Contemplations so far

It is 0400 hrs and  the wind is howling outside - tomorrow may be interesting. It will be what we in Danish call "sylte - vind " i.e. blowing right into our hooters. We aim to skirt Manchester to have lunch with Paul's mom before doing a short stage northwards.If we are lucky the wind will change into the North East Saturday and we will have it sideways (IF we are lucky - HA!!!!).

Lessons learned so far:

1.Do not underestimate Cornwall and Devon. The signposting is atrocious and the hills are everywhere.

2. Ask the locals. Flag down motorists , they are generally helpful. It is unbearable to head downhill in the wrong direction only to have to drag yourself back up again. But do not expect the locals to know what goes on outside the village boundary. A lovely Devon lady when asked if she could help us stated"I should think so. I have lived here for 40 years" however, she did not know the name of the next village!!!

3 if using the CTC route be aware that if there is a choice between uphill and flat, uphill is chosen.

4. Wear padded bib shorts with padded shorts on top. Use plenty of lubricants. You WILL get sore.Bring very little else - you will be too tired to care in the evening and the amount of hours parading non-Lycra is minimal.

5. Double handlebar tape on the drops - your hands WILL get sore.

6. Wear trainers or SPDs. Some hills mere mortals like us have to walk (20-25% inclines)

7. There are few shops along the CTC route. Have a sandwich, bananas etc in your bag. There is a limit to how many energy bars you can digest. Nuts/almonds are good but food is best.

8. Use bulletproof tires - Marathon or heavy Continental

9. book accommodation ahead early in the day. It can be slightly upsetting to reach your destination only to find out that even the stable is taken and the three wise guys on camels behind you have booked the rest of the rooms.

10. Have a proper meal every evening, preferably with a couple of drinks but stick to non-hangover inducing beverages. It is not a relaxing adventure and a beer or two makes it all more tolerable.And there are a lot of great breweries along the way. Support local business!

11. Prepare, but then again it is difficult to prepare for situations where you HAVE to push into the wind / rain (this is Britain and the weather is made by Leyland!) all day every day.

12. Ask yourself if you really want to torment yourself this way! It is physically and mentally challenging. The A-roads are busy, all other roads are often difficult to navigate.

A back-up vehicle carrying the luggage would make it much easier also w.r.t arranging accommodation but is certainly not essential.

13. In spite of the pain - enjoy. This is a very pretty country with mostly lovely helpful people - and very pretty cake-shop attendants (the boys may be handsome too - never noticed any though).

OK time for one more hour of sleep - on the front. The back is too sore!!