In a shocking departure from our usual practice, Graham and I have decided to actually follow through on one of the plans that we usually hatch while over-excited, talk about non stop and then forget about or bottle completely.
The challenge is simple. A 1000mile route from Land's End to John O' Groats completed entirely by bike and in 10 consecutive days (29th May - 7th June). I'd love to say that training has been going swimmingly, we are both as fit as we have ever been and that it is going to be a breeze but unfortunately that is a long way from the truth. Broken bones, freezing weather, dehabilitating viruses and an unstiniting commitment to the holy trinity of Sky Sports, the sofa and takeaway pizza means that we have not worshipped at the altar of serious training quite as regularly as we intended. We are confident of completing the ride, there is just a strong chance that we will finish it as physical wrecks with no desire whatsoever to spend any more time with each other. Ever.
However that is not all. As a means of raising awareness for The EB Trust, and also to persuade those of you who think LE-JOG is a bit on the easy side to contribute some of your hard earned cash, we will be doing a 24hr Cycle Ride from 10am on 7th-8th May. During this period either Graham or I ( and often both) will be cycling our way around circuits of Richmond Park along with as many friends/family/colleagues/strangers as we can persuade. The target is to do1000miles in total with Graham and I committing to doing 200miles each in 24hours.
So, 2 heroic chaps aiming to complete 2 herculean challenges. That must be worth some of your money towards a very worthy cause. Dig deep please, it's not going to be easy....
The Esther Benjamins Trust is small charity and one where our contribution can make a massive difference to the lives of some of Nepal's most vulnerable young people. For more information please see their website (http://www.ebtrust.org.uk/) and the details of JustGiving etc are below.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
