AND WE'RE OFF!

And we're off!  Metaphorically speaking that is.  After many, many months of planning we are finally launching the fundraising drive for LEJOG 2012 - The Ride For Vince.

Julie, Jeff, Robin, Joy, Ian and Jill

The route is planned, the accommodation booked and the team shirts have arrived. All that is left are many more miles of training and prayers for the weather to be kind to us.

Training had been going very well until a couple of weeks ago when Ian experienced tendinitis in his knee.  However rest and  gentle riding seem to have solved the problem and he's starting to up the mileage again.  Ian has come from a position of not riding at all at the beginning of the year to being able to complete a 185 mile 2 day ride around London on May 19-20 (The London Revolution), a remarkable feat.  That weekend also changed Jeff's and Ian's perception of distances - 50 milers now feeling a bit of a lightweight option so the big weekly team rides have been upped to the 80 - 90 mile range.  These have been topped up with shorter individual sessions on the road and regular spinning sessions in the gym.

Both Ian and Jeff have benefitted from a bike fitting session at the LBS (local bike shop), Cyclezone in Crowthorne where the adjustments, although only small, have proved very important.  The best example of this is the  1.5cm lowering of Jeff's saddle height that seems to have cured the stiffness that he used to get in his lower back.  Cyclezone also offered a lot of advice on riding position and on the preparation for LEJOG which will be invaluable.

The whole team are now looking forward to raising as much money as they can for the causes that inspired Vince and to their own emotional journies in tribute to him.

We shall be posting updates on this site during the ride to allow you to share in our pain and progress.