Following the blistering pace set at the start, our guest cyclists left us at Selby to race back to Lincoln. Whilst in Selby, Kenny's in-laws met us for much needed support (with added fund-raising!) and Liverpool chocolate (the BEST)! I forgot to mention earlier that not only did we get scrumptious packed lunches gratis from the Merry Melon (those gingerbread men were delicious!), we had a celebrity 'One Star' guest cyclist fly-past (with greetings) first thing as we set off from the AWC!
A long day of 119 miles interspersed with a few moments of light relief...
Dedicated to the cause, the team were to miss England's crucial, last group game to clock up the miles; however, our support crew kept us up to date with the score. No longer able to keep us English away from the footy (sorry Dougie, our Scottish liaison officer!), we initiated an emergency diversion into the Malt Shovel pub at Boroughbridge to catch the second half, which included soft drinks and a generous whip-round from 'Chimp' the ex-services proprietor who is a huge supporter of Help for Heroes. Thanks to you Sir, and your generous customers.
Not content with sticking to the UK road system, Dougie sent us off-road through South, then North, Yorkshire's answer to the Serengeti plain, notable for its lush grasslands, verdant forests, non-navigable river systems and rampaging wilderbeest (in this case, of the Freisian variety). Oh, and lots of barbed wire fences.
With only 15 miles to go, we had an unplanned, whistle-stop tour of RAF Dishforth's crash-gate system, only to retrace our track for the correct route. Thanks again Dougie!
In all seriousness, Dougie's doing a great job navigating us through the roadblocks and diversions.
Finally for today, I'd like to say a huge thanks to departing Azzy and Leigh S for their great work over the last week and welcome Fluff and Gaz to the Team...the support crew continue to be absolutely fantastic, a heart-felt thanks from the cyclists.
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