T +3 Liskeard to Whitnage nr Tiverton

"I am a cyclist. I do not get off and walk" (Marco Pantani?) But that doesn't mean that I'm not tempted...often.

Devon was always going to be the hardest day of the first week, and it did not disappoint.

I got through it by clunking down into 27th gear and then grinding my way up the hills...or whacking up back into first and flying back down them.

I found some new ways to break the long-distance cyclist's boredom. First off: a puncture. Fix it using a self-adhesive patch. Watch it go back down in no time and try again (twice) before replacing the tube.

Then, bumping my way down towards Tiverton - high speed and a v poor road surface - losing my Garmin (it jumped off the bars, bounced on the road and landed in the hedge). Spent an anxious 20 minutes walking up and down the road trying to find it. Eventually, I did. Really improves your mood when something positive like that happens!

Tuesday's B&B and was nothing to look at from the outside, but very nice inside. (Four poster bed an all.) Ditto the pub, which was almost a mile away.

Total miles so far 224.8
Total calories so far 12, 033
Total puncture 1 (unless you count the 3 attempts at repairing the same puncture - if you do, then: 3)

Have to say that (so far) I'm feeling much better than I was at the same stage last year (touch wood et al).