Weekend training

Friday was Bikram Yoga at 7.15pm - had the best class i've ever done which i take as a good omen - my flexibility particularly in the hamstrings was better than ever which surprised me given the cycling work of late. ta day off given saturday was going to be anything but. 8am rise then cycle 8 miles to teh rugby club for training @ 9am. after a couple of minutes warm up I go as hard as possible - which is always tiring as its into head wind all the way. Training is brutal - 1 hour non stop - 30 guys crammed into the gym all throwing weights about. Really good atmosphere and a break from the norm of clapham junction fitness first. Then 10.15 to 11.30 is fitness and skills - again very competitive and hard work but the benefits are being felt - everyone looks in good condition leadin into the season. The trade off at the minute is i need to continue adding size ready for rugby, but am slightly reluctant to increase the weight i am taking on LeJog. Its then the return cycle home, stopping at the gym for 40 mins further weights and home. a good 4 hours excercise all in. Went to a friends engagement party where i met someone whom randomly said they were setting off on their LeJog this Monday - we shared stories and planned to stay in touch en route - again the subject of shorts came up and he without flinching told me of the £100+ he had spent...........

Sunday - well after undoing all the hard work of yesterday by drinking last night..........i managed to get on the bike for a good 3 hour spin with Andy. Very hot day again and slightly dehydrated to say the least. Got home and bought some Assos CYcling shorts @ £115 - money well spent i've told myself. Final weekend activity to buy some Zipvit energy bars and we're there.

A week to go

Above: what my colleagues have seen pretty much every morning for the last 2 weeks..........there's always something else needed!

I hope I'm opening The paper to the same news for the next 2 weeks - not that the mad gunman is still at large only a couple of miles from my parents house - I'd prefer if that was sorted out soon - but that the temperature is set to be 32 degrees this weekend. I'm realistic though that whatever we're fortunate to have in the south east, Scotland will still feel obliged to throw me a few showers when up there. My thought at present is if it gets cold up there, just cycle harder - I don't want to take lots of kit. On the subject of kit, and after doing an 80km charity ride yesterday, that wearing a rucksack would be a mistake. Just that little added weight on my back is going to cause problems, plus when sweating my back will be cold.

When I said to Andrew, whom I now live with and James his brother, that we should do this, niaivity on my part made me think I could literally book some accomodation, get on a train and arrive back in London 7 days later with the same shirt on my back and maybe £200 deep.........well it may have been possible if I wasn't getting very solid but albeit costly advice from andy and jimmy. In my enthusiasm I was straight on wiggle.co.uk and had bought new gloves, socks, shorts, top, gillet, helmet, handlebar grips, rucksack - as what I saw essentials. Then the chat about shorts with andy - mine cost £27 - when convincingly he told me I HAD to spend about £100 if I wanted to enjoy the ride and ever have children............

To replace the rucksack idea (i now have one for sale at a very good price and definitely never worn - see image below) I'm going with a Topeak MTX trunk bag without side Panniers and a straight stem - picture to follow. All in this is £80 - money well spent i hope.

Just to mention yesterdays charity ride, in aid of prostate cancer and caravan, we rode from Margate to Rochester - one leg of the round the British coast tour the core group are doing until September 5th - a great effort. As it happens the date of my return cycle from Wick to Inverness train station mean I should pass them on the road - that would be great. A pleasure to meet and cycle with Paul Ugo yesterday - a man with excellent taste in roadbikes - and a very generous man to boot. On seeing his brand new Garmin 705 I took liberty of asking if I could hire it - he said yes and a huge weight off my mind. Nowi know cycling traditionalists would slightly scoff at the use of such technology, but in setting a fairly tight schedule and riding solo the last thing I need is a couple of 17k detours. I'll list my planned route later.

Quick word on Le Tour de France - Awesome for Mark Cavendish yesterday and an inspiration to see the HTC team working so hard for him to get the win - good to see the emotion from him - he's not everyone's type but he's determined. Team sports have always been my thing - i think you cant top winning ith others. So this individual challenge will be a break from the norm but one that i need to do to find out a bit about myself.

For now it's into the office, a bowl of the worlds best special k - my/your rucksack has arrived - any takers?!