscathed, and have had the chance to enjoy a relatively relaxing final week. I can only say that our fund-raising efforts have passed all my expectations about the ride. As I sit here I can easily see with all the up-coming pledges that we could easily sail past £8k, who knows maybe we will even take £10k? I am hugely grateful to everyone's support, and soon all our hard work will be realised. Alex will be back tonight, and tomorrow morning we will head off to Gatwick to catch a plane to Inverness airport where we will meet up with the support crew, and come Sunday our adventure will commence!

Cheers :)