Hello everyone.
I just want to say thank you to S Dunn for the medal that was a fantastic little memento and i appreciate it very much, as do the others i would have thought. Cheers mate.
we have now been in the paper ( the Leyland Guardian ) with a description of the trip which is brief and a photo of us all outside work. Thanks has to go out to Charlie Edwards and Keith Bridgette who although did not come on the trip got a mention in the paper as the drivers so i guess they must have done something although nobody remembers it lol. Also ouch to Mark S as to hit a BRICK in the middle of the road and then the FRONT WHEEL come off that must have hurt alot nobody remembers this either although i do recall Mark hitting a small rock which sent him flying and skidding into the carrigeway with wheel intact, now i know that hurt as i was on Mark's wheel when it happened. Embelishment did not hurt anybody i guess lol. Appologies to Mark B as he was not mentioned in the line up on one of the photos plus the names dont match to the people, ah well. lol.
Finally my knees and Achillies tendon are still very painfull but i am back on the bike at last.

Our LEJOG Gallery

Click above click above

Done and Dusted.

Hello everybody just to inform you all we completed our adventure within the alloted period of 7 days, this was far from easy but highly enjoyable. You would not realise how much you can learn about the people you are with when you are together for 24hrs a day for 7 days all the foibles and realy annoying things such as the windy nights, (you know what i mean lads lol). Still we became a small family as the week went by, all looking out for each other as only a family can do. Tony more or less became the voice of reason and everybody listened, he was also nick named "The Don" but you have to say it with an scycilian, newyork accent gangster...... ish lol.
The journey was long as we were travelling anything upto 149 miles which was our top day down to 125 which was our lowest, culminating in a total of 923 miles in 7 days, please dont forget the 7 days bit as not many people do it in that time with the route we took. We were also in the saddle for roughly 11 - 13 hrs a day, Dunny will testify to that with gusto, lol.
I cant speak for anybody else about there personal journey so they will have to do that themselves, for me though, i can safely say it is the biggest challenge i have ever faced (well except for being a parent) and came out on top and chuffed to bits with myself. The hills were huge long drags some that went on for literaly miles and miles but i feel fitter and stronger for it. I could probably say i feel mentally stronger too as although we were in a group we spent a lot of time in silence just concentrating on the task in hand and getting lost in your own thoughts or trying to forget about the pain we were going through. What a journey............................................
I suffered one puncture only and that was at the beginning within 50 miles from the start. We started off eating quite healthily then it suddenly dropped off to eating whatever we could get hold off just to stave off the hunger and to fill up with carbs and protein. Also drinking was a never ending pain in the arse as it added quite a bit of weight to the bike and you do eventually get fed up of carb drinks and water, but it is a valuable part of your diet when doing long distance cycling. Do not underestimate "Go Bars and Carb drinks" they are the life force behind you completing such a trip.
I lost around 5 pounds although some of my fellow work collegues say i look like i have lost more.
I did not come out of this totaly unscathed as i now have a troublesome knee as in, i cant peddle and it hurts to walk so i am now stuck untill i am healed, which is quite annoying as the Time Trial season has started and i am going to miss the first few races damm.
Right i am going to clock off for now i will be back hopefully with some idea of how much we have raised.

DONT FORGET THE LINK AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE FOR PICTURES.

Prison Officers riding LEJOG in 7 days: good luck

Good luck on the ride, especially my brother Tony Pelan

from Brian, Belfast

good luck

Hey guys,
this is a shout out of support for all you crazy bike riders. Firstly well done for even entertaining the idea and secondly good luck with your adventure. Have fun with this and know that every turn of the wheels is helping someone who is in need.
All the best to all especially to my dad Tony Pelan and dad, Layla sends her grandad big kisses.
Love from Melbourne, Australia
xx

Point of No Return!!

Well. We have now reached the point of no return! The bus is ready to be collected on Friday. The trailer is in for a safety check tomorrow. The bikes are serviced and ready to roll. Pete is cramming in a little last minute training. My (Mark) excitement is now turning to apprehension. (Wondering whether or not to join Pete!!) Dunny's legs are shaved for streamlining! (Needs every bit of help he can get!) Bucko is planning on cycling back from John O'Groats to meet us half way!! Jay looks as worried as me! Even Tony was looking a bit worried today at the photo shoot!!The only one who looks quietly confident is Paul. (I personaly think it is an act and he is realy bricking himself!!) Rosemere and Derian have donated some T-Shirts for us to wear in the evenings while we try and collect a some more sponsors! (If we are still able to walk!!) A big thanks to Andy & Paul for giving up a week of their annual leave to support us for the week. (Or laugh at our pain and stupidity!!)
Also a big thanks to my nephew Lewis, for loaning us his laptop so we can update the blog on a daily basis. (dependant on being alive!!)
Last but by no means least. A big thanks to the wives and partners of all the team for putting up with the hours of training that we have put in, the weekends stuck in with the kids while we were out on the bikes getting the miles in. (And getting our arses used to being in the saddle for hours on end!!)
And a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored us for this crazy idea that someone had!! (Thanks Dunny!!)
Well I'm signing off now. Going to get some rest and relaxation ready for the weekend and the big week ahead!
So just thinks. On Sunday morning, when your all still sound asleep in your beds, (no doubt with a hangover!) we will be embarking on one of the biggest and most challenging adventures of our lives! Please visit our just giving pages and make a donation. Every little helps!
Thanks again to everyone who has supported and helped us in our crazy adventure.
Mark Smith.

