I think I'm about to be diagnosed with cancer, and I'm fairly scared.

Hi

I dont know if Edinburgh is any good to you – IIRC your route is the other side. I can probably arrange accommodation in glasgow for you as well if needed

your bikes are ordered….. 😆

Hi Meg – e mail sent 🙂

how's petesgaff these days?

Hi Meg,

Appreciate it won't be on your route, but an offer of our spare rooms in Leeds for your journey back if needed.

Good luck with it all.

B

I'm not too bad. Thank you for asking!

Sorry I've been a little remiss in update for a week. The JOGLE moves closer and closer, and in between training, treatment and planning I haven't had time to fart.

Things are okay. I've been all over the UK trying to sort out things for the ride. Transportation, kit, clothing, etc, as well as publicity and accomodation. Some of you offered to put myself and Team Bullheart for a night on our journey, which is unbelievable and generous. Those that have should have been contacted by my beautiful and efficient assistant, and so now we only have a few nights without accomodation. That's not too big a deal, and we're sorting that out as I speak.

I will update this list when I get in tonight, but this is a roll call of honour – people that have gone above and beyond to help us achieve this bloody ride;

Chris at Cycleworld in Scotland – bikes, advice, shoulder to cry on, kit. Legend.

Mags/Sarah at Practical PR – PR, flirting, tiny can of Diet Coke after a six hour drive.

Oliver at Udderly Smooth – 3.5 metric tonnes of chammy cream. Money for kit.

Anne at Oxted Physio – fixing my knackered carcass.

Rudeboy – For the best Bullheart logo I could've hoped for. Total gentleman, despite what the critics say.

Andy at Romster – Team clothing, chirpy nature.

Pam Ferris – Last night meant everything to me. Thank you for being tender.

Only joking about the last one!

All of you that have donated to the JustGiving page are amazing. At some point I will contact each and every one of you, just let me get the planning out of the way. I will soon have my own STW blog courtesy of Tom dB and co, and will fill it with hilarity, pain, and moaning in equal measure.

More to follow.

Dont bother about thanking the donators personally mate…. you get on with the important stuff.

do the bikes fit? make a list of kit that youve missed/forgotten and ill see what i can come up with….

Meg – not heard anything?

Memo to all;

When doing your first press interview, try not to mask how nervous you are by joking.

Interviewer: "So what is it that gets you through? How do you keep on going in the face of such terrible odds?"

Me: "Drugs"

Interviewer: "D-R-U-G-S…"

Me: "Er…"

FAIL

Brilliant reply. Much better than "Grim determination and stuborness mixed with bovine related implants!", which we all know is the real cause.

🙂 Happens to the best!

Memo to all;

When doing your first press interview, try not to mask how nervous you are by joking.

Interviewer: "So what is it that gets you through? How do you keep on going in the face of such terrible odds?"

Me: "Drugs"

Interviewer: "D-R-U-G-S…"

Me: "Er…"

FAIL

From the moths of babes and sucklings – and Mark!!
Pricelessly funny chap – Priceless!!

Howdy all,

In three days time I embark with the Bullheart Team on our JOGLE excursion. This post will include details of the ride, our itinerary, and my mobile number so that anyone that wants to join us for a stage can do so. Be warned, we're not roadies by any stretch of the imagination but we can drop the hammer when required. There will be a sh*tload of moaning, gurning and general surliness, but by now you should have worked out that I am not one to keep quiet…

Firstly, a review of how things have been going.

Road bikes: Chris at Cycleworld in Scotland has lent us three Giant Defys for our trip. Until these came in the post, I was adamant that drop bars were pointless, irritating and no good for us. I was wrong. The last two weeks have proven that road cycling is very very good fun. And slightly addictive too. I find myself whooping as I hurtle down hills looking like a bear on a comedy tricycle at the circus. I've found myself hammering the crap out of the bike, my arse, the road and pretty much everything else.

The team; J the joiner is very nippy on a bike. Annoyingly chipper, he remains positive even when the worst of luck befalls us. And his obsession with wearing the tightest possible top combined with the baggiest possible shorts does my tits in.

Laura is my sister. Younger, fitter, more successful and happier, she is the ying to my yang. There are two areas in which I'm better than her. I have a dog, and, and…er…I have a dog. Laura is the engine room, level headed, constant, and the brains of the operation. J and I are not.

My wife, Megan. The heart of it all. Nuff said.

The van is looking amazing too. Many thanks to Jay's pa for sorting out the graphics.

I just need to pop out for a bit. I'll be back to carry on in an hour!

Awesome, glad that everything came togeather!

Let's see the van. We all like a good van.

Mark, Which route are you doing mate, me and the mrs are gonna driver over from Leeds to give you a bit of moral, and a donation of course!!!

Cheers,

Andy

May I wish you the very best of luck for next week. I hope you have sunny days and following winds for the majority of the ride.

STM

you truly are an inspiration to all, good luck with your JOGLE, if i lived en route i would offer my services but unfortunately i don't.

Have a good one!

Can I also wish you all of the very best for this. I am sure that the thoughts and prayers of everyone on STW are with you as you set off! We'll all be pedalling with you!

I'll carry on!

nbt, marsdenman and all the HTN customers – What can I say? It starts to sound a little hollow saying thank you all the time. I hope you both understand how much I value you and your customers donations and generosity. At some point I'll repay your kindness, I give you my word.

I am taking the van to the car wash today, and will upload pics later for all you van fetishists out there… 😉

On the way to my cardiac MRI at the Brompton on Monday I managed to get run over by a bus outside Harrods. Seriously! Bike went right under and everything. As a result the tarmac sandpapered most of my left shoulder off, and has left me fairly stiff and blood with a constant weeping wound, but to be fair it was worth it to see the look on the MRI teams collective face as I rocked up to the reception with a ripped t-shirt, covered in blood and fairly dishevelled asking for somewhere to park my bike!

