Southampton to Barcelona - by bike

That's right, Rich didn't have a bike until the end of December (much like myself before doing John O Groats to Lands End). He's gone out and bought himself exactly the same model as me - a Marin Muirwoods. Well it's the same other than his is a 2008 model (mine's a 2006), something that he claims makes it better, and that I contest with kiddish quips.

This time of year is rubbish for trying to train for a big ride as the weather is crap and the days are short. We have started to clock the miles up though, getting out over the Christmas break and battling through some pretty bad hangovers. We're lucky enough to live near the New Forest and this makes for some pretty cool riding.

We've also now booked our ferry tickets from Portsmouth to Le Harve, and also our return flights home from Barcelona. We all know what airline cancellation policies are like, so unless we want to be out of pocket, we have to do it now. It's good actually - it makes the whole thing seem like a reality.

The next thing for us to do is plan the route down through France, taking in the mini-Pyrenees, the full on Pyrenees, and then the short stretch through Spain to Barcelona. Mind you knowing us, we'll probably leave this until the last minute and just wing our way through.

We're now just 3 months from kick-off! Bring it on! I've only been back at work for two days and I'm already feeling the monotony.

The other big issue on the agenda is the sponsorship. We aim to raise £4000 for the Cystic Fibrosis trust and so far we only have £150. In my experience of fundraising though, these things always take a while to get going. We will be organising a few events to raise cash, I'll update soon.

Cheers,
Lee