A 68 mile bottom bracket epic

I was thinking that one of the things that I love about riding my bike is that is silent. Hang on, what's that noise? It's getting worse. A hideous squeaking breaking the silence. Message my friend Nick for .moral support and advice. More of that later.

Cows staring as I pass. No hills for 10 miles. I'm getting suspicious. Cornwall doesn't do flat. Except the Camel Trail. Nice. However I climbed onto Bodmin Moor via some hills. Arrived in Launcestin via more hills. Beautiful steam.train but no time to ride.

3pm. Launceston Cycle s closes at 5 so a detour up a really steep hill. What a wonderful shop. Free flapjack for customers. And a bottom bracket that fits. 1hr later with a few other adjustments made I'm back on the road. £34 in all.

Only another 15 miles (appparently all uphill) to Lydford to one of the best campsites ever. Wardens greet me warmly. If you need anything just ring the bell.

In the meantime I crossed the River Tamar into Devon. One county ticked off . Many more to come.

68 miles with 5006.6 feet of ascent (yes, going up hills). Let's do it all again tomorrow.Read more