The Sleeping Cyclist

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.

Ice skating is incompatible with cycling!

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...

Fixing Punctures

On the way to work tonight I picked up two punctures. This annoyed me a tad as I had invested in a pair of Armadillo puncture proof tyres for the Jogle. Not so puncture proof after all. This is me spending my break fixing my flats. I took this opportunity to test posting from the phone. This is how it will be done on the road!

Jogle Kit Test

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.

My choice of bike for the ride however has no eyelets to attach a rack for panniers and only one set of water bottle bosses. All of a sudden it was not looking such a wise choice. Initially we had looked at a trailer, this made sense when we were going to camp but since we are now using youth hostels we will not need to lug a tent around with us and so small panniers will suffice. But how to attach them? After a bit of research I stumbled upon Roger's Jogle Blog . Roger had used a very neat looking solution by Topeak. The Topeak beam Rack MTX - A rack that clamps onto the seatpost and requires no attachment to the frame at all. So that is what I, Dave and Steve have all decided upon. (Copycats)

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.

When at first setting off with the panniers in place the higher center of gravity was quite 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.

All in all it was a quite successful test. Hopefully I am pretty much set now, 2 x 1 litre water bottles should be enough. The only extra I may add is a small bar bag. Finances are stretched at the moment but it may be the final purchase needed. Better ask Alison nicely.

The two ugly Joglers

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

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.

New Shorts

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.

Into darkest Fife

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!

Fat Men Can't Climb

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.

Pretty Fly for a Fat Guy

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.

Coming to a T.V. near you, soon.

We have some t.v. coverage this week.
I am being filmed by Westcountry T.V. this Friday morning, hopefully to go out on their news in the evening. Make sure you are watching!
I can't wait for all the comments that will come flooding in (Steve, thanks).
Obviously there may be film offers, who knows where it will lead to?
Regie, i have been trying to leave comments (nice ones) on your blog but unable to do so??

Stay in your homes… Your government is in control…

JC Hutchins new media marketing madman, podcaster and author of the most successful podcast novel series in history has a new project:

In 7th Son the United States fell victim to a coordinated terrorist attack. Power stations across the country were destroyed, and the U.S. plummeted into a country-wide blackout. In the timeline of the trilogy, this blackout occurred in mid-November 2007.

While this blackout was described in the trilogy, the story never focused on its true victims: average Americans.

7th Son: OBSIDIAN does just that.

Author J.C. Hutchins has recruited the seven biggest names in podcast fiction to write seven short stories set during this national crisis. Podfic fans know these names:

• Scott Sigler (author of Infected, Earthcore, Ancestor, The Rookie)
• Michael A. Stackpole (New York Times bestselling author of Fortress Draconis)
• Tee Morris (author of MOREVI: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana, and Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword)
• Mur Lafferty (author of Playing For Keeps, and the acclaimed Heaven audionovella series)
• Matt Wallace (award-winning author of The Failed Cities Monologues, and Variant Frequencies stories)
• Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff (author of Shadow Falls, Number One With A Bullet, Diary of a Madman and Transistor Rodeo)
• Christiana Ellis (author of Nina Kimberly the Merciless and Space Casey)

No podcast author has ever opened his universe in this way, for a true audiofiction anthology. And no author has ever assembled such an all-star cast.

During the blackout the US government put up 14 propaganda posters to keep calm among the citizens if America. Click on the pic below and you will be whisked to JC's blog where you can find links to hi def versions of all of the magnificent posters below

The posters are spread across different sites so you will have to search for you favourite!

JC master of the cliffhanger has been cliffhangering the JOGLERS teasing us with when he will give us a plug. The exciting news is in! The next episode JC puts out he has promised to do the deed and give us some plug love as he puts it. :-) Thanks JC!

Non cycling activities

I thought i should make some comments about two important features in this weeks non cycling activities; firstly good news that Exeter City F.C. were promoted back into the football league after the play off final yesterday; secondly training will be suspended on Wednesday evening to watch Chelsea F.C. win the Champions League.
Just had to mention it.

Treed Bitstrips The Jogle!

Treed, the jovial Rottweiler of the podcast chat room has bust a gut and worked out how to Bitstrip a bike! Here are the results:

Click on the pic to see full size and access the rest of Treeds works! Thanks Treed!

