Bike Ride Blog - Day 2
Sponsored Ride for Romania, 29th - 31st July 2024
Day 2: 30th July 2024
Dorchester to Lifton 99.4 miles
Today we cover almost a hundred miles. And before I go any further, I would like David Garford to know that in no way did the day resemble the pleasures of eating ice cream! In fact, given how gruelling the day was, it was more like forcing down a bowl of gruel (surely where the word comes from). Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration - it was still an amazing day, but at the same time totally exhausting!
We wake up at 6am having not slept brilliantly, but at least our bodies are rested. Andy is encouraged that his back seems to be suffering no ill effects from yesterday's exertion and immediately begins his regimen of back exercises to prepare for the day ahead.
As for my own body, everything seems to be fine with no obvious pain or discomfort. But I do sense it ask me if I'm seriously planning to put it through another a 95-mile bike ride so soon. No, I tell it. Today is 98, but don't worry, you'll be fine!
What with the timings of breakfast (a full English for us both) plus a visit to the supermarket to stock up with food for the day, we don't get away till almost 9am. That's an hour later than yesterday, so already we feel a little on the back foot.
Added to that, today there are greater demands. Whereas yesterday Andy's Garmin identified six steep climbs, today there will be twelve. And we don't feel the same freshness and euphoria of the first day; rather today we anticipate the slog of hard yards and extra hills.
And a third thing; as soon as I jump on my bike, I realise that saddle sore will now be a constant companion all the way to Land's End. Great!
We climb out of Dorchester up onto the Dorset Downs. Andy spots a flock of swallows and this immediately lifts his spirits. It's another warm day, though we are encouraged that the forecast tells us the further west we go the more the temperature will remain in the low twenties.
Ascending a steep climb, I look up to see Andy, who is just ahead of me, lying in the road with his bike on top of him. I mistake his yelp of surprise for a cry of pain and think oh no, he's hurt his back! But then he starts laughing and it's all okay. He says he failed to unclip his pedal, lost his balance, and tumbled over. We agree if this turns out to be the worst accident we have on this trip then we will have done well.
We leave the Downs and are treated to stunning views and a breathtaking descent into the village of Yondover. With the sea in the distance and the patchwork of fields and hedgerows below us it makes even the saddle-sore worth it!
A few miles later we stop for water by a field and my phone rings. It's Adrian from Romania on a WattsApp call. There he is sitting in his van in Cataloi and me in a field near Bridport. Funny old world. He wants to let me know that the civic authorities have publicised the holiday club with such enthusiasm there will be children coming from other villages. We can expect forty to fifty attending. No pressure then. It will also be hot - around 37 degrees. That too will be a challenge for us all.
We head for Honiton, covering several miles on the A35. It's thick with traffic and not much fun, but it's the fastest and flattest route. It's good to get some miles under our belt. That said, progress is slower than yesterday. Our aim is to cover 60 miles before lunch each day, but by the time we stop for coffee and a sandwich in Honiton it is already 1.30pm. Have we really only done 40 miles? Are there really 60 still to go?
Our next port of call is Exeter. Andy is pleased how well his back is holding out but decides to lose 25 miles by getting the train from Exeter to Okehampton. We are now in Devon and we are enjoying the country lanes with their high hedgerows.
In the heat we are sweating profusely, so we drink copious amounts of water. But somehow, after our coffee in Honiton, we are energised. We have spoken to Robert and Janet who plan to join us in Lifton around 7pm. They are enjoying taking things at an easy pace.
At Exeter St Davids, Andy and I part company. He must wait an hour for his train and the journey will take fifty minutes. So that gives me time to get some way towards Okehampton myself by bike. Andy plans to cycle straight from there to Lifton (about 18 miles) to be in time for Robert and Janet and I will join them later.
I decide to go for speed over comfort and cover the first 10 miles on the A30. This is a three-lane carriageway, but, with a meter wide hard shoulder, it is safe for bikes, and I make good progress. About half of my cycle lane is shaded and that helps too.
I come off the A30 at Cheriton Bishop and take the country roads once more. I'm now following the outer edge of Dartmoor and in the late afternoon sun it is truly beautiful.
But it's as I reach the village of Whiddon Down, 3 miles before Okehampton, that my crisis occurs. It is 6.30pm. I have cycled 75 miles. I am totally exhausted. I just don't think I can carry on.
But I know I must, and I know what it is I need to do to make it possible. I think of the bike ride I did with Jess last year. She really wanted to bike and camp with her dad so we took a tent and spent three days cycling through Somerset. On the first day after cycling 50 miles, a bit like me now, she was exhausted yet we still had 20 miles to go. We were in Bridgewater and by a pancake cafe. 'Look Jess,' I said. 'Let's stop for a break. Have some ice cream and a pancake. You will be surprised how much that will help. Then we'll take a leisurely evening ride together, and before we know it, we'll have covered another 20 miles.' And we did.
So the first thing I do is rest. I find a patch of grass in the shade next to a bus stop, lay myself out as neatly as possible (so people won't think I have fallen off my bike), and using my helmet as a pillow, kip for 20 minutes.
I then need to action the second part of my plan, so I get back on the bike and ride on for a mile or so. I soon come across a service station - exactly what I need. I buy a coke and a packet of squidgy drumsticks (can't see any Percy Pigs) and within seconds the coke is down my throat followed by handfuls of the sweets.
I set off again and the effect is almost immediate. I manage the hill outside Okehampton fine, I pick up a good pace once more, and most importantly the thought of cycling a further 18 miles now doesn't feel impossible. Even the saddle sore doesn't feel so uncomfortable. The glucose effect!
Something else happens to lift my spirits. About 10 miles south of Lifton, I see around twenty cyclists at the side of the road near a poster saying 'Cycling Event'. I carry on and a few minutes later hear a women shout 'passing on your left!' Before I know it number 1 has sped past me on a super-fast bike. A few minutes later number 2 does the same, then 3, then 4, right up to 11. Their speed and energy lift my spirits.
Then about 20 minutes later I come down a steep hill into a village. In the distance I see two stewards in the road wearing yellow jackets and holding red flags. Seeing me approach one of them steps out into the road and waves me down with her flag. When I fail to stop, she looks momentarily puzzled then bursts into laughter. 'I'm not one of them,' I shout as I whizz by. 'But I love it that you think I am, so thank you for that!'
Ten minutes later I arrive at the Arundell Arms Hotel in the little village of Lifton. Andy is there to meet me. Robert and Janet have found the hot weather draining and have decided not to come after all (we think a lunchtime meet up in Truro tomorrow may work better).
We've both had to dig deep today. Andy to manage 75 miles with a vulnerable back, and me almost a hundred. As I settle down to sleep I sense my body ask me, 'Seriously? Same again tomorrow? All the way to Land's End?'
Yep, afraid so. But rest well now and you'll be fine!
