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Hello Scotland! Paul and Spencer left England today and arrived in Edinburgh early this evening. They are roughly 40 miles
away from Richard and the two separate teams will most likely rendez-vous within the next few days and ride into John O’
Groat’s together. Today was the third century (100 miles) of the trip but neither the bike or the legs have given out yet!
Tomorrow is Paul’s 30th Birthday, so if you do happen to see him on the road, do wish him a happy one!
Last update had our crew just leaving Wales. Since then, they have been and gone to Liverpool – navigating the many twists
and turns that accompany the return to the urban road. After arriving, true to form, no time was wasted touring the environs
and of course….going to the football stadium for a quick picture!
Next day brought a battle with intense hills and even more intense winds. Paul mentioned that the winds had slowed him down
to between 8 and 10 miles an hour and were significantly lengthening the day.
Today, after a start with much of the same, the team made a decision to scrap the attempt to go through the Penines and
instead circumnavigate the beast. Though this did indeed add a few miles to the day’s trip, P. Rode did say that both he and
S. King were glad they had re-routed the tour.
The crew is now officially past the half-way point both in time and distance traveled, and are well on schedule to arrive in John
O’Groats next Monday evening.
With Spencer’s help, Hazel and I were able to meet up with the guys near Chew Valley Lake on Saturday afternoon. Paul had
no idea about the arrival of the two fans, and was very surprised indeed as he rode into the rest stop! At roughly the half way
point of his 100 mile day, he was looking strong and had a big smile on his face.
Shortly after that break we crossed into Wales. Spencer, Hazel, and I were able to make it to the hostel without too much of a
delay, but shortly after we passed through the main road, it was closed down due to a traffic accident. With only 10 miles left
to go before reaching the end of his day, Paul was heartbreakingly re-routed around one of the hills adding a few more miles
(what’s 5 or 6 more miles when you’ve cycled 100?).
At 6:00pm after a 6:30am start, Paul rode into St. Briavel’s, where the three of us were waiting. We had already checked-in to
our castle for the evening (no joke!) so wasted no time in hitting the George’s Inn for a victory pint and hot meal.
Though Paul and Spencer haven't heard much from Richard so far during the ride, they have heard about him. It seems
Richard is creating quite a stir among the locals, as Paul and Spencer heard some fellow travellers talking a few nights ago
about a man Richard who had come through alone on his way to John O'Groats!
After a restless night, filled with creaky wooden floors, frightening thunderstorms, and a few friendly ghosts, we all met for
breakfast at 8am before today’s ride began just before 9am.
With a much shorter ride, Paul met up with Spencer at quarter to 3 today and they spent the rest of the afternoon on the
village green watching the local football match. The ride begins early again tomorrow when the guys leave Wales and make
their way to Liverpool where they will stop for the evening.
This Oxford based reporter gets a sense that the riders may have quickly shifted from enthusiastic starters to seasoned
veterans. Today’s challenge seemed more based on gradient than weather and the word fatigue did enter the vocabulary.
However, tough hills aside, everyone seems to be enjoying the beautiful Cornish scenery and the fast approaching Welsh
border.
Tomorrow's plan calls for an early morning start, sometime around 6:30am, with a little over 100 miles to cover before the
team settles down for the evening. As the first century of the ride, it's a big day, and a big challenge. To find out about the big
ride check in on Sunday evening GMT for an in-depth analysis of the highs and lows. Perhaps by then our satellite link will be
connected and we'll have a few pictures too!
watching, the sun rose to welcome the tail-end of Hurricane Gilbert to the Southwestern shores of the island. However, like
the US postal service, not sleet, nor snow, nor hurricane gusts of 70mph halt this team.
In a remote interview, rider Paul Rode admitted that today was, ‘a touch windy’, but otherwise had a good first day of
pedaling. The wind did prevent phone calls though from our other rider, Richard, who has been texting with Paul all day, so
we know that he too is safely enroute. Coach King has been blazing the trail in the team support vehicle and said to be in
high spirits.
The day commences early again tomorrow with Gilbert but a fleeting memory and moderate Cornish weather expected (which
translates into some wind, some rain, some sun – sometimes simultaneously). Check in again tomorrow for further breaking
news…
