We started thinking about an adventure a year ago and suddenly it is upon us.

Ready or not, we are about to embark on an 800km cycle through Germany and France. Call it the Tour de Old Farts or Tour De Ridiculous, time will be the judge of whether or not it was a wise choice of transportation.

Our motivation for setting out on such a venture when “we should be taking it easy”‘ is a combination of rediscovering the joy of biking a couple of years ago and, the desire to get the most out of life while body and mind still allow it. I don’t want to my last words uttered to start with “I wish”.

We may be uttering the “I wish” after our first 60km day but hopefully we have done enough bum toughening to avoid that. Furthermore we are flowing rivers for 300km and they run downhill to the best of my knowledge. Well that is the line I have used when convincing others how easy it will be.

One of the advantages of living in milder climes is that it has allowed us clock up a few more kilometres before the real deal. Anyway, too late to worry about it now, the helmets, padded pants and gel seat covers are now packed away.

It is time to let the rubber do the talking.