Today couldn’t really have gone any better. The difference the wind makes when it is actually in the right direction is amazing. I got another good sleep last night and felt good pretty much from the minute I woke up.
The ride today has been the fastest average speed of the whole trip, and considering it was over 200 kilometres, that is not something I would have expected. The wind was strong but it was by no means the strongest. The difference today was that I actually pushed for the majority of the day. What often happens when I have a tailwind (which is not that often) is that I sit up and pedal along content with normal speeds and minimal effort. (That makes it sound a bit more pathetic than it is, but you get the idea). Today though, I decided to work as hard as I would in a headwind – and although I wouldn’t describe it as easy, it was one of the most enjoyable days yet. I rode 100 miles in 5 hours 15 minutes which is quick by any standards (let alone with 20 extra kilos) and I had finished the 200 kilometres by 2:30pm…
To finish so early felt like a slight cop-out but I had already booked where I was staying and there was no real need or reason to push on further. Had I done so, it would have been the longest day of the trip by some margin.
Even the heat – which surpassed 44 degrees – didn’t really bother me too much today. Not sure why, I just felt good.
All in all, a very good day, topped off by a very mediocre dinner. I opted for fish and chips for the second night in a row because I feel I’ve had enough burgers for the moment. Actually that’s something else: Americans put ‘Fish and Chips’ on the menu, not ‘Fish and Fries’…. I think that’s a sign that they know the British way is better
Distance: 127.2 miles / 204.6 km
Riding Time: 6:47:28
Av. Speed: 18.7 mph / 30.1 kph
Tom Davies RTW 
Absolutely brilliant, your body is coping with the temperatures and the wind became you best friend for a day, let’s hope it’s the start of a new found trend. That’s a blistering speed, watch how you go.
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Amazing! You managed all that in 44 degree heat and we are all complaining in London about a mere 34 degrees! I don’t think finishing 200km at 2.30pm can ever be classed as a ‘cop out’!! Give yourself a break boy and enjoy! I was once served battered fish with gravy in deepest America!! Yuck!
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Dynamite ! sounds like a great trouble free ride today Tom – hope the fish and chips were in a plastic basket with a paper napkin that stuck to the batter and chips.
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A great day Tucker, sounds fantastic and highly satisfying to have cycled so far in a single day. I have noticed a decline in the content of your wildlife reports recently and I am concerned about the length of your species list!!!
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You’d be surprised how little there is out here… having said that, you may be in luck in my next update…
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