The BIG Cycle Challenge: Day 7 - Saturday 17th

Day 7 - Saturday 17^th – Runcorn to Conder Green

Well both of us woke up feeling just great! It seems both our bodies have adjusted to what they are being asked to do day after day. Stefan arrived at the briefing, and then as usual flew off with his regular group who seem to sprint through the day, he was only to be seen briefly as I came into the gents (having just arrived, he just leaving after having had his lunch).

In the morning we rode through Warrington, Leigh and a glancing blow of Bolton. The start of northern England, lots of jokes about Wallace and Gomit, especially when a motorbike with side-car came towards us, but again great people and very friendly. At the first ‘brew’ stop, Graham described the next section as ‘a long flat bit of road that’s been lifted at one end’ – ‘a hill you mean?’ Our excellent guides, Graham, John and Andy will do anything to keep the motivation up and we are now understanding the language they use, ‘only another three hills before the stop’, means ‘there will be about 5’, ‘it’s just round the corner’, means ‘about two miles’ and ‘the weather’s going to brighten up’, means ‘slightly less rain’. So factoring in all of this we set off for the second stint of the day, the section before lunch. We went through Blackburn, not the best parts I am sure, but this is where the sat nav earned its keep, I had had words with it last night and it was behaving well. In fact I was so confident I led a small group through the entire Blackburn route, and you didn’t want to get lost there!

Lunch was good and tasty, still no rain, as forecast, obviously our guides had said there might be ‘a few showers in the afternoon’ – ‘it’s going to pour down’. I think I am getting into the northern thing, there are quite a few of the team from around here so we here the accent and dialect quite a bit. I found myself answering the waitress’s question (at The Black Dog at Belmont) of ‘How was lunch?’ with a locally attuned ‘it were great’.

In the afternoon, it poured down, we all got very, very wet. As Blackadder would say ‘wetter than a fish’s wet bits’. However we seem to move along the road faster when it’s wet, not sure why. After a long stint and a nice stop at a café at an old railway station, we eventually arrived at our pub for the night. Will do exactly what we did last night, because we feel just great today, red wine, steak and chips!

I think we’re there – what I mean is we can see ourselves at the end. The bodies have adjusted, they know what is expected of them, we are almost half way through the mileage, and are half way through the time, so feeling good. Tomorrow the Lakes, one of my favourite places in the world!

Graham at the briefing - a long flat bit of road that's been lifted up at one end...

The technology on my bike - did I mention a movie will be coming out about this little adventure, well at least a youtube video, another revenue raising opportunity me thinks!