As you all know, the big challenge is next Sunday. Neil is to row the length of Lake Geneva (Leman) and Gareth is the cycle round it. They launched the challenge yesterday. The idea is to raise awareness of their challenge this sunday.

This mini challenge saw the lycra clad boys row and cycle continuously for an hour on a rowing machine and a training bike respectively in the blistering sun. The atmosphere was electric as no one knew what to expect. We weren’t disappointed. Both Gareth and Neil sprang into life from the outset. Unbelievably they kept up their initial pace..!

After the halfway mark both were struggling, Neil emitting some interesting grunts and squeals and Gareth making grimaces.

30 seconds to go and Gareth was out of his seat and Neil had picked up the pace. after the hour both boys collapsed in a heap next to their equipment with exhaustion. The result:

Gareth – 23km
Neil – 16.9km

Once the dust had settled we checked the equipment to see that the resistance on the back wheel of the bike was set to hill climb. So repsect to Gareth for such a handicap. You crazy kids..!

Neil will be rowing for St Mungo’s – http://www.justgiving.com/Neil-Aherne
Gareth will be cycling for Multiple Myeloma UK – http://www.justgiving.com/Gareth-Chandler

Yes, I think we’ve all watched Pinsent and Redgrave powering along in their little boats and thought “That’s very impressive” or “I wonder if I could do that” or perhaps “I’m off down the gym to have a go on the rowing machine” and then probably dismissed the idea as less interesting than going to the pub.

But not Neil at CK. No, Neil is a bit obsessed with it all and after making a rather daft bet with Gareth at The Lodge he’s preparing to row the length of Lake Geneva. Yes, that’s about 76 km. So on 15th of August 2010 (weather permitting) he’ll row the length of it in one day – it’s about 35 times further than they row in the Olympics, like rowing from Brighton to London (but only if there was a lake than went from one to the other).

Now, crucially this is going to be racing against Gareth who is also a bit of a fitness maniac (when he’s not dancing around Rockbah with his shirt off – yes G, we all saw) and Gareth will be on his road bike trying to do a lap around the lake (about 175km) in the time it takes Neil to row the length.

This too is a pretty hefty undertaking…

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And the reason for all this exercise? Well, charity – St Mungos, the homeless charity. So if you want to help out and make a donation please go to:

www.justgiving.com/Neil-Aherne

The whole slightly insane challenge also has a big thank you to say to Zac Purchase, the British Olympic Gold Medalist at Beijing, who donated a boat which Neil might actually be a little bit in love with. Unhealthy perhaps but it is – apparently – the Ferrari Enzo of boats. A sleek nine feet of carbon fibre that weighs just 10 kilos.

Anyway, a great cause, two great lads and we’ll keep you posted… The event is planned for August 15th although we’ll see what the weather does. And you’ll be delighted to hear the Verbier based members of Performance are busy trying to get seats on the support boats, partly because we want to be there to cheer on Neil, and partly because one is designated as the ‘Party Boat’ so should be quite entertaining…

Meanwhile if you ever wondered what all the fuss was about Lake Geneva, these snaps should answer your questions – a stunning place to spend Monday evening…

I might have mentioned before the Swiss propensity to celebrate things with cheese and alcohol, and on 26 September 1993 they voted to have another one. Swiss National Day. So every year on 1st August. That’s how it works here – you just ask everyone if they want another bank holiday and, amazingly, everyone said yes…

Now, despite the fact that the weather went from stunning blue skies to cloudy to rumbles of thunder to complete monsoon, the Swiss didn’t let that stop them from having a proper party. And a parade. And – as is the custom here – a full marching brass band.

So we went and helped them out – fortuitously taking cover underneath the canopy of The Pub Mont Fort’s bar. And despite the weather it all went rather well and looked a bit like this…

Kat and Don doing model poses:                   The rain arrives:                                             The band carries on regardless:

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They even seem to enjoy it:                            Finally a load of local kids with lanterns swim past:

…that you see something like this when you are walking the dog…

It turns out it was a Toyota from the Verbier Festival in the stream of the Moulin..! Couple of beers mi’ thinks..! T

Yup, Verbier is shedding inhabitants by the bus-load and the sun’s beating down on those of us who are left. Well, it’s also beating down on the guys who seem to be digging up all the roads, so it’s a bit noisy up at Medran.

But just so we could get some early summer gloating in I thought I’d show you what it looks like at the moment – and if you’ve ever spoken to a ski instructor and asked what they do in resort in the summer, well we mostly look at views like this…

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