Right now where are we?  Well over the last few days apart from cycling around 100 miles or so and a couple of visits to the gym I have been getting the finishing touches sorted.
I leave about lunch time on Thursday and now have my route pretty much mapped out.  I have spoken to most of my over night stays and I have got to say they all have been most welcoming.  Some with offers of food and the thought of having a hot bath or shower at the end of a long day in the saddle is very much appealling!  
I have also had an interview with the local press and a photo shoot aswell.  Along with a brief chat with the local Metro Radio morning presenters Tony Horne and Anna Foster.  They were pretty nice about what I was doing and as they are very much into the community stuff and took it in good spirits what I was doing.

The bike is running perfectly and the only thing I can think of that I need is a camera.  The one we had planned on taking won't allow me to upload photos direct from the memory so won't be suitable for the purpose.
I am getting pretty excited now but feeling a bit anxious about leaving my family behind.  I really wish they were coming with me.
I'm gonna mess about with my cleets to get my riding position correct and then get in touch about my support vehicle.  And that will be that.  Roll on Friday.....

Its been a good weekend full of riding and I have managed to put in some good milage.  Firstly on Saturday I picked up my bike from Ride and collected my new riding shoes and pedals which if I may say haven't been too bad.  And Tim was right again as he always seems to be.  A good trustable, knowlegable man when it come to his riding.  I'm glad he agreed to help me out back in December just after my mam passed away.  I would highly recommend his shop to any one I speak to now.
Sunday brought on my first real ride for a few days and I head for the hills to finish off the ride I started 19/05/2011 when I was sidetracked by the Great Byker Fire.  I headed up Windy Nook Bank in Gateshead and down the other side through low fell and over to Lady Park where I ascended back into the hills.  I came this way as I had never rode these hills and was pleasantly suprised by their intensity.  Some long winding roads with incline after incline. Once at the top a sharp left toward Beamish and then over to Pelton through Chester-le-street and up to Penshaw (chain came off on the steep hill and so did I CLEETS). Then over to Downhill and home 38.56 miles 2hr 25 mins 14.2mph average speed.
Monday took me over to Consett and up the long steady some times steep Blackhill through Anfield Plain, Stanley, Penshaw Downhill and Home.  This route specifically chosen for it distance and hills a nice mix up  of every thing I need to expect.  The weather was the main factor in this ride the morning started well but deteriorated and the wind picked up with rain it made the ride a tough one close to the end. 55.86miles 3hrs 33 minutes 15.8mph average speed.
Today was a nice morning with steady breeze but not too bad.  I headed off toward Wylam and didn't intend to do much more than this but made the 16 miles there in less than an hour so pressed onto Corbridge.  The route to Wylam is fairly flat and even with the head wind was fast but I didn't expect the hills I encountered past there and onto Corbridge not a major problem at all but took that little bit longer.  I  stopped there for a break before turning back and taking the north river route back to the pedestrian tunnel and then home.
59.42 miles 3 hours 45 minutes 15.9mph average speed.
Also had some news on my cycling jersey from logos unlimited.  It should be ready in the next day or so.  

Well this time in 2 weeks I'll be in Scotland some where around Fort William or maybe even Ballichulish.  However, at this minute I'm getting all the final touches in place.  This morning I got the supplies donated from Asda Distribution.  
I have collected my bike from Ride Cycles and I took Tims advice there and bought new pedals and cycling shoes.  Which, I must say are taking a bit of getting used to but I could tell the difference.  I have always said I would never get the cleets as I wouldn't feel safe in them but Tims advice has been sound so far and he was quite adamant I would benefit from them.  So I have grown to trust his opinion and the guys in the shop were excellent with their customer service.
I have also started to speak with the very kind people who have offered to put us up on our over night stays.  So far the response I have had has been amazing and the people I have spoken to are wonderful.  They have offered to try raise a bit of cash for the charity before my arrival.  It would be amazing if they do that for me as I think they have already offered to do enough!

Time is ticking fast now and it's less than 2 weeks to go until I am riding through the beauty of Scotland.  My training isn't going as I want cycling wise but I am getting plenty of gym work in.  I have also managed to fit in a swim and sauna.  
The reason for not riding so much is, I have put the bike in for its final service and should be getting it back Saturday.  I'm not too worried though as I take it as rest time for the achillies.  I am also toying with the idea of cleets to tie my feet to the pedals to make the ride better.  Tim at RIDE cycles recommends  them and said that is the only thing he suggests I need to make the experience more enjoyable.  
I have the cycling jersey in at Logos Unlimited to have my logo printed Photos to follow.   The accommodation is all sorted and with a slight route adjustment I am now going through Preston instead of Barrowford.  A good family friend helped with this and we have had 7 out of the 10 nights offered to us free of charge.  Which, is amazing and the kindness these people have shown will stay with me for ever.  I have been given the thumbs up from Asda Distribution regarding supplies for the journey and all my food and refreshments and water have been taken care of.

Today was my first ride in 4 days after a week end camping with the family and a day off on Monday due to strong winds.  I did of course go to the gym for a couple of hours to keep myself active.
So I headed out with the intention of a steady 25 mile ride and this is pretty much what I did however, I still didn't bargain on the wind being as strong as it was.  My first 3 miles down to the pedestrian tunnel were great as the wind was behind me.  Through the other side was a different story.  I made my way through the cycle paths as I wanted to stay off the roads for safety reasons and this was ok still windy but not too bad.  This soon changed as I entered the Quayside at Newcastle I had a constant head wind for the next 6 miles all the way to the Scotswood Bridge where I crossed and turned to come back down the South side of the river back home.
The 40mph head wind had made me realise how tough things could get should the weather not be on my side.  My back and legs were aching off pedaling so hard to keep a good pace.  The thought of having to do that over 100miles is a daunting one.  Never the less I had the wind behind me now and the ride became easier for the next 9 miles home.
24.27 miles 1 hour 33 mins average speed 15.5mph.

