"Merida MTB Marathon Series Final 2007 in Ruthin"

Bleed? I ain't got time to bleed!


So how did my recent MTB marathon go up in the beautiful hills of North Wales?...Ruthin and the surrounding area to be precise. Well, it went very well indeed. The weather was good after fears of pouring rain and 10hrs+ in the saddle with light fading fast as the mud made for an ultra slow ride! And also fears of the marathon even being cancelled because of an outbreak of Foot & Mouth that is going on here in the UK at the moment. Instead we were all told to bring clean bikes and footwear, especially if you're from the affected part of the country (as were I, Lee & Phil) and we had to roll our bike wheels and walk through a shallow trough of disinfectant to kill any germs we might be carrying. In fact, all 1000+ riders had to squeeze through the exact same trough before we took our bikes out into the North Wales hills between 09:30-10:00. It was the biggest traffic jam (with bikes) that I have ever seen! Of course everyone wanted to get away as quickly as possible to be in for a chance of achieving a good time.
We were camped on the grounds of Ruthin Rugby Club for the Saturday night (15th) and the ride started the following morning. After a decent sleep in a half decent tent and under a cloudless night that contained what looked like the entire solar systems alloted amount of stars we got our bikes & Camelbak's ready in gorgeous sunshine and downed some tasty porridge and sliced banana. This final leg of the "Merida MTB Marathon Series 2007" was the first that Lee & I have ever done. Phil had done one last year and this is where I first heard of the Merida event (Merida make mountain bikes). There were four routes on offer at the Ruthin event; 25k, 50k, 75k and 100k. I thought I'd do the 100k if the weather was good enough and if not the 75k but the weather was good, albeit very windy on some of the more exposed parts of the route. The wind was so strong at times that I had to pedal to get down a decent! But at least it was dry and warmish.
The three of us set off together through the pretty streets of Ruthin and up into the hills. My goodness! The hills were long and steep and hard going! I had to push my bike more than once they were that steep! If only I had another gear I kept saying to myself. A slightly larger cog on the back and a slightly smaller ring on the front and I'd have pedaled near enough the whole lot I reckon.
The sun shone for a few hours but then decided to go all overcast and windy! We soon found our own paces and I wouldn't see Lee & Phil again until I reached the finish line some 7hrs later, by which time they already finished & had washed their bikes, showered and were sat in the van waiting for me to arrive. They had both decided to do the 50k ride and when didn't see me at the finish, they knew straight away that I was on for the 100k. They completed their ride in 6hrs and crossed the line within two minutes of each other. I however took an extra 2hrs and crossed the line all alone after a mental 5k wet decent into Ruthin village. My hands were sore from gripping my handle bars and pulling in the brake levers. I had almost no strength left in my hands and right arm by the end! My legs had also had enough and my bike needed a good wash, not to mention me!
It was a thoroughly rewarding ride. I went at my own pace the whole time and even after the relentless wind, a puncture after 90 mins and an uphill fall where I couldn't un-clip my feet from the pedals and whacked my right shoulder & head on the ground (hence the bloody nose...the ground hit my helmet, the helmet pushed down into my glasses and my glasses cut into the bridge of my nose) I still managed a pretty good time. I made all the deadlines before you got diverted to make sure you weren't stranded out in the middle of nowhere in the dark. I was wonderfully exhausted by the time I reached the finish line and picked up my event t-shirt for finishing, had my FVIII and went home still with bloody nose and dirty bike!

The event was very well organized with several feeding stations along the 100k route, most of which I just picked up a fresh banana, had a little stretch and continued along my way. I was on a mission and really didn't want to stop at all. Each feeding station had water, bananas, biscuits and energy bars on offer and first aid too. The whole course was marshaled also. Each one would cheer you on and encourage you to keep going. And also, each one who noticed my bloody nose asked if I was ok. They really did a brilliant job. The entire route was very well sign posted. It is amazing just how quickly 1000+ mountain bikers spread out over a 60 mile course! I found myself alone for a fair bit of the ride...just me and Elvis and my aching joints. And that is just what they did too...ache. I can't have been happier for the way my joints behaved leading up to, during and after the ride!

I can't wait for the next ride! Next year I shall try and do all of the Merida events that are held. That'd be a nice challenge to achieve...even more so if I can do the 100k route in all of them!

