I’m writing this blog post from a room in London having completed Ride London with my friend Jordan yesterday. Expect a blog post on this in the next week or so.

We did it! #ridelondon

A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Jul 31, 2016 at 8:39am PDT

My aims for last month

Draft the fundraising letters ready to be sent out in August

All done waiting to send these out and hope they bring some money in!

Ride a 10,000ft

Unfortunately I’ve not achieved this again. I’ve done around 7000ft and been riding lots of hills, but a 1000ft among my training would have been counter productive, I will do this in America.

I only have 3/3.5 more weeks left of training as I will be having some downtime with my fundraising party, and also to get myself to America. I’m currently doing consecutive days on the bike to prepare my body for the onslaught of no rest. I can’t do 100+ miles every morning so I counter than by just climbing hills each morning. It’s constant climbing for 3 hours around the biggest hills in my area, the Peak District.

Over four grand on the donations. Plenty of stuff planned for August before I start in September! Thanks to everyone who donated so far! #rideforthechild

A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Jul 26, 2016 at 4:52am PDT

Fundraising has gone a little better this month. I’m now over £4000 with the gift aid and it’s starting to roll in a little more as it’s fast approaching. I can feel a bit more of a buzz developing and I hope that results in more donations. I’m going to really give it a good push this month and market the hell out of it.

I’m experiencing a lot of conflicting feelings, excitement/nervous, fit/not fit enough, done my best/could have done more. The mental battle might well be the hardest and it’s already begun.

Struggling to think of which aims to add for this month. I have broken them down into smaller tasks over these past 11 months and now I’m suddenly faced with a whopping one in four weeks! My biggest concerned right now is the fundraising, I would be gutted if, after all this effort, I didn’t reach my 10k target. With that in mind here are my aims for this month

• Market the ride and absolutely hammer social media channels
• Send all the fundraising letters to local businesses and organisations
• Collect all the prizes for the fundraising raffle
• Sort all the stuff out for the fundraising night
• Relax!

Thanks everyone for all your support

Shane x

Aims for last month

Ride a 10,000ft

Not done this. The way my training has worked there hasn’t really been a suitable weekend. I have done an 8000ft and 7000ft consecutive though.

Do the two day test weekend, review and consider how day-to-day should work in America

Did this last weekend, you can read the review here.

Complete the maintenance course, video it and ensure I know what I’m doing

This is also complete now. I was featured on Evans’ blog off the back of it and I have a post coming next week which goes into more detail.

Other aims I was yet to complete

Order the banner

This is now in my possession, it looks fantastic but I’m not sure how I’m going to get it to America yet! It’s quite large!

My banner came. How am I going to get this in my luggage!

A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Jun 24, 2016 at 4:49am PDT

Check out insurance

Like many things on this trip this proved much more difficult than first thought. Some wouldn’t cover the trip, others wouldn’t cover the bike and some weren’t willing to pay out long term if I had an accident. I finally got a few good leads yesterday so hopefully this will be sorted soon!

It has been another good month on the bike. I’m finally reaching the required daily mileage (120 miles) and feeling relatively good after. Obviously I’m concerned about doing this for 28 consecutive days but I’ve still two months of training left and I’m preparing myself as well as I can. It is crazy how much my mentality has changed to distance and life in general, big things are seemingly so much smaller now. Things are certainly starting to become – and feel – a lot more real.

I’ve spent a lot of this month trying to sort as much as possible and again I really underestimated the costs and the amount of things required. For example 3 nights accommodation in SF/NY £700, Insurance £200+, Banner £200, Bike boxes £300 Taxis to/from airport etc etc etc. I have a final RV payment of £4000 to pay next month, then add the flights, fuel, bike etc and we are looking at a significant sum. The costs have been made so much easier by my sponsors and I will be forever grateful to them!

