Get To France: Four weeks to Four Days

Four weeks today team “Get To France” for Prostate Cancer UK will be on the final leg of our journey spinning our legs into Paris.

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.

John continues to batter the miles, he completed three training sessions in 24 hours with two cycle runs exceeding 90 miles which sandwiched a very tough spin class that focused on climbing technique and threshold efforts. John has had no more issues with stray dogs and continues to share his own version of wisdom(?) - thus keeping team up team moral. Great effort!

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.....

Now that I have recovered I’m back spinning my legs with the guys, last weekend we completed a double header, two big days at event pace taking in all sorts of terrain.

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.

“Every year, over 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK - and it is a disease which kills one man every hour. We’re fighting prostate cancer on every front - through research, support, information and campaigning. Every penny raised will go towards our work supporting men and their families affected by prostate cancer. We wish the team the best of luck in their brave challenge.”

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.