Time goes on

Life has overtaken us at Hobbit's Towers, lately.

Organising the ride and the logistics has been in a state of finalisation for a few weeks, and I'm lucky to have a couple of close friends helping me out. Rich Holmes (fellow WC2C rider) and Paul Mugs (he's just nuts) are helping me by burning the midnight oil and planning who will be where, when, who will be driving and who will riding with me.

Their help is a major boon. You don't argue with these guys when they project manage.

I'm funding the whole project from personal funds, so that the money raised for charity isn't impacted upon. I may be eating bread and jam for a few years, so if you could try and help make it worthwhile, then please visit the Virgin Money site and donate, if you can afford to.

Two weeks ago was time for a good ride to see how fit I was feeling. So I planned a 12hr route, based on my speed in March 2009, when I did the first non-stop WC2C. I completed the route in under 9 hours- at 48hr pace. Dry Trails, and bogs, make such a difference.

I'm fitter, too, though and my bikes are faster and lighter than that I used in 2009, so all is looking good. I'm heavier though: It looks like I will lose about 2stone during the ride, so I'm not getting any thinner for obvious reasons.

I have a new major sponsor in the form of The North Face and their cycling and outdoor kit. It's lovely stuff, and I'm very happy to be associated with them and SantaCruz for 2011. A photoshoot is due to follow in the kit and a final press release for "The Hobbit's Tale," when I manage to get to spend some time at home and have some free time.

In other news, Steve Heading has done the new WC2C and it looks like he might have enjoyed it. Well, there are a couple of long climbs that he has used in Polaris events in the past, and he wasn't too keen on knowing what was coming. But there is a reason for this...

...Steve rode from his home, bivvied, then set off to ride the route in a bivvy style where he would stop and rest.

He forgot to stop.

Apart from having to stop to navigate (He's the first person to do the route blind and without recce or pre-ride information) he only really paused to unload his broken pannier rack at Coed-y-Brenin. This he did before stuffing and hanging all of his bivvy kit, including the pannier rack, into and onto his rucksack and carrying on.

Look at the crack on the rack. Pretty terminal?

Rucksack, bivvy kit, cooker...

...That's not a set up designed for speed.

How very dare he finish in under 26 hours?

How can you forget to stop?

Then, at Cardiff, he bivvied. The next morning he started the ride home to complete a total riding time of 53hours and 850Km.

The Celtic ring at the end of The WC2C

Look out for him at the Colorado Trail Race. This guy is a machine.