Activity | Road Biking | Whitestone, United Kingdom | MotionBased Dashboard

Activity Road Biking Whitestone, United Kingdom MotionBased Dashboard
Knocked out a 40 miler today to bring the weeks total to 160 miles. Could be better but given time constraints its bearable. Legs are starting to feel better now, well apart from today, but i was feeling tired as the heart rate suggests and i am averaging over 14 mph on most rides which feels good.
I keep meaning to write a review of my bike but haven't got that far yet, although it handles well i have had to replace the brakes as the front was shuddering (this is a design fault on the bike and seems quite common on the tri-cross). Unfortunately water got into the rear wheel hub and loosened the back wheel, despite it being re-greased it appears to be coming apart again, i think a new hub is required, despite these faults its still a good bike but the niggles are annoying.

Armstrong vs Pantani on Mont Ventoux

Looking for motivation to get on your bike? This clip does it for me:



When the Joglers attacked the hill in 2003 we did the climb in about 1hr 40ish these guys are doing it in about 55mins at the end of a 100+ mile stage. Nuts.

Pics from the Joglers trip here

More about Ventoux here

Firef.ly

You may or may not have noticed that there is a Firefly button on the right of the page. This is a VERY cool new service that does two things. Firstly it shows how embarrassingly rare it is to have two folk on the web site at once. Secondly and more importantly it enables the visitors, on those rare occasions there are more than one, to chat together instantly.

Now this might not appeal as most folk probably wish to stay anonymous, especially if they are seen on our site! In which case you can just ignore it. If however you are feeling sociable and you see that there is more than one person here then click the button on the right and start typing. As easy as that!

Even Techtards Dave and Steve could work it. Probably.

90 Miles

My plan for today, following a week of stresses outside of my JOGLE and Internet world, was to blast away the negativity with a 100 miler. I planned to check out my route, or at least the start of it, for day 8 of the JOGLE.

Typically the weather decided to turn from the glorious sunshine to a more usual grey blustery showery sort of day. Not to be deterred I set off. I had programmed the route into my Forerunner gps with mapmyride an excellent site for such things discovered from fellow Jogler Stu . Well worth checking out.

The ride mainly avoided busy A roads and was quite a pleasant bimble winding through the Costwolds taking in Wooten Under Edge, Wickwar, and Chipping Sodbury before skirting around the outskirts of Bristol and heading through Keynsham and onto Wells. I stopped just short of the descent into Wells as I was short on time having left 4 hours later than planned :-P

The route still made it to the 90 Mile mark at an average of 15mph. I was reasonably happy with this as the weather was windy and miserable and there were no tractors in sight. I had to rely on podcasts for entertainment. I would be really lost without them on a long solo ride.

The good news for the Jogle is that I felt reasonably strong throughout and but for a lack of time would have comfortably made the 100 mark. Honest.

Wet Velvet

If you are a fan of the grotesque, of horror and downright toe curling nastyness then please check JOGLE supporter Mike Bennetts new web site and the delicious morsel of a story that is Wet Velvet. You will need to register at the web site to get Wet Velvet but having heard It I can tell you it is WELL worth the effort. Once registered you can also get all interactive and stuff chatting in the forums etc with Mike and folk like myself. See you there!

It should be pointed out that Wet Velvet is only for those of open mind and strong disposition.

There are also many free downloadable stories that don't need registration. From the full length novel, One Among The Sleepless to the short story series Hall of Mirrors. There is not one weak tale, they all have carved a place in my mind to come out and prey on my nerves at those times when you would least like them to.

Mike is also putting out a Magazine type podcast called Sometimes which involves a Non Mike Bennett short story, some music and some chatter. Also grade A material.

Hand over your money, please.

I am currently negotiating some press coverage for our ride. Hopefully we will have a slot on local tv soon and all being well the local newspapers will run something as well.
This is all good motivation to train, as we don't won't to be ridiculed any more than absolutely necessary!
Sponsorship is probably just over the halfway mark, so if you haven't done it yet...PLEASE DONATE FOR THIS WORTHY CAUSE.


I seem to be spending an inordinate amount off time in Richards Bikes at present, not a bad thing but i always end up lusting after a nice piece of carbon fibre, with Rich offering me a "deal", always so tempting. If only my wife understood my need for" just another bike".
Have managed a couple of early morning rides this week so far, but not awake enough to remember to turn the gps on this morning, so you will have to take my word on it that i averaged at least 22mph for 25 miles! Not even a tractor in sight!

Did you Think David Cameron was a bit naughty?

Well think again. Check out these young hoons. Please DO NOT try this at home kids.

