Today when I woke up, my legs decided to start a conversation. 'You're not seriously going to cycle again today are you?' To which I replied, 'Yes, I am. We have to go to Tewksbury today'. My legs objected 'but we're tired, and it's raining, we'll be cold and wet.' To which I gave the only reply I could, well known to cyclists of a certain persuasion, 'shut up legs'.
My legs reluctantly got on the bike and we pedalled off together. I didn't know it then, but later in the ride they would start complaining again - 'you haven't eaten lunch yet, and we can't keep going if you don't fuel us'. I promised we'd eat soon, but it was ages before I found somewhere, a pub called 'The Salutation' and there was nothing with my brand of vegetarianism on the menu. We had to settle for a coffee and a small bag of peanuts. I promised my legs we'd eat again soon, when we got to Gloucester, but they weren't happy and went into a kind of economy mode, conserving energy and making the ride very slow. When I got to Gloucester I found it so big and confusing to get around that I just wanted to get around it and get to Tewksbury, now not much further down the road, so still didn't stop. My legs didn't say anything, they just gave me the silent treatment and went into 'ultra-economy' mode Maybe they didn't have the energy to talk. Eventually though, they did get me to Tewksbury.
The stats:
Distance cycled: About 75 miles. Garmin didn't record and my phone, stuck in my pocket because of the rain, didn't record it properly, showing me taking straight lines across fields and the like, when I didn't and couldn't have.
Ascent: About 2,400'. Again a lot of up missed.
Distance from Lands End: About 287 miles
I arrived in Tewksbury at 3.30pm, which would have been early enough to have a walk around this picturesque little town, except that I needed to shower, sort out my wet kit and have something to eat. I was down in the restaurant by 4.15. I have just finished eating and drinking. It is now nearly 8pm. I've had two dinners and a dessert. I hope my legs are happier now, but it seems they're ready to sleep. Despite the distance or ascent not being that great, with the weather this was actually the hardest day so far.
Nick later told me he'd had exactly the same conversation with his legs in the morning.
Thank goodness for Pork pies,yes the legs where getting a little windgy today.Also taking a dive over the handle barsbon the Seven relief channel whilst avoiding a fisherman must have been quite entertaining still no damage.Onwards and upwards.
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