Last minute nerves

We had our photo took today by the Lancashire Evening Post (thankyou), Chorley Nissan once again turned up with the minibus that they have kindly donated for the ride week (BIG THANKYOU). The photographer obviously had a wide angled lens to fit in Andy Kirkpatrick's muscular frame. Tony P took centre stage (just move your bike in a little more). Steve Dunn was unvailing his lovely shaven legs for the first time (We will not mention the other shaven bits). It seems that we are at the point of no return, with a few last minute nerves setting in with various sayings like "Why did you talk me into this" "oh my God what have we done" and "does my bum look big in this". The final, final, final route will be set tomorrow and all eyes are on Tony and Bucko to see if they pick any hills (remember it'll be all your fault if we fail) no pressure boys.
Pete might suprise us all and have a shave before the ride and loose his binman chique look. Paul the DJ Rawding has turned into Pete Tong placing some top tunes on this blog. Mark Smith has bought a visor for his helmet so he can smoke on the move. Andy and Paul W are the only one's who are calm, maybe it's because they know they can't get piles from sitting on a nice comfortable air conditioned minibus seat for 900 miles.

Just one last comment "OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE WE DONE" JAY

Hello.
Just a quickie, had a meeting today and everything is as done as it will ever be, just niggly bits left.
Also added some more photos courtesy of Tony plus i have added an annoying little music player, if you dont like the music you can switch it off.
Cheers and enjoy the piccs and of course the music.

Hello everybody a brief update on events to date.
At the moment we have raised as an estimate around the £2000 pounds mark, we still have a week and 3 days untill the start so we should be able to raise a little bit more. Our thanks go out to everybody who has sponsored us sofar.
On the training front everbody has petered down a tad now with just general spinning sessions and light road work left.
Dunny went to London at the weekend supporting one of his friends at the London Marathon and also supporting the local ale houses, nice one. Due to this obviously exhausting trip Dunny has unfortunately gained himself a cold and is as rough as a bears a##e at the moment, still better to be ill now and not during the event.
Peter went into Bill Nicksons asking for advice on potions and get faster and fitter pills, like it will make a difference now, eh Peter lol.
Tony went out over the weekend and put in some big miles this being on the Sat, Sun and Monday came into work late on the Tuesday for the first time ever "goosed" was the word, lol.
Bucko, not alot can be said to be honest he is by far the fittest out of us all so we will be sat on his wheel all the way (thats between me and you so dont tell him).
He took a spinning class today and excellent it was, cheers mate.
Jason has cleaned and polished his bike lovely and shiny it is .....for now. Not alot else to add really, sorry Jay.
Mark, i have not seen him for a while so i cannot comment on what he has been upto, but what i do know is that he has been ill again.
Finally me Paul, i have done a bit here and there, especially in the gym, on the spinning bikes and on the running machines. I have got to say this is probably the fittest i have been since my running days if not fitter. Oh before i forget i cramped up today for the first time ever during a C.V session, it was not pleasant. My right calve felt like it was going to snap and it was a nightmare trying to get off the spinning bikas i was sprinting at 90% so you can imagine the leg speed i had going, plus i forgot about the emergency brake. It is always a good thing to listen to the heckling from the back of the class i would not have expected anything less, lol.

This is courtesy of Mark S, so for anybody out there that believes this is easy check this site out. Hopefully this will encourage more people to give to our nominated charities, enjoy!!!http://www.cyclelejog.co.uk/diary.htm
This ride was undertaken last year, and congratulations to him for completing it in 8 days as a sole rider. Well done George.