Anyway, Wednesday saw another inquiry come and go. And again I went along to show my support and meet up with friends who have also been affected. I still don't really know what to make of it all. The evidence seems to be along the same themes with every inquiry and nothing as far as I can see has really stuck out and smacked me in the nose. Yes, there are terrible stories of haemophiliac Sons dying of aids and stories of how Factor VIII was made and distributed back in the day, but is there anything that can secure exactly what we are asking for? I don't rightly know. I'm not even sure what it is we are asking for anymore? I'm just happy to see and spend a little time with my old/new vWd/haemophiliac friends once a month or so:) I also invited along my friend Debbie to this one.
There will be more inquiries to come we have been informed, but as of Wednesday no dates set.

I need to get out on my bike again! My legs feel as if they haven't pedaled for weeks and it's only been four days! I have just been so busy I suppose since Monday..., well Monday & Tuesday was spent recovering from Sunday and Wednesday to a certain degree also (I nodded off about 18 times during the inquiry...Ros had to keep poking me to wake me up;) and maybe even Thursday if I am honest and yesterday (Thursday) was spent up London again with Debbie to see a show called "Stomp" which was superb! If it's in a city near you, then go see it! You will want to bang anything & everything...including the kitchen sink (if you know what I mean;) when you get home. And then Thursday evening was spent in the pool kayaking. Plus Elvis' rear cassette has come loose and needs sorting! Silly Elvis!



Jason








(C) JPT 2007.........2881.05 miles.

"365 Days Later"

Big Ben can't tell the time...what a silly Ben;)


It's been a whole year since I posted my first ever post on my first ever Blog. This is my 177th post! Not a good number but hey, who's looking eh? Why not a good number? You might see just a number, but it reminds me of the word "ILL"& I don't like "ILL". 771 will be another post that will haunt me for a day, but that one won't come along for another few years yet...if ever. Numbers eh...who needs em?
Anyway my friends, Is it weird or even just slightly odd that the first thing I notice when I write a new post is what number it is? I mean please! What's going on? When I was a child I used to have wide awake dreams (or should that be nightmares?) where numbers would be ruling my life, coming at me on an invisible conveyor belt from one side of my peripheral vision and pass right by my eyes...one ofter the other after the other...continuously and without an end! The area where the numbers were was pitch black and the light showing the numbers came from some unknown origin. I could be wide awake and my eyes would be open or I could fast asleep and they would not go away! The numbers were BIG! Not big like say three million, six hundred thousand & eighty one, but BIG as in actual size! They were gigantic! Taller than any skyscraper ever built with corners that were hard and straight and sharpe! Machined to perfection and perfectly steady in their journey past me! It was a terrible feeling and although they didn't stay in my head for long, I didn't know that at the time. I remember sitting on the edge of my bath when I was very young and saying to my Mum if they would stop. My Mum probably said something like they won't hurt you my dear...they're just numbers. I couldn't make them go away myself either...I just had to wait until they went. Very odd indeed. Why didn't I dream of normal things? Like not being able to run or being chased by a strange man who wanted to do horrible things to me? Maybe numbers freaked me out so much back then because I was useless at maths. I could not and still cannot get my head around bloody numbers! People I understand, or at least I know what they are capable of...but numbers? You can keep your numbers thank you very much!

So there you go. Happy Birthday to my Blog...And to Ample's too:)

It seems I have lost the ability to write interesting posts anymore. I just don't seem to have the concentration to come up with anything more exciting than watching an empty crisp packet floating down the street in the wind. It just sounds so boring going on about my cycling around Richmond Park and what not! And kayaking and going to these public inquiries every now and then. I went to two in two days last week (Wednesday & Thursday) and all I seemed to be able to do was nod off listening to various doctors & professors talking about how it was like to manufacture, distribute & ultimately administer vast quantities of Factor VIII, unbeknownst to them at the time (allegedly) harboring various blood bourne viruses! Terrible I know because it is so important. I was tired though after all the cycling I have been doing. Ros was there too which was nice as always and Matthew (another bleeder) who is funny and easy to get along with. They're all very friendly people as it happens. I like the bits in between the actual reading of evidence where we go down the road to the cafe or pub and chat and stuff. I reckon I only go because of those bits...and the mice on the London Underground. I saw the cutest little mouse on the underground and all I wanted to do was pick it up and put it in my pocket and take it home and care for it forever and ever! But I didn't...because I couldn't quite reach it...just out of my reach...as always. One very good thing though is at least I know it will still be there next time I go on the underground...waiting for me:) I wish they allowed bikes on the underground. It'd be so much easier on my wrecked ankles! I hate walking! I don't do walking very well! It hurts too much at times. If only you could jump into my feet for a little while someday...and find out what it's like. Maybe I could jump into your feet someday and feel what it's like without the pain?

