5 days to go!

It's getting very close and it's been an eventful couple of days!

First few rides since crash went well - with final spin to Swain's Lane and a hungover 60 miles of laps around Richmond Park have left me feeling good to go and pretty confident for the first couple of days of cruising. Day 1 will exceed the 100mile mark and will be a baptism of fire.

I even managed to beat some of James Gilbert's (joining me for Day 1) PB times on his home turf while he was away climbing the Matterhorn. A huge victory in my eyes.

But who knows how the body will react when I hit the Alps after 6 days of riding. The big day of climbing in to the Jura mountains and into Geneva is certainly on my mind!

Unfortunately though - i didn't come out of the crash as unscathed as first thought. Turns out the impact on my shoulder has exacerbated an old rugby injury - and after an MRI scan yesterday it turns out I need of 3 or 4 pins inserted. The (great) Doctor has given me a steroid injection to keep the disruption of the next couple of weeks to a minimum and then I'll get it all sorted when I return - and so this will have absolutely not impact on trip or challenge (at least that's what I've told my Mum!).

Sponsorship has really started flowing in these last few days and I'm hugely grateful to everyone for their support. Can't believe that this stupid idea dreamed up over a few beers 12 months a go is actually going ahead! Two more days in the office, and two days at the Ashes, and then off I go!

Awesome.