So, this is how I spent my day on October 3:

It is 9am, there’s 30 seconds to go before the start hooter sounds, I’m three rows from the front and I’ve got 100km (65 miles) and eight hours of pedalling ahead of me.

It is dry, cloudy and the wind is gusting at around 20mph.

Despite all the training over the last few months, it was possibly the most physically demanding challenge I’ve ever done.

But all those months of training did actually pay off.

This is me just after 5pm the same day, having finally completed my Minutes Not Money challenge:

The Just-Bike ride was a lot tougher than I anticipated, mainly because the off-road sections were far longer than I had expected. It didn’t help that when we finally hit longer road sections, that pesky 20mph wind was pretty much blowing straight at us.

But I loved every single minute of it. And a big thank you to the organisers, Across The Divide, who created a very challenging route and looked after us brilliantly.

There were around 200 riders taking part on Saturday – half doing the 50km route and the other half taking on the 100km ride. Both routes were challenging, taking in the Ridgeway and the byways and farm tracks around Wessex.

The hills were big and plentiful. But the views were worth the effort.

Even with the odd rain shower and the relentless wind, it was still possible to enjoy the surroundings and take in some of the spectacular landscapes we were riding through.

The first two-thirds were mainly spent high up and on the exposed hillsides between Swindon and Newbury. Then the final third was more sheltered, but still physically demanding thanks to some heavily rutted farm tracks, steep hills and that wind.

Having spent most of the 100km riding alone, I was grateful for the scheduled rest stops along the way and not just for the chance to refuel.

They also gave me a chance to keep in contact with Rachel (who made me do it!) via text, getting plenty of live support back from her and some fantastic people on Twitter and Facebook.

Receiving messages of support helped put a smile on my face as I enjoyed a few minutes rest and a bite to eat.

I had predicted I would take 6-7 hours to complete the ride. But the gruelling course and that unforgiving wind meant I took 8 hours.

I’m not disappointed at taking longer than I planned though. Far from it.

I still feel quite elated about the whole experience and pleased I’ve been able to fulfil my end of the deal for the Minutes Not Money challenge. There is still an opportunity to donate some time, or some money if you prefer…or both, obviously!

Raising awareness about ME/CFS and the role of carers has always been the main aim of this challenge.

I’ll now start suggesting ways in which those who have pledged some of the valuable time can put it to good use.

In the meantime, thank you to everyone who is supporting this and who gave me so much real-life and virtual encouragement during the 100km ride.

It was eight hours well spent.

(Apologies for the quality of the photos from Saturday’s ride. I had other priorities, such as finishing!)

So the last training ride is completed and now I’m literally counting down the hours until my Minutes Not Money bike ride finally gets going.

I’m looking forward to covering the 100km (62-mile) route starting and finishing at the Coate Water Country Park near Swindon.

Someone asked me the other day why I’m doing this.

The answer is simple.

My wife made me do it.

I’m not complaining. Rachel wanted to do something herself to raise money and awareness about ME/CFS, but knew the limitations imposed on her by this illness would be a problem.

So she asked me to do something instead. I was delighted, not least because I’d been thinking that I should something myself to raise money and awareness for both ME/CFS and the role of carers in the UK.

That’s where the Minutes Not Money idea was formed and despite having to abandon last July’s attempt at the C2C Challenge even before I got to the starting line, I remained determined to do something.

Tomorrow’s ride is the perfect fit in so many ways. I get to complete my challenge and raise some money for the ME Association, one of the event’s charity partners.

Thanks to everyone who has donated money and pledged time in support of this challenge. Your support is inspiring.

But the biggest thanks goes to Rachel – she made me do it.

The Prime Minister’s pledge this week to create a new National Care Service for the elderly has been exercising my thoughts.

The scheme is anticipated to benefit about 350,000 and should be applauded.

But amidst the approval and pats on the back are serious questions about how this scheme will be funded. It is also worth considering that if there are doubts about sufficient funding for a scheme that will benefit a few hundred thousand people, what hope do the millions of carers in the UK of ever seeing anything like a national strategy?

There is also an important point of clarification to be made – when there is talk about money being made available, this does not necessarily mean direct payments to carers to help them carry out their role.

In some cases, direct payments would be good. But on the whole the funding needs to be available to provide carers with something far more valuable – time.

This weekend is a classic example of the sort of help I need.

I am embarking on my long-awaited 100km (62-mile) bike ride as part of the Minutes Not Money challenge.