Rub, rub, rub those sore little feet,
Until all the pain has gone to sleep,
Your dreams much longer with less of that yawning,
Feelings of happiness when you wake in the morning:)

What have you all been up to? Have you noticed just how quickly it gets dark in the evenings now! I've had to put my big lights on my bike for the first time since the beginning of the year. I like it when it is dark as you are forced to look only in one spot in front of you...and it feels like you are going so fast too, like you're in a long dark tunnel full of flies and deer and rabbits and grass and dirt and roots and... I'm looking forward to a bit of night riding up in the Surrey Hills soon. It's a totally different place up there in the night time.

Talking of cycling, Lee, Phil & I have a mountain bike marathon scheduled for the 16th September up in North Wales. Not a sponsored ride this time. It is the end race of a series; www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/ruthin.php Not sure what distance to ride yet? Probably not the 100k route as we have to drive back that night to London and definitely not the 25k as it would be far too easy. Either the 50k or 75k. Depending on the weather. I'm very excited as I Love North Wales:)

Just a quick update on the amount raised so far for the North Downs Way ride two weeks ago. You wonderful people have been donating since we did the ride and I am now up to a whopping £697. I'm eagerly awaiting for someone to whack it up to the £700 mark;) Anybody got a spare three squids? My fundraising page is still active if you want to sponsor me. It won't close until around the 18th October. So if you haven't already sponsored me, it isn't too late. Go for it;)

The Blood, Sweat & Tyres crew have raised a total of £1513. Well done guys! Absolutely brilliant!



Jason








(C) JPT 2007.........2710.52 miles.

"Drunk on the Blood"

Jac & I at an Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster gig @ The Barfly in Brighton, 25.07.07.



Still don't know exactly what to think about my new health status except that I am 'well happy' and 'well relieved' that I won't be dying a Hep C related death any time soon. Otherwise business as usual...me arm kills me, me ankles kill me, still swallowing mouthfuls of Lovely tablets everyday with plenty of cycling and kayaking and not really a whole lot else besides. Ooh, I did go see a live band on Wednesday and attended another hearing for the public inquiry in Westminster just hours before the gig and I have given a fair bit of blood too (Thursday in fact) in a study that my doctors are carrying out up at the RFH called "Determinants of thrombin generation in Haemophilia: Does this associate with phenotype?". Sounds good eh? I'm not entirely sure what it means either, although I was given some literature to read and did indeed read it, but I still don't really know what it is for except it has something to do with my Factor VIII levels. I know I should probably take more notice of and show more interest in all things blood, especially when it is about my blood, but to be truthful I don't really want to become a doctor or an expert on the red stuff...not even a semi-expert...not even a mild one. I think I will leave all blood related things to the wonderful doctors at the RFH. I didn't even get a tube of Smarties for all the blood that they scoffed!

So, another public inquiry came and went (on Wednesday afternoon) and was dare I say it rather boring. Maybe I missed something, I'm pretty sure I did as I was nodding off to the gentle voice of Professor Ian M Franklin of Transfusion Medicine, University of Glasgow and National Medical & Scientific Director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service. The social part of the hearings, where likewise infected people get together before or after and, well, basically socialize...this is the part that I enjoy and look forward to the most. Jac & I met up with Ros and Matt (fellow bleeders and infected...both are clear of Hep C but only Matt & I have HIV) a couple hours before the inquiry and sat in a smoke-free pub (pure bliss:) right under Big Ben in Westminster and spoke about all things HIV, Hep C, Haemophilia, Von Willies, blood, painful joints and how Lovely the fish & chips were that was sat in front of each of us. It was a very short hearing (1hr 30mins) and was held from 2pm. Are they running out of people to invite along? Were the panel busy with more 'important' things in the morning? Who knows? It was Jac's first time there and although it could and has been more interesting she still found it so. But she thinks they are wasting their time & money and the whole thing is pointless. We'll see.