I’ve a lot of stuff coming up in my final 8 weekends. A few events that spring to mind include:

• Ride London
• Fundraising party
• Lake district ride
• Ride to Scarborough
• New video shoot
• 2 x weddings
• 1 x stag

Things are getting hectic and my daily routine now consists of getting up at 5am, riding 40 miles, going to work, finishing and eating tea, trying to squeeze a few hours of marketing/organising in before bed and repeat. This process only differs on weekends where I ride for 120 miles or so instead of going to work. It’s hectic but I’m enjoying and taking a huge amount of satisfaction from it.

“My daily routine now consists of getting up at 5am, riding 40 miles, going to work, finishing and eating tea, trying to squeeze a few hours of marketing/organising in before bed and repeat”

I have raised about 3k which I guess is not bad, but I’ve still a long way to go to the target of 10k and I’m freaking out about that. I’m on television next month (BBC2 6th July 8am, also iPlayer after) and I’ve a few really good marketing opportunities coming up so I’m hoping things will start to pick up in the weeks before I go. I’m planning to send thousands of letters out to local businesses and organisations in August, I’m hoping that will bring in a significant amount.

Aims for July

• Draft the fundraising letters ready to be sent out in August
• Ride a 10,000ft
• Ride 1000 miles

Aims for last month

I need to get the banner for the RV designed and printed
Not done yet annoyingly and I really could have done with it for a video shoot last week. Had some issues with the designs. Need to get it done this month.

I need to make some inquiries about insurance over in America
Rob is on with this.

I need to find someone who can spend some time explaining the mechanics of the bike and how to fix/replace stuff. I can then possess the knowledge – in addition to recording it for reference – should anything go wrong.
I’ve got this booked in for 16th June at Evans Cycles!

This has been a really productive month and finally, after nine months of hard training, I’m starting to see some results on the bike. My trainer, Jody Warrington, said that things will come together and they really have this week. After all the struggles and negative thoughts for the past nine months this is the most positive I have been to date.

This weekend just gone I managed..

• First ever back to back 100 miles, I did an 80, 101 and 108 on consecutive days
• First ever sub 6 hour 100 miles, I got about 5h 52mins. I did the 108 miles in 6h 22mins, averaging a fantastic 17mph
• Biggest ever ride elevation at 7100ft, only a handful of days are as hilly as this in America. However there are a few days in excess of 10,000ft
• Most importantly after almost 300 miles in 3 days I’m feeling decent!

Things are getting quite hectic now and I’ve a lot of stuff coming up this month. I’m away this weekend riding in the Cotswold’s and then myself and my support man are doing a two day practice somewhere in the UK. I also have a fair amount of press, radio and general ride meetings coming up in addition to various fundraising activities.

Aims for June

• Ride a 10,000ft
• Do the two day test weekend, review and consider how day-to-day should work in America
• Complete the maintenance course, video it and ensure I know what I’m doing

Aims for last month

If all goes well I’m riding my first 100 this month at the Lionheart Sportive on the 17th representing my chosen cancer charity CLIC Sargent. If I complete that with no problems I will feel much more confident. #nervous

I did it! You can read more about it here. This was a huge milestone for me.

I don’t really have many aims this month other than train hard. I need a break from the stress of organising and worrying about everything before it really gets hectic, April is the month for that!

It’s been a nice relaxing month and I’ve just been focusing on my cycling. It has most certainly been the most productive month since I started. My cycling is really starting to pick up now and I’m currently managing blocks of consecutive 4 hours Fri-Sun. This hourly figure will continue to increase in the remaining four months until I hit my target of 8-9 hours. I focus on hours instead of miles as the important thing is ensuring I can do the hours in the saddle regardless of the weather, terrain or my condition.

This has been a really big month for me and I’m feeling much more positive than I have been for the past few months. I know I can cycle 100 miles and my endurance levels are increasing by the week. My legs are fairly tired post rides but I’m recovering well to go again the next day.