Well folks. 2 weeks today, we will be on our way down to Lands End in our Chorley Nissan minibus, getting as much rest in as possible ready for the week of hell that lies before us!!
As we speak, the tow bar should be going on the bus, my bike is going in for a full service, (so hopefully it wont break half way through!!) and I am trying to load up with as many carbs as possible for the BIG week!! I think that all the training we have done so far, should be enough, (bit late now if it isn't!) so am now tailing off with the training and trying to conserve some energy. (sorry to the wife who thinks I'm using it as an excuse to sit on my arse doing nowt!!) Welcome on board to Paul & Andy, our drivers. Glad we have finally got that sorted or I would have had to sit in a brand new minibus while the others pedaled!! Can I also say a big thanks to my fellow collators, who have agreed to cover my shifts at work as my employers didnt seem to want to!! You know the script as well as I do Mr Rawding!!!
Anyway, 2 week today then it begins! Lands End to Death!!!!!

Driver's

Gentlemen, I just want to take this oppurtunity to wish you all the very best with your mission. Myself and Andy will be behind you all the way, pushing you along when you need it, helping you when you need it, but most of all, Me and Andy will be resting our legs as we'll deserve it! Cheers.. and GOOD LUCK.

From left to right Jay, Peter, Dunny, me Paul and Bucko

this is not the full party of the crew so i will amend with a new photo as soon as i can.

Hello again its been a while since my last annotation due to work and other commitments. Also to add very vaguely i was considering dropping out due to lack of support from work and the good old man flu which all blokes get at some stage to varying degrees. The chest infection which i had has now thankfully, totally gone and i am back to training. Oh if you have not already guessed i am now back on board and i am quite excited at the prospect of doing almost 140 miles a day (yeah right lol).
Pete is back on board due to his injury which has subsided enough for him to start training again after almost two months off his bike. Personally i think he was just blagging everybody and looking like the local vagrant to lure us into a false sense of security when secretly he has been training like a madman................lol.
Dunny's new bike is HOT HOT HOT although if it could speak or should i say groan it would be telling him "on yer bike sunshine" and then ride off into the sunset without Dunny (you now what i mean Dunny mate). Still for a man of his considerable bulk still manages to impress everybody with his sheer determination to not feel any pain on some seriously big hills around the Trough of Bowland, where as the rest of us whinge and moan all the way.
Tony has been his usual self, and very motivational to us all on the long training runs which to be fair have been pretty miserable at times. He has had a tough time lately and still managed to show his determination with his training and allot of the arrangements and logistics of this adventure of ours, also shout out to Dunny as well, who has had allot of input, and done allot behind the scenes.
Jay has done well lately and been getting some runs in and you can tell his fitness has improved and copes with the hills very well indeed. You would also never now that his bike bounced down the road at considerable speed which to most people would have destroyed your bike and left you standing there looking at a rather expensive heap of broken bike. Well done to BILL NICKSONS for fixing up his bike.
Bucko, well what can i say his fitness is on another level to the rest of us and his ability up hills is quite impressive to say the least. Also thanks for sorting out our supplements which we managed to get through S.I.S (Science in Sports)with a 25% discount, cheers. Bucko is also very motivational when he is not punishing us on the training runs lol.
Mark, well i cant really say allot about mark at the moment as he has been on nights, i know he is suffering with another cold, this would be his third in as many months i think. Lets hope he is still getting on his bike, which i am sure he is.
We have now finalised our driving crew whom are...
Paul Willet
Andy Kirkpatrik
we and everybody else should not forget the importance of there part in this journey as they not only have to keep within a 30 mile distance from us for supplement reasons but they are also sorting out food at the dinner time pit stops, picking up items we need from the local shops and trying to raise money as we go through the different towns. So cheers lads thanks for the help.
Finally myself Paul, well as i said at the beginning i almost pulled out due to various things but what i did miss out on earlier was my motivation dropped off the chart and i was ready for quitting. But thanks to the bullying from Jay and the others i got myself together and i am now fully motivated wahoooooooo.

I will now let you look at some photos i have taken and stop waffling on , enjoy.

The joys of training

On Sunday 16/03/08 I (Jay) completed my first 100 mile training ride, with the help of Steve Dunn who was also at the back of the pack. The little cafe stop at Ingleton helped, with a nice pint of tea and some beans on toast I almost felt human again (but not for long). Steve's encouraging words like "oh my god look at the bloody hill" (Slaiburn) and "I'm gonna walk, I'm gonna walk" during each steep section helped no end. The three Mark's were finding it far to easy for my liking and i'm sure one of them had a motorised bike. Tony had to cut his ride short only because we were to slow for him on his ultra super carbon bike. All in all it was a good day and maybe i'll begin to walk again in a few weeks. Jay

Some piccs of an earlier training run!! This was taken at the top of a very steep hill on a very cold and wet day during a repair to Jay's bike, thank god for the rest. From left to right Steve Dunn, me Paul Rawding and Pete Townsend who is lucking unlikely to do the LEJOG due to injury.
more to follow.

