The morning was spent tinkering with routes and talking through the last 4 days, a lot had happened and there was much to reflect upon. Some massive lows but equally some fantastic highs - the messages of support, kind and generous donations, Paddy joining us, family and friends dropping by and some kind help from complete strangers. It'd been an epic journey so far!
The routes took longer to tinker with than we'd hoped (damn technology) but but about 1pm we could take my bike to be checked over post crash. Thankfully all was well, barring a few adjustments here and there, so no significant wallet damage was done. The bike mechanic was amazed at our tale of day 1, the amount of force required to break those forks is huge and his expectation was that we'd be in hospital. I guess it is sometimes all too easy to focus on the negatives, but there are some huge positives to think about, we're both OK and have done very well so far.
We headed over to The Mere, a lovely luxury spa and resort, for the treat of a free massage and use of the extensive pool and spa facilities. Sadly we only had a few hours to spend there but it was a fantastic tonic. Hero of the day had to go to Helen, not only for arranging the spa, but for working so hard to keep us all going, what a star!
There is also another award for hero of the day, Mike and Adam had driven the 3 hour round trip from Leicester to see us for dinner and give us some support. Adam had also arranged a dress down day at Santander's offices in order to raise funds towards our efforts. We've had a wonderful evening with them and it's all these nice touches that make the lows more bearable.
The next day sees the start of a 3 day stint, we would take on The Lake District and finish just outside Carlisle. We were to start off from one of the Marquis garages in Preston, the guys who've generously donated a motorhome to us for our trip - it's a cracking base so we've a lot to be thankful for!
Lastly, an injury update. We've both got aches and pains still, mainly knees which we can hopefully resolve with stretches. My right achillies is a worry, stiff, sore and it feels like it creaks as I walk. I'm hoping the small adjustment to my pedals resolves my achillies issues and it holds out until the end of the ride!
Whatever happens, looking back at the last 4 days whilst it's been a real test of character, a nightmare at times, there have been a huge amount of positives and I thank everyone for playing your part in them.
Onwards and upwards
Happy cycling
Mike
PS here's our donation page:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives
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