After having ridden over 600 miles between us both, on separate training rides, coming together for the first time seems to have been something of a jinx! After setting off in the evening sunshine on Monday to complete a 25 mile loop through Wigglesworth, Rathmell and onto the Forest of Bowland, the first 10 miles or so were completed without a hitch.
However a short while after this, whilst on the road, one of Dad's water bottles fell out. He stopped fairly sharply, which brought the car behind him to a halt, and causing me to brake hard to avoid the car that had stopped between us! In this process, I picked up a puncture somehow, as within 30 seconds my rear tyre was completely flat. Having stopped by the side of the road to attempt to repair the puncture, whilst taking his foot out of the pedals, managed to kick the rear derailleur, and slice open the inside of his ankle!
Having managed to repair my flat tyre, we decided the best thing to do, given the doomed nature of the evening thus far, was to turn around and take the shortest route home before dad's ankle got any worse, or my tyre decided to fail again. Upon arriving home, Dad managed to get his ankle treated, however a few trips to the nurse this week have been required to ensure that it is given the best chance to heal before departing on Saturday.
Needless to say, although we managed to laugh about it, this raised serious concerns about what we were taking on! The last few days have seen a few more trips to the local bike shop in Settle (http://www.3peakscycles.com/) where we have been given a great deal of help and advice in our preparations for the trip.
Due to the storm like climate currently residing around Giggleswick, and the matter of Dad's ankle, we haven't managed to get out again since Monday, instead devoting more time to finalising the route, our kit, and the condition of our bikes.
Planning a train journey from Giggleswick to Portsmouth on Saturday has proved to be a stern test of our logistical capabilities. Needing to reserve spaces for our bikes on a journey including 4 changes and 4 different service providers has not been easy, though with a little luck we should make it down to the Ferry on Saturday evening after 9 hours on the train.
So after a slight hiccup, all still looks well for the trip to go ahead, though our first aid kit may be loaded with a few more supplies than previously anticipated. I'll try in the next few days to get photos of our bikes and kit, as we begin to pack our panniers.
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