This was me on Sunday getting ready for the charity c2c bike ride this coming weekend. Before you say anything, no, I'm not carrying a spare tyre up my jumper! That's merely a trick of the light. Beneath that top is a finely-honed six pack.

Talking of six packs, yes, that is a can of Stella in my hand. Ten miles in to the twenty mile ride we stopped off for a beer. I think all of us who were out on Sunday realised we're in for a shock this weekend.

England might be a small country but it's still 130 odd miles wide at the point we're crossing it. We start on Friday (climbing from sea level of course) with 50 miles of the Lake District. Saturday is 40 miles over the Peaks and then Sunday is 40 miles down to Sunderland and the finish. It's no Tour de France, but then I'm not exactly Lance Armstrong.

Don't be thinking this is a walk in the park. It is a challenge and we're all bound to meet the pain barrier at some point.

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