He'll buy a pair if necessary but I know I have killed one glove while the other has been in a reasonable condition, so I thought it was just worth asking on the off chance someone with big hands might have done similar. 🙂 And it appears the lovely Tiboy has done just that!

We know quite a few one-legged riders but the few one-armed riders we know are also missing their left arm so in a similar situation. Ah, well…

Thanks Zone. I know of a lot of people who have been diagnosed or been the carer for someone who has, and online forums have been invaluable for just 'getting it out of your system'. Don't underestimate the kindness of forum strangers and the sense they talk – these folk got me through some grim times last year. I can truthfully say they kept me (relatively) sane.

Realman – it's for a one armed rider.
We asked at a couple of bike shops but as they pointed out, people tend to steal them in pairs so they don't really have odd ones lying around anyway.
Of course he could buy a pair, but it's kind of like paying double if he can only use one of them. And he's tending to get through them because of the extra pressure of using one arm and also the additional falling off that happens (although recently he's been falling off less than I have!!)

Tiboy – you have mail. (thank you)
eth3er – I love STW too, in a good way.
devs – that is just strange…

Hey Mark.

Me and Julian went through a similar situation last year and it's bloody scary when someone tells you that you have cancer. But in some weird way it is something of a relief too – at least then you have a name for this 'thing' that's been making you ill, causing you pain, and you can hit it head on and start fighting back. J was treated for 2 months for the wrong thing (at one point being told categorically that he did not have cancer!) before he was referred to a specialist who said that in fact it was high grade osteosarcoma.

Once you have a diagnosis then you can start thinking about treatment and dealing with this thing.

I hope the diagnosis tomorrow is better than you are expecting and that the prognosis is good. I am thinking positive thoughts for you and yours.

Speaking as 'the one who didn't have cancer' I can say it was the hardest thing I have ever had to endure to see the person who meant most to me in the world going through the pain, unpleasantness and uncertainty of the whole thing and I wished every day that it could be me there in his place. You will be the one the medical team are focussing on and you might feel like shutting out your other half to save them pain and worry. Please don't, the last thing the people who love you want is for you to try to 'man it up' and not talk about how you are feeling.

I wish you well.

T

He's after something a little more practical, a little less sparkly. Nice idea though…

Good luck and enjoy yourself. If you don't enjoy it you're doing something wrong!

Like one of the earlier posters, I feel SO old now. It wasn't quite 'ride round the block and stop between these two cones' when I did my test, but it wasn't far off.

Anyway, just assume everyone else on the road is out to get you and you won't go far wrong. And if you want to buy a VTR 1000 drop me a message…

LOL @ G.
(And to be honest, I expected such a response MUCH sooner. You're all slacking…)

That grouting is a bit rubbish.
😉

My friend Gita taught me how to make potato curry when we were students and I just winged it from there.
I've tried sauces from jars but they just have a funny texture somehow.

My favourite concoctions are sag paneer, curried chick peas, garden peas with paneer and recently I have just about nailed making split pea dal. Probably not remotely authentic but I like them and Julian won't eat take away curries now.
I make naan from scratch, it's so easy and tastes lovely and have just about sussed the peshwari variety for J. (I like mine garlicky)

I have yet to master onion bhajis/pakoras (getting better though) and my recent experiment with sweet potato samosas is probably best forgotten. 😉

My Top Tip for cooking naan breads – use a pizza stone and get it and the oven as hot as possible. They will cook in less than 5 minutes if you get them hot enough.

Thanks mrsflash.

By way of a progress report, we broke the 30 mile barrier yesterday. We both fared okay apart from comedy tan lines and sore bums. So, yesterdays lesson – we need new shorts and/or saddles. Better to find out now than 30 miles into the big ride, I guess.
Another lesson? White cycling jerseys and mud do not mix. Well, they do, but forever. 😉

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored us so far and it would be cool if anyone else would like to add to our total so far.

That's superb. Good on him. 🙂 I can't imagine how proud of him you must be.

Even stranger, I usually have very mild hayfever but this year early on I was really, really bad. Needed strong antihistimines, nose spray and eye drops – usually I'd pop a pill occasionally and that'd be it… Glad you're all getting through relatively unscathed this year though. I now appreciate just how miserable hayfever can be!

I am not sure if it is against the rules, but bumping this for the morning crowd.
Thanks.

Thanks Lou – let us know when you do your event and I'll bung your charity a few quid.

Thanks to the others who have already donated – you know who you are. 🙂
Our little 'progress marker' has registered already. How exciting.

Jamie – I'll share the blame with you. I put some less knobbly tyres on my bike and it's done nothing but rain since then. I have done a lot of going sideways since then. Hmmmm.

Thanks retro83. For the donation, not that picture. <shudder>

I knew yesterday was going to be an odd day when our departmental director (from much further south) and our HR manager (from further north) arrived…
And then when we were rounded up "Guys, can you all come into the meeting room for a mo?"…. You know that queasy feeling?
They're not getting rid of us though, just the office. I will officially become a home based employee in a month or so.

As far as I can see, subject to any bombshells and me being a 'glass half full' kinda gal, this is actually better. Less travel costs and an extra 2 hours a day to go riding or whatever. I just hope the closure of the office is enough of a saving…

Great news – I hope she goes from strength to strength.
I'm so glad you've finally got a name for what's caused all those months of uncertainty (the not knowing is awful) and that you can now look forward to better times. Bravo!

I saw them in Sheffield about 20 years ago too – my god, they were fantastic. I also went along 'as a favour' because my friend ended up with an unused ticket and didn't want to go on her own. It is up there with the best gigs I have ever been to.

