clairedavieswriter

There are some snacks that no true cyclist should ever be without. And if your banana is too big for your bar bag then you find another way. Webbo joined me for the first few miles – strangely the hills got steeper after that but I’m sure that’s not the reason she turned back.

There were contrasting sights:

And there was rain, a lot of rain…

But someone was watching over me: shelter appeared bang on lunchtime, in the form of a lych gate at St Colomb Major parish church, and then the skies cleared.

The thing about Cornish hills is that they get you both ways: they’re tough on the legs on the way up, and tough on the hands on the way down. Fully loaded, the bike picks up speed alarmingly quickly, and the hills are generally too twisty and narrow to risk freewheeling. The rain makes braking even harder – I had some pretty nerve-wracking descents.

Which meant that the long gentle swoop into Padstow, on wide straight roads, was particularly welcome and enjoyable – finally, after 40k of tough riding, the road was passing under the wheels with no effort on my part!

Between Padstow and Bodmin, I followed the Camel upstream, but the trail rose so gently that it felt flat after all the hills.

It’s advisable never to cycle past a refreshment opportunity:

And some refreshments are simply essential – #jamfirst

After a hard day, this was a very good sign:

And tonight I have a special guest:

The banana (slightly worse for wear) will join me again tomorrow.