The Black Pig and Seaman Staines PG Again

I did feel a little underprepared for my stint at sea on The Black Pig (Captain Pugwash's boat) - nobody had mentioned this rather salty salient fact near the end of a truly epic day. I was all set for another epicurean trundle through Cornwall hinterland sampling vintage Cider and the odd full fat original cornish pasty - in fact I had the first true Cornish pasty at about 9.30am as we started just after 8.00am and van drivers get cranky at the first whiff of a foaming cappuccino and hot beige indulgencies.

The riders meanwhile had four seasons in one day - fab morning with rolling hills scenic views and fresh blood with George taking a very prestigious front of peloton role (good man good pace shielding the riders from buffeting wind - cycling thing).

Lunch was complicated and scheduled and re-scheduled. But boy it was worth it - I had the best seafood stew with samphire and petals (almost salad). A big bad boy hill was the post lunch horror. Hugh (Nicks brother had joined us) and they all did have to dig deep to summit Bodmin. Torrential rain did not dent the enthusiasm and fuelled with a Bake Off extravaganza they passed the Devils Cauldron and descended towards Fowey. The bikers had already boarded the Black Pig (ferry) and I squeezed Tango (Orange van) onto the car deck and was looking forward to refreshment below deck in the galley. Roger the cabin boy told me to stay with my vehicle ! Then Seaman Staines came along with his card payment device and gave me the nod ..... no charge for you sir. Goodbye to George at St Austell station and then on to the hotel for a well earned beer, Massive respect to the chaps on the bikes. (Some are now already on ebay). Here are a selection of pics which need little annotation.

Here is Nicks instagram link and fund raising link

https://www.instagram.com/nickapperley?igsh=MXE5b2t2ODl6bzdobQ==

https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/1930/nicks-fundraising/

Comments

What three words !

Its a funny thing about discussing technology with the youth and saying how the jump from buying your trainline ticket or Ryan Air flight but printing out the hard copy ticket or boarding card eventually goes to "ooh lets risk it and take a chance on the phone". Then you get power anxiety and buy a battery booster pack, Today we have walked to the very end of the Lands End cliff and then had a quick dunk (note not swim) in the clear blue cold jelly fish and seaweed infested bay. (The nerve receptors to the crown jewels screamed in protest and decided a retreat was required). A few pints of cider sat in sunshine with the stragglers and the mood lifted. Then came the Clarkson bombshell from one of the gathered ...... have I mentioned about putting "bum - shit - bastard" into the what three words app for my location ? and then told it doesn't quite work like that. Once the person annon had been alerted to the principle and gone "ok got it its brilliant...

Time to saddle up and meet Old Chums for a ride ! (PG18)

Today seems to be a blur - having been quite late to bed and awake early it made for a long day. Nick was creamed up by Jill (sunny morning) and ready for action and a long day in the saddle with an old school chum (Ian) from 45 years ago. Meanwhile vices for the van man man seemed irresistible and we are not talking about a cheeky red but proper van envy as a chap in the car park gave me the full tour of his VW interior. Zoom in and see the blue Record Fitters vice.,,,, oooh nice. van porn to get very hot over. The horse was a particular morning hi-light and I knew that lunch was likely to be a bit dis-appointing post yesterdays extravaganza and yes my goats cheese and garlic quiche was lovely but not what us van drivers yearn for. Some serious miles under the belt and well done the riders because it definitely wasn't flat and some car drivers were just outrageous. The weather forecast for tomorrow is not great so it maybe a very early kick off. Below are a few snaps ...

The "trike" and security issues !

Just two days to go and I still haven't packed but importantly I have cut the grass anticipating it will grow whilst we are on the road. The attached picture is of Nick on his 3 wheeled chariot out on a training ride. One of the concerns we have had was the security of the Trike overnight and if you hadn't seen the news today a mechanics van of racing bikes were stolen from outside the team hotel. Actually the good news was other competitors stepped in and gave them some spare bikes but we would not have the same luxury as Nicks Trike which is a very rare beastie. The link to Nicks fund raising page has now been improved so it will jump straight to the page without copying and paste. https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/1930/nicks-fundraising/

Suffolk to Sennen - Nick's 3 wheeled adventure !

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