Final line-up:

All team members and helpers have now been declared. Despite an early congested field, there have been a few losers in the ante-post betting rooms. Following on from the infamous millinery incident of 2005, Ian 'five-chins' Bullerwell pulled out of entry when he realised he would be expected to start - and then finish the ride! Leaked details of a planned repetition of the doomed Lands End to Devizes ride of '68, with an Angelo Dundee inspired bearing failure outside Sangatte were headed off by the forensic evidence tabled at breakfast this week when an Oddbins pre-order was discovered dated for the 2nd day of the ride in the name of Mr Curmudgeon!

Final rider line up is concluded as:

• Stato

• Oakers

• Pags

• Perry Mason

• Slippery

• The Kaiser

• Flame

Ole Macdonald. Louse and Kav are following the route of either this team or alternatively Magellan in the hunt for the elusive North West Passage in 2011.

Helper line up is now finalised:

• Dr Love

• The Chancellor

• Mrs Oakers

• Louse's X5

• The Audinator

Mrs Oakers role is yet to be fully defined, but early veterinary training is bound to come in handy - debugging her husband's rug of waterboatmen and other like bug infestation.

With 54 days left, the race is on!