Please visit www.jogle.uk for updates.
If you have been following us intrepid JOGLER’s you may have noticed first our Blog disapear and then a total lack of updates.
Unfortunately Google made a false positive on our site as a spam blog on the day we left. This has certainly cost us sponsorship money for the Alzheimer’s Society as we had most people, including the papers and TV pointed to the Blogger blog.
In the meantime we have setup a blog using Word Press.
All packed and ready to go.
I have somehow managed to end up with some very heavy luggage, but i think this is down to the energy drink and carbo powder i am carrying, so at least it will get lighter every day.
I am carrying the bare essentials, hopefully i won't feel to cold walking around Scotland in my flip flops!
It will be good to get riding and have a feel for what we have let ourselves in for, it would be great to have some sunshine en-route as well.
I think my dad would have been proud of what we are doing and pleased that we can raise money to help others have more chance of fighting this disease in the future, hopefully he will be keeping an eye on our proceedings and wishing us bon-voyage.
Please excuse the lame video I am experimenting with video quality to post from the phone.
All packed and ready to go. This past few weeks have been a bit tense for me as I have been trying to pass my Part 3 exam to become a driving instructor.
Today I passed! Which means i can look forward to giving up the night shifts and start planning a new career on my return from the JOGLE. It also means I can enter the JOGLE on a high.
Not long to go now so I thought I had better make sure I could fit everything in. It is quite a juggling act deciding what to take and what to leave behind. I had to bring some technology as 9 days without the internet is going to be a challenge on its own.
I have a pocket PC with Memory map installed. This has the whole route on it. Also a Nokia N95 for photos and blogging on the move. Hopefully all pics will be geotagged as they are uploaded to Flickr so folk can see where we were. It will also prove that we are not just in my back garden pretending to be JOGLEing! Also packed is my Garmin Forerunner 305 which will give stats for each day and an iPod nano which will be loaded up with podcasts before the off.
My check list and what you see in the pic below is here . There is probably something vital I have missed. Time will tell...
All this packed down pretty well into the bags I have. There is even a little room left over to squeeze in a few energy bars/drinks etc...
Activity Road Biking Whitestone, United Kingdom MotionBased Dashboard
Had a couple of easy rides this weekend. Went out with a few guys this morning and did a gentle ride up some little Devon hills! (click on title for details).
The bike is now fully serviced and ready to go, another six weeks training and i should be fit as well.
My plan is to pack my gear tonight, i have put all my energy powder drinks in sealable bags, hopefully customs will realise that my 20 bags of white powder are perfectly legal.
Just a reminder to keep on donating, thanks.
Two other Jogles are starting today. Both of these guys are riding solo and have given us tips and inspiration in the build up to our JOGLE which starts on Friday. So good luck to Regie and Stuart:
Regie Butler of 2008jogle.blogspot.com fame is up in John O'Groats ready to start his Jogle right now! The counter on his site says 17mins to go.
Regie is updating his blog with photos and comments from his phone, so go over to his site and cheer him on.
All being well we should arrive at Lands End on the same day as Regie so may actually get to meet him in the flesh.
Stuart is doing the same, you can follow his progress at End to End. We will be in and around Whitchurch at the same time on the 25th so hopefully we can meet up with Stu then as well.
I am a bit worried that both of these fit guys have 5 days head start on us but we finish the same day as Regie and 2-3 days before Stuart. I hope we haven't bitten off more than we can chew!
Podcaster Tee Morris has had his Krakens Jersey Stolen. The evil Krakens Thief is threatening to tumble dry the Jersey on HOT if Tee doesn't complete certain tasks. the latest of which was to sing Jonathan Coulton's Re Your Brains song on a podcast.
Remember you can become a part of this Web 2.0 Adventure…
Just to add to Nicks thank you for all our donations.
It really is amazing to think that we have reached our target, however there is no reason why we cannot keep going and perhaps make the £2000 mark, so please don't stop donating as every penny is going to help fund this worthy charity and help find a cure for Alzheimers.
I did get filmed by Westcountry tv today, but the news went out at 4.15pm due to the football, so i missed it!! Did anyone see it?
Good luck to Regie who starts his jogle on Saturday.