Then came the gig in Brighton, on the same day as the inquiry. The band Jac & I went to see are called "The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster". They're a Brighton band so the crowd were pretty much up for a bit of matchbox mayhem...and matchbox mayhem was what they got too! What a complete bunch of fucking nutters! Look them up on YouTube and see what you think. You will not like them I guarantee it! I however think they are the dogs bollocks! Jac likes them too and knows what they're like but what happened on Wednesday night was pretty mental and an experience to behold. She said she'd never seen anything like it! The place was tiny (The Barfly) and the band and the crowd were only divided by a foot high step, some speakers and a little bit of shoulder height metal fencing to either side of the stage. If I wanted to tug Guy McKnight's (possessed lead singer & according to people that have met him a thoroughly nice chap) snazzy little neck tie I could have. Jac & I were right at the front by the fence and two very big speakers stacked on top of one another. The three support bands that were on before were soon forgotten about and the whole place seemed to move forward nine feet in anticipation of the bands arrival. Guys first dive into the crowd (there was a lot of diving) was to the brilliant track "Mister Mental". He clambered up the floor speakers on the stage and leaped onto the fence where I was standing and whilst bent over up against the low black ceiling of the venue, glitter covered eyes briefly scouring the crowd for someone to land on he dived right into the crowd still singing until he was pushed around on a see of sweaty hands for a few seconds before he disappeared in amongst the crowd! This happened during almost every track, just feet away from Jac & I. Exhilarating stuff indeed! I filmed a tiny bit of the dive I just described...it should be at the bottom of the post with a few more clips.

God knows what was going through Guys mind as he stood there between tracks seemingly unaware of where he was, saliva freely dribbling out of his open mouth, down his shirt and onto the floor. His eyes were wild like a rabid dog and his chin, body & limbs shivered as if half the world's alcoholic population were taking a giant chemical filled piss right onto his grave! His silk neck tie was either beginning to irritate him or he was trying to hang himself with it as he tried to pull the thing off. In the end he settled for the removal of his rather feminine looking shirt after singing for a few minutes with the thing tightly wrapped around his entire head like some sort of mummified psycho.

Although I would Love to have been just three or for people to my right (in the mosh pit) I was quite happy I wasn't too as I didn't have any factor VIII in my blood at all because the study I was involved with the next morning at the RFH meant that I was not to have any F8 for 72hrs before! Next time I will fill myself to the brim with fake blood and just throw myself in;) Ok, maybe I won't...but I want to! Who knows, it might happen as I have already bought tickets to see them again in London on the 7th August at The Scala in King's Cross.

YouTube clips that I made on Wednesday in Brighton;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ELJfSbm58

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ELJfSbm58

Below are my bloods from July 4th. I have no idea what they mean or whether they are any good, so if you no maybe you could let me know?

Bloods taken on July 4th, six months after finishing my Hep C treatment;

Hb 16.2
Wbc 4.72
Neutrophils 2.58
Platelets 127
ALT 23
Bilirubin 13

And in case you are interested below are my CD4 count;

CD4 @ 258 on July 4th 07
CD4 @ 154 on 22nd Jan 07
CD4 @ 202 on 2nd Oct 06
CD4 @ 98 on 9th September 03

And here is my weight taken on July 4th also;

Weight 74.1kg


So there you have it. Very happy (if you know what I mean) and very relieved also. The pubs and clubs (strictly for seeing live bands in) are now smoke free and I am (although I have a lot of pain in my joints) as fit as I ever have been. I got my sponsored bike ride coming up in three weeks which I am well looking forward to and it even looks like the weather is going to get better down here in the South of England in the next few weeks too.
See you when I get back from the Shrewsbury Hep C gathering this weekend. I'm staying with me Lovely friend Ros and her Hubby Ade...thanks guys for putting up with me again;)


Jason

P.s. Happy Birthday (28th July) to my wonderful blogger friend Ample. Have a wonderful weekend my dear:)xx







(C) JPT 2007.........2257.76 miles.

"Waiting for paper"

County Hall, South Bank, London yesterday.


Silly isn't it! All the way through tx and all the way through the last six months right up until my six month post tx blood test on't July 4th and not a bat of an eyelid as to what the implications may be if the outcome isn't successful. But since my test just one week ago I have been feeling it! I'm no longer in control and I absolutely hate this feeling! I'm not a control freak by any standards but I do like to see where I am going...even if it is nowhere. If I am in a car I will never be comfortable unless I am the driver...It doesn't matter how good the driver is. That's the sort of thing I mean.
The shadows & dark patches have been getting in the way big time on my bike rides! Let me explain...I have this OCD (we all have them) where as I pedal around, when either foot reaches the very bottom of it's stroke (closest to the ground) and there is a shadow there say from a tree or lamp post etc or a dark patch of tarmac or a line or crack or oil stain then I physically have to back pedal and start again until my foot reaches the bottom where it is clear and light etc. I say to my self that I will die if I push past and ignore it. Believe me I have tried to push past it and continue pedaling through such feelings and all that happens is what can only be described as a rather large elastic band twisting up tighter & tighter inside the very center of my whole body making the thought of death & illness magnify where the only way to get rid of it is to back pedal the same amount of times in the opposite direction until it feels free in my mind again. Sound odd? I don't suppose you would necessarily notice if you were to watch me because I am very aware of it when I do and try and make it look as natural as possible. Having said that, I probably look like a right twat;)

