It’s your typical “guy called in sick to work so he could train for a 66-mile bike race” story, but it happened in England, which I have on good authority is “jolly” and “ol’.” From the Daily Mail:

Andrew Hamlyn, 54, took 92 days off work from his IT job at Teignbridge Council after being signed off with the viral infection and a stress-related illness in October 2007.

But three weeks into his time off he took part in the Dartmoor Devil Endurance Event, which winds through the hilly Devon countryside. He was photographed in the saddle of his racing bike.

So Hamlyn filed a claim for unfair dismissal. And 92 days off would sound unfair to me if I grew up on a farm in Dublin and I was retarded, but I didn’t, and I’m not, so it doesn’t. But you’d have to live in quasi-communist Europe for your jaw to not hit the floor at someone taking 92 days off work. But Hamlyn lost his claim, and now this chum is without employ; he’s in stook and totally buggered.