Well yesterday was my last big effort, a 75mile ride through Devon into Cornwall to Ben Ainslie's postbox at the Pandora Inn at the bottom of Restronguet Hill, Falmouth.
I guess in order to book-end my journey properly that chap upstairs decided to have a laugh again and sent a few bucketfuls of rain down on me along the way, but I've been through far worse and at this stage nothing is going to stop me.
One major disappointment on the ride was that I didn't see the fabled 'beast of Bodmin' but I suspect there isn't a puma living in the moors of Cornwall so I shouldn't be too surprised. I did, on the other hand find a few hills. Nothing compared to the horror stories people had been describing in the west-country but a fair few long drags as well as a couple of really steep, but short slopes. The worst I found was turning off the main road after Truro towards Carclew. It ramped up and kept going, so my gears plummeted and I kept my legs turning. To the top, turn left, turn left again and roll down the 25% gradient to the sailing lake and pub. Find postbox, take photo lose phone signal, go to pub...
Just after buying a pint my hosts, Hillary and Paul arrived with another Falmouth Wheeler so we sat and had a bit of a chat about what I'd done and why. We then headed back to their house, a mile away but up that 25% incline I'd come down earlier.
The landlord at the Pandora Inn took a few details and a picture of me at the box so hopefully that might boost a little bit of awareness and add a late kick to the funds, and a kind gentleman who was listening as I explained what I was doing gave me a tenner, so that's with the other donations I've recieved along the way to be added when I get home.
Back at Paul and Hillary's we ate and tried to find a few people to ride the final stretch into Penzance with me, thus far we've been unsuccessful, but the chairman did pop round and give me a Falmouth Wheelers jersey, which I will wear with pride back home, when I get myself back on my bike...which could take a while.
Final push now. Falmouth to Penzance. Hopefully to get in local paper and get an ice cream from Helen Glover's dad as well as checking off the last box.
I don't know if I mentioned this in a previous blog, but the first gold medal we won was the Women's Two in rowing. The winning pair...Heather Stanning, with my first postbox in Lossiemouth, and Helen Glover with what will be my final one in Penzance. Quite annoying, but also, in some ways quite fitting
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