Eee its ‘illy up ear mother
After yesterday I was just going to enjoy today, take my time and just get to Hest Bank when ever.
After a great nights sleep, lush breakfast (porridge , eggs and Bacon (treated myself to bacon)), photo call with Robert and Elaine (owners of the b&b) for their blog, I was off at about 8:30 am.
Weather promised sunshine and showers – I started off in cloudy, windy conditions and I could see the heavy showers all over horizon…but there were patches of blue.
Out of Gretna and onto the A6 and for the first time I really felt I was heading South. The A6 tracks the M6 south and although the first hour the road was flat and nothing special, seeing the M6 represented so much. At the end of that motorway was the M5 then the A30 to Land’s End..only 3 roads.
Then the A6 gets serious for a singlespeeder…it starts into the ‘ills. Today my legs were back and that meant that the Demon Hord were left in Scotland..Super me was back and climbing like a mountain goat…I noticed though that I was doing lots (and I mean, lots) of climbing with very little down hill. The scenery was changing and ahead I could see the Lakes to my west and the Fells to my east. Now this is England at her best..and I was in the sun and dry. But the sky was amazing as I could watch those rain showers track round me.
Climb, climb, climb…and I was loving every victory and recovering quickly for the next. Today I put effort in where needed but other time I just kept the wheels rolling.
After about 40 miles I started to get signs for Shap, and the big climb of the day up Shap Fell…I climbed and made it to Shap and thought that wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be….darn fool…its famous for a reason, the fell was on the other side of Shap….a monster of a 7 mile climb, which summits (yes,its so big it has a summit – now u don’t get that on hills) at 1400 ft and I rode it all the way dancing on my peddles…yeah baby yeah!.for those of you who follow the pro tours I could see Lance Armstrong on the Le Tour looking over his shoulder on that mountain at the other riders and then just exploding up the mountain. That’s how good it felt today, there was just no one in my wheel to drop.
The downhill was awesome but headwind slowed me a bit and I am sure one gust inflated my head.
Then on to Kendal…at about 60 miles in. Where on previous days I would push on to the finish from 60 miles , today I was going to rest and restock my supplies.
Found a cash point in downtown Kendal and sat myself down outside a cafe for a bowl of fresh homemade veggi soup…perfect. Sat at the same cafe were 3 lads, with road bikes and a trailer loaded with equipment . We got chatting they are heading to Land’s End and had left John O the day after me and plan to finish next Tuesday (same day as me) – race is on. I must admit I lapped up the disbelief when they checked I was doing it on a singlespeed and that I had made it over Shap with out walking…I sensed they didn’t with there thousands of gears.
Then joy, the road flattened and the sun stayed out all the way to Hest Bank. Really nice part of the country and tonight I will be staying in luxury. The Gateway Guest House is smart, quality with a warm welcome from Angela the owner.
Waiting for me today at the Gateway two items of post. A whole food nut and fruit bar from Claire of Out&In Nutrition and post from my son and daughter. A picture of daddy riding round the world which ended with daddy coming home (choke!).
Great day today, every thing was just great. Great views of The Land of the Dry Stone Wall. I can confirm fellow southerners it is NOT grim up north.
Tomorrow Warrington and my family coming to meet me.
Facts for my fact fans: 76.1 miles, average speed 14.2 mph, top speed 36.3 mph, total time of wheels rolling 5hrs 19mins, tick, day done.
Follow my progress/sponsor me at www.singlespeed4216.co.uk
June 9th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Sounds like today put the wind back into your sails and dragged you out of the doldrums. Nice one Mr W, here’s to another good one tomorrow.
June 9th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Hey Wahini, glad to see you back in top form! Also glad that the bars are hitting the spot! Did my newsletter today, with a mention of you in it, so hopefully you’ll get more and more famous as you ride the south-westerly wave!
See you soon bubba,
claire
ps, your wife is doing you proud too, just without the lycra!
June 9th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Sounds like those knees are doing just fine. Keep on rolling South in good style!
June 10th, 2011 at 4:42 am
Will do, hoping for some flatter days to come
June 9th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Nice work Si.
Another day, another massive hill overcome with sweat, enthusiasm, downright determination, and one gear. Revel in your glory.
Today’s nugget of encouragement… Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.
Onwards buddy.
PS. Really enjoying your blogging dude.
June 10th, 2011 at 4:46 am
Thank you Jez. Your challenge for tomorrow words of enthusiasm are to do them in the style of yoda
June 10th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
Meditate on this, I will.
June 10th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Nice start
June 9th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Top work over shap, we didn’t go that way, we went over Yorkshire dales! I’m mighty impressed though, I’m even thinking of getting a fixie to train on! I had a picture from my son 2 days before I got to John o groats sayingdaddy is my hero! I was in pieces! Totally know what your going through dude! Should be a few quiet flat ish days now though.
June 10th, 2011 at 4:51 am
When I get back I am going to flip the flip flop and ride fixed for a bit. I had a message from a guy recently saying he was doing JOGLE on a fixie this year. Now that will be tuff.
Looking forward to some flatness for a few days.
June 15th, 2011 at 7:44 pm
Glad you lapped up the praise, the three of us were very impressed that you were attempting the ride on a singlespeed and all wondered how you were getting on as the days past and we continued on our ride.
When we heard the noise your supporters were making at Land’s End, and I told the others that it was the guy from Kendal they were speechless. Fantastic achievement, and all with just the one gear. Congratulations again.
Your senses however were wrong, the three of us rode up every hill on our route… even with the trailer. My knees are paying for it now though.
http://magicmoir.wordpress.com/tag/jogle/
June 29th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
[...] riders we met along the way, even those who all told us we were doing it backwards, and especially the single-speed guy from Kendal. The thought of him out there somewhere attempting it with just the one gear got me [...]
November 5th, 2011 at 11:50 am
[...] proper big adventure. And I quite like the idea of doing the Paris-Roubaix one year, as I know Simon the guy on singlespeed we met in Kendal is planning on doing. But, for now, I’m quite content riding and training for no other reason [...]