Anyway, I used to do it loads years ago for a very long time but it seemed to go away in the last year or so. It is always there but very very infrequent and only in the last week has it come back...since my blood test to be precise. I know it will go away when I get the result (as long as it is good that is) otherwise I'll have to figure out another way of stopping it...it drives me mad sometimes! I just want to pedal normally...maybe everyone does it though? I've never really looked to see. Maybe us cyclists are all mad and none of us are normal...That'd be nice;)

Also, I had a very strange dream this morning where I was waiting for my results to come through the letter box and my Niece Daisy & my Mum were there too. It dropped through the letter box and I held it in my hands thinking how I would react in front of my family if it was bad news and secretly thought that I would not react at all and just say 'Oh well.' And then I opened it and tried to see just from the shape of the paragraphs and positioning of the lettering wether I could tell what kind of news it was. I noticed a drawing and collage type thing, almost child like in design and very colourful. It looked like a multi-coloured bumble-bee with petals for wings and had a great big smile on it's face...I looked over at Daisy and said that it was good and burst into tears. She came over to me and hugged me and her tears fell onto my face and I felt wonderful! I know that when she reads this she will be rather embarrassed by it but hey...that's dreams for ya;) It won't be anything like that in real life I just know it. I'll smile a bit and start to phone people up and tell them the news...if it's good. Otherwise I'll probably just be really moody for a few days and look like a weirdo on my bike for a bit;)

So what else have I been doing? I went to the latest hearing into the Public Inquiry into contaminated blood products yesterday and met up with my good friend Ros the day before as she was down for the early start at Westminster and sat with her and her wonderful Mum & Dad through the whole of the hearing. I was thinking that even if this inquiry doesn't achieve what it set out to do then at least some very good friendships will have been formed because of it:)
An added bonus at yesterdays hearing was the switching of venues right at the last minute to just across the road to the Houses of Parliament. I don't think I have been in there before...maybe with the school when I was a kid but I was probably being naughty and throwing things at the policemen rather than realizing where I actually was. The TV cameras were there again and so were the policemen...I refrained from throwing anything at them this time as they were all holding rather shiny looking Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns! As with all the other hearings it was cramped and far too hot but also as with previous hearings the people giving evidence were varied & keen to help as much as they possibly can. Amongst the people in attendance to give evidence yesterday were Lord David Owen and Kelly Duda (whom was sitting next to me) producer of the film "Factor 8; The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal". I still don't know what to make of the inquiry really as I still feel quite detached from the whole thing from all the years I have basically turned a blind eye to all things like it. I do however find it very interesting and do feel the need to be there for some reason. I'll most certainly be at the next one on the 25th July. I might even take along my friend Jac as she has wanted to come along for a while now. Maybe my Mum too if she feels like it?



Jason


P.s. The photo I took on my little walk over to the Houses of Parliament from Waterloo Station yesterday morning and noticed six full size Stormtroopers standing guard over County Hall and facing directly out over the River Thames where they are holding an exhibition to celebrate 30 years of Star Wars. I went there back in May with my Star Wars friend Anna and didn't even see the Stormtroopers! They must have been on special military maneuvers someplace else in the galaxy;)

P.p.s. Also Chris, I'm so pleased for you dude! You & Heather. I'll be joining you soon...very soon:)







(C) JPT 2007.........2036.79 miles.

We Three Hills...

Resting Or Sore?


Christ on a bike! This year has gone by bloody quick thus far don't you think? Just a few more days until the longest day of the year and it seems as if it was February only weeks ago! My Hep C treatment is all but a faint memory with this little thing preventing me from forgetting about it completely...that being my 'SVR' blood test which will be pulled from me sometime in the first week or two of July. I reckon it's gone to be perfectly frank and this is why I'm not too worried about the upcoming test. It's just another test to me in a way anyway. I've had hundreds if not thousands of test for one thing or another to do with me blood, so what is one more;) It's gone! So why worry eh? And if it's not...it's not. I'll live.

