Meet the team from West Brom!

While our other teams have made a start on the cycle relay, making it to York earlier today (after 2 punctures on the way!), we are still in training and preparation mode ready for our big start on Sunday 13th.  Today the team from West Bromwich Park Inn were making their way to Telford to have their bikes here ready to start on Sunday, so being good team players we offered to meet them in Wolverhampton to lead them into Telford, we couldn't have them getting lost!  Lucja, Will & Ande made the most of the sun and cycled the 18miles to meet the West Brom team led by Peter, who arrived slightly muddier for the experience full of high spirits.  We took over the leading and took them back to Telford through some rather undulating terrain, so much so we had to pull into The Crown in Codsall for a cold beer!  Suitably refreshed we got back on the bikes and hit the road again, a tough ride back through the hills, with some of the team resorting to getting off the bikes to walk up some of the hills (until they saw me out with the camera that is).  Making it back to Telford safe and sound, our car wash team gave all our bikes a jet wash after all the muddy canal riding and we sat back and enjoyed the last of the sun having a delicious dinner with cold beers all round.  Great effort from all the team, particularly West Bromwich team that had not cycled that far before, or even cycled together yet as a team.  Until Sunday until we meet again!

Mudslides

Mud was the calling of the day today.  It was a relatively clear afternoon, so Tony & I (Lucja) needed to head out to reccie the last leg of our route that we are responsible for, so we cheated a bit and jumped on the train to Wolverhampton, found cycle route 81 and ploughed our way to the Park Inn West Bromwich.  What would be very lovely canal paths are now very muddy play fields, whilst chasing the aggresive geese away, nasty little devils, we slip slided our way along the tow path, through a 300m dark tunnel and made it safely, albeit rather disgracefully muddy to Park Inn West Brom. 
I don't think the receptionist believed who we were so lucky for us, Alan, the Operations Manager recognised us in our garb and swiftly organised us a lovely hot tea & coffee for our troubles.  Route sorted, we made our way back to Telford (yes on the train, it was nearly 7.30pm by now!), hosed down our muds, I mean bikes, and made a right mess of the bathroom!  Sorry Housekeeping!  Some evidential photos for some of you who believe that we just don't get muddy, unlike Tony who is lucky (or smart) enough to have mud guards, I look like I have had a whoopsy in my shorts......think I might be visiting Halfords tomorrow for some of those treasures!