A day of two halves!
So after the excitement of waiting for the start of our challenge ride my dreams and expectations were shattered after less than 30km. Away from the hotel and rolling along nicely with Mike, Graham and George and with every intention of taking the longer extended route my gear-shifting decided to play difficult after less than 20km. After some roadside maintenance and the diagnostic skills of George I was back underway, only for the same problem to re-appear less than 10km later. At this point it is important to note that if you are to have a mechanical, it is potentially useful to have it less than 400m from a decent bike shop. The well-mannered and English-speaking Pierre came to the rescue, or so we thought. After his initial confidence he realised that the right-hand shifter was terminally ill and wouldn't see the day or ride out. Needless to say this came as a major blow and it was impossible not to project to anything other than the rest of the t...