Everything's Better Heading to Cheddar

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Sampford Peverell to Cheddar, UK

49 miles, 2,762 feet of climbing

Everything is better when heading to Cheddar because it didn't rain today!  Sunshine, light wind and plenty of times to take in the scenery.  The only big climb of the day was a one-mile climb we met around mile 17.  Prior to that, we had a series of short steep bumps to get over, but, other than that, the rest of the ride was fairly flat or rolling.  We made a cafe stop in the very busy town of Bridgewater at about the half-way point of our ride; we sat outside in the sunshine drinking our cappucino and tea.  

Elevation profile of today's ride

 

Northern bound

Hedgerow riding at its best

Open road scenery

Cresting the climb

Riding on the "correct" side of the road (still feels odd to me)

 

Juxtaposition of pre and post-modern transportation systems

Art riding with our tour leader, Steve

Art - arriving in Cheddar, ready for his piece of cheese

Me and BOTF (bike of the future)

There's an alcoholic beverage named after me!

Walking up to the Cheddar Gorge

 

A Fun Ride to Peverell

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Tavistock to Sampford Peverell, UK

57 miles, 5,574 feet of climbing

Our tour leader recently informed us that the first three days of this tour are the most difficult of the entire tour.  That is nice to know, especially considering today is day three.  Nevertheless, it was another amazing day on the bike.  We started the day with a seven mile "gentle-ish" climb in the sunshine, and, 57 miles later, ended our ride in the sunshine. In between, it rained intermittently - sometimes lightly and sometimes hard.  I would estimate the lion's share of our riding today was done in the sunshine.  For the second half of the ride, the terrain flattened out a bit and we were able to cruise along at a good speed.  All in all, despite the rainy intervals, we had a fun ride with plenty of time to enjoy the spectacular views.

Elevation profile of today's ride

Cloudy, rainy interval

Sheep crossing

It was a sheepy day

 

Here we go again

Ending the ride in the sunshine

The bikes desperately need a bath!

   

Monsoon Riding

Monday, June 5, 2017

Perranporth to Tavistock, UK

56 miles, 6,552 feet of climbing

Today was a tough day in the saddle in many respects: heavy rain, high winds, steep climbs, narrow roads, and, to top it off, a road construction detour that added another steep climb to the day.  But it was also an amazing day in many respects: we accomplished (and survived) one of the most difficult days of the tour with no flat tires, no injuries, and no wrong turns!  So, it's a win!  Today's ride started with a category 4 climb right out of the box.  Then, it was basically up and down long steep climbs all day.  Much of our route today took us over these extremely narrow hedgerow-lined country lanes - paved (sort of), but barely wide enough for a car and a bike to get by each other, let alone two cars coming in opposite directions.  I had a number of close calls while trying to pass (or let pass me), cars, trucks, and several tractors.  Picture tying to navigate all of this during a torrential downpour, winds gusting to 40 miles per hour, and wet brakes that aren't working very well.  We did however, get to see a pair of wild ponies (photo below).  Lots of drama, but also lots of laughs, as the two of us looked like drowned rats at the end of the ride.  We walked into our hotel lobby - a pretty fancy hotel - drenched from head to toe.  The staff couldn't have been nicer.  After we warmed up and cleaned up, we had a very nice group dinner in the hotel dining room.  It was fun hearing about everybody's experiences of the day.  Tomorrow, the journey continues! Hopefully, with less rain. ☺️

Elevation profile of today's ride  

Leaving Perranporth under cloudy skies; heavy rain is imminent

   

Art looking snazzy in his high-viz rain gear

   

A great day for a cappuccino break

 

Wild ponies posing for us

     

A Brilliant First Day

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Land's End to Perraporth, UK

44 miles, 3,000 feet of climbing

For a day that was forecasted to be miserably rainy, it turned out to be a pretty great day! We woke up to drizzling rain in Land's End, but it stopped raining around 8:00 am, and by the time we headed out on our route, the sun was shining, the sky was blue with just a few clouds.  The high temp of the day was about 65 degrees, but it was dry and mostly sunny.  As cheap insurance, we carried our rain gear with us . . . just in case.  It was a beautiful and hilly ride to Perranporth.  Plenty of steep climbs - I found myself running out of gears more than once.  I can tell it is going to take some effort to get accustomed to riding on the left side of the road.  I only came close to hitting a car a couple of times today - much improved from yesterday's test ride, where it happened just about every time I made a right turn.  😳  Fortunately, the drivers here in the UK seem to be very kind, patient, and willing to share the road with cyclists.