Dragging a fat balding fart around on a bike in North Devon

Dear Loosers… Well I’m fat and I hit 50 today… No Dave not your age but me first 50 miler. This was the same route I did two weeks ago when I lost it within a mile from home. Its funny these Garmin things, the ride was exactly the same ride as two weeks but there was nearly 1k difference of vertical climb today, explain that what to me techno geeks?? Anyway the ride was sweet, no issues of feeling like crud, none of Dave’s excuses just a good darn ride. Considering I’ve in effect been following my usual form of training, i.e. very little… I now think I will rest myself before the ride, preparation is the name of the game. I need to ensure my calorific intake is up. Kate’s out of the house so I’m about to start a biscuit hunt.

More exciting stories from Mr. Sylvester when he can be bothered.

180 mile week

This week I was hoping to do 240 miles by cycling 4 days in a row to work. However due to a top secret mission I have undertaken it was necessary to drive on Friday night. This meant I only managed a paltry 180 miles. Bum.

Fortunately for me, the one day that I didn't ride Bristol was caught up in a Mega thunder storm. The rain was so heavy that traffic on the M4 slowed to 30 - 40 mph due to poor visibility.

I am a little concerned that although my weekly mileage is not too bad it is all made up of the 30 mile each way ride to work. No longer rides. Hopefully next week there will be a chance to fit in a long ride. It would like to do a few 100 mile rides before the JOGLE just for my own peace of mind, to know that I have it in my tired old legs.

My fitness seems to be coming on just fine though. My resting pulse was 44 before my weeks rides and now is at 46 suggesting my recovery is ok. Or at least I think that is what it means. Maybe It means I wasn't riding hard enough. If anyone out there knows about these things perhaps you could correct me. :-).

So the plan for next week is to fit in a 100miler. Anyone want to join me? Company would be good. Even if it is one of the joglers. ;-)

Really Geeky Tractor Motivation

Struggling on my bike ride home from work the other morning I had another tractor slip streaming session. I had the impression that cycling behind the tractor made life so very much easier. The average speed per mile as shown below in the geeky table bares this out, rising from about 15 - 16mph to 25mph.

It surprised me that my average heart rate went up by over 30bpm as well though. This surprised me because a lot of the time when following the tractor it feels as though I am practically coasting. It is necessary to really gun it when trying to keep the wheel up an incline but then on the flat and downhill It felt as though I was just ticking over giving the overall impression that it was easy.

I suppose this just goes to show how much speed and performance is in the mind. With a bit of motivation I was able to raise my average heart rate to 160bpm in order to stay in the tractors slipstream, where as before the tractor came along I was struggling to get the average up to 130, convinced that I couldn't go any harder. Unfortunately I seem to need a tractor to motivate myself.

Another hilly one.

A brief 45 miles to Newquay and back today. Again a bit lumpy but all good fun, well it is with a compact chainset!
Newquay is definitely not cycle friendly, weird one way system, hilly, maniacs in cars and people stepping off the pavement in front off you, glad its not on our route.
I can recommend Science in Sport Rego, (as supplied by Ironbridge Runner, thanks) recovery drink, definitely helped with the recovery and helped me ride today without feeling to sore.
I have started to think about the finer details of our ride, and which roads we will take, flat ones hopefully, it will be nice to have a final route planned out before we start. I'm sure WE will get lost somewhere!

I have seen the end (its hilly)

I am currently on a short break at my in-laws in North Cornwall, the plan being to do some decent back to back riding.

I thought i would check out the last bit of our ride this morning, from Portreath to Lands End, a nice 63 mile round trip that took me just over 4 hours. Included in this was a couple of breaks to eat, as i thought i should try and replicate our daily riding.

There was a steady breeze which buffeted me from the side, which meant i hardly had a tail-wind for any part of the ride, just what you need when your out on your own.

My outward leg took me through Hayle,Lelant Downs and onto the B3311 toward Penzance, and the on the back lanes around Madron and Sancreed before dropping down into Sennen and Lands End.

The return leg was more interesting, ie hilly! along the B3306 through St Just, Pendeen , St. Ives and back through Hayle. Plenty of short sharp climbs and descents, Steve you will need to make sure your brakes work for this bit!

So far this week i have nothched up 110 miles, you will probably notice that i dont follow recommended training increases in mileage, stupid? very, but unfortunately my time is limited and have to get the miles in when i can. Hopefully i can get a couple more 50 milers in this week, and the squeaky knee will stop and sore neck will go away!!

