Why the Etape?

I hate travelling on public transport. It is a dehumanising experience commuting into London day in day out. So I would stand there on the train or bus, crammed in with the snotters and the sneezers, and look out and see hundreds of cyclists weaving their way through London's traffic. Ummm....I could do that but I am too much of a coward. But, the more I thought of it the more I wanted to give it a go. In a way I had to confront that fear.

I don't know where I saw my first 'fixie' but immediately I thought - I should know better at my age, but [man] I want one of those! I chatted to my friend James at work because I knew he had one and then I saw this video:

MASH Austin with Lance Armstrong 2008 from MASH TRANSIT PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.

Lance? On a fixed gear? That was it, no further persuasion was necessary. With James's encouragement I finally took the plunge and ordered a shiny new Charge Plug.

That was in June and now less than 6 months later I have covered hundreds of mile on my Charge and entered the Etape 2010. Madness.

But, 2010 was always going to be Lance's year. I promised myself I would get to see him in what will probably be his final Tour. And when I heard about the Etape in a cycling magazine I thought taking on that challenge would be a perfect way to salute him. I doubt I have been this excited about anything in a long time!

So, I train most days anyway in the gym. I keep pretty fit and now this has given me the incentive to take it to the next level. I like to train with weights and I will keep that going. I like to row and get out for the odd run and I will also continue to do that but the big thing is to get a nice racing bike and put in some long rides. To support that I have entered the King of the Downs next May which looks really tough but I am up for it.