Bike for Nepal (LEJOG 2014): Day 3

One might wonder if it makes sense to complain about the hills of Cornwall after cycling in the Himalayas.  Firstly, it is the expectations.  I obviously didn't do my homework well, because I was expecting England to be flat.  Secondly, what Cornwall lacks in altitude, it makes up in the gradient.  The roads in the Himalayas may have endless switchbacks, but the gradient is relatively gentle because the vehicles that traverse those roads don't have too much power and carry big loads for their size.

Here is the gradient profile from Lostwithiel to Okehampton, from middle Cornwall to West Devon.

The weather stayed sunny from Lostwithiel to Liskeard and the scenery was really pretty.  Here's a  video clip of the scenery on the way to Liskeard.

After I left Liskeard, it started raining.   The rain jacket helps a little bit -- although I am wet underneath it from the sweat, at least it keeps me warm.  Wet gloves are really irritating.  They tend to run up the fingers and in spite of the gel padding, the hands get numb.  I have some waterproof gloves I use for climbing, and plan to put them on next time it rains.  The worst things, though, are soggy shoes.  After a few hours I get really sick of them. I need to find out what other cyclists do for this problem.

Regardless, I pushed on to Callington and Tavistock where I took a late lunch break.  It was still raining, but I got back on the road hoping to make it to Tiverton.  Then the rain got heavy again.  As a rule, if it gets wet as well as cold and I get chills I seek shelter immediately.  Part of the game is avoiding getting sick.  That's exactly what happened when I took the exit to Okehampton, and almost as in "Hotel California," Betty Cottles Inn stood right there seemingly in the middle of the road.

I walked into the reception totally dripping wet, and the owner of the place Derrick offered me several room choices, the cheapest of which was a bunk bed without breakfast, which I took.    He asked me where I was coming from and where I was going and why, and immediately upgraded me to an en suite room.  And then he let me use their tumble dryer to dry my hand washed clothes.  It burned me up a little bit that the weather turned bright right after I checked in, because there were still a couple of hours of riding left, but that's the way it goes.




After a nice shower and washing my clothes, I had dinner while watching the Brazil-Germany game with a German couple. Unfortunately for Brazil, and thankfully for me, the game was over in the first 25 minutes and I went to bed.


Fund Raising Update

 I got an update from Rosemarie Hammond of Dooley Intermed on the donations.  The tally now stands at $980.  My sincere thanks to those who made the donations.  We have a long way to go, to John O'Groats as well as the fund raising target.  I am doing my part here.  Please do your part!  Here's the link for making a donation:

http://www.dooleyintermed.org/index.php?/news-events/bike-for-nepal-1

Thank you!