Hey all

Happy New Year! We are now in massive count down to the challenge itself - only about 30 days to go. Christmas and New Year were tough time to keep the training going for all sorts of reasons - not just because of the plentiful food but we all emerged not too fat and not too un-fit from it all. Since the beginning of January we have all moved up a gear in our training and started to work on the endurance part - keeping up the work outs day after day.

We got some good news from the Prince's trust last week also to tell us that we were the second highest fundraising team (so far!) So thank you for all your donations and please keep them coming in so that we can mantain our position!!

We had also been kit- buying with lots of padded shorts, gel seats and special camelpak rucksacks to keep up safe and happy on our travels... I thought stationary shops were exciting but these kit places are unbelievable - everything you never thought you could need until you see it and then its something you cant do without.

Latest training weekend has just taken place out in the Chilterns between Henley and Reading. Two great days of VERY muddy biking as you can see from the photos during which Koko got a bust bike and had to carry it, Michael wiped out several times and Chrissie and Koko had mud fights. Zoe managed to remain very calm and collected throughout the whole thing apart from when we were trying to choose which corner of a field we had to turn at at the end of a 20 mile bike ride.... great stuff - team fitness shaping up really well. Another training weekend in Cambridge still to come and then a big half marathon run the week before we go as an end to the traininig schedule - the last week is warm down week.

Enjoy the photos!!
Mxx