The training planning has already started.

Well, sort of.. this blog is meant to be partly about the preparation for the ride. A good place to start could be by taking a look at Phil Deeker’s (TdF’s lead cyclist) recommendations. These are very conveniently placed on the Tour de Force web-site, so we thought we might start by checking to make sure we are on course. Surprisingly, brief exmination reveals we seem to be ticking all the right boxes. See below.

1. Keep a training diary. We’ll start this immediately, tick

2. Ride lots. Mmm…. half tick, maybe no tick just yet.

3. Progress progressively. This must mean "don’t train much at first"… tick

4. Feed yourself correctly. Protein and carbs equals steak and chips. Already doing really well here, double tick!!.

5. Look after your body. Mmm.. again, this sounds nice, will give this a try, tick.

6. Look after your bike. Nick thinks Matt will take care of this bit and Matt thinks Nick will, tick again.

7. Ride with others. Have training companion, will ride … eventually – tick.

8. Create a supportive environment. We will definitely encourage each other, tick.

That makes eight out of eight! We are making amazing progress. Our sponsor(s) will be dead impressed, but I am not sure we can keep up this sort of pace.