Getting braced...

This week I received my training plan for RAB 2010... Well, actually I got 3, for varying levels of ability. You were given a brief questionnaire to determine which training level you were;

• Enthusiast - What's a bicycle?
  
• Club - Has ridden a bike on occasion
  
• Pro - My name is Bradley Wiggins, and I display god-like powers on 2 wheels
  

The quiz put me in the "Pro" category, which I didn't believe at all, and that was before I even saw the plans. The schedules cover 9 months of training on a day-by-day basis, and towards the end you can expent to be spending 20-30 hours a week in the saddle, and that's on the "Club" schedule I quickly decided was the right one for me. The "Pro" one was insane, and expected you to have a Powertap (a rather expensive gizmo that measures the power you're outputing in wattage terms on the rear wheel of your bike. they are built into the hub, and need a fairly pricy computer linked upto them...)

It's starting to hit home just how far JOGLE (the nickname for John O'Groats to Lands End) is...this week I clocked up 2,000 miles cycling in the last 6 months...by comparison JOGLE is 1008 miles, and I'll be doing that in 9 days...previously it's taken 3 months! I've set myself an arbitary goal of doing the cycling bit in 60 hours, which equates to just under 17mph average, and about 6½ hours a day cycling. I'm already starting to think that I might be way too optimistic there. To add fun into the factor we'll be going north-to-south, which is against the prevailing winds in June.

I'm determined to stick close to the training plan... on a day-by-day basis items will need to be shuffled, however I'm looking to stick to the weekly targets, and use it as motivation to haul my ass off the sofa and get the miles in. In true geek fashion I've added a countdown and training agenda to my blog...it won't help any, but it should make me feel guilty whenever I see it...

Aside from the training, I will also need to sort out kit. I'm going to the CycleShow in a couple of weeks, and hoping to pick up some new shorts, tops, and also try out some saddles, looking for one that doesn't turn into a razor blade after 3 hours. I have a cunning plan that involves transplanting the aero wheels from my TT bike onto my road bike for the actual event, though I'm still half-tempted to upgrade the road-bike, as I only have 14 gears on the current one, and the 20 on the TT bike are a real blessing... Might be tricky convincing Gill on the sense behind that one...