Le Tour Challenge 2007

Well, only a few days to rum now until we’re off.  Good thing we’re supposed to be tapering off and resting up some for the start as the weather is crap and clocking up the miles wouldn’t be much fun in this… 

Best news is that we’ve had a last minute addition to the support team. Pete will be coming along as our mechanic and driver and also joining us for a few days on the road.  He’s a really laid back guy who works as a mechanic suporting a pro mountain biking team.  We can’t believe quite how its all worked out, we’ve got a really professional team behind us and we can’t wait to get going.

All of the sponsors are in place and the team kit has been delivered.  Looks good and we’ll be launching it at our “bon voyage” do at Tiger Tiger on Tuesday night.  We’re expecting a special guest to along, Geraint Thomas of Team Barloworld, who will be on the start-line for the Tour two days after us.  A Cardiff lad and first Welsh rider in the Tour for 40 years, we wish him the best of luck and we’re really stoked that he can spare some time to send us on our way so close to his big day in London on Saturday.

We’ve been equipped with a mobile PDA to kep the blog up-to-date while we’re on the road.  Keep looking and we’ll be updating daily.

No post for ages, apologies to anybody following the thread.  Last few weeks have been crazy with training and orgainisational stuff and hardly had 2 spare seconds.  We’re rounding the bend for the home straight now.  The miles are pretty well in the bag (and on the legs!!) and the remaining training is focussing on some specifics -building some power, more concentration on climbing, that kind of thing.  Looking forward to the taper down and actually just getting on and riding it for real…

We’ve got a new support team member on board for the last 2 weeks of the ride - Jonathan, who will be graduating from a sports therapy course and the next day flying out to joining us after we’ve rideden 2 days in the Alps!.  I bet he didn’t think a few months ago his skills would be so quickly put to use.  Great guy and we’re really pleased to have him on the team (and his firm hands on our thighs no doubt…) 

The sponsorship to support the ride is all in the bag, thanks mostly to the efforts (and connections!) of Andy Morris of Denver Construction who is deeply committed to the CF fund raising cause. Our main sponsors are Denver, Whitehead Building Services, Get Connected! and Coca Cola.  We have also received generous support from a number of other businesses, including Elite Motorhomes and Leo Abse & Cohen, Mick’s employers.  More on that to be added to the website itself shortly.

The team kit has all been designed and is now in production - talk about “just in time” supply.  

We’ve been interviewed and filmed training (or pretending to…) by the BBC.  The piece they are putting together is being stored up to go out the week that the Tour comes to the UK.  We’re also shortly being equipped by the BBC with video diary equipment to film the final stages of our preparations and the ride itself.  Look out for this… 

We will be having a team kit launch and farewell event in Tiger, Tiger club in Cardiff on 3 July at which there will be a charity fund raising auction / raffle.

Promise more updates as we come into the finish straight.  Just trying to sort out portable internet access for the trip at the moment so we’ll be able to keep a daily post going.