The training has gone well, I’ve got a fab new t-shirt to wear, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to complete the ride.

But my brain is currently working overtime to ensure that Rachel will be OK while I disappear for the best part of a day to take on the bike challenge.

I know she will be more than fine. We are going to stay with my parents this weekend, so I can be as confident as I possibly can be that Rachel will be in very safe and caring hands.

My mum and dad will be falling over themselves to ensure Rachel has everything she needs – although hopefully not literally in the case of my mum, who has undrgone two replacement knee and one replacement hip operation in recent years.

But knowing that care and support is available doesn’t stop my brain whirring into life every now and then. There is also the nagging belief that I really should be helping my mum and dad, not them offering me and Rachel support – none of us are getting any younger (even if my dad still insists on helping “old” people out, who invariably turn out to be younger than him).

It is the little things that keep popping up, all those tiny routines and mundane tasks I do as second nature every day and which I won’t be around to perform – from making sure Rachel takes her supplement first thing, to helping her get ready and carrying the various bits and pieces she needs during the day downstairs.

All tasks my mum and dad will be delighted to help with and would do without hesitation. It is the fact I won’t be there to do them myself that I’m finding hard to accept – the irony being, of course, that I won’t be there as I’m attempting to raise awareness for the role of carers and ME/CFS.

Equally, at the end of this month I need to spend two days (including an overnight stop) in London for work. I’m already making plans in my head so that my caring role will be not be missed.

But, once again, I know I don’t ned to worry as either Rachel’s mum or her dad will be quick to offer their help and support.

It still doesn’t stop the worry, or stop the planning.

So the type of support that carers often need is not necessarily financial – at least not in terms of direct payments.

Of course money is important.

But it is also about having the resources to buy them some time to do all the other “stuff” that life throws at them, above all it is having confidence in a system of help and support.

We are lucky in having family, friends and neighbours more than happy to step in at a moment’s notice to hep us, many others are not so fortunate.

That is why asking people to donate Minutes Not Money is so important to me.

Thanks for your time.

The run up to this Saturday’s bike ride challenge has generally been a lot smoother than the lead-in to my aborted attempt at the C2C Challenge.

I’m feeling very relaxed about taking on the 100km ride and managing to juggle everything else - even if the weather forecasters are predicting the Indian Summer we have been enjoying will come to a very wet end just about the time I’m due to set off on the ride.

Oh well, a little rain never hurt anyone.

I’ll endeavour to keep smiling in my rain-soaked t-shirt.

In the meantime, a big thank you to everyone who has donated Minutes Not Money and already started to follow various links.

Also, I’m genuinely humbled by those who have generously donated to the JustGiving page (this weekend’s event will also raise money for the ME Association).

This weekend’s ride and my desire to raise awareness about ME/CFS and the role of carers is quite timely given that we are in the middle of party conference season.

Last year, Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged his audience to give a round of applause for carers. I was reminded of this on Twitter earlier today when it was suggested he might like to repeat that gesture this year too.

Yes, because that is exactly what the millions of carers in the UK really need – a round of applause.

Maybe he should have considered going one better and suggested a standing ovation to go with the round of applause?

Better still, how about some proper recognition and positive support for carers?

Yeah, OK, the standing ovation and big clap is probably more of a realistic expectation.

Alas we probably cannot expect anything else from the Tories either – the Lib-Dems have been and gone with barely a whimper.

So once again all we get is sympathetic words and knowing nods of heads, but absolutely nothing in terms of practical support and help.

That is why trying to raise awareness of the role of carers is an important part of the Minutes Not Money challenge.

This week I will be mostly juggling my various roles – with a few new ones added in for good measure – and putting in some last minute training rides on my bike.

In telling you all this I’m not looking for a round of applause, by the way.

Look at my fab new t-shirt.

It will make its official public debut - on me at least – on October 3 when I ride the 100km I’ve promised to do for the Minutes Not Money idea.

There is less than a fortnight to go now before I take the Just-Bike challenge.

I’m quite excited about it all.

But I figured it was high time I filled in a few blanks and started making a few suggestions about ways in which you can put your pledged minutes to good use.

Plus, unlike the original plan, the October 3 ride is a fund-raising event as the ME Association is one of the partner charities. So there is a JustGiving page set up for those who would like to donate money rather than minutes.

All donations, of monetary or time value, are very much appreciated.

So, where to begin?

