A background

Bit of a background

The Deloitte Ride Across Britain or RAB for short is an annual cycle odyssey from Lands End to John O'Groats in Scotland.  The journey is about 1000 miles in total and will, in this case, be completed over 9 back to back days in early September. 

I got caught up in the euphoria that surrounded the tour de France and shortly after Bradley Wiggins started his acceptance speech with the words "right we are about to draw the raffle" I emailed the organisers asking to be put on the backup list for this year. First thing next day I was offered a place due to a drop out. 

To date my biking CV is as follows:
- Aged 8: Had my driver push me around on my bike, went as fast as he could run as the brief was not to let me go
- Aged 15-22: Rode bike a few times in Austrian countryside
- Aged 23-26: Spin classes in gym, Boris biking and learning to ride with no hands

I do no have a bike nor any of the necessary accessories, experience or clothing let alone the required training. The good news is that I have 45 days to prepare, train like a monster, buy all the biking gear and begin to appreciate the history of this sport. Without question this isn't anywhere near enough time but, like all my hobbies, I'm going to go for it. 

I'm putting my social life on hold for the next month and a half, gyming / training up to twice a day and will personally boost the cycling industry by throwing money at it. 

There is of course another side to why Deloitte employees take part in this ride. We are raising money for the very deserving British Paralympic Association. Here is a link to my donations page. http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TommyNguyenCRAB 

There is more information on the ride here http://www.rideacrossbritain.com/

Thanks