The handsome chap in the picture is Mark Lister, mountain biker and epileptic. Along with the redoubtable Andy Armstrong he is co-organising The Big Thrash - a week-long off-road bike ride to raise funds for Epilepsy Scotland. This is an organisation that works for people with epilepsy in Scotland to improve healthcare, provide information, and fight stigma. Their website is at

http://www.epilepsyscotland.org.uk/

STOP PRESS! RAFFLE ALERT!
Christian 'Phatlizard' Kraemer, a prinz among men, has kindly donated a rather exclusive, shiny and new Marin singlespeed MTB frame, which he is raffling as a contribution to The Big Thrash. Don't worry about size - the winner gets whatever size fits them. If you're interested, each £4 you donate counts as a ticket, and the draw will be held at the Singlespeed World Championships in August. To show you want to be included, put 'SSWC Lottery' in the comment box next to your donation.

The team continues to grow, and there is now a new angle - Claudia isn't even going to be in Britain, she's going to be doing a virtual Big Thrash in Canada. She couldn't be here for the appropriate time, so she's going to ride the same distance at the same time over there! How fantastic is Claudia?

So what about the ride? It's a seven day trip from Edinburgh through the Scottish Borders region, Northumberland and the Yorkshire Dales to Todmorden in West Yorkshire. A number of friends and riding buddies are joining me on the ride, and also helping in other ways. We ride on May 28th!
We'd like to say a big thank you to the marvellous people who have volunteered to transport our luggage from point to point (you didn't think we were going to CARRY it did you?) - Lou O'Kelly, Fiona Donaldson, and Edinburgh-based mobile bike repair company Wheel World. Thank you for visiting our fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor us online. This page is being regularly updated, so do drop in again for the latest information. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Epilepsy Scotland will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Many thanks for your support.