Pre-launch update...

Here we are and the launch is just 3 days away. Hard to believe the time has gone so fast and the moment is now finally upon us!

Over the last few weeks we've collected plenty of last-minute kit to make sure we're prepared - army rations, spare bulbs, puncture repair kits, kitchen sink etc, and Paul and I did a test run on Friday to check how the bikes would handle fully loaded up.

We also camped down in Sussex on Friday evening to check how long it takes for us to pitch up and de-camp, because this affects journey times. Many thanks to both pubs in the lovely village of Hartfield for making us so welcome!

On to more serious stuff, we've changed the route. Initially we looked at the shortest option possible between St. Malo, our staging point, and Tarifa down in southern Spain. But as Chris pointed out last week, we can divert across to Avignon on the way through France which enables us to take the coast road most of the way down on the Spanish leg.

You can see the route at (sorry for the MASSIVE link!) http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=st.+malo&daddr=44.8977785,4.8740936+to:tarifa&hl=en&geocode=%3BFfIVrQIdbV9KACnp8FvEClj1RzEBAurqKqsIEw%3B&mra=ls&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=19.406082,31.069336&ie=UTF8&ll=42.326062,-3.383789&spn=24.164578,31.069336&z=5&via=1

The penultimate task has been getting our documentation together - we all need extended cover for EU breakdown and insurance, plus all our bikes' proof of ownership docs, and finally a quirky form written mostly in Arabic that in theory [we hope] gets us thru Moroccan border controls more quickly.

So with the route confirmed and our various bags, panniers and boxes packed, all that remains is to rush out and buy some lighter gear to wear! Riding yesterday, even at "motorway speed", was incredibly hot and if I can't get something more lightweight and breezy to wear I'm likely to come home 2 stone lighter. I considered the Billy Connolly dress code option but I hear it won't go down well in Morocco.

I can't close without mentioning sponsorship - we've been amazed by the generosity that so many people have shown and we're now at a total of £11,000 raised so far, with still more to collect. Thank you to all, you know who you are, please keep it coming.

More before we go - don't forget to track our progress from the map link.

SB.