11:06am Monday 5th January 2009
By Nick Vaughan
I wasn’t quite so lucky once I had departed the English Riviera and embarked upon the Marches and up into Lancashire. The fool in me in thought I wouldn’t require some gloves for the ascent up the A49 but with purple coloured, numbed hands once I landed in Preston - I was fortunate that my girlfriend’s father picked some up for me. The bike, once in Preston had done its fair share of miles so I took some time off overnight in nearby Bolton and stayed with John and Sue while the local Halfords gave the bike its required health check.
Despite coming flying off near Whitchurch the bike was in good condition, and amazingly, none of the tyres had yet got any punctures. Amanda met up with me in Carlisle so the cycle the following morning up and over the Scottish border was much easier than the lonely cycle up from Preston and through such places as Lancaster and Penrith. This was by far the most difficult, upward part of the route so far.
My thanks to the O’Brien’s for both housing me overnight and washing my now very smelly bikewear!
Thanks also to Gerry and Nigel for buying some much needed pints of ‘Flat Cap’ at the Thomas Egerton pub and to my Grandfather for picking up some new mudguards for me.
**Some photos of the cycle ride have been posted on my Facebook which is 'Support Cllr Nick Vaughan'**
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