So, Hitchy, just to get a little reality in to the urban myth about Ray Appleby... your post last week about him unnerved me a bit because I knew the last time I saw him...

I caught up with Ray today in his shop, shoe-buying and asking about track hubs for my fixte. Stunningly marvellous what they can do with artificial appendages these days. The skin was nicely textured and tanned to match the real stuff on the thigh, and it even had a huge scar running down the shin...

Oh wait... that was his real leg... like the one next to it.

Actually, Ray does still have both the legs he was born with, but the left one is a little bit knackered... to the point where he does wear a brace that looks like it might be carbon fibre. He limps a bit, but he's gritty as all hell. He did the Mt Wellington Challenge back in March, a 19km time trial from Longley to the pinnacle. He struggled a little bit, but finished, then crashed coming down while trying to pass a car !!!

Ray has had a couple of big accidents that have affect the leg. The first one diced it up pretty well,. but it didn't really stop him from competing at a high level in vets. Then more recently (about a year ago, I think) a driver ran him off the road, knackering the leg almost entirely.

He still gets out a fair bit. He left the shop this morning on a great looking Vetta.