Last night we made the £1000 target we set for our selves. Hurrah! This does not mean the fundraising is over by a long way, just that people have been more generous than we imagined so please if you feel inclined, don't be shy. Donate! No amount is too small and it all goes straight to the Alzheimer's Society.
We were only £11 short last night so I asked if anyone on Twitter would like to push us over and SynapticJam stepped up to the plate. Thankyou!
Below are our kind donors online so far:
| Heidi | 12/06/2008 | I hope the training pays off Steve |
All being well i will be filmed by Westcountry t.v. tomorrow morning and orbiting you living room tomorrow evening.
It would have been good if Nick and Steve could have been involved, although this way i get all the glory and fame.
Hopefully i will get a copy of the filming and we can put it on the blog.
Training is all but over now, just a couple of easy rides at the weekend and get kit organised and all the last minute details finalised.
Activity Road Biking Whitestone, United Kingdom MotionBased Dashboard
Managed a good weekends riding, two 50 milers back to back, the pay off was trip to Trago Mills! (yeuk)I obviously need to earn massive brownie points so i couldn't get out of not going and even worse i had to look faintly interested.
I went out with a couple of guys this morning, (click on title for details) Jerry and Mike, thanks for the ride, although Jerry took us up some nasty climbs, we had some stunning views and i rode a couple of places i haven't been before and it was good to have some company.
I think that has been one of the hardest things in training, long rides on your own, nothing wrong with a bit of solitude but when the legs start hurting the novelty wears off quick.
Good to see some sunshine as well, just have to remember to hydrate properly every day, make that another beer then.
Click to see a larger version.
Ascent 3790ft Descent 3754ft
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Ascent 7522ft Descent 7475ftI took the afternoon off work again today so that I could do a long ride. It was my last chance to do a decent ride before joining the JOGLE team. It was also a nice sunny and warm day.
I cycled from St Andrews through Fife to Perth. Then behind the very scenic Sidlaw Hills to Dundee and then back to St Andrews.
According to mapmyride.com it was 73.75 miles. The miles passed quickly with the help of boagworld podcasts and Sunday talks from Holy Trinity Brompton. I managed to average 17.5 mph and felt a lot more comfortable compared to when I cycled 70 miles a few weeks ago. The new Endura shorts helped too! All bodes well for the forthcoming JOGLE ride through Scotland.
The size of the bike ride seems to become more and more apparent as it nears. I have been reasonably pleased with my training - last month I clocked about 720 miles without any twinges. However it dawned on me as I was riding in tonight, that my training is not enough to avoid pain. The 720 miles I did in the whole of last month will have to be covered in 6 - 7 days. Whats more it will include the Scottish Highlands and the Lake District. This is going to hurt. 
Hopefully it will be painful in a good, happy sort of way. So much is going to depend on the weather, especially the wind direction, a tail wind can make any ride a joyful experience but a head wind..... 
Taking it easy may well be one of our issues. Traditionally when we cycle together the egos take over and every hill is a competition, every descent a race. If we ride like that we will probably be in the broom wagon after 3 or 4 days. So all heroics will have to be saved for the last few miles of the last day. That is when I will lay the smack down on the remaining Joglers and establish my self as supreme Jogler. Or not.From the Telegraph:
German nursing homes are using a novel strategy to stop Alzheimer's patients from wandering off: phantom bus stops.
The idea was first tried at Benrath Senior Centre in Düsseldorf, which pitched an exact replica of a standard stop outside, with one small difference: buses do not use it.
The centre had been forced to rely on police to retrieve patients who wanted to return to their often non-existent homes and families. Then Benrath teamed up with a local care association called the "Old Lions". They went to the Rheinbahn transport network which supplied the bus stop.
JoGLE supporter and all round top guy Mike Bennett has unleashed a new promo video for Hall of Mirrors into the world. Stay around till the end to see just how scary those hooded trolls are......
This week Obsidian, the new project by JOGLE supporter JC Hutchins launched. It is a series of short stories written and narrated by some of the best known names in podcasting fiction. All the stories are set in the time of the 7th Son novel and the blackout across America that ensued. The series kicked off with a 2 parter by Tee Morris called " Miles to go Before I Get Home" Check out JC's site for these tales, the 7th Son Podcast, links to exclusive free Celldweller music and more. Also check out episode two for our Plug! Thanks JC!
