DAY 6

SUN! Is the best thing about today! After a very depressing run weather wise thus far, we were greeted with glorious sunshine as we made our way from Lancaster to Shrewsbury.
We ended up having to make up some serious milage that was lost after the mess up from the hotel location fiasco (silly teleporting hotels), before getting back onto route, but once we did, the course was a real joy to cruise through in the sunshine. We pulled over and cracked out the sun cream for the 1st time the whole trip. Slathering ourselves in it and eating supplies, we continued on South.
Later on we stopped to consult the GPS and take on fluids down a country lane. We all propped our bikes up against a wire fence and were greeted by a curious foal who seemed to take a keen interest in Tom’s handlebar tape. We turned round for a second before Tom began shouting: “stupid horse, don’t eat my bike you mug”
After we had escaped the hungry jaws of the horse we plodded on. The ground was still wet from passing showers that had been in the area earlier on. Now, we’re not sure of the technical term for this, but we’ve been referring to it all week as “jetskiing” – because of the torrent of water that shoots off the back wheel and up into the air behind – sometimes the unlucky individual that happens to be behind the wheel. Today, the person in front of me was Robbie, and it wasn’t just water that was shot up into my face. Oh no, that wouldn’t warrant a mention in the blog. Instead, Robbie had ploughed through a puddle/mound of indiscriminate farm animal manure, which shot up into my face and mouth, causing be to cough and spit out little chunklets of manure. Still, it was marginally better than some of the pasta cooking that we’ve been having so far.
Alas, my comedic adventures of the day hadn’t finished just yet. Later on I had an unfortunate mishap where I slipped off the pedal whilst starting off on a traffic light and sat down rather more abruptly than I had wished for, wincing in pain and saying “OOOOOOooooowiiiEEEEEEEEE!!!” in a high pitched voice, I tried to cycle on as Tom and Robbie were in hysterics with laughter.
I had requested that morning that Oli and Tarn visit a bike shop and buy a new set of break pads, as my back wheel seriously needed them. Stopping at a pub to fit them, I realised very quickly that I was inept at this, I managed to put the pads on, but there was so much grime in the break callipers that they needed specialist attention. Fitting the bike rack again, me and Oli drove a few miles to the nearest bike repair shop, where the guys there were very, very helpful indeed. They fitted the pads, cleaned the breaks and gave the gears a clean and a quick service.
Rejoining the others a few miles down the road, we continued cycling. After an uneventful couple of miles, we seemed to be going through lots of small clouds of ash, which we presumed to be some exhaust fumes or soot from passing lorries. Stopping at a traffic lights, we looked down at our arms and legs to realise that these black dots were crawling. We had cycled through clouds of small insects which were clinging onto us. Pulling over, the others brushed themselves down whilst I stripped off to my shorts and screamed “THEY’RE IN MY EYES!!! MY EYES!!!”
Still, we continued on and finished on a very, very, steep hill. It was about half the size of the shap, but it was much steeper. Ignoring the temptation to get off and push, we did the last couple of miles slowly but surely, and collapsed once more in the youth hostel for a much needed rest.