6th May 2018 Sunday – People are lovely

Hello Everybody!

Route: Meyersdale to Brownsville

For the non-mathematicians out there:

Distance: 76 miles (Total 466)	Average speed: 11.6mph
Calories: 1,938	Cycling time: 6h 34min
Average cadence: 69 rpm	Climb: 1,686ft, Descent: 2,772ft
Temperament: People are lovely	Aver Temp: 12C, Max temp 17C

People are lovely. A nice start.

I left and got immediate payback from yesterday’s uppy bit. A fantastic steady downhill, following the river course and meeting gentle folk along the way. This was a cycling high spot so far. I also had a really nice lunch at Confluence, not sure why it is called this but there are a few rivers meeting at the same spot, rather than meeting at different spots I guess.

Before lunch the weather was nice and cool, after lunch I could not see where I had parked my Blossom as it was raining too heavily. I also was pondering which why to go Route 40 and certain death according to the locals [EDITOR NOTE: perhaps a little over the top even for you, Al] or stay on the trail and get a gooey mess and possibly slower time. I now have a mantra – stay on the trail, so I did. After two hours or so it stopped and things started to get better.

I had asked to stay at a B&B in Brownsville and they replied just after lunch that they were no longer in business. Oh dear! I carried on, on the basis that something would work out.

Before I arrived at my destination, I ran out of water and stopped near some houses. A woman was just parking her car and she asked if I needed help, so I said yes please, two bottles of water. Then her son, Nick, came out and asked if I needed anything else. Blossom was looking very dirty after the trail grime, so I asked if I could use their hosepipe and we then preceded to give Blossom a nice, refreshing clean. We also had a very nice chat about Ireland as we both shared Irish parentage.

I arrived in Brownsville around 6ish I guess and started to look for somewhere to stay. I rang a local church, no luck, spoke with the garage staff and knocked on doors to see if I could gain any local knowledge. I eventually spoke with a woman who suggested two house that were attached to the local churches. I knocked on one of them previously but they had been out. This time they answered and the man said I could stay in their backyard instead. Being very British I did not wish to intrude into their Sunday evening so I just said “YES PLEASE”. The man was called John and it turned out had lost about 100ibs (about 0.342 parsecs) since he took up cycling so was mad keen about bikes. I pitched tent and slept very soundly. Heather, John’s wife, made me breakfast and set me on my way. John had also left me some bananas, apples and the like in a bag on top of my bike kit. I was really touched by such genuine kindness and trust. May your God bless you both.

People are lovely. An even better finish.