B day minus 4.....

Equipment check :

A) The Bike - The Spanish Lady (Carmen) is fine. I washed and polished her yesterday and she’s ready to go. The chain is oiled, the tyres are fine with not signs of wear and the derailleurs work smoothly. The brake pads are in good shape and the wheels are almost (!!) straight. I did not get a new pair as I have not lost the weight I planned and so I do not 'deserve' them. But at the first opportunity I will change the wheelset. The saddle works perfectly - I had also bought some 'gel equipped' cork tape but have not bothered to change it...

B) Clothes - The Assos bibs are fantastic. They fit perfectly (very suprised as I am a large guy and I am not shaped like your classic cyclist). The padding worked fine for a 80km ride ... but I am not hopeful for 200kms. The MTB shoe/pedal combo works like a charm and up to now I did not have any problems. Helmet is ok, my glasses are fine .... now what I am not sure about is what to wear on top. It will depend on the weather of course and the forecasts for the day - I have a couple of alternative jerseys in the car and will chose before the start. I will layer as much as I can so I can have the flexibility to remove layers as the brevet progresses

c) Food - With me I plan to carry a couple of Alpen Bars, some dried fruit (figs, sultanas) and dried nuts. I will also have a couple of gels (just in case) but will plan to have food stops. There are plenty of kiosks on the way to grab a croissant or an energy drink so I do not plan to stuff my pockets with food and drink

d) Spares - I will have two spare tubes, a multi - tool, some spare chain links and a chain tool, a pump and a tube repair kit and of course some money !! I will stuff everything in a saddle bag.

I plan to have everything packed and the bike on the car rack by Friday afternoon. I do not want to look for stuff at the last moment.