Rich's #11

When I awoke today it felt like it had all the ingredients for a great day. The sun was shining and the big plan allowed for reduced mileage as we were to stay with a friend of Andy's.

We were all in high spirits as the C2C team had worked like a well oiled machine the previous day.

The lower miles facilitated a late start and the opportunity to visit Mellow Johnny's bike shop; owned by a certain Austin resident by the name of Lance. A few $ lighter and we were ready to go.

Gareth and I were first up and feeling good I asked to increase the initial stint to 30 miles. We started out on a busy road, bit with a wide, smooth hard shoulder. I was wondering if this was the influence of Mr Armstrong, when suddenly the hard shoulder ended.

As a result we found ourselves cycling along a dual carriageway trying desperately to hug the side of the road as cars and lorries zoomed past. Gone was the tooting of horns in encouragement to be replaced by more hostile "get off my road" horn abuse.

Twice, Porth encouraged us to pull in, but we ploughed on until finally I'd had enough and we stopped. This was the most scary 10 or so miles we'd ridden and I was glad to call it a day. We got in the car and caught up to the point that Andy and Phil had started their stint from.

It wasn't long before the hard shoulder returned but when Gareth and I resumed the hard shoulder was dreadful and made the course of Paris - Roubaix look like polished marble. The road remained very busy and felt like riding along the M4.

By now my mood had changed and gone was my early morning enthusiasm to be replaced by disenchantment. I've been homesick on the trip but today as we trudged along I would much rather have been at home, playing football in the garden, being attacked by light sabre wielding boys or fighting it out with Jeni for 3rd place on the wii (Sam and Thomas are amazingly good).

As we stopped Gareth said you have to laugh or you'll cry. I did neither but I was a damn site nearer to the latter. I haven't had a more miserable cycling experience since a car door opened on me as I zipped along the streets of Cardiff and I broke my ribs as I hit the ground.

On our 3rd stint the gravel on the hard shoulder had gone and the roads were bare concrete. This had the affect of magnifying the sound of the passing traffic. Gareth wanted to "chain it" but my heart was no longer in it.

Each time we saw the support car I wanted to stop and call it a day, but as Gareth cycled past I followed.

The day has, however, been saved thanks once again to the warmth and hospitality shown to us by our hosts, this time Ian and Jacky.

In addition to arranging food and lodgings we arrived to a cameraman from ABC and later watched Andy doing his thing on the 10 o'clock news.