MikeBennettPodcast.com

Podcaster extraordinaire and JOGLE supporter Mr Mike Bennett has upgraded his web presence by launching his rather spiffy new website . Mike writes stories that have horror, hilarity and the grotesque in equal measure. He is always top of my playlist. Please do yourself a favour and pay him a visit - he provides an experience that is unlike any other.....
The video below gives you a flavour of his style but will make more sense if viewed on his site.

Joglers Crummy training Graph

Since we all have super duper Garmin 305 devices i thought I should compile the data to create a highly sophisticated graph detailing just who is the Daddy!

It is clear to see that Dave and Steve are following highly original training plans no doubt designed to maximise blow ups in the first few days. As Mr Dawsey would say You Gotta to have discipline, no bout a doubt it. Verdict - Nick is the Daddy.

Updated: Since Dr Stephen's post I have been able to accurately incorporate his data into our high tech statistical analysis of Jogler training. It appears that Nick is still the Daddy in terms of time on bike but is no longer the fastest. Must be the belly.

Training without a GPS

I am very impressed with the data that can be acquired with one of these Garmin gadgets the Joglers are using. Maybe one day... but in the meantime, here is my anecdotal account of my preparation for the Scottish leg of the Jogle...

Regular cycling

I cycle to work most days regardless of the time of year. It is 6 miles mostly downhill into St Andrews and 6 miles uphill into a strong head wind most of the way back, so about 50 to 60 miles per week. This keeps me ticking over and gives me good recovery, but is not good for stamina.

Stamina

Since my membership application was accepted by the Jogle committee, I have been steadily increasing my miles and trying to increase the time on the bike. So far I have managed to do just over 100 miles per week over the past two months. Then last Friday (2 May) I did an undulating 45 mile ride where I averaged 20mph. The next day my resting heartrate was good, so I was encouraged that my fitness is heading in the right direction.

Past experience

When I had just finished University (1990!), I cycled Lands End to John O'Groats in 7 days with a friend. The first day we rode from Lands End to Bath (215 miles) and then averaged between 100 and 150 miles per day. After 3 days my backside was so sore I was wearing two pairs of cycling shorts! By day 5 I had tendonitis in my patellar ligament. By day 7 I was in agony, but managed to complete the challenge. My knees have never been the same since!

Psychological vs. Physiological

Since my Lejog ride I have done other long distance cycling challenges and have found that by just taking it really easy, always "riding within yourself" you can travel long distances without needing to do a massive amount of training beforehand. I have found that regular commuting gives me a good base fitness, then the rest if often psychological rather than physiological.

Challenge

It is still going to be a challenge though to complete 3 days back-to-back where I aim to cycle 100 miles per day. I haven't done that since, well since I cycled Lands End to John O'Groats! Better find an extra pair of shorts to wear!

Seth Harwoods Helps "Shake Down" Alzheimer's

Seth Harwood gave us a mega plug in the latest episode of Jack Palms 3 . Seth is a super star podcaster and has now hit the big time with his first Jack Wakes Up novel being bought up by Crown publishing. So thank you big chunks Seth, that you could find time to mention our fund raiser in such detail. Here is a rather cool trailer for Jack Wakes Up:



Links to earlier post about Seth are here and here

I must train harder.

My contribution to this site has dwindled of late, so has everything jogle related, and yes i do mean training. This is down to my wife, who is 5 months pregnant managing to put her lower back out, which has resulted in her being unable to do anything. I have therefore become chief cook, cleaner, nappy changer, dogsbody, and getter upper in the middle of the night, nice!!
My great plans for a 75 mile ride yesterday turned into a 20 min run and then a 30 mile ride today was undertaken in 1hr 45 min as i needed to be home asap.
I did manage a 100 miles last week and some running but woefully short of serious training. Hopefully this will be rectified this week as we are off to the in-laws in Cornwall with a promise that i can do some decent riding.
I have also managed to damage the hub of my rear wheel and have had to borrow one of Richards Bikes nice shiny Shimano race wheels with very fetching red Michelin Pro race tyre, hopefully it was my fitness this morning that made me ride a bit faster and not the sexy wheel!!
On the plus side the sun came out.
Still it could be worse, i could be as fat as Nick or as slow as Steve, there is hope.........

PG Holyfield mentions our cause!

