Four Go Down The Thames: Day 2

Knowing that we had a lot of cycling to get through today, we attempted to make an early start.  I had had a somewhat disturbed night’s sleep, being woken by Foster to tell me I was snoring! 

We spent a little time in the morning finding a bike shop for Foster to replace his spare inner tube, having got a puncture yesterday afternoon.  Then it was onto the towpath out of Oxford all the way to Abingdon, and was just great with some great views of the river through the city.

After Abingdon we ended up in two groups, Foster and Shum in the advance group, and Paterson and me in the second group.  From here we cycled all the way to Reading, through Dorchester, Shillingford, Wallingford, Goring, Streatley, and Pangbourne.  Somewhere just outside Reading, Paterson and I got separated, and after we met again in Caversham we discovered we’d both got lost in Reading!  As it turns out, the advance group also missed a turning, taking a slightly more direct but much hillier route to Reading!  I suppose there’s only so much information that printed and electronic maps and a GPS unit can tell you….!

Andy and I both agreed that the area around Goring and Streatley was lovely, some of the best scenery so far and the best bit of the ride, particularly as the weather was brilliant throughout the day.

After lunch at Caversham, it was back on the saddle and taking the towpath to Sonning.  In the afternoon came the hard work, with hills up to Henley (which was pretty), and then one big hill around Danesfield.  It was around this time I was glad I had a Kit Kat chunky in my pack.  It’s not exactly the best thing for endurance exercise, but it gave me the boost I needed to recover from near exhaustion!  From then on, it was good steady cycling through Marlow, Cookham, and Maidstone, each of which providing great views of the river and countryside. 

We eventually arrived at the hotel in Slough in the late evening again, having had one of the longest, most tiring days in the saddle.  Rehydration was very necessary, but I was reminded several times not to guzzle the water! 

I was glad to have Andy as a cycling partner, since we seemed to cycle at roughly the same speeds.  Due to the different gearing ratio on his mountain bike (as well as differing abilities when it comes to hill climbing) it was amusing to see him pass me going up hills, and then to pass him coming down the other side as he couldn’t get the speed up!

Even though I was exceedingly tired, I was in good spirits having completed two of the three days, with the longest distance I had ever done in one day.  With this in mind, it was clear that tomorrow’s ride would be easier to handle, and I was looking forward to it.