Although I’m now used to it, it’s a bit mental riding for so long each day. It takes some real planning and getting used to. I have to think like 5 hours ahead each time I ride. Have I got enough food? What’s the weather like? Is my clothing suitable? What route am I taking? Will i be back for the rugby? Ha.  I have made a few mistakes such going too far out (or high up where it’s freezing) without checking the forecast and not taking enough food and no money. You get used to it and thankfully in America I will have a support team, which will make life easier. I can’t really do much on a weekend these days as I’m riding for half the day and then refueling/resting ready for the next. It really takes it out of you, and the more you do post-ride the harder it will be the next day.

On a side note the weather has been ridiculous! Bit of sun and warmth would be nice going forwards!

Aims for May

Of course it goes without saying that I need to keep training hard but here are some additional aims, a pretty calm month again until it gets really hectic in the last two.

• I need to get the banner for the RV designed and printed
• I need to make some inquiries about insurance over in America
• I need to find someone who can spend some time explaining the mechanics of the bike and how to fix/replace stuff. I can then possess the knowledge – in addition to recording it for reference – should anything go wrong.

Last months aims

Plan – and analyse – each day. Studying all the roads and ensuring the milage, amount of climbing etc is ok.

I need to create digital routes that can be used on my GPS Garmin device and also paper routes that can be referred to.

I’ve complete both of these! The whole route can be found here. I completely changed from my initial route and I now go a little straighter across the country. A HUGE HUGE thanks to Neil, he has been a massive help! I still need to sit down with the support team and plan the stops etc but every single road looks to be sorted now!

This has probably been my most productive month on the road! I’ve made some decent progress since my injury, I’m progressing well and most importantly I’m feeling a bit more confident (however that is subject to change once my training starts increasing rapidly!). I’ve been totally focused this month and have really put the hours in both with my training and the ride organisation.

Most of the important organisation stuff – such as the logistics – is all sorted now so I’m in a good position to focus solely on my training for 2/3 months. All the invites went out for the big fundraising bash in August and I’ve sorted the bands and various activities throughout the day.

The weather is improving and there is now more light throughout the day, it makes my cycling so much more enjoyable! I seem to have settled into a nice routine with everything now, nothing feels like a chore anymore.

On the donations front I have £2,254.75 with the gift aid. I’m pleased with that – just short of 25% of my total. There are various things in place that are continuously pulling money in and I’m hoping the party will raise at least a thousand. The bulk of the money is hopefully going to start rolling in once the ride gets closer, a snowball effect on all the marketing/press etc would be nice!

Aims for April

• If all goes well I’m riding my first 100 this month at the Lionheart Sportive on the 17th representing my chosen cancer charity CLIC Sargent. If I complete that with no problems I will feel much more confident. #nervous
• I don’t really have many aims this month other than train hard. I need a break from the stress of organising and worrying about everything before it really gets hectic, April is the month for that!

Lets have a look at last month aims.

Get someone – preferably with intimate knowledge of American roads – to check over my routes and ensure everything is looking ok
I’ve done it, the route is now planned. I will have a blog post outlining this in more detail in March.

Make a decision on which bike to buy
I’ve got one! Expect a post on this soon too!

Get some promotional events booked in
This was tough. It is so, so difficult to get a response from larger businesses/organisations. I have a few promising leads but nothing much more to report.

It has been a relatively good month on several fronts. The route is looking good, the bike purchased, I’m back on the bike following my back pain and the Bootcamp was a success. In addition to my training, many of the sponsorship events are going to start in the months leading up to the ride so it’s going to be a really hectic 6 months.

Naturally I am freaking out a bit about the fact it’s over 6 months away and I’m not physically fit enough yet. But the good news is I am so much stronger, flexible and fitter than I was 6 months ago. If the last 6 months focused on getting the fundamentals right, these next 6 months will be about finding the required endurance levels. I’m still a little worried about my back but the hard works starts now and I’m totally focused on achieving my goals.