If you haven't yet checked out Murder At Avedon Hill you need a stiff talking too. It is quite simply the most immersing and absorbing podcast story out there. Beautifully written, acted and produced, PG and his star studded cast carry you away to a world of fantasy, vampires and murder mystery. This is the into from PG's site:

Lord Avedon has a problem. Generations of Avedons have watched over Avedon Hill and controlled the only pass through the Lantis Mountains. Traditions are important to the Avedon family, but one tradition has tragically come to an end. Gretta Platt, Housemistress of Avedon Manor, has been murdered. A member of the Platt family has always served the Avedons as Housemistress… until now.Only a handful of people live at Avedon Hill, and most are suspects. Arames Kragen, retired Aarronic Advisor and scholar of prophecy, arrives at the gates of Avedon Hill, hoping to gain access to the mountain pass. Lord Avedon is not in a giving mood, however…This is the story of Arames Kragen and his attempt not only to discover who killed Gretta Platt, but also to uncover the truth about a town that apparently has more secrets than inhabitants.

In his latest episode (21) PG is good enough to soil his master piece by plugging our efforts to raise money for Alzheimer's. Many thanks PG!

Tea and Chat - just the ticket

Last week we recieved a donation from Stephen Kilbride. I wasn't familiar with him and his work at the time so investigated. It turns out he is not only a podcast junkie but that he also does his own podcast - "Tea and Chat". It does what it says on the tin - Stephen tries a different type of tea and gives us his thoughts and then moves on to interviewing someone of note and rounds it all of with a film review.

This sort of thing only really works if the guy behind the microphone is any good, many are the podcasts where I have found myself turning off through lack of interest. This is definitely not the case here. Stephen has a great voice for this sort of thing, very easy to listen too and he compliments this with an intelligent and well researched interview, which is also well produced. If the first episode is anything to go by he is going to be getting some superb guests, as none other than Chris Lester of Metamor City fame was the interviewed. Stephen did a great job too drawing out several bits and bobs I had not heard about before.

If you have space on your mp3 player fill it up with a bit of Tea and Chat - you won't be sorry.

Stroud Valleys

Today's riding was a case of squeezing as much into 2 hours as possible as that is all the time granted to me today by my ever understanding family. Not being a fast guy I decided to see how much accumulated elevation I could get in. Luckily I live just outside Stroud which nestles at the meeting point of 5 valleys. This means there a lot of hills close together as you can see from my elevation trace.
I managed to climb 4286ft in 23.5 miles. For a fat bloke that was quite a work out. If you are the train spotting type then the ride stats are here.

Time for the dishes now.

Harmonious Joglers

Click on the pic to see full size.

Alzheimer's drugs appeal victory

From the BBC: Alzheimer's drugs appeal victory

The drugs cost about £2.50 a day The Appeal Court has ruled an NHS advisory body should have been more transparent in the way it made decisions over Alzheimer's drugs. Eisai, which makes Aricept, had challenged the process by which it and similar medicines were restricted to people with late stage disease. Three judges said the advisory body should have released details of how it reached its decision. However, the ruling does not mean the drugs will be more widely available. Today's decision is a damning indictment of the fundamentally flawed process used by NICE Neil Hunt, Alzheimer's Society NHS advisers, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), had said the drugs are not cost effective in early disease. That decision was upheld by the High Court earlier last year. But Eisai said nearly 100,000 patients a year with early-stage disease would be refused the medication if the restrictions remained. The company brought the case to the High Court with support from fellow drugs firms Pfizer and Shire, which manufactures other drugs affected by the NHS ruling, and the Alzheimer's Society. Evidence Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society welcomed the ruling. He said: "Today's decision is a damning indictment of the fundamentally flawed process used by NICE to deny people with Alzheimer's disease access to drug treatments." He urged NICE to review its ruling on the drugs to make them more widely available. "Time and quality of life has been snatched away from thousands of vulnerable people who learned they have this devastating disease this year." The legal debate centred on whether NICE followed a fair and transparent process in reaching its decision. After the ruling, Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, said: "We will be considering very carefully the findings and the implications for the time it takes us to provide advice to patients and the NHS on the use of new treatments. "The ruling will increase the complexity of our drug appraisals in some cases and they may take longer as a result." NICE guidance in 2001 recommended the drugs - which can make it easier to carry out everyday tasks - should be used as standard. But advice published in November 2006, stated that the drugs should only be prescribed to people with moderate-stage disease. NICE said the drugs, which cost about £2.50 a day, did not make enough of a difference to recommend them for all patients and were not good value for money.