Day Four - Tintern to Shrewsbury In Words

Distance: 90.97 miles
Distance climbed: 2,778 feet
Average speed: 14.38 mph

Pain ratings:
Adam 6 (gradually rising- although I could throw a piano without the use of hands)
Alan 5 (sore bottom an enduring problem)
Neil 3 (in the groove)

Soundtrack of the day:
Adam - Sloop John B, The Beach Boys
Alan - Holiday, Vampire Weekend
Neil - Avalon, Roxy Music

An ethereal misty morning in the Wye Valley is disturbed only by the popping of vertebrae going off like firecrackers as we work through our morning stretch regime. It's cold and bright and the green Welsh landscape is to die for as we cycle upriver through the canopy of trees. As we cross over the Wye fish jump from water still enough to reflect back the mackerel sky. The scene is completely otherworldly and feels as if Tom Bombadil himself might appear at any moment.

A steep climb through Monmouth precedes a long downhill that takes us out of Wales and into Herefordshire. Now we are travelling through landscape that is the acme of the English countryside and that only cliche can satisfactorily describe - rolling hills, patchwork fields and chocolate box farmhouses. We're away from the road-killed villages of the West Country and into the genuinely rural, it's a lifestyle that's a million miles from the City of London - here 'Mark-to-Market' means that the farmer has gone to sell his herd, and 'Sub-Prime' is a cut of beef not a junk bond.

At nearly 91 miles this is our second longest day so far and at day's end we'll have covered one-third of the total journey. Now we're worried that our bodies will start to complain, but so far so good, and the three of us are in reasonable shape with nothing more than minor twinges to show for our exertion. The fine weather is helping to keep our spirits up - let's hope it lasts.

The final 15 miles into Shrewsbury is super fast, really great cycling where the carbon fibre bikes come into their own, absolutely exhilarating.

Later, at the hotel bar, we meet up with Dom - a Cystic Fibrosis, patient advocate. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the conditions that Alan and his team specialise in. A baby born in the 1970s, would have life expectancy of less than ten years but thanks to the research of Alan, and people like him, average life expectancy is now almost 40 years. There's not yet a cure but real progress is being made and hopefully the money we raise on this ride will help things along.