It was lovely leaving Caernarfon... actually, that didn't sound right... Caernarfon itself - and the cycle route out of it - is lovely, very picturesque, running through the docks, past the castle and then along a disused railway line.
We hadn't been going long before Marty got a puncture in his rear wheel. This was the first puncture of the trip and everyone was immediately mobilised... I've got tyre levers.. I've also got tyre levers... hmmm, I'm sure my tyre levers are better... do you need a puncture repair outfit? I've got a spare tube... yes, I've got a spare tube as well... I've got the gloves *snap... I've got a pump... I've also got a pump... hmmm, I'm sure my pump's better... ah, but I've got a CO2 inflator... oh, OK then...
It was great, all hands to the pump (pun definitely intended) but it was Seth who took the bull by the horns, ripped the tyre off the wheel with a flourish, replaced the tube with a spare and manipulated the tyre back on in an instant... he's obviously done it before... he then applied a patch to the punctured tube while Marty inflated his repaired wheel with the CO2 inflator! the supercooled gas only froze Marty's hand slightly as it almost completely inflated the tyre... almost completely inflated the tyre... i.e. not totally... so, a hand pump was required. We'd tried most of the pumps before the realisation that there was another puncture washed over us....
Seth ripped the tyre off - again... the seal had split where the valve joined the inner tube... ah that explains everything!!! So, the newly repaired tube went in and was inflated... just like that... well not quite... once again it wouldn't hold pressure!!!!
Off came the tyre once more and there it was... the culprit... another puncture close to the original!! This time, after the third repair, it held pressure and we were off...
Oh, while this had all been going on, we spectators (and advice providers) had been asking passersby where we could get some breakfast... one of our targets was a guy who was dressed from head to toe in beige with a silk paisley scarf around his waist, matching cravat and porkpie hat... it was a mistake to start a conversation with someone dressed like that... as we soon came to realise... 10 or 15 minutes later he left us in peace and feeling rather jaded...
One of the people we spoke to was very helpful and let us know we were actually on the wrong road... ah! Thankfully we'd only gone half a mile or so out of our way but, thank you Marty for indirectly introducing us to this person and, in so doing, stopping us cycling in the completely wrong direction (oh, I'm map reading so take full responsibility - don't worry, it won't be the last time!!)
We started making good progress once we were back on the right road...
Well, whatever it was, it obviously worked :-)
So, off we went on our merry way until... pfffff... now Seth, with his pride and joy Gatorskin tyres (he really won't thank me for writing this... hee, hee!!) had a puncture... also on the rear wheel.
*Snap, on with the gloves and lo and behold it's fixed almost immediately - actually that's not at all true, Seth couldn't believe his tyres would puncture and spent ages analysing what had happened but actually changing the tube only took him a couple of minutes....
... he obviously benefitted from - and appreciated - the sage advice being offered
while we also helped analyse the problem...
Well... two ears are better than one....
... and then Reg just sort of fell in the ditch... and couldn't get out again... I'm not really sure why, he hadn't been drinking, perhaps he was just so overcome with emotion... who knows...
So, that was puncture number four all sorted and off we went again... how pretty was it now...
We hadn't had lunch yet but were behind schedule (not that there ever was much of a schedule to be honest) so opted for lunch on the fly... a Tesco takeaway in Porthmadog... I must admit that: standing up - next to the bins - inbetween the cashpoint machines and petrol station isn't the nicest place to eat your sandwich... and Hob Nob flapjacks and - double - Snickers, and banana, but, hey ho...
The hills are getting closer, I can feel it... but first... it's time for our fifth puncture!!!!!! At least it was a front wheel this time, it made it a bit more interesting....
It was also an opportunity for Robin to show off his very fashionable own design cycling overshoes....
I think Tesco carrier bags inside your socks is the way to go Robin... don't you listen to what anybody else says...
Anyway, I have to thank Marty once again for having a puncture at just the right time as it allowed us to see the Blaenau Ffestiniog train go by... I tell you, his timing is impeccable... such planning must go into it...
The day is marching on and we haven't got to the hills yet, still, we just need to drop down the hill, across the river and there they are... oh, what's that crane doing there then...
Oh, so the bridge is out... you're sure about that are you... just because it says 'Road Closed'. Seth, do you think we could sneak through? [A long story now ensued, which culminated in it looking like Seth was going to be frog marched off to the police station by an irate security guard...
Anyway, after an hour or so, we'd ridden the 6 mile detour in the torrential rain, negotiated the (non) roadworks, and arrived at the other side of the (closed) bridge which should have taken us 5 minutes or so to cross... joy oh joy.
And this is really it....
It didn't stop there... in fact, in my view, it just went from worse to worse (well harder to harder!!)
It's not often you see a microwave impersonating a piece of drystone wall!!
And then it was a relatively clear run to the hotel in Barmouth, where a well deserved beer was had...
... under the watchful eye of a small horse...
and Marty entertained us all with his new hairstyle....
before we retired to dinner and everyone of us had the lamb shank... too many decisions had been made today... it was just so much easier to say, 'I'll have the same please' - and it was the right thing to do as it was lovely!!
We also met Mary when we were having a beer outside the hotel, but you'll see her tomorrow....
Here're the stats for today...
The Garmin log (what the below image is copied from) can be found here.
The photos from the day can be found here
We started at 07:30
We finished at 18:00
We cycled 63 miles and averaged 10mph
We had 5 punctures - 3 in one session (I'll explain later!)
We went wrong on the route due to rubbish map reading (me!)
We had a six mile detour due to a bridge closure
Seth nearly got arrested... due to a bridge closure
We had to go through the longest road works in the world - and there were actually no road works!
It rained heavily for an hour and was quite pleasant otherwise
We went up some very, very steep hills (and climbed over 4.719 feet during the day!)
We suffered torential rain for an hour
When we got to the hotel at 18:00, we had a beer. A lady came up to us and said her sister told her we had Parkinson's shirts on. She then told us how she has Parkinson's and her husband died indirectly from it 3 weeks ago. We've had a very tough day but it was nothing compared to what she is going through at the moment :-(
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