Stats: 110.1 miles, 10 hours 12 mins in the saddle, 5472 calories, 5324 feet climbing, 10.75moh average speed.
With the sun shining in through the window of the B&B reluctantly it was time to done the jersey and get down to the early breakfast we had arranged with Michael the B&B owner last night. Being first down at 7, there was still no sign of Dec by 7.15. Finally Frankie showed up to let me know that Dec was running late as he had taken Mark's challenge to add a further £50 to the pot if he shaved his legs! Arriving at 7.25 with legs like chicken skin and complaining it had taken him 40 mins to do, it was down to not making the same mistake as yesterday and having a hearty breakfast.
Unbelievably I managed a full English, 3 shredded wheat, 2 weatabix, a bowl of cornflakes, 7 slices of toast and a bowl of fruit! It is quite extrodinary how much food you can stuff down if you need to!
Broseley House B&B kept up the fantastic standard of B&B's we have experienced on the trip and even when I had to wake Michael up last night as I had left the Garmin on the bike he assured me it was no trouble. Talking with Roz over breakfast about the trip and why we were doing it she produced another £20 for the kitty, and another £10 soon followed from other family members in the lounge. She then tried to charge me less for the rooms! I've said it before in the blog but the ride has restored my faith in humanity!
Saying farewell and thank you to Frankie with a goodbye photo, it was on the road again back to just the 2 of us since Mark had joined us in New Cumnock at the end of day 4. With the weather looking lovely for the rest of the day, my mind was certainly in a better place than it was yesterday thanks in no small part with the long conversation I had with Andrea last night. Soon 8 mostly downhill miles were done and we were into a very busy Bridgnorth for our first TOFS of the day. Making a quick pit stop picking up the ration package from Sue it was a quick photo and on to the next port of call Stourport.
Turning into a bit of a hill just after Bridnorth I was still trying to push up them on the middle chainring. One of the things about yesterday I think was that for some reason I wanted to not use the small ring all day so had ground up the hills in a bigger gear than I needed to use. Don't ask me why I did this as I have no idea it was just there in my head. As I started to grind up the hill the voice from behind me told me to listen to my inner Stu Grainger when he told us yesterday " never make it any harder than it needs to be". It was onto the granny ring from then on in for the next 10 hilly miles to Stourport and less self imposed pressure on me.
For the first real time on the trip the Garmin route turned up a very rutted and debris strewn farm track. Looking at it we both agreed that it wouldn't be a great idea and we should stick to the road as there was bound to be a left hand turn on a better surface sooner or later. Up 2 really steep hills and the left hand turn didn't materialise. Finally giving into Dec's insistence that we stop and have a look at the map on phone/iPad it was quickly apparent was the reason that there was no left hand turn was the bloody great big River seven running parallel to were we were riding! Having to ask a lady at the bus stop and a few wrong turnings we worked out a way to get us to Bewedley and then onto Stourport.
By the time we had rolled into Stourport with only 40 miles under our belts and it being noon already we were kind of resigned to the fact that today was going to be another long one, but the sun was out it was flatish and I was feeling much better than yesterday. Another warm welcome at the shop and a cup of tea and we had a discussion on whether to get something to eat here or to push on to Pershore. Reasoning it would be easier mentally if we pushed on, it was a banana, an energy bar and of into the sunshine to Pershore.
The route again was on very quiet country roads and once again we came across a rutted bridle way. Aware that the first one had cost us around 30 mins to go round it was a prayer to the puncture goods and off down the bridle way. It went on for quite a while but luckily it was gently sloping downhill and we were able to free wheel for most of it. It wouldn't be the last off road excursion today either. Coming out at the bottom Dec pointed out if we go down anything like that tomorrow when Kieran
gets here and there would be trouble.....
Down a nice B road I suddenly became massively tired, like I could fall asleep right here and now like you do sometimes when you have driven a long way. I reasoned with myself that it was only a couple of miles to Pershore and a break and sit down would sort me out. Pershore came into view and
with the bunting out and a cake stall and bucket for collections at the front it was time for more cake and a cup of tea. Jan had set 2 recliners out at the front and we collapsed into them. I could have quite happily have fallen asleep right there and then but with only 52 miles done we knew we were not even half way and it was already 2.30. Bidding farewell to the store we stopped in the town to have an excellent ham sandwich from a deli eaten sitting on the kerb outside and we got out the iPad and looked if there was anyway we could make faster progress on the rest of the route.
I had planed the route so we avoided the A38 but the unclassified country roads whole being pretty were not helping the average speed. Looking at the map the once we got to Tewksbury we could join the A38 and it was 12 miles from there to Gloucester. Decision made to try it for this bit and look at our options in Gloucester it was time to put the helmets back on and set off. The first 6 miles or so out if Tewksbury were in fact ok as they had a cycle lane and with it being a Saturday there wasn't,t to many HGV's. When the cycle lane ran out it still wasn't as bad as we thought and we averaged something like 13mph on the stretch into Gloucester. It also cut some mileage off to compensate for the extra we'd put on with the diversion round the farm track this morning.
We caught up with the route on the ring road and pulled in to a garage to top up the water bottles and
another sandwich. Pulling in a women in her car said how quick we were as she'd passed us miles back! It's the little things that keep you going! It was 5.30 and although we had passed the 80 mile mark there was still 33 to go. Further discussions about the route took place but we decided to stick with it for a bit as it led out to the Bristol Channel and we were back on course for a 8.30 finish.
Spinning out into the lovely evening the route took us out to the very pretty villages including Frinton on Seven were Dec regailed me with stories on his ex boss and a magnificent restaurant in the town. We had been chatting quite a lot today about everything from football tours we'd been on to traveller camps and international terrorism and it seemed to help the day go quicker. Once again the road ran out and we were faced this time with a rutted canal towpath. With no alternative route it was again a prayer to the puncture gods and the 3 miles down the canal was dispatched although the pounding we were taking didn't do us or the bikes any good.
Coming back off and over the canal the we conferred once more on the route and seeing the A38 was only a few miles away we headed that way for the final 12 miles of the day. We knew we faced a decent climb into Bristol we had a pit stop at the bottom and Dec set off first I was struggling a bit but with only 12 miles to go I knew we'd make it today so with Dec as the target up front I slowly began to real him in. With about 50 m to the top of the climb I went passed him with the usual greeting but I was cooked and he eased past me to the top to take the points.
From here it was 8 miles mostly downhill into Bristol so as Dec made the choo-choo noises it was into a train taking 1/2 mile turns on the front and we rolled into the hotel carpark another day done.
With Dec's wife Ali and their boys Cameron and Kieran waiting for him and Kieran Campbell also arriving I had spotted a Nandos next to the hotel and when Dec said he'd never eaten at one ( never eaten at Weatherspoons or Nandos how posh is Dec?) it was off for tea and a double chicken burger, large peri peri fries large rice and pitta bread and dip!
Looking forward to KC joining us tomorrow and sheltering behind his massive legs, although slightly less looking forward to the length and elevation. Only 3 days and 256 miles to go......
shame that Kieran is with you now, he's going to slow you down
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