Cycling Through Every County in the UK – Part 3

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BIKES
▶ 2022 Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1
▶ 2002(?!) Airborne Valkyrie

day five ouchie um got a lot of stretching to do this morning um maybe some painkillers to have yesterday really took out me uh welcome to another video by the way thank you to Tim um who lives on this farm literally in the middle of nowhere took us ages to find it last night really ages um didn’t get there down till 11:00 got woken up by the alarm which is a first today brings basically eight hills eight hills together not small ones but it’s basically up down up down up down up down 3,200 m of climbing in 272 kilometers so it’s not as bad as yesterday it’s basically the same as the Devon Devon day but I don’t know the wind’s going to be a bit more besides me slightly across me end up near Rexum today so this morning it looks like yes I’m going to be setting off a bit later non is off at 6:00 it’s 22 now it takes us 20 minutes to get to the start i need to eat and drink and prepare work out what clothes I’m wearing put things into perspective legs are tired but with some stretching I’m sure they’ll come around in a little bit asses yeah motor bit the chuck bibs I’m using are the absolute bomb though uh the best I can expect considering the mileage I’m doing day after day i actually find it harder to stay still on the descents now cuz I get stiff knees it’s easier for the legs to be just moving yes my power’s way down but anyway we’re going to get breakfasted and then I’m going to see you on the um on the road mates hello my name is Scott otherwise known as Cycle the Nation this is the latest in my idiotic challenges i am here on Dartmore ready to start my Cycle the Nation challenge proper 109 counties 15 days 3,610 km with 3.9 Everests of climbing come and join me for the whole journey [Music] right righty ho righty ho righty ho righty ho it is a few minutes past 7 uh we are we are ready to go or not but we have to go so I’m going to go things have happened wow i really have put a groove in that tire note to self if you’re going to use race blades measure them they’re the biggest you can get and be more careful than I am putting them on and there’s a smudge on the camera okay a couple of notes on the coast road up towards Aberistworth it’s going to be busy it’s commuter clock not a great idea i was looking at the stats from yesterday last night despite all of that uh the hills the headwinds the rain my average heart rate yesterday was 117 how I have no idea uh it did get a high into into the good 170s up the steep stuff so yeah my body’s accepting what it’s doing it’s going to lead to today but eight big hills look at this oh very Welsh lovely isn’t it it’s gorgeous so again today the plan is as minimal effort as possible to go to a not terrible speed not like the last few days get the get the job done in as efficient and not incredibly slow fashion i don’t want to be out from 12 hours today i want to be back for 7ish which I think might be possible today so I’m not sure if it’s an error but I’ve got off the main road i’m on a little bike path which got to take me into and through yeah I’m not 100% sure that this path’s the right choice considering it’s you know covered in debris and grimy and it’s sending me on a really weird route through Oberistwood but right here’s the thing i’ve got 109 counties to hit i can’t remember exactly where all these borders are there’s a lot of cropping to do so I’m being really mindful yesterday wasn’t an issue with Kamar because I was already in there to go back in so it wasn’t a problem and it was just one little road and I could tell this i don’t know i’m probably wrong but I mean it’s a bike path i’m not exactly hanging around i’m doing 30ks an hour it’s easy uh I’m missing towing but fingers crossed everything’s okay i wonder how my little guy is back there little cyclist miner i know he’s there hope he’s enjoying the ride [Music] quiet roads smooth tarmac some hills bird song happy place truly happy place despite the fatigue this is awesome well if it’s hill you have to stop hills are going to get because Heading up into them now the north of Wales i’m basically finishing Wales today as well almost so oh I’ve gone the wrong way i’ve averaged 150 watts for the first 50k went 28 km an hour zero effort required now which way should I be going around diffy lots of signs for diffy things i know Diffy bike parks around here somewhere it is gorgeous around here i love snow down here and I’m just entering Quinn or Quinest isn’t it with a T so that back there is the entrance to Diffy Bike Park i’m sure I’ve been on this road before sure seem to remember it being