Auditel Consultant:
R&PB Consulting LLP

On your bike! – perhaps that should have been my response.

29 Sep 2010 | Filed under: Charities, Great British Bike Ride

As someone who earns their living from managing costs effectively I have to confess to be somewhat disappointed with the fact that a perfectly harmless phone call late last week has led me to now be £900 poorer than I was just before the call. It started with a call from an Auditel colleague, Ed Brewer, in which he slipped into the conversation that it might be a good idea for a team from Auditel to get involved in a charity bike ride event next year. The distance of over 300 miles was said in a very hushed and dismissive manner!

Two hours later I had registered for the event, a somewhat premature act as I didn’t at that time even own a bike. The research started then, how much for a level entry Road Bike, what else do I need. The answer to the second question is apparently somewhat more straight forward – padded shorts. With regard to the bike it then turned into a whole new set of questions. What make, what model, what gearing and what size? Surely you just raise or lower the saddle! No, height and inside leg measurement required Sir.

The above has led me to be over £900 worse off this week than last – the list just kept growing. Bike, pedals (sorry, no pedals in the price of the Bike), special shoes to suit the special pedals that I didn’t know I needed, shorts (padded variety), pump, small saddle bag for keys etc, spare tube, tyre levers, helmet, and training frame for when conditions are too poor to actually ride the bike.

As somebody who hasn’t ridden a bike since I last delivered a Sunday Newspaper this is going to represent a very serious challenge, but despite the above one that I am looking forward to taking on. I have a year to prepare and I think I’m going to need it.

Confirmed places for the event won’t be announced until the end of October so I don’t want to jinx things by giving details but hope to give updates of the event and the trials and tribulations in the future.

A special thanks to Ed Brewer & Laurence Fitch for asking me to get involved………………I think.