Day 8 Hawkshead to Lockerbie

Yet another early start this morning, but it was worth it as Tris’ mum had made us bacon sandwiches! They were delicious, cheers Karen! Well, the forecasters got it right this morning, because the rain they had predicted was here and it was torrential. Tris, for the first time, wished that he was in the support crew as he was not looking forward to spending the next eight or so hours getting soaked. We all set off just after nine. Everyone was in their waterproofs; Tris, Keith and Dave in their high vis jackets, while Paul opted for a transparent poncho! That’s right, a poncho. He thought he looked cool, but once the wind got underneath it, he looked more like a jellyfish! We had to tape it down at one of the stops, but the only tape we had on it said ‘biohazard’(acquired from work), so off he went up the road with people giving him a wide birth because they thought he was radioactive!

The rain continued until around half 12 when the blue skies started to breakthrough. They lasted for about three minutes, when it persisted it down once again. Today’s ride took them from Hawkshead, through the North Lakes, passing Keswick and up to Carlisle. This meant going up Dunmail Rise. This was the hill that Tris had warned everyone about two miles and was incredibly steep. We waited for them at the top and it was a good job as poor Dave needed helping off his bike. It was his ankle. He had had trouble with it during his training, but the pain subsided and he hoped it would stay that way. But it wasn’t to be. He did struggle on however, but the pace was much slower. With the pain he was in, he did well to get to Lockerbie. With a cold compress and some pain killers, he is optimistic about being fit for tomorrow.

The heavy rain continued up into Carlisle. The ‘best photo’ competition was put on hold due to the elements, which pleased most people as it meant they weren’t stopping every 45 feet!

SCOTLAND!!

We agreed to stop at the border and grab a photo. Omar and Bev-who were in the little van today- scouted ahead to find the ‘Welcome to Scotland’ sign. However, they couldn’t find it. I assured them that there was one, but they insisted there wasn’t one. We’ll let the photos do the talking!!

The worst downpour of the day hit us just after Gretna. The rain was so heavy that I had the windscreen wipers on the fastest setting and I still couldn’t see! The roads suffered flash floods, but the boys ploughed on, at times going through water that was two inches deep. The whole support crew were very impressed with their resilience. The last few miles were full of straight, empty roads that never seemed to end. But at half five, the boys finally rolled in Lockerbie. We are staying tonight at the local fire station. It’s retained, so there is no one here unless there is a ‘shout’. But hopefully with the rain, we will all get a good night’s sleep, alarm free! We are stopping in their training room which has a DVD played and a projector, so tonight is movie night! Omar is the chef. He doesn’t normally cook, so heaven knows what we will end up with! (I did see a chip shop on the way into town, should the worst happen!)