Three years ago, when my lovely husband was in Iceland, I took our three on the family route of the Great Inverurie Bike Ride. I remember packing Nutella sandwiches and it being my baby's first taste of chocolate. I remember making them because I didn't have much time and they were simple and well the other option was peanut butter and he was so little we didn't even really know if he was allergic to peanuts or not and although unlikely, the thought of discovering some bad reaction while out on the open road and with responsibility for three kids and their bikes was something I decided not to chance.

From memory the only real difficulty in the event that year was that my eldest skidded off on a corner near Chapel and while I was attending to him my middle boy carried on, albeit with his friend and his friends dad, but I didn't know as much and so there followed a frantic speedy cycle to try and catch him up while leaving the slightly injured one with someone else. That, and the fact that I got the clothing for the baby in the bike seat wrong and he almost cooked in the sunshine inside his all in one waterproof.

I wish I had thought about an all in one waterproof for the (by now) toddler, two years ago, when we cycled the 13 (I'm sure it used to be 14, but i guess it can't have been since the route hasn't changed?) miles in cold torrential rain and he nearly passed out with hypothermia in his shorts and teeshirt. That year I lost my middle boy again (same thing happened at the school's 10miler) as he was too fast to keep up with, but this time I was pretty sure he was with a friend so wasn't so bothered. When my eldest, the screaming toddler and I got to the end we found them right enough, waiting in the pouring rain for us, shaking and shivering and as a result gaining no benefit at all for having actually finished first.

Last year, the cyclist of the family was finally at home on the day of the event so he took the middle one out on the 13 mile ride himself for some father son bonding on what was Father's Day. Our eldest was at cub camp and the littlest and I were proud supporters.

This year, it was the turn of just my eldest two and I to tackle the 13 mile route. Without the weight of a baby/toddler on my back and with the help of new bikes, we were super speedy and completed the course in 1hr 17 minutes.

Well that's what my Strava log said anyway, although disappointingly my lovely husband told me afterwards that it accounts for stops and therefore all the minutes (and there were many) spent at the juice and biscuits stand were taken off already, so the 1hr 17minutes is pure cycling time.

Anyway, I am not bothered about times at all (and the whole event isn't- it's not a chipped thing) but really, it's pretty special to be able to get out and about with loads of other people in glorious sunshine (well the very start at least) and through stunning scenery, in an event that starts just a few hundred metres from my house.