As the plan has changed to a muti-event challenge I’ve adjusted my training as well. In the evenings I am doing more runs to prepare for the 3 x 35 mile runs we will be doing in the middle of the route from John O Groats to Lands End.  Nearly every evening I am running either t a straight run in a moderate heart rate zone similar to the one I will be in during the run itself or hill work to help prepare for North Yorkshire. Fitness wise I am feeling good and confident that if we keep the running pace slow and steady with regular breaks for fluid and stretches we should not have any problem. 

This weekend Luke is coming over to stay at mine so that on Saturday we can get in a long road ride (100miles at least) and on Sunday a 35 mile run. This is our last chance to train together before we head north on 15th June and after the South Downs not exactly working out as planned I am determined that this weekend goes well . Hopefully come Sunday evening we will be fully confident that by the end of June the mission will be accomplished. 

AS

The shoes I chose to go with for the challenge are the Specialized BG Comp MTB. As with some of the other kit I didn’t really know what I was looking for when I picked them out so relied heavily on the advice I was given in the shop. The shoes are nice and stiff but still remain light and clip cleanly to the peddles even when covered in mud. Each shoe has 2 Velcro straps and one lock style buckle which can be adjusted to the required tightness and doesn’t loosen off even after hours of riding. The main point of getting clip-in shoes is to transmit power to the bike through the full rotation of the crank and you do feel this is happen with a tight fitting shoe which remains attached to the pedal even over rough ground and small jumps. The shoe is also good when off the bike, and grips well in the wet on a variety of surfaces. 

Overall a decent shoe, as mentioned I don’t have anything to compare it to but I’m completely happy with the choice. 
 

AS

Since the problems on the South Downs we have been talking about our chances of completing the event should we get mechanical issues during the ride. While some of the problems we’ve had over the last few weeks on the South Downs and Leith Hill can be put down to the conditions, with thick mud causing chain suck and chain slippage we have began to wonder, should we get a major problem on a remote section of the route, just how quickly could we fix it and get back on our way. We will be travelling unsupported so kit will be kept light and spare tubes, chain oil and multi tool is about as good as it’s going to get maintenance wise. We are also limited on time (due to commitments) to get from John O Groats to Lands End and our concern is that a problem with the bikes could be a game ender, if we were to lose half a day it could be the difference between completing or not completing the challenge. 

We've spent some time talking about the options but in the end we have decided to refine the challenge, we won‘t now be going completely off road, and we won‘t be completely going by mountain bike (although we will do the majority of the challenge on them). So Plan B is as follows:

- Ride from John O Groats to Inverness - 1 day
- Kayak from Inverness down the Caledonian Canal to Fort William - 3 days
- Ride from Fort William to Settle - 2 days
- Run from Settle to Bradbourn - 3 days 
- Ride from Bradbourn to Lands End - 3 days 

Despite being disappointed to not be doing this purely off road and purely on the bikes anymore we both like the idea of the new challenge, especially as it has become a multi event with the addition of running and kayaking.  Hopefully the inclusion of more road sections will reduce the chances of problems with the bikes but still prove a challenge with high mileage required each day. The Kayaking takes us nearly from one side of Scotland to the other through four Lochs, including Loch Ness and the run will see us complete 3 ultra marathons in 3 days.  

This is all a bit last minute and ideally we would have had longer to train for the running part but I’m still confident we can make it. 

We will be putting details of the route up on the website soon, so keep an eye out.

AS

Not allot to report, during the week I took it slow, we’ve been training for a while now so I took a few extra rest days before starting the final four weeks tomorrow. 

On Saturday I went to the gym and did a mini triathlon, running 10km, riding 25km and rowing 5km. My total time was 

The week started off well with some good session during the week where I improved on the week before, either I was faster, ran further or lifted more weight.

Unfortunately the weekend was a different story. 

Our aim was to cycle the South Downs Way which stretches from Winchester to Eastbourne and back over two days carrying out kit and camping on the route. In total the distance would be about 200 miles and a very good test of our progress. 

