Day 1 - Oxhill to Wallingford

We kicked off the Big Journey at 7 a.m.! Derek (our support driver) came to see us off and take a pic of us. So first we took a pic of Derek.

10 miles into our ride Liz got a flat tyre. It took 4 men 1 hour to fix it! And they used 2 inner tubes (after puncturing the first one). This gave me ample time to have a late breakfast - if there had been a soft surface I think I would have had a nap.

We started at 7 a .m in order to get to Woodstock in time to see England play in the Rugby World Cup, but by 10 a.m. (Rugby kicked off at 9:30) we were nowhere near an open pub. Luckily we soon found a pub and caught the last half hour. The best half hour it seems, because England came from behind and won!! (I found a soft surface in the pub and lay down :)

The rest of the day was a mixture of strong (but warm) winds blowing against us and occasional heavy bursts of rain. But the ride was wonderful!! Mike has chosen a varied route of road and off-road - always interesting.

We finished our 55 mile ride in the late afternoon and stopped at The Springs Golf Course and Hotel - a bit of luxury really. It was once a house owned by Ian Gillian (from the band Deep Purple) and there is a guitar shaped pool. Weird but wonderful.

We finished our day with a few friends - Baz, Lucy and Freddy - who joined us for dinner. All in all a brilliant day. And my legs don't feel too sore!

moi!

Evening on the Thames in Wallingford