Despite being slightly unwell this week i have managed to ride over the weekend.
Inspired by nicks ride with his rack, (i am using the same rack/pannier set up as Nick) i thought i had better take it out of the bag and see how the bike felt loaded up.
It felt quite weird at first but as long as you don't corner at high speed and sprint out off the saddle it all handled ok.
My bike, unfortunately, has not been as compliant. I have had a continuous problem with the rear hub and it is now beginning to sound like its about to explode at any minute. Fortunately Richard off Richards Bikes has been as helpful as ever and Specialized have come up with a replacement wheel set, which i will hopefully pick up tomorrow.
I have heard lots of good things about Roval wheels but from my experience so far their cross wheels don't seem that robust, and i've only taken them off road once, a muddy lane.
But like i said Specialized have come up trumps so hopefully problem sorted.
It's all beginning to feel a bit real with only a couple of weeks left until the start off our ride, we are trying to co-ordinate everything and sort out all those last minute details, and get every last bit off training in. All we need now is a month of guaranteed sunshine!
Nice story Justin, and thanks.
When I got home from my night shift this morning I found an email from Justin Lowmaster of The Space Turtle .Justin had been moved to want to do something to help fight Alzheimer's when he heard of Terry Pratchett's illness. A little later Justin heard about our little jaunt on Murder at Avedon Hill and decided to give us some support.
Not only has he given us a generous donation but he has also written a short story called Memory Remembered to help promote awareness of Alzheimer's. It is a quirky little tale about a Wizard with a failing memory. Please check it out and the rest of Justin's work at The Space Turtle.
Thank you Justin!
My sleep pattern has been pretty unhealthy lately, averaging under 4 hrs a day for the last week. I never thought that I would nod off whilst cycling though. Untill yesterday morning that is.
I set off on the 30 mile ride home after my night shift feeling pretty knackered and resigned my self to getting into the grind of just turning the pedals over and over and over and over.... The usual sort of ride home except I was even more tired than usual.
As I plodded along a straight bit of road just before Wickwar it happened. I had let my eyes shut for just a second, It felt so good. So I did it again, I was only going to have 1 second of bliss but the next thing I knew I was upside down on the verge with my bike on top of me! I had actually nodded off and veered into the verge on gone straight over the bars. No damage done thankfully but if I had veered the other way, into the oncoming traffic...... Not good.
It certainly woke me up anyway. I stopped in Wickwar for a bit of chocolate and then plodded the last 20 miles home without further incident, thankful that I had not done this whilst driving home from work.
I did have plans to do another 70 miler this afternoon, but my training preparations have been unexpectedly hampered by a pair of ice skates.
I thought that going ice skating with my nephew on Wednesday evening would be a good way of expanding my range of fitness. After all, it has been know for speed skaters to become professional cyclists.
However, as I haven't skated for a long time I forgot that I am not a youth any more(!) My inner thighs and left knee are very sore. Walking is painful and cycling uncomfortable. Will have to take it easy for a few more days...
On my commute to work tonight I decided to try out my JOGLE panniers setup. I usually wear a Camelbak Ventoux for commuting. This has enough room for 3 litres of water and all my work kit. This is fine for the 2 hours riding into work but on longer 6 to 10 hour days during the JOGLE will, I felt become literally a pain in the neck.
The racks have panniers of varying sizes that have fold down side panniers like spaniels ears to give plenty of storage. I have gone for the Topeak RX Trunk Bag Ex. It justs click into place on the rack. Lovely. 
Next I had to work out a way to attach a further water bottle to the frame. After rummaging around in my box of bike bits and bobs I found a rather nifty clamp that allows another bottle to be fitted. Rather pleased with my self it was now time to try the setup out. 
The ride to work was in pouring rain and strong head winds so it was a good test of the panniers weather proofness. They seem to be mostly water proof from road spray but when raining hard the zip lets in enough water to be a problem. Luckily I had put my work clothes in recycled shopping bags. It is good to work these things out now.
noticeable, especially when out of the saddle. Happily this was soon forgotten as I got used to the different handling. My only niggle was that on each pedal stroke my thigh just touches the clamp on the seat post when on the down stroke. Again this was quickly forgotten which is just as well because I am not sure how this could be over come. Perhaps thinner thighs are the solution. 