I met Luke at 08:40 in the village of Hassocks, about 2 miles from where we would join the route and started to cycle to the blue signs with a white acorn that would indicate we had arrived at the trail. As we started our first climb upwards towards a pair of windmills near Ditchling Beacon Lukes right hand pedal and crank arm came completely off. Being already covered in dirt and grit, and lacking anything that could get it sufficiently clean we were unable to get it back in place ourselves so limped back to Hassocks where we were able to call a mobile repair service who came out and fixed it. We were back on our way by about 11:00 and joined the route heading towards Eastbourne soon after. The South Downs Way follows a ridge line for pretty much the entire distance and the views are spectacular. For the part of the route that we managed to cover we were either climbing or descending and despite the conditions, which were wet and very muddy (from all the recent rain) we made decent time. At about three we stopped for food in a small village called Alfriston before starting on our way to Eastbourne, and I pretty soon started to develop more of the same problems I had recently where my chain would slip in certain gears and sometime the rear derailer would pull completely forward causing the chain to slacken and slip off the rings. At 16:40, just outside Eastbourne Luke’s rear tyre lost all it's pressure completely. Luke had only recently had his tyres converted to a tubeless set up so we expected to find a large tear in the tyre and sealant seeping out everywhere and so we was surprised to find no evidence of this at all. We can only assume, and we still don’t know how it happened that somehow the air had escaped, either the tyre somehow pulled away from the rim (although sealant would of leaked out) or the rim was no longer airtight and the air had dropped out from the tyre. 

Either way we were faced with a choice (having called a cycle shop which we couldn’t make it to before they closed) either try and convert the tyre back to a standard tube (we had spares) or go home. After a discussion about the pros and cons we decided to head home and call an end to the trip. Our main reason for not sticking in a tube were:

 - I remembered being told that it’s not good to run a tube on a tubeless rim seal and although I had also brought spare seals we weren’t sure how easy it would be with minimal tools to remove the tubeless one and add the standard one.
 - If we did put a tube in it would potentially be expensive should Luke want to convert back again, and considering we had both spent a fair bit on the challenge already he was understandably reluctant to shell out again. 
 - There obviously was a problem with the tyre and would it continue to happen with a tube in?

So in the end we cut our loses and with only three function wheels, one slack chain and both very fed up got on the train from Eastbourne back towards the car. 

AS

Ahead of our big training weekend, 200 miles of mountain biking across the South Downs, this guy is truly inspirational and the perfect motivation ahead of what could be a tough couple of days...

The first bit of kit I bought back in October last year when i started training for the ride was a pair of gloves. After a quick look at different pairs and a chat with one of the staff in the shop I opted for the BG Gel Long Finger Wiretap Gloves made by Specialized. I’ve been wearing them for around 6 months now and am pleased to say they have delivered nicely. In the bitter cold of winter your fingers will still get cold, very cold but these gloves aren’t designed to keep your fingers toasty, what they are geared towards is stopping any discomfort during long bone shaking rides from continued pressure on the ulnar nerve but at the same time providing enough grip so you’re firmly in control of your bike. The gloves use foam padding across the palms which helps keep everything comfortable while still providing enough grip and at no point have I ended up with blisters or sores after a day in the saddle. The material also allows good air circulation to the hands which stops overheating and I’m never dieing to take them off even after hours of continuous use. 

The gloves also offer a couple of other features, one finger is touch screen sensitive although I haven’t tried this out and the thumb of each glove is made of a soft absorbent material that is good at wiping away sweat. I’ve had no issue getting anything from my pockets or using small bits of kit like multi tools either. 

Overall I would recommend these gloves as they do exactly what they say. They are not a winter glove unless you can cope with very cold fingers but for the other three seasons they are ideal.