like 20ks of slight uphill which is awesome [Music] just coming up past King Arthur’s Labyrinth been there with the kids and Jew it’s awesome some awesome caves in that hill it’s a brilliant tourist attraction what a place what a place this is oh it’s just absolutely bloody gorgeous i am 60ks in so it should be 10k away or so that might be half up half down i don’t know i don’t know [Music] and the sun comes out i mean you can’t even see a quarter of it at the moment this is the one I remember it’s got to fall flat near the top just head down i was going to say ass up but not staying on the side of now [Music] woo welcome to my happy place oh my god I love that climb ah let’s get down the other side [Music] i keep forgetting to record at these stops properly i’m just having a bit of for capture and then the lord’s biscuits should a lord exist of course and I’m at what was it 27.8 273
27.3 km an hour i’ve done 900 m of climbing in 70k um heaven on earth i might have mentioned this but yeah happy happy happy place so quick pit stop i don’t mind spending a couple of minutes longer on these today because tailwind i know we’re a bit behind time but we’ll catch it up tonight i’m thinking GPT tonight cuz we’re near Rexom
you sorry
gpt tonight thinking of you Ollie
okay back on the road been there way too long entering Dog Dol if that’s how you pronounce it uh cut through there i think we’re still in Gwyneth basically got to cut northwest going to start meandering my way up towards Aberist no Anglesy no no gravel route it’s gone let’s go on the road uh yeah I mean there’s a shower happening oh I think mileage uh currently cold and showery and wet but it’s a shower got the light off so this bit promises to be a bit more arduous again a bit of a headwind now to get up towards Port Ladder i’m not going to like it down here [Music] [Music] yeah so I’ve added my elevation by coming up this bit but it is what it is it’s beautiful anyway I’m on me bike i’m trying to do something good loving life and again a water oh my god look at this meow i spy with my little eye something beginning with still on dam you might not see it there but up on the gut hillside is still on dam i’m not going up there today i’m pretty sure I’m not actually going up the um side i’m not i’m going down the coast side which is it’s going to be windier but yeah um means I don’t have to go up and over that cuz it’s a hell of a climb up and over there but I’ve got a headwind instead there it is the climb up to that is one of my favorites ever it’s just glorious hang on hang on hang on hang on hang on hang on hang on you can’t go down that valley without getting that view you see the little town there that’s Balinog uh that’s where the other pass is to go up and over northwards yes that’s due north that way been over that before it’s beautiful um but I need to go that way into the headwind [Music] [Music] that’s Port Madak deal with uh with relative ease it’s not as busy as normal there so we’ll have a very brief last couple of miles of uh headwind along the coast here putting in land across the peninsula towards Banga well this area certainly looks a lot different to the last time I was here i have very vague memories as a child of going to Pulei of Pulei for a holiday i think we came for a week and it rained like not just rained but it was biblical for 6 and 1/2 days or something like that and the only thing we went out and got to do was play mini golf I think one day and the rest of it was uh trying to watch one of the two TV broadcasts that were on at the time channels or maybe three whatever that might have been on the radio uh this looks very nice this’ll [Music] be all right to get there I think i should be okay i might have to get a hydration travel on in fact it’s uh this wonderful Lombardania jacket off but it’s doing much with these warm conditions now let’s check the forecast cuz it looks glorious right now stopping for a stretch i am really tight [Music] uh yes we have passed halfway i think at 142 143 km I guess uh oh i need to charge up my polar meters how am I going to do that it is only What time is it it’s quart 1 what time did I get to lunch yesterday
