Where in the world has David been today? Manchester (Harpurhey)

What a day today was. I started it tired and apprehensive. I ended it tired and satisfied. It really tested both the inner resources and the strength of our bodies. At times I was in the streak ahead group. At times I was the back marker. And the latter occasionally had something to do with having been the former! Learned a lot today about managing my personal carbohydrate needs - not something I have to worry about even on the longest of my normal local rides. Let us hope I have learned to recognise the warning signs. Also that I have learned to recognise when numbness in the nether regions may take hours to recover, and what I can do about it!!

We gathered at 8am this morning at Christchurch Heworth in York. The main group had had a fantastic evening at the church on Sunday with an address by Tim Dakin, the head of CMS - the charity that the next three days are in aid of. I missed it, sadly. We did a bit of re-planning of the route to avoid going on a main road, and Sarah Cunnold (who had put me up the night before, and had been a wonderful companion and hostess) agreed to lead us through the laybrinthine streets of central York so we wouldn't have to use the inner ring road. All in all, that probably saved us getting lost or separated within five minutes of departure, and it also cut five miles off our time.

We made steady time to Wetherby through the drizzly rain and stopped for an early snack break, then back on the bikes to hack uphill out of the town and work across to Harewood. There was then a lovely swoop down, but Chris Woo and I were held up coming down it by a tractor. A slow tractor. On to Otley for another break (with bananas for rapid calorie uptake), and then the hills began. Not too bad up to Menston, but a bit fierce and undulating till Keighley. Lunch in Keighley, then on to the serious stuff. Made it up well past Oxenhope as the road just went up, but had to walk a short distance to the summit where the views were magnificent, but unfortunately I was so tired I didn't take a picture. Yes, marvellous views on a grotty day. They lift your heart.

We tore down hill into Hebden Bridge, then headed straight on to Rochdale, following the canal and its ladders of locks as it makes its way over the watershed. Finally there was a boring run into the city of Mancester along the Rochdale road - with half the world's population of traffic lights out to thwart us personally.

Arrival and welcome at Christchurch Harpurhey was warm and uplifting. What a day, what an achievement. But then I got in a muddle over accommodation. I had thought I was staying with Kate's younger brother Andy and his wife Dot, but hadn't heard back from a message them and couldn't raise Andy on either his mobile or the landline. Thought they'd forgotten. What could I do? Locked out of the church by now, and rapidly chilling off (the average temp on the ride had been 47.1F - how old-fashioned of me - and it was starting to fall). Plan B rolled into action. I had a second offer, so I've actually had a lovely evening with friends Mike and Sheila Lyons on the other side of Manchester, and missed the service again. Bah. And, it turns out, Andy and Dot were expecting me after all. More pasta for me, said Andy, when we spoke. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

That's enough for today. Tomorrow is a new day, but I keep reminding myself it is after today (that's deep). In other words, it may well be supposed to be easier, but we may start just slightly tired...

Time for sleep. But first, here are the map and stats for the day. Don't forget to click on View details...