From the Training Diary of Team Captain....Trevor Aslan

"At the start of the month I splashed out on a carry case and some wheel bags for my bike – not only to look flash but also in order to take my bike on the Eurostar and then onwards to the Netherlands. I’ve been visiting my girlfriend but couldn’t bear to be without “The Bike” for nearly a month. Of course the Netherlands and Belgium (she’s on a year abroad at Maastricht University on the border of the two countries) are famed for their cycling. 


But what I didn’t realise that the cycle lanes, shops and general attitude to cyclists would be so different from the U.K. The major difference being that “strict liability” is enforced by law, making car drivers always at fault if they crash into bike riders, and of course the two countries are as flat as a pancake which makes a nice change from the hills where I usually ride. Simply, the place is simply a dream for cyclists!

I’ve done a number of mid-distance rides to explore the country since being here (about 2-3 hours each), one longer one (nearer to 80 miles) and, as ever, riding my bike for all my shorter trips around town (I’ve never been a fan of paying for buses!). On the long ride, from Maastricht to Lommel, I had a chance to test out the carbohydrate and electrolyte ‘Shots’ supplied to us by our nutrition sponsor Clif Bar. I’ve used them for long distance running before but they proved themselves for cycling too, and the team will be glad to have them on the challenge itself fuelling us for mile after mile. 

I’ve been riding for long enough now that my body is used to such distances in the saddle and I don’t have to hobble everywhere the next day (which some of the novices in our team will be going through, read about Hannah’s experience below) but I have found, much to my annoyance, that a spare battery for my speedometer is yet another necessity in my saddle pouch for long rides. Hopefully these discoveries will mean that when it comes to the competition, we have everything we could possibly need to beat our rivals!"