Anyway. What have I been up to then? You guessed it. Cycling & kayaking and not a lot else really. Apart from these dreams I keep having of this beautiful Swan (very strange), I have been attending the hearings for the enquiry into contaminated blood products every few weeks or so in Westminster too. I still feel quite detatched from the whole thing even though I am part of the reason why it was set up. I just don't have the anger and fire in me that some of the others have...and quite rightly they should too! But for me, i find it all very fascinating stuff to witness and all but I find it hard sometimes to think that I am actually a part of it. I have always kept my distance from these types of things and trying to get into it now seems a little late in the day if not pointless also? I don't know. Maybe things will change inside me if and when i witness more deaths like I did several years ago. Even then I didn't get angry and feel the need to fight for anything. Sounds bad doesn't it? Alright...I did and do get angry about it all but I have just never been one to share it with anyone. Maybe I'm a bottler...or a wimp? Maybe I just don't give a shit? Maybe I give so much of a shit that it just doesn't register anymore? What must I sound like eh? I'm not the best person at explaining himself that's for sure. I reckon I'll probably stop trying then.

So...on to my cycling and kayaking. As you know I did that Rough Ride thing a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. And as soon as I got back I remembered this website that I found last summer called Blood, Sweat & Tyres who raise money for The Haemophilia Society by cycling places. I first came across them last year when I was in the middle of my Hep C treatment and would have joined them on their summer ride across 90 miles of The Ridgeway if I had been in time. It was only two days away from the time that I found out about it and I thought about asking them if I could join them and then quickly decided I would wait until the next one in August 2007......which is exactly what I am going to do. I've got plenty of time to prepare myself for it, although to be quite honest I am ready for it now. The ride is 104 miles (over two days) from Dover to Dorking cycling along the North Downs Way via Canterbury. They have said that I am more than welcome to join them and raise money for the Haemophilia Society at the same time. I am in the middle of creating a fundraising page for myself so if any of you out there wish to sponser me then that will be the place to do it. I will post links to my page as soon as I have got my page ready and I will e-mail you with details too and no doubt post something on the Hep C Forum (if it's alright with you Carol?). It will be a challenge...a painful one, but one that I am looking forward to immensley. I can do it!

That's in August, but today (Sunday) I was up in the Surrey Hills alone and did all three of the best ones in a row (Holmbury/Leith/Pitch. I started off in Peaslake and went up the side of Holmbury Hill paralell to Barry Knows Best and along Resevoir Dogs all the way to the highest point, looked at the view with Leith Hill on the horizon to the left and Pitch Hill to the right and then took a dive into the snazzy new start of Yoghurt Pots and all the way down to the bottom, which was quite yoghurty I might add and then found The Telegraph Row route & took it all the way down to the otherside into Holmbury St Mary and then along the road a little way past the church and up the steepish and pretty mucky track that takes you to High Ashes Farm and the bottom of Leith Hill. Cross the road and head up the track directly up to the Tower and got meself a slice of date & marmalade cake and more water and quickly headed for Coldharbour via the South side of the hill passing the cricket pitch on my left and into the pretty cool series of single tracks that are Waggledance, Regurgitator & Summer Lightning...ignoring Deliverance on my way by (I've done it once...never again...& it was on a hardtail!) and almost all the way into Westcott and by road to Broadmoor and back up to the top of Leith Hill through some quite narrow single track all up hill and all wet and muddy. The weather was quite good but it had been raining the day before and the whole route was quite sticky & mucky! Straight past the tower again and back to the start of Barry Knows Best (riding paralell to the Yoghurt Pots instead) almost the exact way I came. Did Barry and popped out of the bottom minding not to get killed under a pasing car as I took the road into Peaslake Village again. Had the rest of my cake and spoke to another rider who had just found a new bit of singletrack downhill he hadn't seen before in Winterfold Woods. I didn't tell him that I had already been there before at the beginning of the year and cut my leg open;)
No time to rest as I still had Pitch Hill to do. My right arm was killing me by this stage...I pointed to somewhere to show my fellow rester the direction of a track i was talking about and as my elbow tried to straighten it caught and OUCH!! He asked me if I had fallen off and I just said that it was an old injury. And my right knee had been telling me something too since the climb back up to the top of Leith Hill. I kept my eye on it so to speak and carried on up past Peaslake church and up to and through T1 and eventually found myself at the very top by the trigpoint...past someones discarded disposable BBQ (tut-tut!) and down the fast, quick and very rooty descent into Ewhurst car park. Instantly turning around and headed the same way back trying not to get off my bike but it was too slippery on the roots and pushed Elvis past them until I was on dirt again...back up to the trigpoint and down T1 and down the side of Pitch Hill past the graveyard, left down the tricky and quite slippery rooty section right into Peaslake car par where my trusty car was waiting for me:) My knee wasn't any worse and my arm wasn't too bad either as I had made a conscious decision to try and rest it as much as I could. It seemed to work but it still hurts like hell!
It was a nice ride and nice and warm to boot as Ample would say;) with not too much wind. It was quite slippy in places and me & Elvis were absolutely covered in mud when I got back. There were quite a few cyclists about too and hikers/walkers etc. I'm glad I went as I haven't been up there for a few months now. I seem to spend all my time in Richmond Park these days! Having said that, I couldn't possibly go up there in the hills too much as my arm isn't getting any better. I don't want to ruin it anymore than I have too;)
So what was the damage? I started out at 1pm and got back to the car at 5pm but according to my trip computer I was pedaling a total of 3hrs. My average speed was 9.1 mph, max speed 31.6 mph (and I wasn't even pedaling when I got that) and the total distance I covered was 26.66 miles. Not bad for a ride in the Surrey Hills:)
I drove home and then went for another little ride of 6 miles to see if I could get into this Music Festival in Strawberry Hill...but they wouldn't let me in the grounds on my bike (I reckon it was because of all the mud on me;)...and I had left my wallet in my car anyway! Oh well;) So 32.56 miles total

