How many guys does it take to make a flat-pack picnic bench?

Apologies to those who were expecting a witty answer but sadly empirical evidence points to a rather bland solution of five. It may however amuse you to know that it also took said five adults four hours.


If you're wondering what this has to do with driving a tuk-tuk across India it doesn't other than to highlight our mechanical ineptitude.

When the dust finally settled, after having tried every possible combination of crosspiece-A, support-B, nut-C and bolt-D, we had worked up a mighty appetite and so with the last rays of the Sun we did what any self respecting group of English gentlemen would - we put on our shorts and had a barbecue.

It was possibly not the best preparation the night before my first bike race however I've heard plenty of athletes banging on about the benefits of carbo-loading so I'm sure there must be someone out there who can come up with some scientific evidence to support protein-loading. On the plus side I drank alot so I must have been well hydrated the following morning despite the headache suggesting otherwise.

As I write this Tom is putting the finishing touches to a video of the bike race. From what I've been told it's not to be missed so if you've never seen two grown men careering through the woods while dressed as a chicken and an egg check back soon!

- Mark