Pete's blog (courtesy of the wife)

Day 8 - Sunday 25th - arrived at Aqaba at last! No more cycling - off to do some snorkelling in the Red Sea to celebrate and cool off. Just one more challenge ahead - how to get back to Amman with the bike but without having to turn a pedal. Hmmmm ...

Day 7 - Saturday 24th - rest day in Petra but walked around 20 miles just to keep the legs moving. Strange to be around hordes of tourists after a week of solitude. Still the only cyclist in Jordan.

Day 6 - Friday 23rd - another gruelling day across desert. Temperature still in the 90s and no wind. Rode around 100k from Dana to Petra. Staying in a lousy hotel but at least a rest day tomorrow - badly needed as the heat is taking its toll. Meeting up with tourists already encountered earlier in the week and one of the hotel staff recognised Pete from Amman on Monday - definitely recognisable as the only cyclist in Jordan! Providing much entertainment for the locals - kids running alongside and lorry drivers tooting and waving (in a nice way!)

Day 5 - Thursday 22nd - another gruelling day in the saddle (think I've missed my vocation - I should have been a sports journalist!). 110K from Karak to Dana, again mainly desert terrain. Climbs not as bad as yesterday but like climbing in a sauna - 90 degree heat and no wind. Dana is the most stunning place Pete has ever been to and he wants to live there. Wasn't too impressed with the Bedouin dancing in the hotel - not really his scene!

Day 4 - Rode 100k to Karak through mainly desert terrain. Hardest part was riding through a gorge with an hour and a half climb up the other side - like a mini grand canyon. Legs getting tired and temperature getting hotter.

Visited the magnificent Karak castle. Heritage sites in many countries abroad are not looked after in the same way they are in the UK - nothing is cordoned off, tourists can roam anywhere, damage the site or fall off the battlements (as witnessed today!)

More of the same tomorrow to Dana, a small village close to one of the best nature reserves in Jordan. Another 100k in the heat so an early start needed.

Day 3 - Tuesday 20th. Stayed in Madaba but rode out to the Dead Sea in the morning - got a photo floating in the sea wearing a Nelson Wheelers top! In the afternoon rode out to Mt Nebo where Moses is buried then watched the sunset over Jerusalem. Stopped by the police on the way back who wondered what on earth he was doing cycling in the middle of nowhere - they were satisfied when they realised he was just a mad Englishman. Still not seen an adult on a bike but has seen 2 children. The local children everywhere run along the side of the bike wanting a high 5!

Tomorrow's journey is the longest - 80K to Karak through desert. Assessment of the temperature: f-ing hot!

Day 2 - Monday 19th - first job of the day - to pick up the bike that Pete had hired. He took a taxi to the shop, only to discover that it was shut as the owner had gone cycling! When the taxi driver realised what had happened, he made a few phone calls and managed to get someone to open up. Pete didn't manage to get the bike he was expecting and had to put one together in the shop, but managed to set off on the first leg of his journey ... at 1pm right in the midday heat.

Cycling through Amman was not much fun - like the velodrome but with no rules! As he got further out of the city the roads quietened down. 40k later he was in Madaba for a 2 night stop. I did think he was having a rest day to do some touristy things on Tuesday, but he assures me he is riding about 70k to the Dead Sea then doing another ride later on in the day when it has cooled down.

Cycling is not something the Jordanians do, and Pete didn't see another cyclist all day, but everyone he has come across has been really helpful - even though they think he is a bit odd.

Day 1 - Sunday 18th October - well he got there safe and sound after an early start for a 6.30am flight to Heathrow then hanging around for a few hours for the flight to Amman. Staying at the Cameo Hotel in the centre of Amman tonight (along with the cockroaches!) before picking up the bike Monday morning then 40K to Madaba in 33 degree heat! The weather is going to be one of the biggest challenges but it is forecast to cool down as the week goes on.

Thanks for visiting my fundraising page.

I've decided to raise money for the Air Ambulance after one of my cycling group crashed above Malham Tarn in October 2007 and suffered substantial injuries. The Air Ambulance came out with a BBC film crew and air-lifted him to hospital. A film of the incident was shown on Helicopter Heroes in summer 2008. If my friend had to wait for a land ambulance to get to him and take him to hospital, things may have turned out differently. He has made a full recovery from his accident.

The challenge I am putting myself through to raise money is to cycle across Jordan (the country not the minor celebrity!). I'll be setting off with a small group on the 17th October 2009 for 10 days covering around 500km. We start in Amman then cycle through Ajloun to the Dead Sea (the lowest point on the planet), then on to Dana Nature Reserve. From there, we go to Petra (World Heritage Site) then on to Wadi Araba where we stay overnight at a Bedouin Camp.  The final day takes us to Aqaba on the Red Sea. Sounds like a nice jolly but will mainly be cycling through the desert in the heat!

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: North West Air Ambulance gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!

Thanks, Pete