3:00 and I’ve set off an hour later anyway right eating time it was 20 2 was lunch yesterday cuz it’s made a log of it uh which is an hour ahead of an hour behind today plus the other yeah it’s two 2 hours ahead of yesterday which tells you everything about yesterday i’ve actually had a headwind for the last hour i’m actually feeling okay by my hamstrings especially my right one um feeling pretty good i had a little bit of a low on there little bit of a low but I think that was food and water related but a bit right i’ve got changed a bit long sleeve normal jersey oh it’s quite cold in here time to get shut up again and this bike let’s go that is one mother of a castle jesus it’s huge now it’s time now it’s time next stop Anglesy which is over there it’s over there just there welcome to Anglesy officially [Music] let’s go around the roundabout and back to back to Gwin [Music] just got told I was riding too near to a car why would I this squishy human being want to ride into a car [Music] [Applause] [Music] that’s never been here before there’s half a mountain missing it shows you how destructive mining can be doesn’t it i get the feeling this is going to get rather spicy interesting i don’t know there might be a cut through i don’t know [Music] what a place wow amazing and of course we’re back into snow don’t you again uh for a bit mainly for the up and then the down let’s back it off a gear 180 ks down holy [ __ ] that is beautiful wow [Music] um [Music] breathtaking absolutely breathtaking i mean what a place to have to slow down cuz of a headwind i don’t care it just gives me more time to look i should say look go my god I’m in love [Applause] heat heat [Applause] [Music] heat heat heat oh [Music] [Applause] this is amazing got tears of joy [Music] yes all of the that was I don’t I don’t tend to go for stuff like I’m about to say but that was actually spiritual up there and saying I yeah I could do that every day the rest of my life anyway welcome to bed to gohead Jacob’s down here somewhere I think okay so it turns out Jacob’s still 6 and 12 miles away i think it’s um mostly open up as well but okay happy right let’s have a look oh at the start I’ve just biscuited and breaded up so we’ll have an official look at what’s left cuz then they worked out how to do it info 59 km 662 m of climbing fished me right bit of a tailwind bit of a side wind bit of a headwind bit of a tail bit of everything more down than up uh time is it now should be should be half 7ish and silly me has directed myself onto a secondary little road like this with a fair bit of climbing on it as opposed to going on the A5 which is actually nice never mind [Music] do I recognize that mountain from 5 weeks ago the box i don’t know h bye it’s taking till the end of the fifth day but someone’s come past me on a bike said hello it’s the same direction it’s the first time someone’s come past me he’s absolutely bloody motoring as well 25k to go bit of Romney Kendle mint cake just chunks of gel in hopefully that should do me [Music] i would have taken video of me go passing into Plincher but I was uh probably best term allining ass down that hill over there hello change [Music] England that way [Music] recognize that bloody hill i think this was pretty near the start of the vel 29 strrader i might actually beat Jacob back to camp nearly there how far have I got in for 6.7K yay hello spares ooh i beat him here seconds literally seconds there’s a chippy just here we’re going to wait here starving that could not be more different to yesterday today was I’m going to have to believe this [ __ ] epic i have loved today um I will give some stats 274.1 km in 10 hours 15 riding um 26.7 kms average only 160 W normalized at 165 um one thing I forgot to mention yesterday I think I’ve said it already my average heart rate yesterday was crazy low today it’s 114 holy smokes i’ve had a tailwind of course I’m going to burn just under 5,000 calories so I’m going to pour all of them back in my face right now let’s see what tomorrow brings i’m going to do chippy things cuz I know it’s open i can I just literally smells past it right bike is dry dirty but that’s a problem for later bye [Music] oh good morning ah day six i’ve got a knot in my calf the size of what feels like the moon waking up coming around breakfast has been had today brings a bit more of a rural no urban affair and a flatter one at that basically it’s a southern drop down into Staffordshire and then through the West Midlands straight through Coventry we ended up in Cambridge St um it’s just over 2,000 m of climbing today in 273K promises to be a bit easier the weather doesn’t look awful looks like it might improve as the day goes by bit of a crosswind to start and then a tailwind to carry on um you can probably guess I’m quite tired 5 and 1 half hours sleep was about normalish but it was immediate head down woken up by the alarm and that doesn’t happen if you know me um so I’m trying to stretch I’m struggling i’m going to see you guys out on the road
oh wobble head oh I’m recording [ __ ] um it’s just trying to start raining you’re heading away from the rain or something