AS

We both decided to go with the Specialized Propero II Helmet for this event, but the decision to do so took some time and several trips to the cycle shop before settling on this particular helmet. The helmet is pitched at road riding but given the long hours we plan to be in the saddle for it seemed to have all the attributes we needed. To be honest I had no idea what I was after when I first started looking back in November/December last year, all I knew is that I didn’t want to look like an idiot with a mushroom on my head and hopefully, to some extent I have achieved that. The helmet looks good and sits nicely on my dome while others that I tried either sat too high or were too wide. Now the look of a piece of equipment designed to save your life should really be the least of your concerns but at the back end of 2011 I had no idea about weight, air vents or adjustments systems. 

So apart from looking good and confirming to one or more of the recognised safety standards what else do I like about the helmet, well quite allot really. Firstly the weight, one of the most important things in keeping it comfortable for long days of cycling and Specialized have kept it really low at 230g considering the mid range price of the product (£69.99). I have worn the helmet from 09:00 to about 16:00 continuously and I can honestly say that I forget it’s on my head, a great indicator of the overall comfort of this product. The helmet has a standard under chin clip as well as being adjustable in small increments at the back to give a snug fit that doesn’t squeeze your head. Inside the helmet Soft DryLite material protects your forehead from the plastic and completes the comfort package, so despite long hours and lots of sweat the material never starts to rub and cause sore spots. 

Finally I should mention the air vents, one of the most important aspects of any helmet designed for prolonged use and again the Propero II does the business. I haven’t had the chance to test it in really hot conditions but back in March when we had a few bright days the helmet did not let me down. Air is always circulating around your head and everything stays nice and cool up top. 

Overall this is a brilliant helmet at a great price and could be a good purchase for either a road or cross country mountain biker. 

AS

To be honest this hasn’t been the best week, it started off fine with cardio, flexibility and strength sessions all going to plan however the weekend was a different story. On Sunday I planned to do a 5 hour road ride to get some miles in and hoped that the problems I had with my chain last Sunday would now be sorted following a thorough clean. I guess that was a bit hopeful, as after just a few minutes riding the chain was slipping on some of the higher gears. I have no idea what causes this, it could be a common issue for all I know but something is causing the rear mech to pull forward, which in turn allows the chain to sag and ultimately slip off the front rings. I’ll go along to our local cycle shop (where we bought our bikes) tomorrow lunch time and will no doubt end up taking it in later in the week, for (fingers crossed) them to fix. Hopefully it’s only a small issue and can be turned around quickly as our plan is to ride the South Downs, from one end to the other and back this coming weekend which is a key part of our training.

AS 

I’m always keen to try a new sport or give an endurance event or race a go but for some reason I had never really considered mountain biking let alone given it a shot until Andy and I started talking about completing a British based endurance challenge. 

Now that I’ve been dragging myself up muddy hills and flying down rocky slopes for a few months I don’t really know why I didn’t start earlier and feel that I’ve missed out on many years of off-road, mud spattered fun.

Five things I love about jumping on my mountain bike and heading out to a wild trail...

1. Awesome training - mountain biking is a great workout giving your aerobic system, arms, legs, back and core a really tough time as you climb, descend and roll over roots and rocks. Great for building strength and endurance whilst having
fun.

2. Exploring – now that I’m more confident in my riding ability I’ve started to be more adventurous in my training rides. The beauty of a mountain bike is that you can ride almost anywhere on almost all terrains (generally at a faster pace than on
foot, although not always), which means an opportunity to discover and explore areas that you might not normally have access to. 

3. Reward – for me there is nothing more satisfying than reaching the top of a long, steep climb that has well and truly depleted my body of all its energy and strength. When all I want is to collapse off the bike, the promise of the
inevitable fast, adrenalin inducing descent is more than enough reward to keep me on my bike and take off down the hill...

4. So much to learn – I’ve only been riding for a couple of months and there is so so much that I have to learn and improve upon. Learning to ride competently is just the start... Focussing on improving on the following will ensure that I don’t get bored of mountain biking for a while - bike fitness, technical skills, choosing the right line, bike maintenance, race tactics, endurance riding, navigation...etc. After the JOGLE off-road event in June I am pretty confident that I will continue biking...

5. Fun - mountain biking offers the perfect mix of a tough physical workout with a heavy dose of adrenalin and fun.

LG

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