“No special preparation is needed”, those are the words of Don Fink, Ironman triathlon training guru in reference to 100 mile cycle rides. I’ve taken those words to heart. Perhaps a little too much.

In contrast to the Don Fink school of thought, Ride London 100 keeps emailing me to tell me about all the different sorts of preparation that I need to do before the big day in August. Nutrition, training, bike mechanics and kit – they keep adding things to my To Do list.

If you can’t do everything on your To Do list, it’s best to try and at least pick a couple of items to try and tackle – build these into strengths and take confidence from having them pretty much nailed. So I picked ‘kit’ and ‘nutrition’ to be my strengths. Obviously.

I’ve been practicing drinking from a bottle at pretty much every opportunity I get. Soon even a cup of tea will come served to me via something with a sports cap. Marlow triathlon provided a good opportunity to master  eating on the bike – six fig rolls and two Snickers bars later it was fair to say I had this under control. All that’s left is to introduce a savory component into the mix and I’m home and dry. Any suggestions on how to eat a curry while riding a bike would be welcomed.

My cycling kit, however, needed some work. I’d spent six months cycling to and from work in all weathers in a mixture of clothing intended for other sports. The look was less cycle chic and more bike hick. Nothing in my cycling wardrobe cost more than £8. And you could tell.

But not anymore. After a stern piece of advice on the importance of a good pair of cycling undercrackers by cycling superstar Katie, I acquired a pair that have more padding than a article in a ‘men’s magazine’. The Pearl Izumi Superstar Knicker (appropriately named) have made climbing onto my saddle a lot more enjoyable. If only they could fix my punctures too.

And where once a £3 bargain basement running jacket adorned my shoulders, I now have a purple lightweight Pearl Izumi Elite cycle jacket with detachable sleeves. This is a lovely lightweight jacket that keeps the rain off but doesn’t make you sweat. But more importantly than that it has pockets in the back as well as the front which has significantly increased the amount of Snickers bars I can now carry on my bike with me – this gets an immediate thumbs up.

My helmet may still look more skate park than Olympic Park, but I like it – despite the smirks I get from triathletes at the start of races.

So that’s nutrition and kit sorted for Ride 100. Now, about that training…..

Disclosure: Pearl Izumi gave me the cycle bottoms and jacket. The fig rolls and Snickers I paid for myself.