I’ll start with ME/CFS which is, after all, the reason I’m doing this and why I juggle my career with my role as carer for Rachel.

For an illness that affects so many millions around the world, ME/CFS remains one of those things that might prompt a flicker of recognition but which most people remain largely unaware about. I was the same.

As a journalist I did a couple of interviews with sufferers (studiously avoiding the rather ignorant and frankly offensive term that some media colleagues still feel the need to trot out – it rhymes with “guppy blue”) and yet it was only when Rachel started to become ill around four years ago that my level of understanding increased. It has been a steep learning curve ever since.

There are plenty of resources I will point you all towards in the next couple of weeks. But a gentle introduction can be found at the websites of ME Research and ME Association.

These cover some of the basics. I’ll point you in other directions that give more of an insight into the day-to-day impact of ME/CFS another time.

Equally, the Carers UK website is a good starting point for information on the millions of carers in the UK and the role we carry out every day.

There are a lot of people fighting hard to raise awareness about the largely ignored role carers undertake and various campaigns to improve the rights of those who care and safeguard what little support they currenrtly get are currently under way.

I’ll also provide some other links and ideas for you in the next couple of weeks.

A bit like my training for the 100km ride on October 3, I’m going to start you off slowly and hopefully build gradually.

Thanks for your time.

A wise old guru probably once said that time is the enemy of…well, something or other.

I’ve certainly felt the full force of time’s deathly grip over the last 18 months.

No, hang on. That’s a bit of an exaggeration.

But it is fair to say that time has not been my friend.

It seemed such a good plan to begin with – take up a contract position for 18 months and make sure I have a guaranteed income during the recession, then pick up some freelance work to do in my spare time. What spare time?

I hadn’t really factored in my other full-time position – carer. Arguably (well, I would argue it) this is my most important role.

Helping Rachel cope with her illness, looking after her, our home, our pillock of a cat (Flyman) and keeping everything ticking over has been my priority for the last 4 years or so.

I used to count myself lucky when I was self-employed and mainly working from home as it meant I could work and care in a neat juggling act that was fairly straight-forward.

But changing the scenario so that I am now working from an office, albeit one that is only a 15-minute walk from home, has led to some fairly significant adjustments. It also means the “spare time” I do have is taken up with my caring role.

The freelance work has dried up, mainly because there aren’t enough hours left in the day. It is far more important for me to be with Rachel when I’ve walked the 15 minutes back home, than for her to spend another few hours alone and fending for herself.

The juggling act has become quite tough.

So can I realistically devote time to riding my bike?

I think so, when there is a good reason behind it.

I’ve been determined to see through my Minutes Not Money idea, even if life punctured the original plan.

So on October 3 I’ll be taking part in the Just-Bike event – a 100km ride around the Ridgeway and Wessex.

Starting and finishing at the Coate Water Country Park, near Swindon, the ride will take me through rolling hills and countryside taking in such hitherto unknown landmarks and villages as Uffington Castle, Yew Down (Wantage), Peasmore, Kintbury and Ramsbury.

I’m still hoping people will pledge their support and maybe offer up some minutes to help me raise awareness of ME/CFS and the role of carers in the UK.

Unlike the original plan, there is also a fund-raising element to the October 3 ride. The ME Association is one of the partner charities for the event, so I’m also hoping to raise a little money.

But I still believe time is the more valuable asset – in terms of people willing to give up a precious 10 minutes rather than £10; but also in terms of raising awareness of issues that might not always get the attention they deserve.

After my aborted attempt at the C2C Challenge, I’m determined to complete this 100km ride.

I also think I should actually complete my end of the bargain before I ask people to part with their precious time.

So I’ll suggest a few ideas over the coming fortnight and I’ll provide a link for anyone interested in helping me raise a little money too.

However, I won’t expect to anyone to honour their pledge until I’ve honoured mine, completed the 100km and I’m nursing a saddle sore backside. It only seems fair.

I hope you are still with me.

I promise I won’t waste your time.

As ever, I’m more than a little humbled at the response of people.

This time it was to my last post concerning a few local difficulties that Rachel and I are experiencing.

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to offer advice, encouragement, a rallying cry, a dinner invite (!) and who reminded me how many people out there do care.

This little wobble is timely. I’m counting down the days until I take on a 100km bike ride as part of my well-intentioned but slightly stuttering Minutes Not Money idea.

I am determined to complete this particular ride on October 3 after bailing out on the original plan back in July.

Rachel and I are getting a grip on the “stuff” and I’m maintaining a tight grip on my training.

