Day 7
Welshpool -> Upton upon Severn
80 Miles
1300m Ascent
4 Hours 44 Minutes
Early start followed by a big breakfast then a quick 40 miles to lunch, followed by a nice 30+ miles into Upton upon Severn which we were told should be fairly flat. That was the plan anyway. What actually happened was quite different, even now I can't believe the stroke of luck and generosity we received today.
Welshpool -> Upton upon Severn
80 Miles
1300m Ascent
4 Hours 44 Minutes
Early start followed by a big breakfast then a quick 40 miles to lunch, followed by a nice 30+ miles into Upton upon Severn which we were told should be fairly flat. That was the plan anyway. What actually happened was quite different, even now I can't believe the stroke of luck and generosity we received today.
Three miles away from the hotel my right gear shifter gave up. That would have meant I was stuck for the rest of the trip with only three gears, quite a drop from the 27 I've become used to! There was no chance of a bike shop being open as it was early Sunday morning, which would have meant stopping the night in Welshpool or cheating and getting a lift to Upton to find a bike shop on Monday with the capability of repairing/replacing the shifter. We really didn't want to do either. We had been there long enough to realise that no amount of expletives or prodding with a screw driver would fix the broken shifter when a big group of 20+ cyclists rolled by (good job we had broken down or we would have been nearer to 26 all!).
We were greeted by Tony, owner of Brooks Cycles (www.brookscycles.co.uk) in Welshpool who very kindly offered to leave his Sunday ride and have a look at the shifter back in the shop. It was obvious that the shifter was broken and despite a good attempt, couldn't be repaired. To get us back on our way Tony offered a spare shifter that we could post back to the shop when we had finished the ride, absolute life saver! We were set back on our way with a cup of coffee, a handful of energy gels and an extra donation for the charity! We couldn't be more grateful for the generosity and kindness we received. We were both so relieved to have the day saved that the whole day really flew by and we were in Upton before we knew it.
Beryl and Uwe have welcomed us into their home and after an absolute feast for tea, we're now enjoying a few cold pints! Poole tomorrow, the longest day yet!
Nathan + James
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