Crikey!  Doesn’t time fly!  It seems like only last week that I began to seriously start thinking about the Euro City Cycle and prepared my comprehensive “To Do” list.  Today it’s just 50 days until the challenge starts.  Definitely time to take stock and plan the finishing touches…

I really want to avoid any last minute panics.  I recognise that whatever I do, life may throw me a curve ball, I may hit an unexpected hurdle, or a good old fashioned screw up will make things more interesting than I’d want them to be.  However, I still have plenty of time to address any shortfalls so hopefully I’ll avoid any crises.

Logistics:  Done!  Well, as much as I can do in advance, I think.

I have (return) train tickets booked for myself and my bike between Aberdeen and London.  I’ve paid a few extra pounds to go First Class so I should have power and Wi-Fi to allow me to be productive while en-route.  The tickets were cheaper than I was expecting.  I watched the website closely so I was quick off the mark when the tickets were released – they could have got eye-wateringly expensive otherwise.  (For the record, a request for assistance from the Train Company in the way of subsidised tickets was politely declined)

Pre- and Post-Cycle hotels are also booked, so the big ticket items are in hand.

The only segments of the trip that I haven’t organised in advance (and probably won’t) are the transfer between stations in London, and the final leg of the trip to the hotel in Brentwood.  There are a few options available to me (including Black Cab in Central London I think – Have any of you ever taken a Road Bike in the back of a Cab?), so I’ll just play it by ear.

I don’t think either of the outstanding legs of the journey are very long, so I will make sure I can comfortably carry my kit and manoeuvre my bike at the same time so I can walk if necessary (I am definitely not planning to ride in Central London with a rucksack on my back!).

Having taken some advice from hardened distance cyclists, I have come to the realisation that my life may have been spent subconsciously preparing for this trip;  I don’t have many clothes, I travel very light and I’m not a fan of “stuff”.  As a result, packing should be a doddle.  I’ll wear the only clothes I’ll take with me on the journey down, carrying my cycling kit and a couple of extra pairs of pants.  Simple.

Kit:  I say I don’t like “stuff”, but I have been slowly accumulating cycling accessories over the past few weeks.  I now carry spares and a repair kit with me everywhere I go.  I still need to get myself a medical kit and an array of essential Pre- and Post-Saddle cycling creams (Thanks for the advice!).  It feels a bit optimistic, but I also need to think about sunscreen!

As far as the cycling kit (clothes & food supplements) is concerned, the man from Wiggle is becoming very familiar with where I live.  I’ll have a final push in a couple of weeks, but I think everything is under control as far as kit is concerned.

Incidentally, if anyone has any further advice on essentials I should take with me (other than “don’t forget your bike” and “take lots of creams”) I’m keen to learn!

Fundraising:  I have decided to broaden the scope of this action to “Fundraising and Awareness“.  I have paid for the ride myself.  As a result, all the money I raise will go to the British Heart Foundation.  I will continue to raise as much money as I can over the Summer, but focus my efforts more on awareness.  After all, I have little control over whether people decide to sponsor me or not, but I do have some control over the messages:

1. Everyone can personally take action to reduce their chances of experiencing the effects of Heart Disease; and
2. There is hope after having a Heart Attack.  Life goes on.  You can still do things.  You can even do new things!

So, I’ll focus on the messages and hope that sponsorship will follow.  (http://www.justgiving.com/heartattackwaitingtohappen)

Fitness:  I’ve been able to get outside regularly over the past couple of weeks, which has been great!  I’ve slowly ramped up the mileage of each ride to my target distance (50 miles).  Now I think I just need to do more of the same and, in the process, avoid hurting myself.

There’s more work to do, but things are progressing well.  I’m increasingly confident that the cycling won’t be too much of an issue for me.  I guess the big unknown is the back-to-back mileage.  Realistically, I’m never going to do 300 miles over 4 days before the Euro City Cycle itself, so I’ll just have to rely on the Training Guidance I’ve been given.

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In addition, I think it might also be a good idea to get my bike serviced before I head off.  After all, it’s going to play an important role in the trip!  I know I should learn to do it for myself, but one thing at a time!  I suspect that if I did try to do it myself at the moment it’d result in an expensive bill for someone who knows what they’re doing to fix my “fixes”!

