Speaking of sponsorships, and drumming cash out of people by holding them up by the ankles and shaking them until all their loose change falls out, I've come across a couple of media pieces that have been written about the adventure.
BBC -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-12969907
Coventry Telegraph - http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/south-warwickshire-news/2011/04/13/kenilworth-man-s-bike-challenge-for-chernobyl-victim-financee-92746-28512986/
I think today was our peak. Despite not feeling like biking this morning, we both seemed to settle into a quick rhythm, and seemed to consistently fire fast miles out. It was pure text book. We ate the right things, stopped in the right places for the right amount of time and (for a small time at least) looked like we knew what we were doing. Poetry.
It did help that we had some unbelievable scenes to distract us though. One Loch had a rustic, yet miraculously still in tact castle in the middle of it, sitting on an island in the centre of the crystal clear lake. I've seen it on the short BBC snippets they show before a programme starts, I believe with a hot air balloon of the globe loitering around it.
While you're biking for 10 hours a day, you can't help but let your mind wonder into finding ways to pass the time. One of my personal favourites is 'Road Kill - Guess Who'. I ask myself various questions before trying to decipher what the creature was, this game is made a lot harder when the animals are missing parts. We truly have seen a lot of dead critters though, from rats to deer, chipmunks to badgers (not the biking team). Although, the most confusing ones I've seen is one that I'm pretty sure was Road-Runner, perhaps the coyote finally got him. I also saw a pigeon stuck head first in a drain, Dick Dastardly will be pleased. In fact, it's a pleasing day for the cartoon super villain.
Other games I play include; avoid the pot-hole, counting how many flies go up my nostrils and the 'Don't stare at Brooksy's lycra challenge' challenge.
We decided that we'd treat ourselves to bacon for breakfast. Due to the complete lack of shops in the first 5 towns we biked through, things weren't looking good. One sign entering a town claimed to have the best breakfasts around, brilliant! We followed the signs until we discovered the shop advertised was still 13.1 miles away. Who on earth puts signs that far out! I was about to knock on someones door to politely, but firmly ask them to make me a sandwich, when we stumbled across a cafe. The experience was made the more sweeter because of the overtaking of Team Bodger and Badger a few miles previous. After washing down a bacon and Brie baguette with a raspberry ripple milkshake, we headed on.
We rode past the google street view car, I gave the cheesiest smile I could possibly muster in a vain attempt to boost Conal-Bridge's popularity in the coming months. I might invoice them for use of my image.
The rest of the journey went very smoothly. After eating my 3rd snickers of the day, we powered our way towards the finish. Except, during one break I'd decided to sit on the wet grass. Unfortunately, the padding that protects my 'special areas' against my bike seat is made out of sponge. The resultant incident didn't make for a comfortable last 15 miles ride.
Miles today: 85.6
Miles total: 760.6
Local beers consumed: Wildcat and Irn-Brew
Number of times I accidentally looked at Brooksy in his lycra: 19
Location:Inverary - Invergarry
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