"What the hell was that!"

Beautiful scenery, sun shining through, no sound apart from a few cows chewing the cud, and of course a novice cyclist puffing away like mad! And then...

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Yes it was a plane, 2 of them. 2 fighter jets, streaming through the air at speed, silently, until of course they pass by with their engines roaring in their wake. It was my 'panic of the day' as my mate likes to call it! My effort of looking like a pro, pretending that I'm king of the mountains shattered in the 3 seconds they were in my view. I wobbled on the bike and made a kind of squeak noise - not very Mark Cavendish-like. Oh well, at least know one was there to witness it. Besides, the cows always give me funny looks..

Heading more East today (in order to do a Skyride circle), I travelled through the spine of the Pennines - north of the Yorkshire dales.

It felt like I was right at the peak as I saw the first signs for ‘County Durham'. The mind can play tricks sometimes so I was cautious with my internal celebration. But no, on this occasion I really was at the top (of this part of it anyway!). Finally, a chance to get into 'racing position' and really go for it.

40mph is pretty exhilarating on 2 wheels, its not a time to rest, in fact you probably need more concentration for a descent. Picking up a slight tale-wind did make it a bit easier on the legs. Not only that, but it keeps the average speed up, and before I knew it, I arrived at Darlington.

Whilst the riding was great today - the roads weren't the kindest to cyclists. Quite a few sprays from passing lorries - which I didn't mind actually, its a hot day here. The biggest disappointment of the day, I'm told, was the failure of the back seat dvd players to work. 2 members of my safety team weren't happy. Must be better prepared tomorrow!

Today's Stats

3hrs 24mins

54miles

Avg speed 16.7mph

Ascent 2623

Calories 2745