It starts...again...

So it's been seven months since I failed to complete JOGLE, with my knee giving up after 320-odd miles. The time since I finished has been mostly filled with work, having had a manic second half of 2012. I have found myself though becoming more and more obsessed with cycling, heading to Paris to watch Sir Bradley win 'Le Tour', to the Olympics to see Sir Chris win two more Golds, and then, of course, I got to cycle with the man himself in September.

I spend a lot of my non-working waking time watching, researching and thinking about cycling, and have set up my bike on a turbo trainer at home. This obsession will, hopefully, culminate in me completing my JOGLE trip later this year.

In order to be better going up the hills the first thing I thought I needed to do was lose weight. So I have. I have worked pretty hard at it and since late October I have lost around 21 pounds. I am now over a stone lighter than when I attempted JOGLE in 2012 as can be seen here...

[The blip about a month ago was holiday - an omelette and three hash browns for breakfast really don't help you lose weight...who knew?]

As well as the turbo trainer I am used to easily doing 20-30 mile rides now, and really want to buy a new bike. This is the one I really want (but the boss says it's too expensive)...

The only problem, however, is my knee. It is still not right. I get a twinge every other day, and I don't really know what's wrong or why it hurts...it just isn't 'right'. So, I am off to see a physio again this week to a) get a proper diagnosis, and b) seek some treatment. My insurance company are covering the first four sessions so I should have some sort of idea what is wrong by the end of these sessions.

The current plan is to get back on the bike and do the first three stages in May. My bro has offered to be my 'lift' again, and Matt (my John o'Groats to Inverness buddy from last year) is going to do the three days from where I stopped (just south of Glasgow) to Wigan. I have also got a few other friends who are hoping to do a leg (Lisa, Ryan, and Chris) before we get to Wigan. There are then two options I am looking at...Option One - head straight through to LE - another seven days or so of cycling, following the previous route I had plotted.

My current preferred option is the second one...this would involve twelve days cycling in July, using the time as our 'summer holiday' and only doing around thirty miles a day. If I could get up and out by, say, 7.30/8 every day it would enable us to have a family holiday/do stuff in the afternoon. currently thinking of hiring a campervan (again) but that's a different story... :D

Either way, having raised over £4,000 (so far) it is important I finish. important for the people that showed good faith sponsoring me, important for my wife, who is fed up of hearing about it, and important for me, I still feel a huge sense of failure.