After a glorious and challenging ride up the rugged and scenic north Cornish coast, Art & I arrived at our destination, Perraporth, at about 1:30 in the afternoon.  Perranporth is a resort town with a beach and many little shops and eateries.  By the time we arrived, we were hungry, so we rode to a little place in town and shared a veggie "pastie" (pronounced "PAST-ee"), which is a baked, filled pastry, a traditional fare particularly associated with Cornwall.  It was quite tasty, but I'm glad we only got one pastie to share, because it was huge.  Nonetheless, in accordance with our own tradition, we treated ourselves to a post-ride ice cream cone.

Tomorrow we continue our journey north to a town named Tavistock.  Rain, again, is in the forecast. Maybe we can get lucky again?   

Elevation profile of today's ride  

Our official LEJOG tour jersey. The flags on the side panel represent the three national regions and one country we will be cycling through: Cornwall, Wales, England, and Scotland

The Duke of Cornwall

Biking along side the sea shore all day

 

Cow crossing

Views from the road

First cappuccino stop of the tour

Arrival in Perranporth - a beach town

Relaxing after a tough ride with a cone of homemade ice cream

 

Pre-tour Test Ride to Penzance

Saturday, June 3, 2017 Pre-Tour Test Ride to Penzance

24 miles, 1,627 feet of climbing

Today was a day spent preparing to start our LEJOG bike journey.  After breakfast, the first order of business was to assemble our bicycles.  Art & I are getting to be quite the bike-assembly team, each of us playing an important role based on our special skills.  Translation: I'm basically a human bike stand while Art puts the bikes together.  It works for us.   

Around 1:00, our group gathered for a pre-tour test ride, to make sure our bikes are working properly.  The ride would be a loop ride to Penzance (as in, The Pirates of Penzance), a town about 10 miles northeast of Land's End.  Our UK guide, Steve, led us on the ride.  Steve has done the Land's End to John O'Groats ride many times as owner of a bike touring company.  His experience cycling in the UK is vast, but his wit and snarky commentary is probably what I appreciate about him the most.  For example, at one point, he lifted my bike, declared me a cheater and said he was going to fill my frame with sand.  

The ride to Penzance was pleasant; it was a nice, sunny day, and the terrain was rolling hills on lightly traveled country roads.  Steve brought us over a few long, steep climbs on the return trip, I believe, to give us a preview of the type of terrain we'll encounter on this tour.   In the early evening, we gathered in the hotel dining room for our riders' meeting, where we talked about tomorrow's route, the predicted weather (rain, all day), and various other tour-related topics.  After the meeting, we had a lovely group dinner.  Tomorrow, we ride!

Elevation profile of today's Loop ride to Penzance

 

Ready for the test ride

The road to Penzance

An old church (on Poor House Lane)

Returning to Land's End

   

Cycling the U.K.: Land's End to John O'Groats (LEJOG)

Friday, June 2, 2017: Arrival in Land's End 

Art and I have embarked on yet another cross-country bike tour - this time in the UK.  We'll be amongst a group of 18 other cyclists who will be spending most of the month of June cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats - a journey colliqually referred to by its acronym, "LEJOG."   

We spent most of our first official tour day sitting on a bus being transported from London to Land's End - a six-hour ride that took seven-plus hours due to traffic and road construction.  We spent the time chatting with and getting to know our fellow riders, many of whom hail from the US, and others from Canada, the UK, and as far away as New Zealand.  

We arrived in Land's End around 4:30 pm, greeted by spectacular ocean views.  The air was crisp and there was a slight breeze, but the sunshine kept the temperature comfortably warm.  After a quick walking tour of this tiny town, it was time to meet for our first of many rider meetings, followed by a lovely dinner at the hotel.  After dinner, we were treated to a show at the Minack Theatre, an outdoor, oceanside community theater about six miles from town.  We saw "Dirty Rotton Scoundrals," a musical version of the 1989 film starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin.  It was a terrific show - exceptional talent and great production.  Because it was the final run of this show, there was a short fireworks display after the actors took their final bows.  Quite a unique experience to see a play, at a outdoor theater with the Celtic Sea as the backdrop.  

Tomorrow, we assemble our bikes and take a test ride.
 

Welcome to Land's End!

Views of the Celtic Sea from Land's End

My Date for the Theatre

 

The sea-side stage - an impressive production!