With Stu and myself officially completing registration last week our preparations have kicked into fifth gear as we attempt to prepare ourselves for eight days of extreme riding across the Western Cape. My lunch-breaks have been spent trawling the Epic website for some much-needed training tips and possibly some discounted gear ? cycling it seems is not the cheapest sport.

By Wednesday I know what is expected of me ? a minimum of 12 hours in the saddle each week and very little time for anything else. Very do-able. My training will be broken down into four one-hour rides during the week and two longer rides on the weekend. On second thoughts, I think I may need an extra pair of shorts and quite possibly a spare pair of legs.

Stu thought it would be best to start riding together from this upcoming weekend and so, this past weekend I had a makeshift partner in Tim Gane ? iafrica.com News Ed and my boss (I should have known better, but then I seldom follow my gut-feels) ? for my first taste of endurance racing. Tim it seems has more endurance than me.

Apart from the obvious (extended periods on a bicycle is painful) I uncover a few hard facts about my limited knowledge of biking. The first comes while pushing through gale-force winds on the way to Simon's Town. Desperate for a drink of water I get to work on my Camelpak only to discover it is empty! Following a string of profanities I reveal to Tim that my brand-new investment must have a leak ? Tim, much to his amusement, informs me that I took off the cleverly designed suction cap that delivers the much needed refreshment? I blame fatigue!

With the wind showing no signs of abating we decide to swing through Fish Hoek, bypassing Simon's Town, and take on the mountain-pass through Silvermine, and then back towards Muizenberg where we began our journey.

Before hitting the mountain I enquire of Tim how far we had come. The answer was not what I was hoping (and it will stay between us) and suddenly like a colossus the mountain that had risen before us looked far bigger than it had originally. The next 45 minutes were lost in a haze of pain, sweat and heavy breathing as ? with my eyes straining to keep sight of Tim ? I wound my way up the mountain (Tim says it is more of a steep hill).

Once at the top I was excited to hit the downhill, but the two-minute blitz down the mountainside seemed a tad unfair considering the pain we (or maybe just me) had endured. The final test, however, came as we blasted our way through the wind, which seemed to track us every metre as we headed towards Muizenberg and back home. Thankfully I passed the test, although to be honest the pass mark I had set for myself was 'not dying'.

With my first major training run behind me I have learnt three things: how to use a Camelpak, padded shorts need more padding and I have a long way to go before the Epic.