Coming soon! Website update with details of MotorcycleSim - a world leading motorcycle simulator project that Alex is leading

Lands End to John O’Groats

starting and finishing in Matlock Bath, stopping off and climbing

Welcome to the ‘Long Way Up!’

Thank you for visiting our website.  We've put together some pages for you to explore.  Riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats OR climbing the 3 peaks is hard enough, but to combine these, starting and finishing at the biking ' Mecca ' of Matlock Bath, riding for 10 days on our motorbike, travelling over 2,500 miles and climbing 11,000 ft of mountains (over one third the height of Mt Everest!) is an extreme challenge. 

Cancer Research UK ( www.cancerresearchuk.org)

More than one in three of us will develop cancer at some point in our lives.  Few of us go through life unaffected by the disease in some way, either from personal experience or through a close friend or family member.  Cancer Research UK is committed to curing cancer by understanding its causes and investigating how best to treat and prevent it.  Cancer mortality rates have dropped 11% in the last 10 years, deaths from breast cancer have fallen 21% in the last 10 years, 95% of men with testicular cancer are now successfully treated when 25 years ago their chances were slim, 75% of children with cancer are successfully treated compared to 30% in the 1960s.  Cancer Research UK is the European leader in developing anti-cancer drugs which are helping to save lives.  Your donations will help continue this work, by supporting Cancer Research UK , you will be making a lasting difference to many people’s lives.

The Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust (www.acorns.org.uk)

Acorns offers children and families a network of care, both at its hospices in Selly Oak, Walsall and Worcester , and through its community team, who offer 24-hour support at home.  Children can stay at the hospices for respite, emergency and terminal care.  The community team give support to the whole family, including practical amd emotional support for parents, special help for siblings and bereavement counselling.  There is no charge to families for Acorns' services.

Every penny counts so please help us raise money for these charities and sponsor us!

Raising the profile of motorcycle ergonomics

Another aim of this challenge is to raise the profile of ergonomics in general and motorcycle ergonomics in particular.  Many people think ergonomics is all about product design or comfy chairs, and whilst it can be, there is a lot more to it.  Ergonomics includes the environment and how it affects the way people work and use technology, it also includes the way people use information, and how they think and react in different situations.  In motorcycle ergonomics, apart from the physical design of the motorbike and how comfortable it is, factors such as workload, situation awareness, vigilance, perception of danger and risk taking behaviour are important considerations.  In addition, issues associated with how motorcyclists use mobile information systems, communicate through intercoms and might take advantage of advanced technologies such as GPS and helmet mounted displays underpin how technology might be designed specifically for their needs.  Our work as ergonomists feeds into many areas from product design, usability assessments and research through to public education, safety and training, traffic policy advice and developing industrial guidelines.  Throughout the 'Long Way Up!' we shall be conducting research and ergonomic assessments on a number of levels: