In previous articles for Nurturing Potential, John Ewing has described his audacity in pitting his "mid-fifties" body and known health concerns against the challenge of long-distance and very demanding cycling events.

For this article he has swapped his "state-of-the-art" racing bicycle for an old mountain bike, exchanging speed and distance for a different sort of challenge to his health and fitness.

With his usual mixture of tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation and his keen eye for descriptive detail, John makes us privy to his adventures and a few lessons he may have learned along the way.