yeah it’s over there i’m going that way right day six i’m going to get moving i don’t want to fart about cuz I want to get done as quickly as possible today despite Coventry is going to slow me down about 10 15 minutes we’ll be all right i don’t feel awful i’ve had a little bit of a leg massage it’s definitely helped 100% right let’s see what sitting down feels like see you in 2 and 1/2 3 hours within a minute within a minute i’ve already gone the wrong way twice [Music] and we’re back in England wales done tick tick tick tick tick tick tick ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding all 33 counties of Wales completely mated yeah Wales make no bones about it you’ve been a complete bastard and you’ve been amazing at the same time so thank you A for the challenge and B for that scenery yesterday [Music] there it’s quite the crosswind too on London for the most part so see this tree here though lot got 15 20 mph crosswinds it’s making life interesting hopefully it stays later when I start heading east england feels very very angry everyone just seems in way too much of a rush to get to work just feels it’s weird to say but it just feels like the the not the attitude of drivers but the attitude of the driving they’re a bit closer behind clearly desperate to get past you um clear lacking impatience i don’t know it’s priorities in life and all of that it’s uh saying that this truck driver has just been awesome behind i’m trying to make a point literally as I always do say thank you anyone that waits cuz it makes life so much safer but yeah come on England chill the hell down will you something there so I’m cutting my way I think around the top of Shrewsbury at the moment oh I’ve already done that i’m going for the gap between Shrewsbury and Wit Church i’m still feeling good yeah I’ve got a good chance of getting done in under 10 hours today maybe not total but I would like to be at the accommodation by 6 tonight to give me time to do all of the things I need to do which I’ve not had a chance to do for days such as transfer of data charging everything get the compression boots on maybe maybe speak to J yeah it’ be nice to have this day as a one where I can get done with relative ease i know that sounds stupid doing 273 274 km with relative ease but that’s the plan have a right good sleep you care to explain what that is i think that’s called a hill i’m not going to see many of them today i’ve seen quite a lot of squirrels this morning gray ones but well squirrels nevertheless squirrel squirrel squirrel hello hi how are you just coming up to the first rest stop at much wenlock i say just coming up i think it’s still about 5k away but only 2 hours 24 in oh there’s a view [Music] i uh I seem to have found the hill [Music] okay rest stop one much wlock um this poor dude here get state of him you filthy he’s filthy just as the bike is look at that so I’m going to give the chain a wipe down now cuz it is covered in grit picking up everything off these country lanes and it sounds horrific so considering changing chains but maybe maybe maybe don’t know right then onwards super sun’s come out [Music] [Applause] really severe knee pain on the outside of my right knee just gave it a rub on the move it went uh-uh don’t do that 2 minutes later i don’t know if I’ve managed to turn the pain off or if it’s stopped or something but I’m just going to ignore it for now let painkillers do their thing [Music] these lanes are actually quite nice around here uh lovely i’m not sure where I’m near [Music] all right actual proof stafford chair hello see what your odds are like shall we 8 milesi from Dudley i worked in Dudley for 6 months didn’t like it at all really not a big fan birmingham yes dudley no didn’t like it at all yeah not that winding guys just skirting around the top of uh Kings Winford somewhere where I stayed after day I think five of my challenge in 2023 again meeting new lovely friends of friends becoming friends so if you watch this Barbara and family hi thank you again bike paths Midland’s doing Midland things lunchtime suffering busy busy busy just turn heading south into Haggley the uh crosswind has become a headwind my knee is becoming increasingly a problem so more painkillers for lunch that’s about an hour away yet so I’ll just have to grind my way through it because you know if it was easy more people would have done this um gone yeah I just missed a um stinger operation there that was quite funny right I’m going to find my way cuz I’m getting off this main road i’m going to go under it and up to the next village where I’m supposed to join it or something near it i just need to give my leg a rest a moment oh not bad yeah I’ve made a huge error so I’ve put myself on a dual carriageway on the route i just decided it was too dangerous and took myself off it now the route I chose to avoid it won’t let me on under near round anything so I’m going to have to loop back