One thing that has annoyed me this month is the fact I’ve reverted back to some bad ways, for example not eating very well and an increase in alcohol. At the start of the training I said I was going to quit crap food (nameley take-aways) and only have around 5 nights out in the next year, those aims have well and truly gone out of the window. I need to ease back on some things in life and focus 100% on my training.

Aims for March

This month is going to be route focused, it’s important I get this nailed before things start getting hectic.

• Plan – and analyse – each day. Studying all the roads and ensuring the milage, amount of climbing etc is ok.
• I need to create digital routes that can be used on my GPS Garmin device and also paper routes that can be referred to.

Aims for last month…

I’ve a load of events and announcements to make, so they need to be released throughout December. There will be 4/5 posts this month!

There were a few posts last month including a main sponsor, kit sponsor, my father and a change of training!

I need to make an introduction image thing for the start of all my YouTube videos which will feature my logo and the sponsors.

This is done! You can see an example of this on a Bootcamp session here.

I need to decide what bike I’m buying for the ride, and perhaps buy it!

Annoyingly I was ready to buy this Canyon bike yesterday but I found out there is a FIVE month waiting list. It has really thrown me and I’m now considering what other options I have.

I need get my head down for this next month and train hard to make up for the lost days. No excuses.

I have been training hard.

This month has been a strange one. Other than 2 x 30 mins on the turbo I haven’t rode a bike this year. My trainer took the decision to move me onto swimming and other core exercises in the hope of sorting my bad back. It’s definitely a bit stronger, but until I get back in the saddle I won’t know how much more it can endure. I don’t want to write – or think – too much more about this, the post above covers most of it.

I have one more month until some of my focus will move to promotional aspects of the ride. I was keen to start spreading the word with 6 months to go and then really push it during the last three months. These promotional activities will include me contacting as many magazines, newspapers, businesses, companies etc as possible to see if they can help spread the word. I have some promising leads for promotional events in shopping centre’s,  so it would be nice to explore some other avenues and get them officially booked in.

Donations are going really well and I’m just short of £1500 without too much effort. I have lots of fundraising events planned in the 5/6 months leading up to the ride and I will be sending thousands of letters out to businesses and organisations. I’m not overly confident of achieving the £10k target right now (as it’s such a huge amount of money) but as with everything in this ride, I will do my absolute best.

Things are getting real!

A photo posted by @rideforthechild on Jan 25, 2016 at 7:31am PST

I have spent all this weekend planning the route. It is far far harder than I first imagined and it has changed dramatically since the first attempt. I have also spent the last three weeks running a fitness Bootcamp at work to raise money for the ride. I will be blogging about both of these in more detail later this month.

Aims for this month

• Get someone – preferably with intimate knowledge of American roads – to check over my routes and ensure everything is looking ok
• Make a decision on which bike to buy
• Get some promotional events booked in

Seven months to go! I’m nervous!

Shane

I’ve had a really enjoyable December. I’ve not been drinking much since September but, with so many friends and family to see over the festive period,  I went a bit wild. I jumped back on the bike yesterday and struggled, immediately regretting all those beers and late nights.

Although mostly complete, most of December’s aims will be posted on the website over the next few weeks.

Xmas/Winter photoshoot back home in Scarborough
I’ve done this, expect a blog post soon with some good news. I also needed some photos for my instagram so they will be put to good use!

I’ve a special idea for an xmas post which will take a bit of effort so I want to see that through
I’ve also done this. Will be posting early next week hopefully.

I need to utilise my spare time over xmas to plan various fundraising events and I need to sit down with Rob (the RV man) and sort the route etc out.
We’ve spent a while looking through things and it’s fair to say I have a massive 8 months ahead of me. There is just so much to do and we’re equipped with lists to work through over the next few months.

