"Well we know where we're going"........,,

Bristol to "somewhere on the North Cornwall coast" today. Somewhere at least as far as Bude and we'd be winning, I reckoned. Home turf through Devon so it's on with the County flag cycle shirt at 4:30 am and try and sneak out without disturbing Joanne too much. Still dark.......I guess I should have figured that might be the case but had obviously become accustomed to the shorter northern nights! Still, being a true "ex-triathlete" I still pop on the sunglasses......can't let a technical issue like pitch blackness get in the way of the right image, can we!! Lorries to Avonmouth, then through a bike- friendly Bristol and over the Clifton Suspension Bridge. " I said "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck; I just ain't gonna pay no toll".  So we crashed the gate doing 98, I said "Let those suckers roll, ten four"....disappointing, therefore, to find that there's no charge for cyclists......or pedestrians. I suppose that's so as not to discourage potential"jumpers". Anyway, the A 38 to Bridgwater was surprisingly interesting with a mix of run down and "still thriving" towns and villages. Approaching Bridgwater itself I was glad that the cellophane  works don't still blast out that foul odourI remember so well from water polo trips up and down the M5 from Exmouth. Round the back of the Quantocks and I soon remember just how "lumpy" today is going to be. Left at Williton (quick phone stop to check on Roger, who's getting a tyre fixed and Joanne, who's taking the speedier motorway route to intercept me.....somewhere) then it's up, up, up 20% for what seems like....and actually is....miles. Next stop Wheddon Cross for a sandwich and regroup and it feels great to sprawl on the warm Tarmac of the village store car park and take stock. Taking stock always seems to take some time so an hour is lost having food and a bit of a laugh. I love this part of the world: enjoy the challenge of training on difficult terrain and, once upon a time, won a couple of Age group races nearby! Hills across the moor then swoop into Barnstaple and on to the Atlantic Highway. Traffic is considerate in the main and we keep rolling along.....I've run out of H2Pro by now so the drink top ups are more frequent but less effective now....and we're over the border into Cornwall. Should I change the shirt?.......wouldn't want an "incident". Think I'll get away with it. Camelford (don't fill up the water bottle!)...... and finish for the day at Wadebridge. 180 miles today and only 70 to go............