I have been managing 10 miles before work most mornings and then anywhere between 15 and 30-mile training rides at the weekend. I’ll be increasing that weekend mileage over the next couple of weeks before tackling the 100km route next month.

I am still enjoying venturing out on my bike, particularly as I’ve now taken it for a much-needed service (it feels like a brand new bike).

There is a simplicity to riding along very quiet roads and lanes early in the morning that can help put things in perspective or simply allow you to escape from your own thoughts for a while.

I’m planning to keep on riding after October 3. I may even get to do the original Minutes Not Money plan next year instead.

I’ll provide a few more ideas for those who want to support my 100km ride over the next couple of days.

Thanks to those who have stuck with me on this and who might still want to pledge their support.

It helps a lot.

Hi, my name is Paul and I have a problem.

I’m not very good at sharing.

You know that old expression, a problem shared is a problem halved?

I think its right, but I’m just not very good at putting the theory into practice.

I’ve been struggling with various things for the last 18 months, all of them revolving around a familiar problem – that tricky juggling act of career and carer.

My instinct is always to stay home and offer Rachel whatever support I am able. She is my priority, nothing else comes close.

But in the real world I need to make sure we can maintain a roof over our heads, pay bills, eat, drink and survive. We need money for that and so I need to work.

Thankfully we don’t need money to laugh and joke – that has always come naturally to us.

But the “real life” stuff has become something of a chore in recent months. Actually, it has become more than a chore. It has become a real struggle.

I am guilty, however, of typical male bloody-mindedness. So whenever anyone asked how things were going, I would give a convincing reply about how everything was tickety-boo.

Even more stupidy, I was determined to keep Rachel safe from the stress and strains of the “real life” stuff I was wrestling with day in and day out over the course of the last 12 months or more.

Needless to say, the act was bound to disintegrate sooner or later.

It now has.

But I’ve landed 18 months worth of stress and struggles on Rachel in a single weekend. I’m an idiot.

It also goes without saying, however, that a fresh pair of eyes and a clearer brain has worked wonders.

All the woes have not miraculously disappeared, but they are now being tackled. It will take time and effort and it will all get resolved – I’m still an optimist, if nothing else.

We’re coming up with a plan that will help, but it will also mean things have to change.

The biggest change needs to come from me. I’m not superhuman, I’m not capable of doing everything on my own 24/7 and 365, I need help, I need to learn to ask for help.

My name is Paul and I have a problem.

I’m a carer.

Admittedly I was a bit slow in blogging about the campaign against proposals to shake up DLA and AA payments.

But, still, what has happened in the first couple of weeks of the campaign is extraordinary.

Organisers had hoped to persuade 1,000 claimants, carers and support workers to back the campaign as part of a 100-day fight to prevent the Government’s green paper from progressing any further.

They exceeded that number within 24 hours and currently around 19,000 people have signed up. The response has been so great that a dedicated site has been set up to try and help co-ordinate all the responses.

The next stage of the campaign is focusing on politicians.

Organisers are asking supporters to contact their MP or regional assembly member and ask them what they are going to do about this issue – something I’ll be doing this week in a letter to our lavishly-haired local MP.

Summer is traditionally regarded as quite a slow period for news and campaigns.

I’m delighted this one seems to be the exception to the rule.

Apparently a debate is raging about cyclists riding on pavements and causing a nuisance to pedestrians.

I’ll admit that whatever discussion has been taking place has largely passed me by.

It does seem to have got a few people hot under the collar though and I can understand why, but as this piece from members of the CTC there are possibly bigger issues worth discussing.

One of the big questions is why so many people feel the need to take to the pavements?

Is it fear of what they encounter from motorists on roads? The answer is probably yes.

There is much to be said for the belief that there is safety in numbers – in other words, the more cyclists stick to the roads the more aware motorists get used to their presence.

Yet even at sunrise on quiet country lanes there are inconsiderate motorists to be wary of, so such increased awareness might take some time.

Recent run-ins with a lorry which got close enough for me to touch and a passenger coach at a roundabout suggest professional drivers have as much to learn as most motorists.

But pedestrians need to be a bit more aware too – the chap who told me off for “riding on a path” seemed surprised to discover he was sharing National Cycle Route No.54 with me.

Cyclists could also do themselves a lot of favours by showing the type of respect for other road users and pedestrians they demand themselves.

We can all learn a few lessons which would make life a lot easier for us.