It’s been 2.5 years, the skin grafts on my derrière have taken, my weight has gradually increased and currently sits due north of 16 stone......... Its time for fatblokeonabike to ride again! But this time it’s international.

After the last 960 mile epic (in which I gained 2lb), the gauntlet is again in my grubby mitts. Cycling the 290 miles from to in 4 days is definitely a big ask for an overweight 43 year old. It is a higher mileage average than my last which was an average of 64 miles per day. I expect this trip to be the same gastronomic tour as the last, with my Olympic frame being fuelled by local hostelries along the way.......... Jellied eels, pie 'n' mash, frogs legs, moules frites, et beaucoup du vin rouge et Guinness Noir!!!!!!

It’s a great bunch of guys who I will be cycling with, although the challenge is not to be cycling downwind from them after a night refuelling and re-hydrating! We are all raising money for different charities that are particularly close to us. But we don’t like to talk about our chariddee work mate........ (please take time to search for their pages and read their stories).

Again, I am raising money for Yorkhill foundation. It truly is an unbelievable centre of excellence in the care of children driven by expensive technology and driven staff who love their job and their patients. Anybody who wishes to debate the finer points of why this facility needs top up charity funding and is not all government funded, just turn up at my house with a couple of bottles of good Rioja and I will supply the cheese, oatcakes, chocolates & arguments!

Please accept this open invite to the , Sat 29th May 2010, where you will be expected to whoop, holler, shout and throw ticker tape in a frenzied fashion. I will even buy you a Pastis.

Au Revoir

Greig x