100 Days to go

*****100 Days Until Lift Off*****

Wow... OK ladies and gents... It's only 100 days until I leave for the Arctic. It seems like yesterday that I started planning my second attempt on the Arctic and now its coming up very very soon. It almost feels as thought I could be doing this as a full time job but I already have one of those.

In the next 100 days I need to:

• Get the bike serviced, new tyres, new brake pads.
• Get a tent and any new camping equipment that I need.
• Get another sponsor on board to help with the trip funding.
• Get my helmet resprayed Arctic Ride style.
• List what I'm going to take with me.
• Half that list so it will fit on the bike.
• Get Andrew Pain (author of Going Small: A guide to Lightweight Motorcycling) to cut my half list in half.
• Download some songs and audio-books for the iPod.
• Interview with BBC Radio Newcastle.
• Complete my Arctic Survival training with Nomad-Biker.
• Get Kirsty (my wife) to complete Home Survival training (fuse box, change light-bulbs, work Sky-Go)
• Book ferry's
• Buy maps
• Finalize route
• Interview friends, family, and experts for the Arctic Ride film.  

Well after writing that list it seems there is even more to do than I remember... and that's if everything goes to plan. I know from my last trip, when my engine stopped working 2 days prior to departure, that I will be very lucky if nothing crops up before the trip.

Alongside all this planing I've got some very fun, Arctic Ride related events to attend.

3rd - 4th March - Nomad-Biker training

At the start of March I'll be heading to the wilds of Lancashire to prepare for the Arctic environment with Nomad-Biker, a team of ex Commando, Paramedic, Close Protection Operations, Mechanics, and Survival experts, who will teach me how to deal with all the bad parts of adventure travel should they arise.

Artist's impression of me in a homemade shelter

While the countries I am visiting aren't quite war-torn, because of the remoteness of the roads I'll be riding and the regions I'll be travelling in there is every chance I could get in to a potential situation where I would need some survival skills. When you take into account the random nature of the weather in the Arctic (even in late spring / early summer when I travel) means I'll need all the help I can get.

30th March - NEMCRC @ Croft

After attending the NEMCRC Annual Dinner the club have continually been looking for ways to support my trip. Chairman Mick kindly offered me to show off the bike at the Croft motor circuit on the first NEMCRC race meet of the year at the end of March. This is going to be a great way to get my trip out to the wider biking public. Not only will I be showing off the bike and collecting donations but I've also been given the chance to do a lap of the track on my GSX650F which I'm not going to turn down.

16-18th May - Monkey Meet

Since planning my trip I've met some awesome people on social media (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook) who have been great support. No more so than the motovloggers/monkeymeeters. I've been wanting to meet up with these guys and gals for a while and when they announced their annual biker meet up in Nottingham I knew I needed to go and luckily it wasn't when I was away on my trip (that would be been difficult) but it is the weekend before I go. I know that sounds pretty mad but I figure I need to get the bike warmed up for the coldness for the Arctic and the 200 mile journey to Nottingham will certainly be a good introduction to endurance riding that my backside will need.

So in conclusion I got a ton of sh*t to do before I depart. But I know it will all be worth it when I'm away riding in the Arctic.

I want to finish by saying a special thank you to all the people who have supported me so far in my last trip and the planning of the 2014 chapter to Arctic Ride.No more so than my wife Kirsty who has put up with me and my bike-love for the past few years. From me crashing my bike in the Arctic ion 2011, to loosing weekends at bike rallies when she could be shopping or hanging out with friends, she has been the biggest support and was the one who told me to go out there and chase my dreams when it would have been far easier for her to have sat back. Although a part of me thinks that she'd be happy not to have to watch Match of the Day for 3 weeks in a row (although what she doesn't know is that the football season is finished by then and the world cup starts the weekend I get back :D - haha).

If you think what I'm doing is a big challenge then please donate to my trip fund with 100% of the money going to Cerebra. £1, £5, £10, £100. Whatever you can afford all will be gratefully reciveved by Cerebra and will encourage me and keep my spirits up on the trip. My target is £2,500. Click here or on the button below to donate.

Thank you and ride safe.

Gordon