Day 7: Liverpool to Shrewsbury
Day seven began, with the riders looking optimistically out
of the windows and seeing that it was in fact both sunny and not particularly
windy. That optimism continued as we went to breakfast and saw the place
swarming with cadets. After a few strange glances and a couple uneasy stares
the team had had their breakfast and were ready to face the day. The servers in
the dining hall had already expressed their surprise that we had arrived from
Newcastle not to mention that the majority had cycled there.
With their reaction following the team began to warm up,
with a few hopeful looks at the sky to make sure the weather held out. With
Rob, Trev and Rich all applying “anti-chafe” cream it seemed that the team were
planning on hitting the road hard today. Once again we started from the
barracks so it meant the team could have a longer preparation time and give
Hannah a chance to warm up her knees.
Then they were off, with the sun just beginning to heat up
the road surface. Not long after the support staff followed, with a longer
distance between the camp and the first rendezvous point which of course gave
Anna more time to go and collect the now traditional cakes. Pulling into the RV
point, the RSM and I were grateful to the pub owners of the Fox and Barrel who
not only agreed to open early to let the girls use their toilets but also they
provided us with a full tea-tray of teapot, coffee percolator and homemade
fudge. Not long after and the minibus appeared, with Anna and Louisa bearing a
vanilla tray cake covered in various sugary looking sweets.
The team were surprisingly speedy and it wasn’t long before
they were upon us inhaling cake, bagels and bananas. Today they were full of
compliments; for the weather, for the road surfaces, the lack of lake sized
puddles and various other inanimate objects. Apparently Shropshire is full of
angry drivers which added an extra treat to the roads.
Then they were off again, so fast that when the command
clown car followed we didn’t encounter them for a while and even then when we
deviated to a motorway they were still keeping up an impressive pace. I was
reliably told afterwards that at the point between the two RV’s Emma collided
with Rich’s rear wheel, and fell over at a traffic lights taking both Rich and
Tom with her. Comedic falls aside, no one was hurt and the team pressed on.
For the second RV the luxurious pub car parks were a thing
of the past and we were back on parking lay bys. However it was sunny and the
wind was down so there was a general sense of optimism in the air. Not only
that but Alex had managed to get a cycling hat for half price and the cycling
shop “The Bike factory” in Chester had knocked £25 off for charity off of a
bike repair. So it was a successful day all round. Then the team came speeding
through, so fast that we only had time to throw their refilled water bottles
back and they zoomed off with only moments to rest. It was that general sense
of hopefulness that had begun with the day and continued right until the end.
We continued providing “dem tunes” as the RSM refers to the
music we use to spur the team along when the roads are empty and we can provide
some support. It followed for a few miles blasting out heavy beat tracks which
seemed to match the rhythm of the pedals. When we realised how fast the team
was cycling, it became apparent that we would need to get to the finish point
which was conveniently Nescliffe barracks near Shrewsbury.
As the teams pulled in, not long after we had arrived to
sort out the accommodation and feeding the positive mood was fully under way
and it continued when Zoe found out she had access to a drying room and we had
showers that didn’t require a walk through the gazes of pre-teen cadets.
Off to Cardiff tomorrow, bring on day 8!
Many thanks once again to:
Chris at The Bike Factor in Chester: www.thebikefactory.co.uk
And the staff at the Fox & Barrel in Cotebrook:
www.foxandbarrel.co.uk/
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