I leave next Monday

For a number of reasons, I’ve been putting off “announcing” the start date of my next little adventure – the one with the rickshaw – but now, with D-Day looming, it seems silly not to have put it on my own blog.

The Bug, as she is now known, still has no functioning front breaks, the seat hasn’t been sorted out and I need to drill some more holes before it can take a rack for my kit. I think a bit of last-minute stress trying to cram everything in is a pre-requisite for expeditions but it doesn’t make it any easier (though it does make the moment of beginning all the sweeter).

I took her on a test run on Monday evening, 16 miles back from London with Bob, my bike, straddled across the front seat. It made for quite a picture pootling alongside the A3 during rush hour but I was pleased to discover that I could scale hills and with gears to spare. I suspect, however, that was the first and last time I’ll trial her beyond a lap of the block and it was before any modifications or the addition of luggage or passengers. Of course, that’s how these things work – if I took the time to perfect plans then I’d only ever get half as much stuff done – but it still adds to the nerves.

An additional ball for my juggling act is that we’re running a “Selection Weekend” of sorts for a Special Olympics Athlete to join our South Pole Expedition and it just happens to land on the two days prior to my departure.

But these minor logistical hurdles aside, I will be in my rickshaw and on another adventure soon.

I’ve been a little shy with regards to making announcements about expeditions after shouting about a North Pole trip last year only to pull out of it before it got off the ground. I don’t want to keep crying “Wolf!” and But keeping cards close to the chest for fear of failure is no way to live a life. I’m saying it loud and I’m saying it proud:

I leave next Monday!

I’ll be maintaining the blog from the roadside and Tweeting as usual. Hopefully I’ll work out how to update a map each day too and I’ve just set up a page for donations. Please tell your friends and pass the message on.