Team building

For this to work we're going to have to have teams within a team. (Is 'sub-team' a real word? Didn't think so). So we need nine riders. Not quite there yet, but there's plenty of time.

Slowly, but surely, people are getting on board. The weekly(ish) meetings are beginning to make sense. We're starting to think about things like:

• Route - what's the best way to do this? Obviously we can't use busy roads if people are cycling - especially during the night - but we do need to keep it direct if we can.
  
• Stopping-off points - between riders and then between teams.
• Hotels - this is still a point of contention. Some people want to keep this as low-key as possible, with camping being discussed. Other people (we'll call them 'sensible people', shall we?) say that this is a silly idea. Long-lost contacts at at hotel chains are being dug out.
• Bikes - now this may sound daft. But at least one rider doesn't actually have a bike. Which could be interesting.

We've started to think about publicity. At the end of the day, the whole purpose of this is to raise oodles of cash for a good cause. So people need to know about it. JustGiving, here we come...

Taking shape

The route is beginning to look right. Starting at 6.00am on a Friday at Land's End (most end-to-enders do it this way as the prevailing winds are at your back). By sundown on Friday we'll be somewhere around Bristol, maybe into Gloucestershire.

Saturday sees us heading straight up England, running parallel to the Welsh border and making for the Lake District. With the quieter roads in Scotland we should be at JOG by the end of Sunday.

Of course, there's no actual stopping as such. Someone's going to be cycling at any time throughout the day. There will be hotel rooms at three locations, which we'll swap between teams. The concept of hot bunking has been discussed.

Apparently, it's all the rage in the submarine service.

Any takers?

So far we haven't quite got everyone we need, if the plan is to succeed. Unless people are going to agree to do a lot more cycling than is practical. Or healthy, for that matter.

So the word is going out. People are looking at their colleagues in a whole new way. "Do you think so-and-so would be up for it? They look vaguely fit."

There's now a small group of us meeting up once a week to agree a plan and think about who else we can drag into this. Things are changing fast.