Team: Cooper Gareth Communique

TEAM COOPER GARETH - Day 3

With the official forecast being on the chilly side, a mere 12 degrees, Cooper Gareth has a tough task ahead as he prepares for Day 3. Coming from the tropical climate and humidity sweat bath of Singapore, this will be a monumental challenge. His team are here though to offer us some interesting insights into the training, tactical game plan and how this man will master the ride SOLO. I am happy to have Rene Kragelund - official Soigneur to Gareth as well as the overall team Manager, Denise Silk with us today. Peter Callan, Super Domestique was unable to join us today due to - quote - lack of time for creative juices to flow - but promises some insights tomorrow.

Manager Silk - Blimey, the lad is unstoppable - if he's not riding 24hrs around Singapore he wants to join the ranks of some 2000-4000 other nutters who take on the LEJOG ride each year. This is all part of his PBP base training, even though it's still 2 years away. He left Singapore fully prepared, already capable of doing 400km in less than 24 hrs! He could do this ride in a couple of days but instead will take the "leisurely option" and tackle this over 8 days. Day 1 though looks like the train ride was the highlight of the day!! Not a day for sprinters with a 15km treacherous ride before the official ride even started. He appears to be resting well after day 2 and taking on 170km+, not quite an audax brevet distance, but good training nevertheless. We can only hope and pray that style standards have not been breached whilst the team is absent.

Soigneur Kragelund - You are right on the money there Denise, the lad is a Duracell bunny with rechargeables instead of Lithium Ion’s. Gearwise he should be on 23mm tyres. I think he’s gone Veloflex on his rear wheel and Michelin on his front. Old Gareth has a way of mixin’ his style, which suits him well. I do believe he also has managed to acquire a triple crankset before his departure. Not knowing what to expect from the road ahead, he’s had to bet his money on a few horses, so to speak.

I’ve watched Gareth ride over the last 12 months and he’s an endurance powerhouse. However, the End to End has a knack of throwing the best and the worst at you, in short it is a test of sorting the Vegemites from the Promites and Marmites. Which brings me to his fuel consumption. Gareth is riding on leaded, 98 Octane bananas, Overstims and fish and chips and Earl Grey. Proven technique by several endurance athletes, like Reinhold Messner, who climbed Everest 4 times on bananas and chips from the only Nepalese MacDonalds.

There you have it folks, fish and chips and Earl Grey tea may be the next sought after meal for riders! But will an uncle on a corner be selling banana's in the UK? These questions and more will be answered tomorrow as we continue to follow Gareth's ride through the UK.