First of all, a brief re-cap of how we came to be here…
As a result of crashing my bike last year, and sustaining a serious long-term shoulder injury, I needed a goal, something that would be tough, and force me to work hard. My brother suggested the Big Red Randonnee, 100 miles in a day down the South Downs Way, in aid of the British Heart Foundation. It seems like such a long time now since that first painful wobble barely 100metres down the road, but it was the start of the journey that brought me here. The plan was that my bro’ Supawal and I would ride the event, while the wonderful Carla would provide back-up… Continue reading →

The training and preparation is all done. Tomorrow I’ll ride 100miles down the South Downs Way with my brother in aid of the British Heart Foundation. Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me, over £400 for this worthy cause so far. For anyone who hasn’t, you can, online, here.I’ve worked very hard to get to this, and now I’m gonna enjoy it. I’ll post tales and pictures of our epic ‘apres Rando’.

As my final preparation for the ‘Big Red Randonnee’ I rode the Marin Rough Ride yesterday. The Marin is a 70km loop around the hills of Radnorshire. It was incredibly tough with mile after mile of moorland track. If you came to a junction you almost invariably had to turn uphill!I completed the route in 4hrs 17mins, and was exhausted, but I believe I was bettered by Carla. Despite turning her ankle two days before the event, and having a foot blackened by bruising, she toughed it out to complete the route in 5hrs 30mins. Well done or what?

So it’s rest and recovery rides for me this week, then the big one. If you still haven’t sponsored me yet, what’s the problem? You can do it here.

I rode in the first round of the Merida Marathon Series on Sunday, it was great! 100km off-road through beautiful Mid-Wales. Officialy this is not a race, but line 1000 mountainbikers up, and set them off on a marked out course, and the competitive streak comes out. It was tough, lots of climbing, tricky descents, and the odd shower or two, saw me finish tired but happy with 5hrs 17mins on the clock. The first rider home stormed round in 4hrs 48mins!Find out more about the event on the series website at www.mtb-marathon.co.uk.

Next week it’s the Marin Rough Ride for me. I can hardly wait!