The good news this week is that two friends who are experienced cycle tourers are keen to join the ride. This is a pleasing development. It'll be great to have the company of friends on what will be a memorable journey however it turns out. A bonus to having a group of us is the safety in numbers aspect. I was slightly concerned about riding the Barry Way alone as it is a relatively remote, isolated route. It'll be less risky with a group.

We've set the 22 September as a start date.

I'm not sure how comfortable my fellow riders would be with being publicised on this site so it will be a no names no pack drill approach for the time being.

I will say that the fit youth of the group is looking forward to turning 50 years old on the ride. He has cycled across wide sweeps of Europe and the U.K. and is a keen skier. His bike of choice, from his diverse bike collection, for the Lake to Lake ride will be a Surly Long Haul Trucker.

The fit senior of trio has just cruised past the milestone age of 60 years and has a cycle touring career going back to the mid-70's. He's traversed Europe and many areas of Australia on fully loaded bikes and is also a committed skier. Not sure what bike he'll be taking but possibly a Mongoose cyclo-cross model.

The middling of the group by age is this writer and I am 55 and have been cycle-touring on and off since the late 1970's. I've never been on downhill skis. Why anyone would want to stand on two bits of plastic and slide down steep mountains in the freezing cold is beyond me. I will be riding a Thorn Sherpa bike on this trip.

Other than cycling, common links are that all three of us were teachers in our 20's, moved on to different careers, live in Canberra and are keen to do a bit more cycle touring. We also have tolerant wives willing to let us charge off into the Australian back country for a couple of weeks.

There is slight possibility of a fourth rider joining the panniered peloton. A featured CGOAB journalist and expeditioner has recently said he's interested in the ride. He likes the idea of a ride through Australian Drop Bear country! His Trek wheels are currently fully occupied carrying him to Shanghai on a very ambitious and challenging cycle tour. I'll check in with him when he reaches Shanghai to see if an Australian ride is still on the 2012 plan. Hopefully he will come. Being younger and fitter after riding half-way across Asia in blistering heat, means that he'll be well able to carry all the good quality, heavy stuff in bottles.