The final Count down!

 Well it has been quite a journey and to my regular blog readers you will remember this:

 "Welcome to my new blog, I am a first time blogger and have been inspired by the challenge I am about to embark on. I took up cycling in March this year to take part in a charity event, riding 62 miles and raise money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. This has unleashed a passion that has seen me cycle over 1200 miles this year and turned me into what is commonly known as a MAMIL (middle aged man in Lycra).
In my wisdom or a moment of madness I have signed up to the very challenging London to Paris ride next June, covering 460km in four days with 300 other cyclists, all with one goal. Supporting vital work to beat blood cancer, we can and will win if we can all pull together and this event alone will raise in excess of £300,000 for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
I will be putting myself to the ultimate challenge and enduring hours of training in all weathers to be in a position to achieve my goal."

This was my first blog back in November 2012 just after signing on the dotted line, thinking how far away June was and wondering weather I had gone insane. Well I think the answer is probably yes, but let me tell you one thing as I sit here three days before setting off I would not have changed a thing. From training in all conditions during a winter that never ended to the hours on the bike riding a loan furrow, every minute of pain, worry and fear has been worth it. For one I have transformed from an over weight, unfit and lethargic man fast approaching middle age into a trim energetic guy who enjoys shopping for clothes that look good rather than just cover up the portly belly. The tail of the tape reads as follows. Total weight loss two stone nine pounds, inches lost from waist six and miles cycled since my first blog 2,000, WOW WOW WOW.

Further more I have to thank my wife Angela, she has been my rock, supporting me throughout. She has not only put up with the hours of training but been my motivation during the freezing cold, all while campaign managing my fund raising. As always Angela has shone and out done any expectation I had, or could have dreamt of in the amount we have raised. As we speak our total sponsors sit at £1,456 and is expected to go beyond the £1,500 mark before the off on Thursday, I truly love this woman of mine.

So last week saw the final part of the training, ninety miles in total, finishing with a very social ride on Sunday. Once again I met up with the guys from the Tour De Tendring, it was a great opportunity to catch up with the last minute preparations and offer each other the encouragement that would quell the nerves. We have all bonded in a common cause and I am sure we will as a group conquer the challenge ahead and have some laughs on the way. We mused over a coffee before parting knowing the next time we met would be in Greenwich on the morning of the 6th of June, our own personal D day and the culmination of effort that has left me with a great deal of satisfaction. All that remains is the final preparation of kit and essentials, no more training to do, no more planning of routes. The next two days will see me fuelling on carbs and dreaming of Paris, riding down the Champs-Elysees on Sunday afternoon (in the sun Ha Ha), the roads closed allowing the triumphant peloton to glide through and cruise to the finish at the Eiffel tower. Everyone of us amazed and jubilant at our accomplishments and above all else the pride of completing the challenge that we all set, raising money to help put and end to blood cancer. "Roll on Paris".