Well…. here goes. Not much to report this week, despite it being phenomenally busy with last-minute shopping, heap sorting and a cheesy local press photo call. I’m not what you would call photogenic, so I hope the photographer is adept with his editing software.

Tonight was a quick and pleasingly happy farewell take-away with the family while last night was spent sharing a beer or two with a few of the support drivers. Just don’t let Hughesie know that I rather pathetically pulled my back lifting his wheelchair into my car and have now spent the last 24 hours dosed up on ibuprofen.

Snickers is packed (slightly chaotically), topped up with fuel, water and gas – with a major thanks to Stu at Fosse Way Fuel Supplies for providing two nice full Propane bottles and fitting it all together. So that’s it. Just time to check the weather forecast, pull together a few loose ends and head off down the M1 for a pre-start evening with my mum in Hampshire.  Bring on Wednesday morning.

For those thespians among you, please don’t send me on my way with “break a leg” – it probably isn’t suitable.