The build up

Welcome along.

It's been a long while coming, but the time for our departure is now starting to draw near. There's been a lot of talk about training, a lot of talk about routes, and a lot of talk about sponsorship.

We've been totally overwhelmed by everyone's generosity on the sponsorship front, and the (theoretical) route is now sorted, published and laminated (!)... I seem to remember there was something else to take care of, but I'm sure it'll come to me.

The past weeks and months as we have prepared have brought mixed fortunes; we both survived skiing without sustaining serious injury, although sadly Dan's bike met with a sticky end in February, literally breaking in two as he rode back from the gym. Given that he wasn't hurt it may be that this was just as well - the thought of a critical frame failure somewhere in the north of Scotland doeasn't even bear thinking about.

As nice as it has been to have sunny weather for the last week or so, it has meant that the training 'punishment ride' - all day in the pouring rain - has still not occurred. Given that this is pretty much a certainty at least once during the trip, it would be nice - no, not nice... reassuring - to have got it out of the way by now. No doubt I'll feel less enthusiastic about it when it does happen.

So here we are. Just over three weeks to go and we're getting towards the time when we just want to get on with it. That said, spending today apart from the bike it occurs to me that this is a nice thing to at least have the option of doing - an option that's not going to be open to us for fully two weeks soon enough.