Wow what has happened? Time just seems to have disappeared.
As the Grand
Depart in London looms in just over 3 weeks, there's plenty of excitement and some nerves within the team. That said
with the miles we have put in individually and as a team, coupled with spin
classes and James hammering the track at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome we will be
ship shape as we line up on the start ramp. First of all, I’d like to give you
a wee update on how the team members are shaping up.
Ewan is still nursing his knee injury which is improving, as he manages
his efforts and recovery to maximise his fitness without hampering his chances
of further injury. Training runs of 60
miles pose no problems now. Ewan was like a kid in a sweet shop when he got his hands on his team kit this week, excited does not began to describe how he's feeling.
James has taken to the track like a duck to water; this guy has calf
muscles that would make a pro cyclist blush.
The power James puts down as we push hard intervals on the road is
tremendous and his overall speed is improving as he spends more time on the
track. The rest of us are going to need
motors to keep up! Robert said “James is
unstoppable; he just keeps going at that speed whether we’re on the flat or on
a hill”.
Robert continues to improve week by week, the quite man of the team must
be confident of how he’ll perform during the event. Robert has very quickly become confident
riding in a group and looks like he’s been putting in big miles on a bike for
many years. Over the last week alone he
completed three big days on the bike, back to back as well as those torturous
spin classes.
As for myself I’m just recovering from a chest infection, a combination
of training in wet and windy weather, coupled with maybe doing a wee bit too
much resulted in me getting antibiotics prescribed for the first time in about
20 years! And no before you ask it was
not man flu.....
Robert is not really a guy you hear curse or swear, however I
managed to squeeze and expletive or two from him during our first run. We headed north of the River Clyde and took
in some hills training near to Loch Lomond, before I led the guys through
Alexandria and Renton. We took a right turn onto the Carman Road which
links Renton with Cardross, this hill is a real lung and leg buster with a 17%
gradient. As Robert rounded the corner I
looked back to see the horror on his face as he shouted “Ya bastard, you didn’t
tell us we were going up there” so before he could continue I scurried off,
spinning my legs in a low gear with a steady cadence. On reaching the top I stopped, regained my
composure and steadied my breathing.
James arrived next and hoped off his bike glaring at me, before grinning
and calling me a sicko.
Robert appeared soon after with his calfs burning as he had to walk the
last bit of the climb, he avoided falling off as his pace slowed almost to a standstill
by grabbing hold of a road sign. Good
effort guys, we’ll not be tackling any hills of that duration and gradient
during the event, although I know I’ll be in for a kicking at some point.
With the team taking our training seriously, we’ll also look the part throughout
the event with our custom jerseys which we designed and had made by
Endura. Endura are based in Livingstone,
Scotland and supply cyclists of all abilities with top quality gear. We used their online kit designer and
contacted Endura’s custom clothing team who made the process straight forward
providing advice and a professional customer focussed service.
Prostate Cancer UK
approved the use of their official logo, whilst our corporate sponsors took
pride of place being displayed prominently on our jerseys.
The jerseys we bought aren’t cheap, but they are not expensive when
you consider the quality and that they are handmade here in Scotland. They're sized for normal people, unlike more
expensive Italian brands, whilst providing all the comfort and technical features
needed. As for the rest of the clothing
we’ll be using on the trip, Endura very kindly sold us bib shorts and high visibility
jackets at a generous discount, as well as providing a couple of prizes for our charity
auction. Thanks to all at Endura, a great
Scottish company helping the efforts of keen amateurs raising money for
charity.
http://www.endura.co.uk/
Before I get too carried away pretending that we’re readying ourselves
for Le Tour de France, I’d like to remind everyone why we’re doing this. We are raising much needed funds for Prostate
Cancer UK.
Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’re thrilled
that John and his friends have decided to take on this ultimate summer
adventure to help raise funds for our work. This
is the latest in a number of amazing challenges that John has led, turning his
experience into a positive force. As well as raising money, John has been a
strong ambassador of the charity by helping to raise awareness of our recent
campaigns including helping to encourage men to engage with physical activity
through his involvement with our Get up and Go project.
John, 55, from Renfrewshire said: “This is going to be an enormous
challenge but one we’re all really looking forward to it. We’re a little
anxious but very excited to be taking part and just hope that all the training
will pay off. This is a great challenge and we are all delighted to be able to
use it to raise awareness and much needed money to help the fight against
prostate cancer.”
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed
in men in the UK. Over 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year
in the UK and 250,000 men are currently living with the disease in the UK. One
man dies every hour from prostate cancer. If you have any queries about
prostate cancer, call Prostate Cancer UK’s confidential Specialist Nurse
Helpline 0800 074 8383 which open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and
Wednesdays from 7 - 9pm or visit www.prostatecanceruk.org
We have already surpassed our fundraising target and have raised £11.4k so far, which is amazing and we need to thank everyone who has sponsored out team and contributed. We hope to increase this total as sponsorship that has been promised has yet to come in.
If you have not sponsored us yet please spare what you can, or if you have promised sponsorship and haven’t paid up yet – we know where you live........
To sponsor team "Get to France" visit: www.justgiving.com/teams/gettofrance
A training run to Dunoon and beyond.
Cheers,
Andy