day 14 Monday 29th September

Tough cycling day today. Barrie was unable to work this morning after he fell and damaged his hand and wrist during yesterday's 3 peaks challenge. He still completed, finishing 4th Vet. An amazing cyclist Barrie is only cycling about once a week at preset but class is permanent. He was also unable to cycle out with me but Sue is also a superb cyclist, certainly better than me. With Sue I cycled up and down a lot until we reached Conniston Lake then we cycled up and down a lot more but around the lake in an anti clockwise direction - there are some pretty steep hills but not overly long and the locals do time-trials around the Conniston perimiter road - tough ones I think. We eventually arrived at Ambleside after 2 hours of riding at which point we stopped for tea - very nice. Sue then pointed me at the road that climbs up to Kirkstone Pass. There are 3 aproaches to this high point. One from Windamere, the 2nd from the direction of Penrith (the Windamere road but from the other direction) and then there's the one called 'the struggle'. This is where Sue directed me just before she left to return home. Sue said she's doen it before (once only !). Okay, this is a famously difficult ride - 6km of climbing - a combination of steep and very steep only punctuated by the extremely steep. The final part I'm afraid was just a little too much for me - I need to stop for a breather (pulse must have been around 200 by then with minimal forward momentum). I knew that if I stopped I wouldn't be able to get back on with clip-in pedals due to the steepness at that point - so sadly I had to walk the last 50 metres. Still I was very pleased with my efforts and I like to think that I may have made it without the extra 7kg rucksack on my back. At the top it was time to take another break mostly because the weather had turned nasty and I had a long way to go but probably without another tea stop !?

Great ride eventually taking me around Ulswater and across the M6 and to Penrith. There were some great views but I didn't stop until Penrith. By then the rain had become much worse as had the winds and I thought another cuppa was called for. I pulled up outside a teashop at 4:45pm and as I tried to take my left shoe out of the pedal it refused to be twisted out and I realised that I was going to fall over. All hapened in slow motion and I chose to fall over onto my back the rucksack softening the landing.  I knew what the problem was and I had sort of expected it at some point. Two of the three screws that secure the cleat to the sole of the shoe had loosened and fallen out so that when I twisted my shoe the cleat refused to twist, swivelling instead. So there I am, lying on the ground with my shoes still in the pedals - bike is okay but I am temporarily stuck there. I twist my right shoe out of it's pedal but still can't budge the left shoe no matter which direction I turn it. Eventually and with some effort I pull my foot out of the shoe and escape. While I was lying there a couple on the other side of the road tell me not to move and it looks like there are coming over to help but no - they just stayed where they were - they kept offering advice from the other side of the road - very strange. The Tea shop closed at 5pm but were very kind and didn't chuck me out until I had replaced my missing screws and repaired my shoes. At least I had brought the neccessary screwdrivers and other bits to fix this. Left there at 5:30pm and rode with the wind for the first time - fantastic progress with the wind and I was able to ride up the hills in the biggest gears until the wind changed again to a strong Westerly. What is going on with our weather !? At least I had a tail wind for the first time in the trip - lasted about 1 hour.

Nice B&B in Carlisle - kept bike in bedroom - £25 seems reasonable. Planned a 100 mile day tmw but don't know about the weather - seems a strong head-wind with heavy rain is coming