Etape or Bust - Progress report

Here's my lovely carbon compact crank.

50/34. I hope I get strong enough to manage with a 34 chainring. I've got a 12-27 on the back.

Today I've eclipsed all expectations and done an 88 miler.

It’s 5 weeks down the line since I said ‘yes’ and embarked on this Etape journey.
It’s fairly easy to pay your money, get the bike and tell your family and friends what you’re doing. The stark reality of actually doing it, is something else. It is going to be very tough. 5 Cols in The Pyrenees, over 4000 metres of climbing, and the small matter of 125 miles. It is scary.

Let’s take stock again.

I’ve got the best possible equipment. A Specialized Roubaix S-Works bike. No excuses on the kit front. Plus I’ve got the shoes, shorts, jersey, gloves, arm and leg warmers, cycling computer, and all the other paraphernalia.

I’ve got support from Jacko and Steve Atkinson from Bard UK who invited me to participate, and a host of other people in webland. Fellow bloggers such as Mark and nmcgann have given great advice.The cycling community is a big one. Mentally, I have insight into the size of the task ahead, and have given myself just about enough time to get prepared.

The weather has improved, and I’ve got stuck into some regular riding. I haven’t injured myself too badly, despite a silly fall, and the tendons, joints and muscles are holding together. My plan is to aim for one long ride per week, and to gradually increase the distance in increments of 5 to 10 miles per week. In between the big one, I will mix it up with intervals, hill work, speed sessions, and commuting the 11 miles to work as often as possible. I’ve programmed two or three organised events along the way to measure my progress. Now I've got a few weeks of riding in my legs I'm going to target the climbing problem, and spend a few hours going up and down the biggest climbs on the Island.

I’ve kept a training log.
To date I’ve done a 88 miler, which happens to be today’s ride. My diary demonstrates clearly that I'm getting stronger and fitter. I'm climbing better. Mentally I'm becoming accustomed to spending many hours in the saddle.

Finally, I need to raise some money for charity.

Prostate Cancer is one of those silent killers that gets we men. It’s not very sexy. It isn’t something men talk about down the pub. Most blokes know virtually nothing about their prostate. Still, prostate cancer, isn’t that what killed Frank Zappa? It will never happen to us? In any case, only old men get it, don’t they? And what was it The Who sang…’hope I die before I get old’? How ironic.
Another problem are the lack of signs and symptoms of the disease. And you can’t examine your own prostate, can you? You can't see it. And even more terrifying than actually getting the prossy cancer, in order to examine the prostate, rumour has it the doctor puts his finger up your bumhole. And sometimes the doctor is a girl! Imagine a girl doctor seeing your anus? Gosh.
A doctor joke..the time to worry is when the male doctor is examining your prostate and puts two hands on your shoulders and says, ‘Now that’s doesn't feel too bad, does it?’

Billy Connolly summarised it nicely when he said one of the worst thing about reaching fifty was that his GP totally lost interest in the wellbeing of his testicles, and developed a perverse fascination with his aresehole. The GP insisted on performing a digital rectal examination (DRE). It felt like he’d inserted a telegraph pole. Yes, it is very funny when the Big Yin tells the story, but the underlying message is clear. Men think it going to hurt, and are embarrassed.

Is it any wonder men are reluctant to have their prostate examined? No. And in any case, DRE is not a specific or even a sensitive test for detecting early cancer. It is not an easy test to interpret.

But there are other things we should be thinking of. There is a protein called PSA which the prostate secretes. There is a reasonably good correlation between the level of PSA in the bloodstream and the presence of prostate cancer. OK, it’s not a perfect test, but men over 45 should be getting their PSA levels monitored by their GP. Male Health is not big on the political agenda and we men have missed out on the political healthcare lobbying roundabout to female cancers such as breast and cervix. There should be more public awareness of this cancer and there should be more research.

The Prostate Cancer Charity raises money in order to fight the disease. This organisation offers information, support, and guidance for patients, relatives and doctors. It supports and encourages research. These people lobby on our behalf, and will be one of your first ports of call should you be unfortunate and get this disease.

So, I need to organise my fundraising effort. Watch this space.