So on to kayaking. I reckon I have mastered my C to C roll now and have done them over and over again in the pool and the Thames and the Mole now. I still can't believe that I can roll successfully in a kayak. I have always wanted to be able to roll in one since my North Wales Adventure holidays with the Haemophilia Society when I was but a little boy;) And now I can do them whenever I want:) I am very proud of myself as I thought I'd never ever be able to do one. I thought they looked impossible in the past...and now they come easy to me. I'm so chuffed:)


Jason

P.s. Can anyone tell me how I get a link into the text in my actual post? For I have a video my friend Lee made of me executing a roll in the Mole (Whoa! I made a rhyme:) last Friday afternoon during a 2hr 30mins paddle from Box Hill Stepping Stones all the way to near Bocketts Farm. I want to show the whole world I can roll now;)




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ELJfSbm58


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ELJfSbm58


P.s. Happy Birthday Chris for yesterday:)






(C) JPT 2007.........1775.13 miles.

"Are the cows really coming home?"

Graffiti at the South Bank yesterday morning...


Right...Ok! So my breakfast decides to come out of my arse the minute it hits the bottom of my stomach! Thats what it seemed like anyway...is that even possible? I feel bloody great, so it ain't nothing like no bug or germ or anything. So what then? My HIV drugs? Maybe...but then why not every day? Maybe it does happen everyday but I just don't remember? I think i'd remember mind...don't you? Would you? Well there you go then...so it ain't every day.
Do I neen to eat breakfast again? Do I have to take my tablets again? Are they in my body still or are they on their way to the coast in the shitty dark confines of an old Victorian sewage pipe? I don't rightly no......I'm not a sewer rat...but one thing I do know is that I feel fit and healthy...oh...wait a minute! I did go kayaking last night and performed a roll without my nose clip thingy on and plaster (band-aid) strewn pool water went right up my nose and went all fizzy behind my right eyeball! Maybe that is what caused the chocklick taps to open up this morning?
Anyway...I'll wait until lunchtime before I eat again and just be thankful that it didn't happen in my sleep or here at my desk or in Ian's kayak last night;)
Nice bit of kayaking though...not too many rolls from yours truly...seemed to have a mental block and was very inconsistent, where as Lee did six in a row in my boat the git;) (oh, did I tell you that he did his first rolls last Thursday?) I blame it on the cows! Seriously! They're coming and they're mooing and shitting all over the place...eating grass and swatting flies and scratching their big fat arses on fences & trees. See! I told you the cows are a coming;) Shouldn't joke about it really, but if I didn't i'd cry and that wouldn't be very good now would it...the last time I cried I was quite upset and frustrated and in...oh well...that's what happens when you fall eh.
I tried out three different kayaks last night and rolled in two of them. Ian wasn't feeling too good after eating a large meal just before getting in...not a good idea! And as I said, Lee was on a roll...literally! I just went around and around like a man possessed...splashing everyone and generally acting like a big kid on speed! Lee'll vouch for that;) My bruised knee from last week wasn't too bad although it has been rebruised since last nights paddle session and my little toe injury has all but gone away. I can't crack it yet like I do with all my other toes and all my fingers because it still hurts! But soon:)
My mind wasn't on it to be perfectly honest. I felt good fitness wise but mentally I was mooing...you see I had spent the whole day before in Westminister at a hearing for the Independant inquiry into contaminated blood products. I wasn't giving evidence as were several people like myself, but just watching & listening in the small but packed room over looking Westminister Cathedral in London. I was with Ros who invited me along...I had never been to anything like this before and have always in the past tried to ignore or brush aside events/occasions like it. Selfish and cowardly maybe, but at the time I was hiding from it all and I suppose if you're not ill then there's nothing