batblog T minus 21 days

3 weeks to go-ho. Thought I was in for a solitary ride this morning - Friday - but who should turn up at 5 a.m. but Adrian, Jane and Damion. We set off up the back, with Damion coaching Jane on the gears. It's not the ideal location to learn - too much up and down and poor Jane's face said it all by the time we got to the big eel before Nahwa. I took a break with her at the bottom and left the two guys to attempt it. Damion shot up it like shit off a shovel and Adrian got about a third of the way (like me) before falling off. Dunno what it is about that hill. It's the look of it, the psychology. You look at it and think, no way. And then of course you can't. Anyway, scraping Jane up and patting her back into some semblance of woman on bike, we set off back past my house, where Jane decided to take a break with Mita and come along and do back up with her in my car after a cup of tea. I don't blame her, it was a bit of a shock to the system.

So there we were, Adrian and I playing Pooh and Piglet to Damion's Tigger. Grinning ear to ear, jumping up and down kerbs on his bike and cycling no hands, singing songs from Mary Poppins. The man's insane, love him. I'm so glad he's coming along with us. This is what it's about. Cycle with friends, enjoy the scenery, puff up the hills, race down the slopes.

We met up with Mita and Jane at Bidiya mosque just as the sun was starting to get warm. Pocari Sweat all round and I emptied a bottle of chilled water over me. Then we pedaled up two more hills with the madman to the Miramar and arrived sweaty, red-faced and very pleased with ourselves. While we settled into the breakfast buffet, Damion wolfed an egg and bacon buttie and declared he was going to cycle back. Too hot, Damion. But he was undettered.

We rescued him the far side of Khor Fakkan, halfway up the hill out of the town. He admitted he was beaten by the heat. But he'd done 55 km. We squished into my little car, now bristling with bikes - my bike rack is actually bigger than me car - and headed back to my place.

Adrian's a dark horse. "He'll feel it tomorrow," said Jane. Yeah but considering he's not been on a bike in how long, that's pretty damn fit. "He just goes for it," says Jane. All my solitary rides have been worth it, just so I can vaguely keep up I think. Although Damion was being kind, today, I suspect, dawdling up the hills for us. So who will lead the pack? My money's on Damion, Dante and Richard. Followed by Catherine and Colin then me way behind. I think Jane will be in and out of the truck, but what the hell. It's still going to be one helluva journey. Bring it on.