then and go on it anyway what a [ __ ] well that’s going to test the knee [Music] well that is a a spicy number that one yeah I suppose it’s not going to be too bad in isolation but bloody hell when you’re 5 and 1 half days in and it’s lunchtime and you got a sore knee on in the background look maybe I can’t help ow knee jeez need to keep it in straight line ow that’s hurting jesus Christ that’s hurting can I get to Shirley shirley not Shipley shirley Football Club without any more errors i need food i need painkillers i need a little red amount need my neck fixing my leg fixing my back fixing my brain sorting what the [ __ ] am I doing let’s see what’s changed in 13 years well that certainly wasn’t far oh it’s just wasteland long bridge somewhere down there you know what else has changed a lot i’m trying to talk to you as I pedal through a city probably the best idea uh me I’ve changed a lot i’m significantly lighter back then I was 16 and a half stone depressed drinking every day eating way too much and my exercise was going out for a 5minute walk i was eating uh takeaway three nights a week was a different thing it was a horrible time it really was but it changed my life entirely we’re in the relative relative safety oh absolute safety of the van not relative safety just having some food i think restbite from the noise more than anything else it’s just been I think my brain’s not working i think lack of sleep isn’t helping me because I’m not concentrating properly lack of sleep and pain sort of taking some of the thought processes away from what I should be doing it’s weird the knee’s coming in and out of pain it’s fine then it feels like it’s got a knife in it and then it’s fine so I’m going to have all of these tablets in a minute not really i’m not going to be too long here cuz I’ve been spending way too long at the stop
okay let’s get going and hopefully I’m not rooting myself through a field or down a canal or something why do so many people smoke weed well that’s Coventry dealt with in pretty short order on some weird bike path heading east what the hell oh come on Stra and hopefully I’ve not rooted myself through a field or down a canal or something jesus Christ [Music] right where are we where are we uh 184 kilometers for the day really do have the wind at my back now average watts are hilariously low again but let’s be honest I’ve not needed them today so now we’re into the rolling countryside where we’re heading towards Lutworth look at this yes england’s full apparently of what idiots [Music] oh [Music] heat heat [Music] [Music] [Music] um Yes rest stop three and final of today we’re about I think 50k away what with my wrong turns and my idiotic movement um but there’s 250 to 300 m of climbing left we’re entering proper flatsville it’s relatively flat here just at Keenum in North Ga it’s just going to be a quick splash and dashes we are What time was it quart to 5 it’s going to be less than 2 hours from here we got a good kip tonight let’s go back on the route [Music] woo wow this uh road surfaces we have views sometimes you just can’t beat Straa so you just have to adapt and overcome it wants me to go down this lane here yeah that’s not happening [Music] look a hill little one [Music] heat heat [Music] oh [Music] heat heat woohoo certainly not i like I like I’m here [Music] [Music] then there’s the 286 km that’s 13ks of wrong turns 27.2 ks an hour
so I’m going to do a summary in the van today um oh that’s that’s day six isn’t it yes that’s 6 days i think that’s the longest six days maybe it’s definitely the hardest six days are done cuz tomorrow is very flat unless it’s an awful headwind that’s to be seen obviously i don’t know yet you won’t know yet um like I said 286k there was 2,300 m of climbing or something like that let’s just double check average speed 27.2 kks an hour so that helps later on i’m scrolling 2381 m of ascent average out there bottom number 107 that’s zone one that’s very very zone one that means it’s been an incredibly easy day and I’ve probably burnt three calories so um I actually feel all right i had a couple of bits of knee pain about a quarter of a second of cramp just now but I’ve been in long sleeves all day i’ve been warm i’m going to see if I can get a wash done and I’m actually still eyes tired because you know 5 and 1 half hours sleep last night sorry 5 hours 34 minutes or something like that whatever it was hopefully we’ll do a bit better tonight with that tomorrow brings flat day and head up into Yorkshire i will see you guys next week thank you very much for all your support it really does make a huge difference it really is lovely to read them as I’m doing so I will uh I’ll see you next week get subscribed hit that bell so you know it’s coming