I absolutely need to hammer these core exercises every night without exception, also I’ve been doing press-ups. I aim to do 40 in one go by January.
I’ve been doing well with my core stuff until the festive period started. I have been out a bit too much and I’m looking forward to getting back to normal training. Having done 40 press ups before xmas, I just attempted for the camera but failed at 35! I will be back.

I feel quite disappointed with myself this month, having specifically asked my trainer to allocate me lots of rides. I was lured – or more specifically I lured myself – into the festive period and I’ve been blathered and missed training multiple times. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid as I’ve taken backward steps, but what’s done is done.

No excuses now with only 8 months left to go. I’m feeling very excited but also really apprehensive about the year ahead. As sad as it sounds I’m looking forward to normality and training again everyday. My main concern at the moment is the distances I need to cycle, I will feel much more relaxed when I can ride 100+ miles comfortably. Hopefully I will be reaching a century in the next couple of months.

Aims for December

• I’ve a load of events and announcements to make, so they need to be released throughout December. There will be 4/5 posts this month!
• I need to make an introduction image thing for the start of all my YouTube videos which will feature my logo and the sponsors.
• I need to decide what bike I’m buying for the ride, and perhaps buy it!
• I need get my head down for this next month and train hard to make up for the lost days. No excuses.

Thanks for reading. I wish you all the best for 2016!

Shane

Lets have a look how I got on with last months aims:-

Set out solid list of ideas for fundraising next year, what month they can be in and what I hope to achieve from each

Yep I’ve got this, however I think the list is perhaps too extensive. With so much going on and so much to do I’m not going to be able to do everything. I need to pick the ones that will maximise donations while considering time, training, resources and fun!

Set up a YouTube account and create a video with my new camera

Yep I’m set up with this now, you can view my YouTube channel here. It’s good fun making videos and by adding a new dimension to my training it has helped prevent me from getting bored. I’m planning to blog on the camera in more detail so I don’t want to give too much away.

Keep my stretching exercises going and partake in the yoga classes at work

I do a Pilates class every week at work and I also complete a core/stretch/Pilates session at home each night. It’s quite laborious and if I’m honest I have skipped a few as it does my head in having to do an additional routine on top of everything else,  but with the discomfort I’m experiencing on the bike it’s essential I build my core up.

At the time of writing this I’m not feeling too good so feeling sorry for myself but…..It’s been a bit of a roller coaster this month, times have been hard and the training is really taking it out of me. I have seen some improvements but it’s leaving me pretty messed up after.
My  lower back is the main thing that’s getting me down. I rode 60 miles Sunday (in very windy conditions) and I was pleased my legs were feeling good after. The same couldn’t be same for my back which was in quite some discomfort. I’ve tried the osteopath, bike set-up, Pilates, Yoga and general core stuff but nothing seems to have done the trick. However as my rides get longer my body is experiencing new endurance scenarios. I’m hoping that time is the solution here, as right now I’m really quite scared at the prospect of an 8 hour day on the bike.

Off the bike there’s some good news…
Sponsorship surpassed £1k this morning. I think that’s pretty impressive considering I’ve not really embarked upon and fundraising activities yet.
I booked the boxes that the bikes will go in on the flights and I also made some really good progress on a kit (more on that in a future post)!
I’ve been working hard on social media and I’ve now got almost 1500 followers on twitter. I’m continuing to engage with tons of people and I’m hoping this will pay dividends in the long run.

Winter is now here and the rides are getting colder. However I have all the right gear so the cold doesn’t really bother me too much. I secretly like any external factors that make my training harder (except for back pain) so the weather, fatigue and stuff like that are just obstacles that I need to overcome.
Christmas is fast approaching and I’m really looking forward to a break. I will still be training five times a week but it will be good to have a couple of weeks off work. With so much going on I’ve not had much time for my family, therefore I’m really looking forward to heading to my hometown and spending some time with them.

