Friday 20 May: THE JOURNEY NORTH

TEAM SAN DIEGO

It's early. Pre 4:30 am early. I roll out of bed (although Margaret says roll is just

wishful thinking -- it's more like North Dallas Forty). San Diego to Sacramento. A mere 488 miles straight up the 5. The early rise is to try and beat the LA traffic. My co-pilot? Steve Burke. A Jersey-native who never holds anything back. Nothing.

We're lucky. Sail through the grapevine by 9am. Then, a couple of hours later, it hits. We need to fuel the machines. We look for an organic, raw food restaurant – after all, our bodies are our temples. Blast the luck, we're in the middle of nowhere. Convenience will win out, just this once.

TEAM OC

Shh, don't tell but we're going rogue here. A supposed stop to watch the Amgen Tour of California is actually a super secret training day for the two of us. A top trainer has met us at Ballard Canyon to offer last minute pointers.