BBC Sport’s Andy Nicolson and Paul Redgrove, and BBC IT-guy Jon Cook, are attempting to get fit enough to ride the famous l’Etape du Tour through the Pyrenean mountains this summer.

Here, Andy picks up the story of their progress.

Is Team BBC ready for l'Etape? Ready to ride 165km in the heat of the French summer, climbing two gruelling Pyrenean mountains, without getting hauled off the road for being too slow?

The simple answer for this third of the so-called team is: probably not. Just contemplating the prospect fills me with dread. And if the increasing frequency of Paul’s ache-related moans is anything to go by, that only leaves the Quiet Man of the trio, Jon, with any sense of confidence. But more of that shortly.

Ten days or so ago, we rode the annual behemoth of biking, the London-Brighton, which was only ever going to be a social event, given the volume of fun-riders (unlike my 70-mile solo ride home the next day, complete with hangover, 10kg rucksack and idiosyncratic satnav!).

(Here are the stats, if that’s your bag.)

So when I travelled up to Nottingham for the inaugural Great Nottinghamshire Bike Ride 100-miler last weekend, I was hoping for a big confidence boost, particularly as Mel Berry at Everyday Cycling had kindly arranged for a trio of companions to ride with.

That it turned out to be the GNBR 86-miler is, perhaps, a story for another day, and while the first 50 miles was a great day out in some gorgeous rolling countryside, the wind had other ideas for the remainder. It was ferocious.

Reduced, even in a group, to just 10mph on long, flat, branch-strewn sections, leaves and rural debris blasting across the open roads left little scope for enjoyment or inspiration. There was certainly a lesson in the value of hiding in a group – one which I fully intend to implement in France – but precious little assurance of my readiness for the twin peaks of l’Etape.

(Here are the stats, if that, again, is your bag.)

And to add injury to insult, I finally got to the bottom of the ongoing pain in my outer right calf – my peroneals are all knotted. Oo err, missus! This muscle apparently runs from the sole of the foot up the outer side of the calf, and the pain I’m getting, as diagnosed after the ride by Matt Jefferson, is caused by my shoes pinching or pulling the muscle in my foot, the upshot of which is that I need new shoes.

Or, after a glance at my bank balance, to wear the ones I have as loosely fastened as possible.

Paul, as mentioned, is also suffering. Unable to break the 100-mile barrier due to work and family commitments, he’s lately become the walking wounded, with a fresh ache every day and a severe dip in confidence that even his new white cycling shoes cannot alleviate.

I smell an elaborate bluff, but he does look down in the mouth, bless him.

As for young Jon… well, I think he’s going to breeze it. The Quiet Man’s training has clearly been going well: his concerns amount to the chance of mechanical failure, whether he’ll sweat so much that he’ll “need a change of clothes once we get to the top of the first climb” and worrying about what vehicle we’re going to travel in. He’s an old woman at the age of 28.

Though maybe he does have a point; we’re a week away from setting off, and thanks to Jon’s parents inconsiderately going away on holiday in their car, we do not yet have a motor for the trip. The head gasket blew on mine a few weeks ago and Paul's needs new piston rings.

Ah well, something’s bound to turn up, eh?

You can watch the film of our latest training exploits here on the BBC or on YouTube.

Do you have any last minute advice, medical or otherwise, that might help us get through l’Etape?