Was a nice day today and I left the house at about 11:30.  The intention was to head off into the hills and get about 40 mile under my belt before I had to return home for James coming in from school.
I headed through Hebburn Quay and onto the river route towards Bill Quay and  then on and through Gateshead Quayside.  the wind was blowing quite strong and in my face but I was feeling pretty good and it wasn't making my ride too difficult.  On towards Swalwell and then up the steep and winding Whickam Bank.  I have now done this several times and it is a tough incline but every time I ride up it seems easier and less of a challenge.  Then at the top a left towards Lobley Hill and then a right toward Sunniside.  The road here seems to steadily climb and just doesn't seem to stop its a steady climb and goes on for a good few miles (or so it would seem).
I then took a left turn off this road towards Beamish I was looking forward to this stretch as I had never ridden it before and it looked a good challenge with some troughs and peaks to deal with.  However, I was distracted by a huge plume of black smoke over to the left of me in the distance.  It was quite some size and the  bellowed across the whole of skyline.  I had to investigate!  I changed my course  and travelled in the direction of the smoke.  This took me down into Kibblesworth and through Team Valley then up Bensham Bank and back down onto the Quayside at Newcastle to where the fire was in a scrapyard in Byker.  The place was swamped with Police, Firefighters, The Environment Agency, Press and people trying to get a close look.  I stayed and took a video and then headed back on my ride to North Shields through the Pedestrian Tunnel and home. 32.55 miles 2 hours 25 minutes average speed 13.4mph.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES!

As the weeks have gone by the problem of accomodation has proved tricky.  With help from a good friend it seems we may be getting somewhere.  It has not yet been confirmed 100% but it looks like out of 10 nights we have 6 definate places and 2 to get back to us with the other 2 places being to remote.  These places will probably be spent in the van or in a tent we will see.  The route has changed slightly to take me through Preston now as we have an offer of a bed in Chorley.
Any way the training is back on track and no problems showing with the achillis tendon.  Today I managed a nice mix of hills and flat covering Gateshead, Washington and Sunderland.  The wind was strong at times which throws up a different challenge when riding up hill and its in your face!  But as always I just switched off and put my head down and before I knew it I was at the top.  The other side of the coin I suppose is when your going down hill with the wind behind.  I felt good but never pushed too hard as I need to avoid injury now.  The ride was comfortable covering 29.47 miles, 1 hour 51 minutes average speed 15.8mph. 
I also managed to squeeze in a half mile swim and a relaxing sauna.

Its been a while since I last updated my blog so heres an update.  I have started and finished my new job!  After I was told my perminant shift was to be 2am to 10am over 6 days.  I have also been given the all clear after a visit to the soft tissue clinic.  They checked my achillies and told me to be sensible and every thing will be fine.  So I have managed several gym sessions and a few short rides over the last 3 days.
On the sponsorship side of things I have had a few good donations.  I had a visit  from an old friend who I used to play football with and he donated £50 on behalf of Hebburn Wardles FC.  I have received a cheque for £100 from Northumbrian Water, local shipyard A&P have donated a generous £300 and have asked for a sponsor for to take around the management and Tim Binks from RIDE cycles has called to say he will have my cycle ware ready some time this week.  A good friend of our family Dave Adlington has been helping to arrange some accomadation and has come up with some promising leads this should be tied up by the end of this week.
I am really pleased with the way things are going and can not wait to be on the road this has got to be the biggest challenge I have ever undertaken!
The training will be lighter than I would have liked from now on but at least I am fit enough to do this.  BRING IT ON!!!  

After last weeks news about having to rest my achillies I have managed to take it easy.  However, with only 4 weeks to go I feel I need to be active and am feeling frustrated at not being able to train with the intensity I would like to.  So I am heading off to the gym so I can train in a different way.  The most important thing is I am fit and ready for the ride so resting my foot is priority but maintaining the level of fitness is equally important.

Its killing me to be honest THERES NOTHING BETTER THAN BEING OUT ON THE BIKE!!

Having cycled for almost 5 months solid and my charity ride only 5 weeks from taking place I have seen me turn from Fatty to Fitty!!  However, it hasn't all been easy and my body has told me on the odd occassion slow down or fall down.  So this is some thing I have always listened to.  
In a few words I have taken a common sense approach to my training to give me the kind of results I have achieved.
So this week I have managed to get to the gym and also to put out a good few miles on my bike.  The cycling is easy now and the milage I cover never seems to phase me no matter what the terrain.  But I have mentioned once before I think about my achillies tendon aching slightly after riding.  Well today I went to see about it.  I read on the internet about cyclists getting tendonitis and although this doesn't stop them cycling it can cause problems long term.  So the advise I got today after speaking with the professionals was to stop my riding now so I will be fit enough to to my ride!  How gutted do you think I was to here that?
Any way on the plus side I can still train my upper body and do any thing I want as long as I put as little as possible effort on my achillies (left side only)  Also another fantastic pledge of £300 from A&P in Hebburn and also a huge thanks to my father in law for helping secure this along with £100 from Northumbrian Water which my dad arranged.  So it all can't be bad.
DON'T WORRY NOTHING WILL STOP ME !!!  I WON'T LET IT.......