Day 1
Well we have just completed day one - 88 miles in glorious weather over the hills of cornwall! Adam was leader for the day, however he was closely managed by Steve, who we are beginning to get a feeling, prefers to be in control himself. This suspiscion was confirmed when he gave Owen some coaching on how to urinate ef...fectively - the knowledge of the man is unbelievable!! Poor Jeff had a sore shoulder today, however he was fortunate to run into a stoned, drunken expert who gave him some encoragement...he is much better now. Accomodation tonight, well what a difference from last night...anyonw who has seen the burj al arab in Dubai, well its just like that! We have decided to run a 'eejit of the day' competition which was won by Steve only two minutes after leaving our hostel for forgetting his gloves! Nothing else to add other than we are off to re-hydrate with a couple of cold ones, with loads of pizza and pasta!
Day 2
Well day two is done, 96 miles over more hills and blazing sunshine. We were led today by Richard Owen as we were sure his background in Rugby League would stand us in good stead and this faith seemed justified immediately as he insisted on a thorough warm up before we got going. We did begin to question our confidence... in Richard as we began our 12th lap of Launceston; surely this was too onerous given we had 100 miles in front of us.....as it turned out he was completely lost only 300 yards into the day, not the best of starts really! We had wondered if he would be able to control a group as grown up and intellectual as us, however it turns out he has coached St Pats under 8s which prepared him for this. I have always known Steve White to be a man of logic, however he may have overdone the electrolyte today; we were riding along and he turned to me ...and said 'I think the heat might be getting to me, it’s just too hot'.....fair enough I thought.....then 30 seconds later he turned to me and said 'oh I can’t wait to get to the hotel and get into that Steam Room'......make your bloody mind up Steve! Adam is another one suffering in the sun and he is beginning to resemble a sun dried tomato or Jerry the Berry off Phoenix Nights! A word is needed today for our amazing support crew who came up trumps with lunch today; it’s funny how much attention to detail there is when it comes to finding somewhere to eat! Well, on...ly 8 days left and 95 miles tomorrow, easy. Oh, I nearly forgot, the sooner Adam gets home the better as I am already sick of washing his dirty shorts.
Day 3
Day 3 is over and I think we are beginning to realise how tough this is going to be. Whitey was leader for the day and this resulted in a calm, confrontation free atmosphere which was nice. Funny what fatigue can do; as we were crossing the severn bridge (special moment that one) I wondered to myself...what is the name... of that river...I think I secured the eejit of the day award with that one.. Thankfully I didn't ask one of the lads as my life would not have been worth living! Richard Owen has had the horn all week but lost it for an hour today, he got it back though. 93 miles tomorrow, see you in St Helens...
Day 4
Well day 4 is over and we have now covered 360 miles. Only 540 to go now! Bottoms have become a big part of the challenge....not just because they are sore either, which they are (its like sitting on a razor blade!!), no we have one person who likes flashing his, arguably we all talk out of them a little and, well how can I put this elequantly...if red bull gives you wings there is evidence that electrolyte gives you wind! We have cycled through some beautiful country side and charming towns; today it was Warrington and St Helens. We have been safety conscious and careful on the bikes, however Jeff thought he had an accident today; fortunately he was OK. Onward to Carnforth tomorrow, a well earned rest day (only 55 miles).