And I would cycle 100 miles...

While I was staying with my parents over Christmas I made an agreement with my Dad. We would cycle the Ride of the Falling Rain this August. It's a 100 mile bike ride that goes around the Isle of Islay in western Scotland.

Currently I cycle to and from work almost every day. The problem is this is only about 8 miles there and back, in London, which means I never go more than 200 metres without having to stop for some reason. Over the next 6 months I need to gain another 92 miles and do them, pretty much, all in one go. Oh....

I've never been what you would call a 'sporty person'. I have a gym membership that gets used sporadically and I once was ok at running, but I still remember one of the only times I got detention at school was because I decided to hide in the music department rather than play hockey. For me doing a sporting challenge is going to be just that, a challenge.

My Dad has been going out on long rides to start his preparation and it's quite nice to have something to talk about. We have a common goal we are both aiming for, however my Dad used to cycle professionally. As in, he used to race and get real prizes if he won. Yes, it was 30 years or so ago, but he has a knowledge and drive that I just don't have.

After some research online I realise that most people that do a century (as it's called in the biz) are real cyclists. They might be amateurs but they go out for a 3+ hour ride on a Sunday because that's FUN. They wear lots of lycra on their commute to work (which is usually 15 or so miles ONE WAY), and they are always upgrading to the latest bike model, no bike-bought-through-the-council bikes for them (unlike mine, thanks Lewisham council). How do you become one of these people?

Well, in the spirit of all things #thisgirlcan I am going to find out. One of the reasons for starting this blog is to document what it takes for me to go from commuter to centurion. Yes, I will have to go out on my bike more, and I might even buy a pair of padded shorts at some point, but I'm going to try - and I hope you'll come along for the ride!

(It also seems I'm not alone, I found this blog documenting a similar thing, albeit put more eloquently and professionally, hooray all the bike novices upping their game!)

Why now?

You might be asking yourself 'why is she starting a blog now?. There are millions of them already out there! Blogging is been there, done that, what more could there be to write about?'

Well, all of this might be true, but none of those blogs are currently being written by me, and I suppose that's what I bring to the table.

I don't have a niche and I'm not planning on becoming the 'next big thing' in health food, beauty, fashion, or interior design, but I would like to think that I will be able to write about a whole host of things. From Mozart to mountains, from jazz hands to jeans, and all of the things in between.

I still have a lot to learn, and I have spent a lot longer than I thought I would on HTML websites already, so bear with me as I get myself together.

Be gentle, let's see where this leads...