Team MAD Update
The countdown to Enduroman continues, and we can hardly believe how close it now feels. Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far – the donations, the messages, the offers of help and the sheer number of people asking “but how do you actually sleep?” have all kept us going.
Trisha – sportives continue apace
My sportive season has continued, most recently with the Highland Perthshire Challenge. No rain, lovely weather and beautifully quiet roads.
The route signs went out on the Friday night, with the challenge starting at 8am the next morning. Unfortunately someone moved one of the arrows, so the route came up seven miles short. The organisers were very apologetic – but having just hung onto my bike for dear life up a thirty-minute climb that touched 17% (falling off was not an option, as I would never have got going again on that incline), I was not in the least bit upset. A bonus, in my eyes.
It was a hilly, windy, brilliant day out, and exactly the kind of mileage in the legs I need before Calais to Paris.
Rachel – Geneva to Lausanne
July took me to Geneva for an AI conference, and it seemed a waste to travel that far and only look at slides. So I hired a bike, cycled along the lake to Lausanne and did a lot of swimming in Lac Lemon.
Two things converted me completely. The first was the Swiss cycle lanes – properly designed, properly signposted, and a genuine pleasure to ride. The second was the free public water fountains, which turned out to be essential in the heat (37°C) – useful preparation should our slot in August serve up a heatwave of its own.
Loch Ard, Troon – and a fifth birthday
At the end of July we met up in Scotland to celebrate Ollie’s 5th birthday, which was every bit as chaotic and fun as a fifth birthday should be. On the Sunday we swam in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, one of Trisha’s favourite lochs – and voted Scotland’s prettiest, which is no surprise at all once you see it.
After the heatwave it was even warm enough for Rachel, which is not a sentence we write often. For context, the water at her regular swim spot in Denham has been up at 24.6°C – less open water swimming, more a very large outdoor bath.
We then had a great catch-up lunch in Troon with Gillian, part of our support crew, and worked our way through the ever-changing transport plans (a logistical nightmare, but we are getting there). Afterwards we walked the Troon cycle path, over the golf courses and along the beach – a trip down memory lane for Trisha, who lived there until she was 21.
The final countdown
That is it – fewer than five weeks until we start, with our earliest possible slot being 29 August. The exact date depends on the tides and the weather, so we will be watching the forecast obsessively from here on in. The training is nearly done and the kit lists are growing. Every penny raised goes directly to Maggie’s Glasgow, as we are personally funding all event-related costs. We’ve raised over £20,000 so far and would love your help to push it further. You can donate here:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/trishaharvey
And do keep an eye out in September, when we will be launching an online auction with some rather special lots – including a Michelin-starred dinner cooked in your own home.
Thank you, as always, for following along.
Team MAD
