Back on the Road

After a day of rest and slumber at Bromsgrove we met Jim, FCA’s co-founder and chairman for a drink and some food. Jim was shocked “you look too healthly are you sure you’ve cycled from Lands End”. He hadn’t seen us the day before; we defiantly looked like we had done the distance that day. At the end of the evening Jim wished us good luck and our minds turned to the day ahead, a short but packed day at Birmingham Wheels Park.

We headed out in the early morning heat and set of for Birmingham. Within a mile we where sweltering in the heat, Benjamin says “I’m cooking in this tight lycra, why the hell do they wear this horrible stuff it’s obscene and too tight”. Luckily my ears were blocked from a swim in the pool the day before, I smiled sympathetically and responded with my standard phrase ‘it’ll be orite’…..“And another thing, can you stop saying it will be orite”. As we entered the outskirts of Birmingham the heat dissipated slightly under the shady tree’s that lined the roads and we passed the old Longbridge Devril car manufacturing site. Rose tinted thoughts took me back to my Brown Morris Marina (no, my name doesn’t come from the love of a car company) and the fond memories of putting it through a hedge on a slippery Somerset road as a mere youth. It handled the road like a skip on wheels (sorry if there are any Marina fans still out there).

We pushed onto Birmingham city centre and encountered our first altercation with a car driver. Apparently we were taking up too much of the road, Chris, in his politest and most courteous West Country lilt, asked him where he might suggest we ride our bikes? Obviously mishearing Chris, the driver explained that he would like us to meet his slobbering Rottweiler, who he had in the car with him, pleasant chap. We found our way to the Birmingham wheels park and the days events were in full swing, roller-skating, bouncy castle and raffles all in aid off the cause. Benjamin was having a mare, “where’s the Stones, the Rolling Stones were meant to be here, where are they”? The madness was starting to get to him and he’d started to believe his own hype, we knew the blog had gone national, international and beyond but the delusions of celebrity had taken its toll, he really thought the stones were going to show. I had to do something or this could be the end of the dream. His bottom lip quivering I told him, “it’ll be orite, I’ve heard that the Grateful Dead are planning to meet us in JOG”. I figured he would either be grateful or dead by the time we got there.

The in line roller-skating looked good fun and I had to have a go, despite Alison, our health and safety guru, advising me it might not be the best thing to try for the first time in the middle of a biking adventure. I survived and next was a mass off photos for the excitable hired photographer.





The event was nearly over and we said farewell to colleagues and made our way along the surreal Birmingham canal system. You realise how central the canals were to the industrial and manufacturing backbone of Great Britain. Now the buildings are in decay but the land and waterways have strangely been re-claimed buy nature.

We reached our journeys end at Sutton Coldfield all hot and bothered, ready for food and cold baths. And onto Derby tomorrow, see you then blog fans.
Today’s stats:
25 miles
12 MPH Average
1 slobbery Rottweiler
1 Angry motor vehicle driver, poop poop
50 In line roller skates
No broken bones
No Rolling Stones