Latest news: On the weekend of the 12th & 13th June we all went out for a last big training ride. 260 miles in 2 days were completed in glorious sunshine the like of which hasn't been for months.

Next Thursday we pack up the trailer for Penzance and on Friday we start.

In 2010, I had intended to run a marathon in memory of my Dad who succumbed to Pancreatic Cancer. It was not to be as a run of bad luck saw me break first my right arm then my left kneecap. God was telling me that running was not for me. Last year I agreed to be part of a crazy plan to cycle from Land's End to John o' Groats, commonly known as LEJoG. The main reason it was a crazy plan was that I didn't own a road bike and hadn't been on one for 23 years (they were known as racers then).

I intend to do the ride raising money for the University of Liverpool Pancreatic Cancer research department. In the UK they are one of the leaders of research in to this most deadly of cancers.

Training started steadily with the miles steadily increasing every weekend until disaster struck. Back in October I found I couldn't cycle for more than 20 miles without experiencing acute pain in my right knee. In November I underwent surgery to remove a medial plica from my knee. I hoped this would resolve the issue and was delighted to be back on my bike during the last week of the year.

Since then I have increased my mileage and on the 25th February I completed 122 miles with approximately 6000ft of ascent.

Saturday 3/3/12: I was enjoying a great ride. 7 of us were out and I was feeling very good. Unfortunately, half way through the ride, I had a bit of an accident and came off my bike. I am currently suffering from a bruised and very sore posterior but fortunately was wearing a helmet which cracked when I hit the road. I'm sure it saved my life. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET.

After being incapacitated all week due to last Saturday's accident plus a house full of ill people I thought it best to give toady a miss. Instead of training this week I used my down time to try and shed a few pounds. Just over a stone lost since I started cycling and a few more pounds to shed. I really don't want to carry any more than I have to on the ride.

The last few weeks I have had a number of great rides. I've just come back from Hyderabad where I spent some time in the gym (very boring).

Training continues...

Please also visit our team website, "13 go LEJoG" (see link below).

About University of Liverpool Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease, killing 7,000 people each year in the UK. There are currently no suitable markers for early diagnosis and current treatments are largely ineffective. Research carried out in the Division of Surgery and Oncology aims at understanding the causes of pancreatic cancer and finding treatments for this and other diseases of the pancreas.

Pancreatitis affects around 6,000 patients per year in the UK and leads to death in around 1 in 10 cases. Little is known about the mechanisms of the disease. Treatment is still in state of evolution and in particular little is known about modifying the disease in individuals affected with inherited pancreatitis. We are at the forefront of identifying the underlying mechanisms and developing new means of treatment for pancreatitis.