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Dear All,  It all seemed like a great idea at the end of last summer when my dear friend Matt Rowe and I (pictured) had just completed a 4 day bike ride from London to Paris. Heady with the smell of Parisian air and a few too many glasses of red wine we thought about our next adventure. Surely if we could ride to Paris then riding the full length of the UK - from John O'Groats in Scotland to Lands End at the bottom end of Cornwall - would be just as lovely. So we signed up for the  <a title="Deloitte Ride Across Britain" href="http://www.rideacrossbritain.com/" target="_blank">Deloitte Ride Across Britain</a>. It quickly became apparent that this ride is very, very different and a bloody long way!   From June 11th to 19th, I will be pedalling, puffing and panting  nearly 1,000 miles in 9 days, up hill and down dale, across our lumpy bumpy terrain and to make the whole ride that little bit more painful, we will be camping.  Some fun facts about the ride:  Just for fun we will -  <ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Average 105 miles a day (130 miles on the longest)</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Cycle 9 days in a row without a break</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Climb the equivalent of 2,500  metres (7000 feet) each and every day</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Climb twice the height of Everest</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Burn 65,000 calories (that’s errr 9 Big Mac and fries  a day!)</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Use a whole load of vaseline... and still be unable to sit down for a week or so after the ride!</li> </ul> If I am going to push myself to the edge of my physical capibilities (it's not hard) then I might as well do it for a great cause. I am raising money for a charity that is very close to my family as my mother has worked and volunteered for Herriot Hospice Homecare for many years. They are a wonderful charity that enables terminally ill patients to be fully supported at home and for nurses and carers to allow the patient to be in the surroundings that they wish. They do a fantastic job and your donations will be greatly received. Every penny donated will go directly to Herriot Hospice Homecare as I am paying my own way for the privilege of putting myself through this agony! Finally and most importantly a big thank you to Bridget, Delilah and Casper in allowing me to give up our family time to train for the ride. I have spent many long hours pounding the roads around the UK in all weathers, from the frozen depths of winter when my feet went numb to the rather crazy warm spring weather, but it will all be worth it and your support for this great charity will put that extra little bit of energy into the legs. Many thanks in advance for your kind donations and all your messages of support. You can follow me on Twitter @hezzy111 - hopefully I will have enough energy to update it each day! OK, off to lube up and do a short 5 hour training session.... John

1000 miles in 9 days

1000 miles in 9 days

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