Story
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<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; font-size: 18px; color: #000000;"><em>“If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs, you have failed to grasp the extent of the problem”.</em></span></div>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">What’s the story?</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">On 13th May 2012 seven middle aged men will set off on bikes from Land’s End in Cornwall. We will be dressed in very unflattering lycra and each carrying the weight of our hopes, dreams and fears as we attempt to cycle over 500 miles to reach Broadstairs in Kent on Friday 18th May. </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Armed with our Quixotian self-belief and the hearts of lions we will set off with no more instruction than keeping our eye on the prize and the sea on our right, which should make the Isle of Wight very interesting. For each of those six, long, consecutive days we will be attempting to cover 80 to 90 miles, over hill and dale, valley and vale, nursing our fragile middle-aged egos through fields of adversity, with little more than saddle comfort cream as our new best friend.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Of course this is a mid-life crisis, a desperately futile attempt to laugh in the face of Father Time, but while others treat this condition with a blonde and a new Ferrari we have a very good reason for the lycra.</span></span></p>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">In September 2009 our friend Wayne was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. MND is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and the general movement of the body. In the two and a half years Wayne has had this dreadful disease, he has lost the use of many of these muscles and can no longer walk or eat unassisted and finds talking very difficult.</span></span></div>
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<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">We are trying to raise funds through The Motor Neurone Disease research team at Barts Hospital in London to supply equipment for Wayne. This equipment will enable him to still communicate with the outside world and help assist his family with his day to day needs. This is a very cruel disease and we are hoping to help make life more bearable for Wayne and his family, so please help.</span></span></div>
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<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">You can follow us on </span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #000000;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/middleagedmenonbikes2012">www.flickr.com/photos/middleagedmenonbikes2012 </a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/middleagedmenonbikes2012"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><strong> </strong></span></span></a></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><strong>Twitter <span style="text-decoration: underline;">@middlebikes</span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003705688074</span> </strong></span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">This is going to be a massive challenge for us as we are all novices at this cycling game so all Tweets of encouragement will be very welcome.</span></span></div>
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<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">We need to raise as much money as we can for Wayne so please help. You really can give us the encouragement and support we need, the belief that deep down the blonde and the Ferrari really weren’t the best option and a massive boost to us all to complete this event.</span></span></div>
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<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">The Team:</span></span></span></p>
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<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Barny Harper</span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Conor Baily</span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Dave Logsdon</span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Len Arran</span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Richard Gale</span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Sean Jackson</span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Wayne Bridger</span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Lindsey Jackson & Saffy-dog (Support Vehicle/First Aid!) </span></span></div>
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