Training has been hell but I can't put the brakes on it

I've been sitting here for two hours and don't have plans to move any time soon. Even if I wanted to, I'm not entirely sure I've got control over my legs.

I'm out with the lightweight men's rowing squad and all of the women's crews for our annual cycling camp and I'm not exaggerating by calling it absolute hell.

It's excruciatingly hard but when you complete a marathon ride, you get a lot of satisfaction out of it. What can I say, we're a sick bunch.

Tuesday was the toughest day - we were out for about five hours - and obviously we're competitive in everything we do so we really push each other every time we're on the bike.

Every now and again we go past a group of cyclists leisurely going up the other side of the road and we're absolutely going for it. You can see them look up from their bikes and thinking: "What the hell are these guys doing?"

Well, I've asked myself that a few times this week. Training's ramped up but I'm not really complaining as this is getting us in the best possible shape to tackle next year.

There are nine of us from the men's lightweight crew here and we get separated into pairs for the cycling although there's one three nicknamed the human centipede. Anyway, the groups each day are different.

At the final day of the camp last year, I was riding with Richard Chambers and left him trailing, winding him up in the process. He said he wanted revenge and on Tuesday he finally got it. He left me for dust and I had to ride solo back to the team hotel, broken.

I'm okay on the flat and even the slightly hilly stuff but once the big climbs come, that's when I go. You're just pedalling such a small gear so fast and you're not really getting anywhere.

I had a bit of a scare on Monday. I was attacking the descents when my bike suddenly started snaking in the wind. I've eased off on the descents since then as I thought it's better to come back in one piece and be able to train once I get home rather than try to get down a hill as quick as possible.

I've got a couple more rides left out here before heading home on Sunday and then it's back to the ergo [rowing machine] and sculling in singles.

It's just as well I'm abroad at the moment. I've signed up to Movember - actually all of us have on this camp. It's just I've got a couple of events to go back to when I get home and I look, how's best to put it, well, different.

Anyway, with our new 'taches we're trying to raise money for a good cause and we've got a battle on with the heavyweight boys to see who can get the most. We're hoping to put in a late surge and get Standard readers in on the cause. Please help if you can.

To donate to Mark Hunter's Movember appeal, go to uk.movember.com/mospace/1870014/