Day 5 - who dares wins

Up early again 5.45 am at the van. It's beginning to feel like being selected for the SAS selection tests. sleep deprivation, pressure points all day and scavenging for food at various cafes on the way.  I actually through this had been outlawed under the Geneva convention. 

Anyway bikes out the fun bus, suncream on, tyres pumped up and we are off. 

There were no big issues with this ride, until we noticed a white patch on Richards rear tyre. The distance of training and the ride so far has worn his tyre thin.  With the bus some miles away changing the tyre was not really an option.  

Richard asked Steve, “Any tips for blow outs”?, Steve’s replied “hold on tight don’t come off !!!!" Golden advice for cyclists of all ages. 

We then had some climbing to do up into a town with a church on a hill. The names all blend into one as for those who have travelled through France this description is application to most of the towns here.  

Panto 

The support vehicle was waiting so we stopped in a car park.  Richard required a toilet break so decided to press on ahead.  Unknown to him, he rode away to reveal two large letters on the wall "WC".  How we laughed.

We remounted to catch Richard and in the process Gary got into a race with a cyclist. It was a close thing but the guy wearing sandals, his bike laden with panniers, just had the edge. He wasn't going as far as we were. 

The downhill went on for ever and much like on a big hill, the group split as people ride at their natural speed.  Steve and Mike did a two man time trial reaching speeds of over 35 mph with the wind on their backs, which rounded off a non eventful day.  It has come to something that we now consider 116 miles is uneventful. 

In the distance we could see the shape of things to come; mountains.