Day 2, Sunday 18th June 2000
A Day of Two Halves
Big John joined us for a leisurely 8:30 breakfast. Dave wimped out of
the "full English" something he regretted later when he saw my sprightly
climbing.
After breakfast it was new tyre time, an activity which was much
photographed. We set off for Crediton far later than we really wanted to at
10:30
The hills were just as severe between Crediton and Tiverton as anything
we saw the day before.
By 2pm we had only covered 40 miles and already we needed food. A pub
on the A38 near Wellington was convenient. We settled down to a roast
dinner and several pints of orange and lemonade.
My little brother Patrick and his lady wife Helen zoomed down from
Leicester on their BMW trials bike and joined on the sun drenched patio. He
regaled us with tales of cycle touring - basically stop at every pub
and have a pinf of Guiness. We made our farewells and headed towards
Bridgwater which was an excellent road unadorned with ascents or descents.
Lying Bridgwater Garage Man
At 70 miles we got to Bridgwater where we took on supplies of Lucazade.
I bought said drinks at a garage. I asked the cashier how far it was to
Bristol. He said about 50 miles. Without thinking I relayed this info
to Dave who turned white in horror at the prospect of another 50 miles.
A mile down the road we saw a sign Bristol 29. Never trust a Bridgwater
cashier.
The rest of the ride to Bristol was very pleasant apart from a couple
of long climbs over the foothills of the Mendips. We got a fantastic
view of the city of Bristol as we descended the airport road.
Pizza Al Fresco
We climbed up to Clifton and found a pizzeria where we could sit
outside in our "muck" keep an eye on our bikes and enjoy a pasta and pizza
dinner. This dragged on until dark. I thought I knew the way to the
hotel, I didn't it seemed. After several mobile phone calls and a
circumnavigation of Bristol (including two crossings of the Clifton Suspension
Bridge) we arrived at 11:20pm.
A much less trying day.
The stats
Dave 114.14 miles 8hrs 36mins Average 13.2mph Max 39mph
Will 104.9 miles 7hrs 34mins Average 13.8mph Max 40.8mph
NB Wills 'puter was not active during the Bristol circumnavigation.