****** claim to fame (not)***********

When i was 21 and had just passed my test i went whizzing around the Isle of Man’s loverly roads. Up north its flat and there are a myriad which skirt the opening stetch of the end 2 end route. Anyway i was taking one road out of Andreas, came bombing around a corner to find this old bloke with a stick in the middle of the road. Slammed the massive calipers on my Fiesta Ghia, i managed to stop without hitting him. The elderly gent smiled, waved his stick and Norman , for it was he, tootled on for his afternoon constitutional. imagine if i’d hit him – would always be a stand out on yer CV….

bought 911 OMN 21 years ago (isle of man plate) for £25 meant to get OMN 911 too but couldn’t be arsed. its on a silver C4 Grand Picasso. at least it makes it easier to find amongst all the other ones when i’m “over the water” in Cameron’s dream land….

Amplebrew’s right historically – the Manx national dish truly is chips, cheese and gravy (or beans if you are feeling posh…). As served @ The Rovers pub most lunchtimes. Good for carbo loading for the End2ENd. in fact as 401st finisher this year i can think of 400 people to recommend it to starting with Nick Craig…

i'll put a word in for Lumi's excellent LED 3? I'm sure you can get better and brighter lights but i've had excellent service from the Lumi guys whenever i've had a problem with my previous halide set up….

more like "what stick" to clear cleats/pedals after Arrasey,,,,,

back home looking after ill son….. legs feel like they've been beaten with sticks, bit slower than i hoped (5:03, 401st) but the headwind, soft going and gears that kept sticking in 34t didn't help….

come and crash on the Sloc with complete assurance

just done the middle section twice in 3 days – 2.1 nobby nics (merlin's current offer) seem to do far better than i was expecting. whilst the back can slide a bit it's not uncontrollable….

Start of on the road as mentioned, then a 1400 ft climb with rocky tracks – some quite sizeable as we've just had a 2 day trial on last weekend with lots of stone kicked about at the top of the dowse. Sommat grippy but not draggy works – done 2 or 3 years on Speed Kings with a Protection version on the back – only had 1 puncture (last yr, top of the dowse). last 5 or so miles including the final climb up the Howe will make you regret anything too bulky too…

edited due to poor typing…see below

hmm lots of old Mint Calendars under desk @ work – must get scanning tomorrow morning….

had CTS – left wrist done in March, right, mid-june. it had started about 5 years ago with me waking up in the middle of the night with my hands on fire. By the 2nd lap of race, or an hour or two into a ride i had np feeling in my fingers. Getting better – just had a week in the New Forest with the family and bikes, but only managed 2 laps of the Kirroughtree 10.

My docs initially tried shots of steroids in both wrists, but while they did work they soon wore off. When i went to see the consultant he let his junior assess me- couldn't believe it was both. Then he assessed me himself – ditto. After i convinced both of them last November i had to wait 4 months, but that's here on the Isle of Man where resources aren't as stretched. Get your doc to refer you asap.

oh, and they only seem to do one at a time – though the pre op nurse i was talking to said her friend had both done at once. Expect not to be able to cut up food, do up laces/buttons etc for at least a week. Also got 2 weeks off from the consultant each time. Nice, but lots of work awaiting me when i came back.

Further edit;;;;;; right hand you can't see the incision. Left hand healed manky so picked up a weeks antibiotics too. Took a while to pick up strength too – lifting cases and driving to Nottingham 2 weeks after op not recommended….

we got something from AXA; i was foxed and wondered what the better half had signed up for, but a few days later a proper bit of paperwork turned up. our covers gone up to £550. might ring them up when i get back from holiday…

i'm in with my brother, though i'm just 3 weeks over a carpal tunnel op – also after 2 years of bragging about how good KT is a fair few of the Manx MTB club are going too. Up the Manx!!!! (and all the other "comeovers" who ride bikes too it must be admitted). Might manage a few laps – got to generate an appetite for the NS curry place Saturday night after all…. Got my Benromach, Manx MTB and Loghtan Loaded tops too.

Are the Nae Falls Nae Balls (sic) lads going too? – they did the IOM E2E last year and were sound if slightly off the wall…. :)

2nd the Alp-x's (in brown) – they go well with my brown Singletrack shorts too…. i'm just on the far side of my 2nd carpal tunnel op and think the Alp-x's work well…

i bite – are you Batman or Robin? Well done anyway!!!

i got a good one for the 2007 100th anniversary as a birthday present….it's called ''TT Century" by Stuart Baker good read with a bit on every year

There are regular Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday rides – also look @ Loaghtan Loaded website for videos and Garmin routes too. hiring is a possible from Eurocycles in Douglas- treks etc. 01624 624909. oh, and buy a map – if you can get the local 2 part rights of way map £7 – pretty good. You can ride out from Douglas to pretty much the whole Island, or even get a tram north, or train south and ride from there….

If you are over in the next few weeks and are about 5'6'' you may be able to blag a Kona from me to borrow as i'm stuck off having had a carpal tunnel on Tuesday….

Northwind; living here all my life i've heard enough about TT deaths; i lost a good friend in a bike accident Friday of practice week 17 years ago. I'm sorry- i didn't know enough about the other 2 to be able to say anything sensible about them. Guy has been out with mates on rides around TT time; passed me on the e2e wearing his distinctive sweety p*sspot helmet, and has been well enough known as an mtber (see recent mtb mag articles) to warrant me mentioning it.