Dave and Steve try to look cool...........
but really just demonstrate why men look bad in lycra.Activity Road Biking Whitestone, United Kingdom MotionBased Dashboard
Just a bit short of the 100 miles, but still a good ride. (click on the heading for ride details). Hopefully we won't be riding at this pace for 9 days, or sprinting up hills in the big ring!!!
Get together with your mates and the competative spirit just takes over.
It was quite windy as well, which made it a bit tougher and we had to take regular turns on the front, all in all a good day...the test will be tomorrow morning.
If you were glued to your T.V. tonight waiting to catch a glimpse of yours truly i am sorry to dissapoint you but due to other events happening in Exeter my debut T.V. appearance was postponed until a later date.
Obviously going to keep my slot for a lead story.
We, ie me Nick and Steve are planning 100 miler tomorrow, looking forward to a decent ride, weather permitting. This is where we find out if Steve has done any training!
With tomorrows mileage i should be getting on for 200 miles this week. Feels good.
I did take possesion of a very nice pair of assos f1 mille shorts this week, i cannot recommend these enough! It was like sitting on a sofa initially but the ride comfort is top quality, a definite 10 out of 10.
I took the afternoon off work today so I could do a decent long ride. It was also a good opportunity to explore a part of Fife I had not been to before. With the Jogle only 4 weeks away the pressure was on to test the legs. I don't have the luxury of high tech GPS equipment, so here are my rough stats for the route:
Total distance 70 miles, average speed 16.5mph, max speed 38, min speed 0. Started in Blebo Craigs then to Glenrothes via Star. From Glenrothes to Scotlandwell to Milnathort. Got lost as I tried to find the "Path of Condie". I took what I thought was the right road and ended up riding along a rough track - time to turn around! Over the Ochils was stunning with nice 1 in 6 hairpin bends. Then down to Bridge of Earn and back via Newburgh and Cupar to Blebo Craigs.
The last 25 miles were into a strong easterly wind. Perfect training for the Jogle! The legs felt good, but after about 50 miles my neck and shoulders were sore. It also became apparent I am going to have to get some better cycling shorts as it was painful to sit on the saddle!
I followed Nick's example by listening to podcasts on my iPod. It certainly made the miles pass more quickly and was a useful way to spend an afternoon. I caught up with Boagworld, a podcast for web designers and web managers. The final 10 miles were spent listening to one of my favourite albums - Muse "Black holes and revelations" - great for that final push to the finish!
There is a hill near me Called Frocester Hill that runs about 1 1/4 miles in length at an average gradient of about 10%. Nothing too extreme but over the years I have timed myself up it when bored as a very unscientific measurement of my state of fitness.
The last time that I had tried this was about 2 years ago when I was 20lbs lighter. I thought I would have a bash at it yesterday because I couldn't be bothered to do a long ride and well to be honest I was curious. Recently the miles have been piling up so I dared to think that maybe, just maybe I was in olympic form. Unsurprisingly this is clearly not the case.
I managed to climb the hill in 10mins 50 sec at an av heart rate of 165. My previous record was 8mins 30 at an average heart rate of 164. So compared to me I was slow but to really put this in perspective on the climb of Mont Ventoux, a similar gradient but about 10 times longer, the top riders in the world average about 14mph. I am averaging about 7mph. Fat boys can't climb.
Here is my attempt.
I am rather pleased with my portly self. This afternoon I did my 66 mile Severn Valley loop and knocked 40mins off my previous best - the training must be doing something!
If you have IE with the necessary plug ins checkout the exciting dot race here . Worst thing about Motionbased - having to use IE. If you don't have IE (and who could blame you) here is a map of the route:
I was able to get my heart rate up a lot easier than has been the case so far this year averaging 152 with a max of 194 recorded. I think that might be an error though the highest I saw was 187.
Dave - a Community Mental Health nurse from Exeter. The ride was Daves brain child. Motivated by the loss of his Father to the disease last year.