I am sure they will be fantastic Grumm. 🙂

TheLittlestHobo – you make a good point, I have seen the fallout from a ‘normally well behaved’ child going nuts. 😉

I accept I could have been more attentive, and I definitely will be in future, but equally so could they. I was riding on a public road – if I’d been in a car the dog could have been injured or worse… If they had been walking along the path next to the A57, for example, I am certain they would have had the dog on a lead. Some dogs are just not that bright (I used to own one of those – she was always on a lead when we were out in public) and surely it is the responsibility of the owner to try to protect their dog from harm if nothing else?

I was riding toward them on a long, straight road, they were on the path at the side of the road. I was unaware until it stepped into the road that the dog was not on a lead as it was walking behind them.
I agree that if it had occured to me that the dog was not on a lead I should have slowed down, that was obviously my mistake, but I was stunned that in such a place they were not more aware of the hazard their dog could cause.

Have you posted over at UKC too? There a few on there – and leaders in training too…

LOL. I took the nephews g/f out for a ride a few weekends ago and she was apologising and grumbling that she rode so slowly until I pointed out to her that one of the advantages of not being the fastest rider is that you get passed by fitter, faster riders and then at least you get to admire ‘the scenery’. And just on cue, two delicious lycra clad chaps rode past. She was MUCH happier then about going slowly.
🙂

Eating blue wensleydale, dairylea & brie with hovis biscuits. I’m drinking columbard chardonnay, J on the Leffe and we’re watching/listening to Guitar Heroes on BBC4. Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, a French flamenco guy who was just amazing, The Faces and now Ry Cooder playing Woodie Guthrie. Not a bad evening at all.

I can only begin to imagine how you are feeling right now.

I must recommend the Mac site as others have done – as well as support from others who are in or have been in a similar situation you can get loads of practical advice too. I found it a great support last year when J was ill.

Seriously, don’t worry about leaning on people when you think you can’t cope. It’s okay being strong for your family but sometimes you just need someone to be strong for you too!

This is what I used to have – it was lovely. 🙂
Sounded great too.

The Jeanius jeans are fantastic, but the new version is not as baggy as the colab version.
I am not sure how good/cool/comfortable they’ll be for riding though – they somehow feel quite ‘sticky’ when you get a bit warm. Good and roomy for climbing but if you run warm when you’re riding – and especialy with the kyles on – you’re gonna melt.

Better bet – in my opinion – just buy some cheap baggies from somewhere then you won’t be gutted if you come off and wreck a pair of £55 jeans…

Glad you are feeling better today – I am too, apart from the headache that won’t go away. 🙁 I have also been drinking lots of water/orange juice, thinking I was dehydrated, but it didn’t help. The coughing/puking thing is horrible but it appears I am about a day ahead of you, so you’ll be pleased to know that seems to have gone away now. Still coughing but not with the same ferociousness, thank god – my ribs are killing…

E have got a Robens Double Dreamer, which is great – sleeps 4 with a good sized communal bit. It’s an ‘outer first’ tunnel tent and the 2 ‘bedrooms’ are seperate so you can pitch just the outer, add the rooms as required and the ground sheet is seperate too, so you can just pitch it as a shelter if you really want.
We have had it for years and it’s never leaked.
I will be gutted when it has to be replaced.

I’m very much in a Placebo phase at the moment. Revisiting their older stuff as well as trying to get into the new CD (it is proving quite difficult, disappointingly.)

Also, I found this on YouTube earlier which was a bit of a blast from the past and also quite cool. Well, I like it anyway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-I7ZpXphzY&feature=PlayList&p=D65FB02540FBCD7E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6
(tinyurl? Moi??)

I would…
(tut tut)
Music’s a bit bland though.

I love the idea of SPDfeet. LOL.

Otherwise – bits that grow back might be quite useful – you know, like lizards tails do…

J rides in Fox Launchpads and gets on really well with them – he is also tall and chickenlegged. He says they’re a bit warm with long trousers but fine with shorts on. Dead quick and easy to get on and off too, so you don’t mind taking them with you and actually using them.
I find my kyles a bit of a hassle and in hindsight wish I’d gone for something more like the Fox ones.

Assuming I don’t throw up any more and my friend isn’t too hungover from his leaving do, Wharncliffe tomorrow and then a ‘steady one’ somewhere in the peak on Sunday with a different friend who’s not ridden for a while, route yet to be decided.

I have similar symptoms and even I didn’t ring my GP – and I have been coughing so hard I puked. You great big girls blouse!!
😉

On the down side, husband is away at the moment so I have no one to make suffer with me. Damn. Lucky escape for him though…

Me and J have matching 3.5mm titanium wedding rings – they look kind of like curtain rings. (as in, they’re round in cross section, rather than flat or d-shaped)
My engagement ring is the same, but with a tension set diamond in it.
We chose titanium because we are both clumsy and would trash anything less resilient. Plus, it looks nice. (I don’t suit gold at all)
The wedding rings also only cost 40 quid each which was just an added bonus!

PS – you’ve got plenty of time to organise things, don’t panic!

Rikk, we have motocross armour jacket which we thought we could maybe modify but it’s not ‘sturdy’ enough to work – we can look at others though.

Another further spanner in the works is that because he has lost quite a large surface area that he can sweat from, he overheats more easily than he used to. So we have to be careful how much of the remaining surface gets covered, or there has to be lots of ventilation…
(Not something we even considered until the surgeon pointed it out!!)