The rain had stopped by bedtime and I had a far better nights' sleep as a result, from 22:00-02:30, then dozing after that until just before 05:00.
I managed to beat the 05:30 breakfast rush (porridge with Nutella plus bacon sausage and eggs - good fuel for the day ahead).
Due to all the mud everywhere, getting the bike and my bag back to the entrance, packing everything into the bag while trying not to walk around in my cycling shoes was tricky to say the least - logistical nightmare would be more accurate.
I set off just before 08:00 and was one of the last to leave base camp. The riders leave in waves, controlled by the organisers so there aren't too many of us all heading out at the same time. Generally the slower riders are encouraged to head off first to give them a head start before the faster riders leave base camp. I have been waiting until all the rider 'waves' have left before setting off to give myself more space on the road.
I left at the same time as Alan Simpson, (Rider #630), we started chatting and continued doing so for the rest of the days' ride. It was nice to have some company all the way through the day and it helped the miles pass much more quickly and even feel like less of an effort.
It was another dry but cold start. We had one light shower and then it was generally quite dry so the roads weren't as treacherous as yesterday. There were some very long climbs and despite the slower riders having set off early, the first of these had about 150 cyclists backed up, all going up together. Annoyingly, I got stuck behind a car that was stuck behind the massive group of cyclists so I got held up! Ordinarily, I would have overtaken the car AND the cyclists but I was still mindful of still having to cycle several hundreds of miles and so it just wasn't worth the risk!
I 'danced' up the long steady climbs, slowly swinging the bike from side to side, getting into a nice rhythm, breathing slowly, and feeling nice and relaxed which meant I could enjoy the myself and look around at the scenery.
A wonderful surprise was waiting for me at the the lunch stop, in the form of my elder brother Perry. He lives in the area and had seen the organisers setting up the first pit-stop of the day fairly close to his house so he decided to pop along and say hello. It was great to catch up with him and he provided me with lots of encouragement... to get eating!
After the pit-stop, I set off and proceeded to cycle straight past his house!
Cheddar Gorge was beautiful with fantastic rock formations, really a quite sight to see. When I got to the top it started raining. I thought it was a passing shower... I was wrong.
It rained for twenty miles, absolutely chucking it down. I hadn't bothered to stop to put on my waterproof jacket or my shoe covers so I got soaked to the skin. I had to ride the last thirty miles like that, gingerly picking my way down hills through torrential rain, wind behind me, blowing me along.
Despite that wet and windy finish to the day, overall, the roads were much safer and there was a lot less dirt today.
Crossing the finish I line I was drenched but feeling good, feeling even better when I heard running footsteps behind me and turned around to see that Joy had driven up from Hampshire to meet me!
I'd found out this morning that the tracking chip I was given on day one hasn't worked from the start so after crossing the finish line, I went to the timing van and they gave me a new chip that will hopefully be working tomorrow.
I spent an enjoyable evening with Joy & Perry (who had driven up to join me for the evening) at Bath University base camp which was really nice, before heading to the evening briefing and the excitement of seeing Mark Cavendish!
Report on the status of my ribs: doing well, no pain so far, feeling good.
Highlight of today (outside of the ride itself): On the ride are a 76 year old couple who celebrated their wedding anniversary yesterday! Amazing :-)
Day 2 Stats
Start: Okehampton
Finish: Bath
Distance: 110 miles
Climbing: 2,389 metres
Average speed: 15mph
Duration: 7 hours, 34 minutes
How romantic are that couple... Keep it up bro.
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