Aim’s for December (not many physical ones again as my trainer covers those)

• Xmas/Winter photo shoot back home in Scarborough
• I’ve a special idea for an Xmas post which will take a bit of effort so I want to see that through
• I need to utilise my spare time over Xmas to plan various fundraising events and I need to sit down with Rob (the RV man) and sort the route etc out.
• I absolutely need to hammer these core exercises every night without exception, also I’ve been doing press-ups. I aim to do 40 in one go by January.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas and New Year. Thanks so much for your support.

Shane

Lets see how I got on with this months aims:

Ride a 80 miler

I actually rode two of these, one of which wasn’t intentional! If you’ve not read it already, have a read of my wild goose chase. I basically got lost in Manchester with no food, it was a real bummer (pun intended).

Learn the different types of foods, write about them and, of course, eat them properly!

YES! I have been really researching this and I have wrote two posts, one on fats and the other on carbs, with my final piece on protein coming in the next few weeks. I have drastically changed what I’m eating and the changes in my day-to-day energy and performance have been noticeable.

Book the flights & Enquire about RV

YES! I’ve paid for the flight for myself and Robert (driver, cook, first aid and massager). Was a massive relief when I finally had this done! I also had my first form of corporate sponsorship from the very generous EDWIN, you can read more about that here.

Take note of all the equipment I require and want, how much they will cost, see what’s realistic and account for them with a saving plan

Yes I did this and the list was as long as my arm. There are lots of things that I WANT, but I don’t really need. For example this month I purchased a navigation system and a video camera for my bike. I don’t really need them but they’ve certainly made my training experience more enjoyable. The RV and flights were the most important things and they’re now sorted.
I really, really like the look of this KTM bike as my companion for America but I will have to see how the funds go.

Speaking of funds, the price of the flights and RV was just short of 6 thousand, all of which will be paid for out of my own pocket. With many more things still to pay for, I’m actively looking for corporate sponsorship. If anyone has any leads whatsoever please let me know. I don’t mind whatsoever paying for the ride, – I think it’s a great investment – however the event is well suited to be used as marketing for many businesses and organisations (kill two birds with one stone and all that).

Overall it’s going well, I’m making progress in my training and I’ve raised just short of £700. The biggest problem I’ve faced is my lower back. The pain after 3/4 hours is uncomfortable to say the least and last weeks 77 mile was pretty bad. I’m currently seeing a osteopath and my trainer has adjusted my training schedule to account for this annoying pain.
The conclusion is that my body is struggling with the new demands that are expected of it. I’ve swapped a pub stool for a saddle and circling my legs thousands of times so I’m obviously going to have some problems. Training sensibly and time are my biggest assets here, it should (fingers crossed) get better….eventually.

Off the road I’m doing ok. It’s really demanding having to focus on food and training all the time but I’m slowly falling into a routine. Preparation is something I have had to improve on, it is incredibly annoying arriving home after training absolutely shattered and having nothing in the fridge. Thankfully I learnt from that lesson quickly!

I’ve not had a drink yet and I’m in two minds whether to get hammered at a Halloween party tomorrow night (I wrote this post on Friday 30th). I’m very much an all or nothing person and my view is that if I’m going and only having a “few” I might as well not drink at all.
Admittedly I’m being a bit anal about this no-drinking stuff and it has affected my social life. But I don’t want to be cycling the Rockies tired in 10 months time thinking, “I wish I wouldn’t have done that”.
For example, on Sunday I’m measuring my heart rate on some hill efforts. In turn my trainer reads these stats and builds my plan around them. I doubt I’m going to perform very well after getting smashed the previous day. Decisions, all of which are made with the ride in the back of my mind.

So aim’s for November? It’s getting tougher, there’s no point me setting physical ones as my trainer dictates what I do, so only a few for this month!

• Set out solid list of ideas for fundraising next year, what month they can be in and what I hope to achieve from each
• Set up a YouTube account and create a video with my new camera
• Keep my stretching exercises going and partake in the yoga classes at work.

Thanks for reading!

Shane x

P.s I can’t wait for xmas.