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So, all in all I think I’m in reasonable shape!  I’m sure the next 50 days will fly by.  I’m getting increasingly excited about the event, to the extent that I’m really happy I’ve got other events to look forward to after the Euro City Cycle.  I suspect it’ll leave a bit of a hole in my life when it’s done!

in exactly 100 days time I will be setting off on my Euro City Cycle ride to Brussels.  I’ve been trying not to get too caught up in all the details as it’s seemed such a long way off, but I guess now it’s time to get myself organised.

By my reckoning, there are four things that I need to arrange:

Logistics:  I need to get from Aberdeen to London (and back).  My preferred travel option is by train.  Although this will take about 7 hours, it seems to be the simplest option, not least because it avoids the need to take my bike apart (and more critically re-build it at the other end!).

One of my current challenges, however, is that I don’t know where the cycle starts.  I therefore don’t know where exactly I need to be.  This issue is countered by the fact that I can’t book the train tickets until 3 months in advance, so I just need to be patient for a few days.

I will also need to stay in London overnight both before and after the cycle.  I’ll select a cheap hotel that’s close to where I need to be.  Again, a problem not knowing the cycle departure point!

So, not much I can do right now on Logistics other than try to get some more details… I guess knowing where you need to be, and when, are always key elements of good logistics!

Kit:  This should be the easiest of to address.  I can hear the advice now… “Throw a Credit Card at it!”.

Although I have a “Kit List”, the range of cycling clothes, accessories, dietary supplements, etc. to choose from is huge.  Being a relative novice to cycling and a complete novice to cycling longer distances, there is quite a high probability that I’ll select poorly (non-functional, impractical, over-priced, superfluous, etc.).

Green Flash were not cool when I was at school!

I’d like to avoid the schoolboy nightmare of turning up in the wrong gym kit (for example, wearing Green Flash when everyone else has Adidas).  Until I arrive on that first morning, there will always be that niggling concern that I’ll spend four days with people giggling at me behind my back!  Of course I’ll be grown up about it, but these are feelings that I don’t think ever completely go away, no matter how confident you are!

I’d also like to avoid the situation where everyone else turns up with the one essential, secret item that is the difference between having a safe, comfortable, enjoyable trip… and not.

As things stand, I’ll just have to rely on luck however some advice would be helpful.  Any suggestions?

My kit (and luggage) obviously has to work with the logistics.  Once I’ve worked out where I need to get to in London, I need to be able to get there safely with bike, bags, etc.  I suspect this is a situation in which less is more!

Sponsorship:  When is the right time to start fund raising?  There is an argument for “as soon as possible”, but if people are like me they will recognise they have plenty of time and do nothing.  I could wait until the last minute, but that doesn’t leave much scope for reminding people.

Having pondered this for a while, I’ve reached the conclusion that right about now is a good time to start.  100 days before the event, Christmas is out of the way, everyone’s in need of the feel good factor that giving a little money to charity will provide… the timing couldn’t be better!

Sponsorship will be a feature of the run-in to the cycle, but I’m not going to obsess about it.  I am paying for the trip myself so every penny raised will go to the British Heart Foundation.  I’ve set myself a target of raising £3,000 but that’s just a target… it’s all good!

Incidentally, my fundraising site is up and running, you can access it by clicking here.

Thanks again to everyone who’s already sponsored me!

Training:  So that just leaves training (which I also equate to Health and Fitness).  So far so good I’d say.  I’m cycling over 40 miles on a regular basis, and around 120 miles a week.  I need to ramp it up as we get close to the event, and do more outside on the open road, but I have time.  The key thing is that I look after myself.

I also have the small matter of a check-up with the Cardiologist in a couple of weeks.  It’ll be the first time I’ve seen him since I left hospital in June so it’s a reasonably significant event.  I’m not exactly sure what the check-up will entail.  Hopefully it’ll be a formality.  Fingers crossed!

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So, that’s it.  I always feel better when I’ve made a list.  Now all I need to do is start crossing things off it!