Psychological Barriers. The Big 200. Part 1

The great thing about having my father stay where he is, is that to get to him, I have to ride a minimum of 30 miles. The most enjoyable route though and one that I have repeated a couple of times now, takes me from home to Bungay, across to Beccles before heading SE to Blythburgh marshes and Westleton before heading back inland to Saxtead. That's a nice 55 miles and a beautiful route.

Leaving at 05:36 with a ground frost meant that by the time I reached Beccles, the cradling of the hot sausage roll was less about its energy potential in terms of calories than it was about heat transfer. Either way though it was good. (Possibly not a Bradley Wiggins recommendation, but I enjoyed it.)

The smile does it every time. My father was sat in his usual chair and was more than usually energetic today. We took a walk around the corridors with his frame, had some tea and biscuits and returned from whence we started. He seemed to appreciate the fact that I was taking on a big ride today and his energy refuelled mine before I left him asleep again just as my mother called in to sit with him.

Foxearth kindly took a note of my blogsite and justgiving website justgiving.com/john-bakewell and promised to send it out or advertise it amongst the families of the residents in their care. I hope the chance to follow us all across Europe will encourage them in a way I cannot otherwise give.

From Saxted I had decided to do a tour of the four major East of England Ambulance Out of Hours bases, the first of which was at Thetford and so headed west toward Diss.

Despite the forecast southerly breeze of 10 knots, it appeared to have shifted to the SW and stuck with me fro the next 75 miles. I believe, however, that there is a rule 5 out there somewhere that says something like, 'if the it's raining and the wind is in your face....get on with it.'

www.justgiving.com/john-bakewell