The STW hierachy have agreed to allow me access to the hallowed ground that is a STW Blog. This means that a daily update (internet connection permitting) will be available, charting our exploits and allowing all of you to experience the delights of a JOGLE from your very own living room. This will start on Saturday, or maybe tomorrow depending on how quickly I can pack the van and get to Poundland to buy Haribo.

0 Saturday 24.07.10 Arrive at John O Groats KW1 4YH – Meg in support car.
1 Sunday 25.07.10 Tongue
2 Monday 26.07.10 Culrain IV24 3DP
3 Tuesday 27.07.10 Loch Ness IV63 7YD
4 Wednesday 28.07.10 Glencoe PH49 4HX
5 Thursday 29.07.10 Killearn
6 Friday 30.07.10 New Lanark (will prob adjust slightly to fit with accommodation and shorten the next day's riding)
7 Saturday 31.07.10 Carlisle CA2 5SR
8 Sunday 01.08.10 Slaidburn BB7 3ER
9 Monday 02.08.10 Chester
10 Tuesday 03.08.10 rest day
11 Wednesday 04.08.10 Clun, Shropshire SY7 8NY
12 Thursday 05.08.10 Goodrich, Herefordshire HR9 6JJ
13 Friday 06.08.10 Street, Somerset BA16 0TZ
14 Saturday 07.08.10 Okehampton EX20 1EW
15 Sunday 08.08.10 Perranporth TR6 0GS
16 Monday 09.08.10 Lands End TR19 7NT

The details and route plan of each day will be uploaded later today or tomorrow. If you fancy joining us for a stage, either call or text me on 07790 252286

Time for breakfast.

Mark if you haven't already done it I need you address sending to andylivo@jejamescycles.co.uk so I can send the tee's out today mate. Great to see everythings ready and in place for you to nail this sucker! 😉

You go boy! (s and girls) 🙂

Hello, Mrs Petesgaff here, just to confirm, the locations on the list above is where we end each day, e.g. on Sunday they ride from JOG to Tongue, then Monday from Tongue to Culrain…and so on…sorry if that was obvious!

ooh, you pass near to me when you're at Street – suprised you've picked a route that far over but by heck there's a few hills round there you'll have fun with!
Donation duly made & best wishes for a great trip.

Good luck mark – just read your just giving page, very moving.

Donation made (even though you made me cry 😀 )

Rest day, what are you, some kind of wuss???? 😉

wtf, i don't cry at work. ridiculous.
i don't know you but i will be thinking of you and i hope everything goes well.

trying to post some piccies of marks support truck…

Just donated – and let me know if you need anything in the Chester area – have sent a text.

Paul

Wow.

Is there a route map for this? Would it be ok to come along and ride with the group for part of the journey?

Have a look higher up elfinsafety and call me or Meg on 07790252286 for a daily update on the route!

Good luck my boy and no more bus bike interfaces.

me and the mrs had a great couple of days with mark and his support riders…we did a stage with them in possibly the wettest weather ive ever ridden in…they all had high spirits on the ride and i had to keep reminding myself that mark had cancer and had openheart surgery 9 months ago…(he had me on a few hills) strong as an ox he is..

thanks to joe who from singletrack arrived at the yha last night with some cakes for the riders..very random and thoughtful! chapeau!
all in all a great time was had by all despite the damp conditions…

hopefully mark can sort the blog and we can get regular updates…(no pictures unfortunately due to issues with the new iphone!)

Enjoying Mrs Flash's comment 🙂

Petesgaff, have you got the national press on board for this? I'm sure the "Sundays" would be interested????

Evening all,

This is Laura here, one of Marks' support riders for the JOGLE trip (and more importantly, the better sibling). Apologies for the lack of updates so far – internet access is not a number one priority for many of Scotlands' finest youth hostels. We're currently residing for the evening in a very kind policemans' house in Stirling, and having been washed, fed and watered, feel we can offer you a short progress update.

After an "interesting" first day (Mark and I almost coming to blows over whos' turn it was to bring up the rear – he's bigger than me therefore he won) we've settled into some sort of routine on the bikes, despite a few teething problems with gears, headwinds and the way Mark looks in lycra. For anyone thinking of doing the JOGLE, it really isn't all flat on the first day, despite the advice we were given. Yeah, cheers for that…

However, whilst we're managing to stay alive on the road, I'd be lying if I said that its' been a breeze so far. I don't think people of my own and my brothers body shape are designed for hills. Or roadbikes. Jay (chief support rider) on the other hand, is a bit of a whippet and puts us both to shame. (Although he may have picked up a slight knee injury today – finally giving Mark and I a chance to come in first and second place.) Mark is doing as expected – just being himself – slightly belligerent and bullishly aggressive on the climbs. But always completing.

Yesterday was the groups' favourite leg so far, (Big thanks to Chris from Cycleworld for the tips on actually USING my gears to get up the hills) and team spirit was high, even though the weather made things a little tough. Today started with a nice 1100ft climb from Glencoe, mixed with some more crap weather and several family members en route to show their support – has to be said, having people on the way showing their support makes life in the saddle just that little bit easier. (I'm sure that's what the van drivers are doing when they beep their horns REALLY loudly when we're flailing around the broken white line in the middle of the road, aren't they?!)

Apologies that this isn't Mark writing the update – he's out fiddling with brake pads before tomorrows' leg to New Lanark. He'll do his best to make sure that the blog is updated as regularly as possible. And of course, lots of photos of the man himself in Lycra. I know that's what you're all really waiting for…

nice one

Thank you for updating us. You sound in good spirits and, once again, good luck to you all. 🙂