We met at the Bridge, joining me were George, Bryan, Mike, Grahams B and R, and Yolande. The day was set to be a scorcher and it certainly was! We could feel the heat bouncing back from the melting tarmac.
Our coffee stop was due to be the Notter Bridge Inn, arriving there at only 10.15 ahead of my original schedule having reworked my route to avoid a track through a field of crops (it was a ploughed field on the day of my recce). Yolande and Bryan looked around the animal park, and a special request to open early for us was denied! From there we rode all the way to St Ive and The Butchers Arms for a drink. Mike and Bryan deciding that it should be a brunch stop before they returned together. Mike wanted to get back for the opening of the boules pitch in Freedom Fields park that afternoon. We had to backtrack a little from there to get back on route.
We (well I certainly) struggled in the extreme heat and by the time we arrived at Gollitha Falls I was fit to collapse with heat exhaustion. Graham R sat on the roadside to have a sandwich and drink a couple of miles before the Falls saying he would follow on but we never saw him again! After a cooling rest under the shade of the trees along the river bank at Golitha whilst eating our lunch, someone decided we should then divert to Sibbly Back and take another rest and drink. Graham and Yolande went for a dip in the lake. It was late afternoon, nearly five o'clock before we left, but it was still very warm. We made for Kelly Bray and stopped in The Swingle Tree for more liquid! I arrived back home at 8.20, having ridden 54 very long, thirsty miles. My astounding statistic from this ride is that I drank more than 7 pints of water and lemonade during the ride!
Our coffee stop was due to be the Notter Bridge Inn, arriving there at only 10.15 ahead of my original schedule having reworked my route to avoid a track through a field of crops (it was a ploughed field on the day of my recce). Yolande and Bryan looked around the animal park, and a special request to open early for us was denied! From there we rode all the way to St Ive and The Butchers Arms for a drink. Mike and Bryan deciding that it should be a brunch stop before they returned together. Mike wanted to get back for the opening of the boules pitch in Freedom Fields park that afternoon. We had to backtrack a little from there to get back on route.
We (well I certainly) struggled in the extreme heat and by the time we arrived at Gollitha Falls I was fit to collapse with heat exhaustion. Graham R sat on the roadside to have a sandwich and drink a couple of miles before the Falls saying he would follow on but we never saw him again! After a cooling rest under the shade of the trees along the river bank at Golitha whilst eating our lunch, someone decided we should then divert to Sibbly Back and take another rest and drink. Graham and Yolande went for a dip in the lake. It was late afternoon, nearly five o'clock before we left, but it was still very warm. We made for Kelly Bray and stopped in The Swingle Tree for more liquid! I arrived back home at 8.20, having ridden 54 very long, thirsty miles. My astounding statistic from this ride is that I drank more than 7 pints of water and lemonade during the ride!
My original planned route was only 34.5 miles by the way.
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