Day 5: Warrington - Gloucester

Without even looking at the map this felt like a long way. Turned out to be quite a good fast day. Nice downhill start meant we got off well and cracked on with the pace. Finally the forecast was accurate with nice weather and no wind to speak of. It was the first time in 5 days cycling that we were able to get rid of the arm and leg warmers.

Heading down the A49 we encountered a road closure outside Whitchurch, so, to Will's delight, we ventured off into the lanes and managed to find the only steep hills in Cheshire!

We had to stop at a bike shop in Whitchurch for Will to get a new front wheel. They only had cheap unbranded wheels (£50) each and the first one he tried was so buckled it hardly went round. The second wheel was true, so after a short delay swapping tyres around we were off again. Not for long though, the new wheel started rattling a few miles down the road, one of the bearing seals was loose (you get what you pay for). There wasn't much we could do, so Will had to put up with the rattling!

We were going well in the sunshine so decided not to go through Shrewsbury, just bypassed it and picked up the road to Bridgnorth. The main climb of the day was up onto the ridge of the Shropshire Hills, just before Much Wenlock. It was quite a shock to go up something that steep after days of long gentle climbs. The descent to Bridgnorth was quick and then the climbing began again to Kidderminster.

A very quick lunch (McDonalds) stop in Kidderminster then we cracked on at a good pace through Worcester, Tewkesbury and then into Gloucester following the River Severn.

Will wanted to go quickly again and get there sooner, I was happy to go at a steady 16/17 mph so we muddled along at our own pace and got into Gloucester at half 5. Our earliest finish yet.

My parents brought Harry up for a quick visit to say hello and then we headed off to an all you can Chinese buffet.

Forecast for tomorrow is not looking good, with heavy rain for most of the day and a long way to go. Will is keen to meet a friend in Cheddar who has offered to take us on a more scenic route to Wellington. To me scenic means long and slow, so not so keen.

Will has decided that this country (including Scotland) on the main roads is not very scenic and his ideal roads would have high hedges on both sides...

Vital Statistics:
Total distance cycled: 125 miles
Time on bike: 7 hours 56 mins
Average speed: 15.7 mph
Max speed: 39.9 mph
Total ascent: 1700 metres
Max elevation: 200 metres
Injuries: none but sore everything, especially shoulders!

Mechanicals:
Will: new front wheel needed
Tom: broken the rear mech cable adjuster but gears still seem to work ok so left it alone
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