How to invade Europe in 18 easy steps......

Hello my friends.....as many of you know.....the typist and I are setting off this coming week to cycle from our home in Ashtead across Europe to Amsterdam in the Netherlands....we shall pass through England, France, Belgium and approach Amsterdam along the Dutch coast...its about 350 miles in all and we have three days to do it in....we shall be cycling with a team of 54 riders and support staff....we leave on Wednesday and so today we have been doing some checking and prepping of our bike and cycling gear this weekend....

....Peter Tosh and I have got our trusty steed out in the back garden....Peter Tosh is an experienced bike mechanic....the bike is made of carbon fibre and weighs about 10kg with all its bits on it....(for my American readers, this is only 22 pounds)...

....Peter Tosh first has to test that the saddle height has been correctly set....he is hanging on with his very strong baboon feet....I am holding the bike steady so there are no accidents...you know our history with accidents round here...

....we are expecting to have plenty of daylight but we will be in the saddle for hours and its important that we have lights...sometimes you need these when its shady under the trees...we are testing the front light here...we also have a reflector...both are mounted on the handlebars....

....more important is the backlight....we tested that one very thoroughly and we are also taking another one which will attach to the back of the typist's helmet....do you think the red is bright enough?

....Peter Tosh is strong enough to use the track pump to make sure the tyres are correctly inflated....not too hard so the ride is too bumpy and we risk punctures and not too soft so that its too hard to ride....we like a medium tyre...maybe 90 psi or so....we have spare inner tubes and spare tyres to take....punctures are sadly common....

.....needs a bit more Peter....

...

....of course you cannot carry that track pump on the ride so Peter Tosh makes sure that the mini-pump is fitted to the frame...we went out once without it and had to wait 30 minutes for a friendly cyclist to come along so we could borrow one....

.....tightening the screws that hold in the bottle cages....its very important to keep properly hydrated on long rides...we shall carry two bottles of water at all times.....i just fit in the space but I think Peter Tosh is a bit big for his....

....eating is just as important and we shall be carrying a selection of energy bars, carbohydrate gels and some recovery drinks for the end of the rides each day....we like SiS for this....we are also promised that the support team will be serving tea and cakes every 2 hours!....

....the weather forecast is good but we will need a selection of shirts, shorts and socks for the journey....we have selected these two jerseys.....

.....but pride of place for the first day and the arrival in Amsterdam will be our Rianna's Fund jersey...we are riding to raise money for them...we hope to raise enough to build a school for 400 children in Uganda....we have tested the shirt already and it fits nicely and is comfy....

...well...it fits the typist rather better than it fits Peter Tosh....

....that goes for the shorts too....padded bib shorts for comfort.....are they dry Peter?

....and Peter Tosh insists that we thoroughly inspect the helmet...this is the most important part of our equipment..typist is a little prone to falling off his bikes....this one is made partly from Kevlar....

...sunglasses...check....

...mini-lock, padded gloves, waterproof cap and multi-tool for repairs.....

....carbon fibre shoes which are light and comfy...and some spare cleats..these are the bits which clip into the peddles....this keeps us secure and allows for firm pedalling....the cleats get worn out walking on hard surfaces if we have to get off the bike and so need to be replaced occasionally .....

...we are extremely proud to be riding for Riannas Fund...and we would like to say A MASSIVE THANKS..to all our friends who have kindly supported our efforts....the fundraising has gone beyond our wildest expectations...you can see the total HERE....we think we will easily be able to build that school.....

...we are setting off on Thursday morning before most of you will be awake....I hope to be able to tweet some reports along the way........and when we return Colonel Rocky will be at Border Terrier HQ for his annual inspection...hurrah!