Duffy on board

The dashing looking chap to the right is Mr Ray Duffy: Gentleman of business, renowned Leamington bon-viveur, Rafa Benitez impersonator and most importantly a man who has both time on his hands and a car that we can put a bike rack on.

Ray will be driving what I feel we should designate "Support Vehicle One" during our week on the road - providing much needed assistance in a number of critical areas:

1. Nutrition: Getting drunk on our behalf every evening and stealing my breakfast.

2. Preparation: Laughing at us from his bed as we set off each morning.

3. Motivation: Driving past us and shouting abuse at key points of the journey.

4. Technical Support: Carrying key equipment such as replacement brake cables, inner tubes and bribe money.

5. Meteorology: Making cruel, cruel jokes about the weather forecast.

6. Localisation: Translating for us with his encyclopaedic knowledge of Irish accents and customs.

Ray is kindly joining us despite the fact that his innovative enterprise Mask-arade, The UK's Number one personalised and celebrity mask company stands on the brink of multi-national ubiquity. If you want to know more - and who in their right mind wouldn't? - drop them a line on info@maskarade.com.