wrong and therefore what has it to do with me? Interesting attitude no? Sorry...couldn't help it at the time but now I want to see and hear what is going on...the stories of wrong doing for all those years that I am a part of wether I like it or not. I wanted to be there this time to witness, to hear and to feel what has happened. I am one of 361 Haemophiliacs out of 1243 who got HIV still left alive...I had know idea it was that little a number!!...and I think it only fair that I witness the outcome of this..."the worst medical disaster in the history of the NHS". Not to mention the 4670 patients that were given HCV (including Ros) of which there are 2552 left alive!
It was hot and cramped in there yesterday...not just for the audience but for the people reading their evidence and for the panel listening and documenting the whole thing. The stories that were read out were sad and emotional to hear...and all too familiar! But where as I have been well and have more or less hidden myself away from all this kind of stuff, there were people there who are very very passionate and determined to get to the bottom of this fiasco. I totally admired these people and their fighting attitude for closure/recompense/apologies/sympathy/answers...but mostly an end to it all! I was left feeling a little like I didn't deserve to be there though. There were stories of Hep C & HIV related illnesses that have almost killed and even deaths where they were! One story was of a haemophiliac boy who died and he was just seven years old. His Mum & Dad were their speaking about it and I just didn't know where to look! Other stories were told by widows of Haemophiliac husbands now dead and.........and then there is me with sore joints and...oh I know, I know! I have been affected! It has made a massive impact on the outcome of my life etc...I have ignored this for so bloody long that it has made me feel this way! I am angry! I am upset! But......but....!! But what? See what I mean! Damn it!!
It was difficult and emotional and I will be going to the next one and the next.........incidently, I submitted my evidence to the enquiry but said no to being invited to read it out...I am glad I said no as my story pales in comparison to the majority...that sounds awful doesn't it? But this is the way I feel. But I am starting...maybe I can make a difference in other ways...I can ride my bike to the moon and back...kayak across all the oceans that our dear planet has to offer...but it will never change what has happened! It did happen...it is part of history now for good, in which I am a part of. There is no getting away from it...what is done is done. There is no going back...no amount of money or apologetic words or answers to questions are going to bring back the dead, nor make better those of us that are ill or have been ill or who will be ill someday. How do I sound as you read this?.........Just so long as it never happens again is what this should really and only be about. But even then I have my doubts! We will never stop it...but we can try.

The weekend Hep C bash up & over at Chrissy & Jb's was great:) You may have already seen the photos I took over on the forum. It was an experience to behold and was very well organized by the 'Newly weds'. My good friend Ros was their too and a few others I had met previously and lot's of new faces also. I was exhausted when I finally got home after dropping no less than four members off in various locations up & down the country...it was great:)

Also, today is the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. It was released in US cinemas today all those years ago...We got to see it in the UK a whole year later for some reason. And also today is World Towel Day to celebrate the life of Douglas Adams...what ever you do...don't forget your towel and lastly...DON"T PANIC!!!!!!!!!



Jason

P.s. Sorry about this posts photo...although I did take it on the day of the enquiry & in site of the Houses of Parliment, I thought it would be more interesting than a shot of 'Big Ben' & the 'House of Commons'. I do have a shot of Ros at the enquiry talking to Lord Archer but it came out a little grainy...hence the graffiti, which has nothing to do with kayaking, the enquiry, Star Wars nor World Towel Day...I do however hope that you like it and it has made YOUR day;)






(C) JPT 2007.........1500.80 miles