1000 Mile Challenge 2010 - LEJOG

LEJOG 2010 - THE SECOND 1000MILE CHALLENGE

In May the second 1000Mile Challenge will kick off. Last year my good friend Dirk Bischof rode the first in what may just become our yearly way of putting our cycling prowess in the service of charity. Whereas Dirk’s ride was in Japan, this year we are staying closer to home by tackling the classic Lands End to John O Groats cycle ride, with the aim of raising money for a little-known but excellent charity called Project Peru. Although the path from this most South-western point to most North-eastern point of the United Kingdom has been beaten by many cyclists and runners over the years, it is a big event and one not to be taken lightly. Aside from the 1100 mile distance there are some seriously steep hills and although we are all hoping it will be dry and sunny the whole way we are likely to see some strong winds and lashing rain too. After all, this is Britain - the weather is impossible to predict here. I will be accompanied on the trip by my good friends Dirk Bischof (MD of the charity Embrace), Deuan German (Finance Manager for the charity CEN), Oliver Hoare (Head Information Assurance for the Olympic Delivery Authority London 2012) and Damian Bell (MD of Supply Direct).

There will also be riders joining us on certain stages. If you want to come along, look at our schedule and tell us which stage you’d like to join. You will need a racing bike and stamina and we'll also ask you to raise some money for the charity. Our daily mileage quota is around 100 so come and challenge yourself! Of course I will keep you updated here on our training, preparation and during the ride itself. We will also be filming the trip and posting ride updates on Vimeo and Youtube, with a documentary of our experience also in the works.

As I mentioned, we are raising money for the charity Project Peru, a great charity which is completely volunteer-based. It is run by a lovely couple, David and Carole. Both in their sixties, they really are an example of how much can be achieved if you put time into your passion. Their charity supports children in the desert shanty towns of Lima, Peru with food, shelter and education. They also offer real, ongoing and practical help to local community groups so please be generous and help us to help them by donating any amount of money via my www.justgiving.co.uk/Eric-Jorrin site to donate. Aside from individual donations we are of course also very interested in talking to companies and organisations who may wish to sponsor us. We can offer a lot of exposure in return, so do get in touch.

The ride itself is not just called a 1000Mile Challenge. Although the distance from Land's End, in the furthest South West of the UK, to John O Groats, the furthest North East in Scotland is 874 miles as the crow flies, the route we are taking is a bit longer! The distance we expect cover in 10 days of cycling is about 1100 miles and interspersed with mountainous hills, unreliable weather and poor roads. It is sure to be an adventure, although I have to say I am not looking forward to lashing rain at the same time as climbing a 20%+ hill. And although all of us cycle on a regular basis, riding 100+ miles every day for 10 days solid is something that requires some more training and preparation than a sturdy breakfast alone. To prepare we have set up 10 training rides in the months leading up to the ride.