Guy has been frustrated all week, and i can't be the only one to think he was getting more and more desparate to succeed.

Guy finished the E2E last year with "now that's what i call a real man's race"…

Nice to see someone with a bit of passion.

Coverage also to be repeated on sky's Turbo channel at some point according to an ad last night.

As to where to watch – spectating is a bit more restricted these days – look @ iomtt.com for restricted areas i think. When i was a kid we used to walk upto Signpost Corner and watch the bikes thriough the crowds – the smell of 2 stroke oil brings it all back….

Camping – best email me direct steve.ormerod@gov.im suggest Glen Lough as its right on the course…

"Lake District mountain biking essential trails" wish i read mine properly before we went up Hellvellyn the wrong way :)

isbn 9780954813185

Seanodav – …just nipped out with tape – front 900, rear 1400 apparently….

just bought some xt's too – hoses too long – may need trimming and bleeding, other than that fantastic value even if i had to wait a few days

new chocolate Singletracks – good on and off bike

did ok first few days until chicken burger and chips at lunchtime, but keeping off snacks, so maybe not too bad? Did have pear tonight with chicken & pasta :)

hmm 82kg/(1.68*1.68)= 29.07 gulp… hides head in shame

oh and target is to lose 6kg too….it's going to hurt…

was going for 3rd time third year but 2nd hand op 3 weeks before may well kill it…. Have booked as a pair with bro for 2nd year running but he's dropping out too :(. Great event, already booked Benromach jersey, but may end up as pit crew for the largish number of other Manx Mountain Bike Club members who have entered….

Oh and the indian, is very good – a bring your own beer job hmmm?

And whilst i'm no expert the route is good, especially the swoopy end bit – keeps me going each lap anyway!!

Just been weighed and as like a few others i'm 5'6'' and (according to Hospital scales a smidgen under 13 stone). Room for another hobbit??

Need to ride more and eat less, tho in my piteous defence had carpal tunnel op 16th March which has kept me off bike for while….

on the Isle of Man there are lots (and not just because of Cav…). The weekly youth meet about 1/4 mile from me gets upto 240 kids of all ages riding!!!!

DezB – so it wasn't just me that noticed it…..

Well as a Manxie "your" politics are boring – we've got Kevin Woodford (the reluctant cook…) standing in a local election. Pity as i stayed up until 3am in1997 to watch Labour. i'd vote for him but a) he's funded by a blind trust, b) it's in the next area, d'oh, and c) he doesn't know who's funding the blind trust…

Shady figure in black "excuse me.."
KW ; "who are you?"
SFIB; "fancy being funded by an anonymous person to become a politician?"
KW: "how generous of you, why i think i will"

hmmmm

oh, and i didn't haggle over fees – Ken did about 110% of what i expected and gave me a discount too. `not really sure what i could measure it against really….

Ed – ken faragher in Onchan is good – he did my mum last August (not really sure how else to put it). ken is distant family – great aunts nephew…. good service (had to get my younger brother out of Russia and couldn't have managed it without Ken). also helped with death cert as for various reasons only my aunt was on Island and cert was delayed… i'm not at work till next week – ring me tomorrow on 07624 421067 if its any help

Practical things – don't forget death grants -multiple copies of death certs helped(another thing Ken , or any decent undertaker should be able to help you with). i am mum's administrator for my sins and it's alot of hassle, and the forms for administration were the worst written i'd ever seen.

i had to stump up all costs, and it cost quite a bit between the funeral and General Registry fees… still got a house to sell too.

Best wishes in all thats ahead – feel free to ring if it helps – only busy about 9.45 am – 10.15 tomorrow (consultants) Steve Ormerod aka stevio

laughing so much i think i just burst some stitches in my hand…….owwww

ta! been wanting an LED3 for a while…..

just bought some supersonic Speedkings with black chilli from discount tyres – ordered Wednesday, arrived thursday – seem to be in Gwent? There was a link on here i think. Cheaper than even the prices on the boxes they arrived in, which was nice….

move to the Isle of Man, we've not got IR35, however it may not fool my colleagues in HMRC. Top rate of tax 20% in April, nice allowances, plus mortgage/loan relief. And its got lots of nice hills and trails too!

thank god i got in early….

Martin, just buy one – saw several at Kirroughtree – 3rd guy back from 1st lap was on one and they had their own "temple" (ok tent) near the transition. A thing of beauty. All they need is gears….

i now have a pdf to order the DVD – email me to get a copy….

Best advice – don't set off too fast as after some road miles you face a 1400ft climb!

On the other hand with an extra 400 riders it may be like a meat counter queue at the first climb.

Personally i've done so little this year i just want to finish!

see you at the signing on (no 709)

Bring your mud x's or similar if last year's Surby Slurry is to be repeated (everyone's bike was grey with slurry like mud from some fields near the end – 1 mate couldn't remember where he'd put his bike down after finishing, tho that could have been in his rush to get a finisher's Buff!)

Likely weather – probably ok with the odd chance of a heavy shower for 4 to 5 hours. :)