Unfortunately due to work commitments Keith Bridgett and Charlie Edwards cannot make it so we now have to new stand in drivers in Andy Kirkpatrick and Ozzy, welcome to the team guys.
An update as i have been neglecting it a bit. Everybody i think has suffered with a horrible cold virus which has been flying around work for the past few months, which has ended up on the chest, this is not good when you are trying to train and you cannot breathe as it shows on hills.
Everbody is just about fit and well except for Pete who has to have an operation on his knee sometime in the future. He puts the injurie down to incorrect positioning of his seat which has then put to much pressure on his knee ligaments, so when he cycles for a few miles his knee balloons.We all wish him well and hope he recovers quickly to carry on cycling if not for the LEJOG but for future events we plan to do.
My chest is still not 100% and i am coughing like i have been smoking woodbines for the past twenty years , not good.
We now have a vehicle being loaned to us from Chorley Nissan thanks for that, and a trailer for carrying the bikes and equipment which work is lending us, thanks.
The route has been finalised and it comprises of mainly 'B' roads so it should be scenic and painfull at the same time lol.
Accomodation will be sorted on the day by our back up crew who will go off ahead to find somewhere to stay and eat, but mainly to cry ourselves to sleep lol.
Bucko is sorting out our suppliments and he has offered to give us all a sports massage after each day, this is the beauty of having a P,E,I coming with us who is trained in everything to do with fitness and has also completed Iron Man's and Triathalons in competition format, nice one Bucko.
Tony has finalised the route and is sorting out tools and spares for the journey and will more than likely be our on the road mechanic as well, Tony has also competed in road races in his youth and can still wip our assess now lol.
Stevie Dunne has recently purchased a full Carbon road bike and gotten rid of his mountain bike, he is a good man to be on the wheel of, no need to say anymore there. Also needless to say we are all highly envious of his bike it is a beautifull bit of kit. Oh its a Focus by the way.
Mark S. is training hard as he has to make up for the fact that he has still not quit smoking ( come on Mark get a grip ) got to say though although he is still smoking he can get up the hills.
Jason has fully recovered from the cold that he thoughtfully passed onto me (cheers mate!!!) he has also recently come back from sunnier climates such as Florida lucky sod. He is now complaining about the lack of quality training, (join my world). Something not so good happened to him last week on the way back from a training run, his bike was attached to his car when the strap snapped and the bike bounced down the road at approx 50 miles an hour destroying his back wheel and shredding the handle bar tape, luckily this was the only damage done because if the truck coming the other way did not slow down enough Jay's bike would scrap metal now. Nevermind mate all fixed now.
As for me, well i am still suffering slightly with this damm chest infection which has stopped me almost completely from training, but hopefully i will be out this weekend with the boys. My bike is starting to show signs of mileage as there are a few niggley noises coming from the headset and bottom bracket so it looks like a full service and some replacements are in order next week.
That is it for now i will post some new piccs asap.
Paul out.

Contact us.`

If you wish to contact us, to either offer words of encouragement or even if you could help out by donating energy supplies of any spare cycling equiptment. Please feel free to email us:- lejog08@tesco.net
Thanks for visiting and be sure to come back & check on our progress as we get ever closer to "The Big Week"

lejog 2008 over 7 days

Hello and welcome to our first ever blog they seem quite tricky at the moment but please bear with us.

LANDS END TO JOHN O’ GROATS

27^th April 08 to 3^rd May 08

We are group of seven employees from HMP Garth and we are taking on the challenge of the gruelling Bicycle ride from Lands End to John O’Groats to be completed in 7 days on the above dates. We will be assisted by two other team members Charlie Edwards and Keith Bridgett who will follow our journey in a mini bus carrying essential provisions for the challenge.

There are only 2 experienced riders in our group and the rest of us are relative novices to road cycling. The daily rides will average approximately 120 to 130 miles totalling 891 give or take. This blog will be updated daily to help keep you all informed of our progress. We have a training regime agreed and in place to enable us to do all we can prior to the day to gear ourselves up for the challenge we have set, we will also add this to the blog so that you can witness the pain as we go through it, and the many ups and downs of the joys of cycling.

As well as being a great personal achievement for all of us to complete there is another excellent reason for us to be embarking on this journey. The main purpose of the ride is to raise money for two brilliant and worthy charities - Rosemere Cancer Foundation and Derian House, a children’s hospice.

The Cycle team consists of:

Tony Pelan Pete Townsend

Jason Clarke Stephen Dunn

Mark Smith Mark Buckley

Paul Rawding Andy Kirkpatric

Ozzy

Hopefully this blog will help us to raise plenty of money for these two fabulous and deserving charities and with your help this can be done. You can donate through our justgiving pages we have done two as we are riding for two charities.

http://www.justgiving.com/lejog2008hmp

http://www.rosemere.org.uk/

http://www.justgiving.com/lejog08hmp

http://www.derianhouse.co.uk/