Big hills, fast descents and the Sea

And so the final day dawned bright and early to the sound of much trumpet and fanfare. After yet another hearty breakfast the bikes were saddled up for one final time and with a slight wind chill we embarked from Allenheads.
Steam poured from our nostrils as we climbed steadily for the first hill of the day at around 1/2 a mile, belying the optimistic forecast of it all being downhill on day 3!
A long and winding descent awaited us and not for the last time in the day I was dropped like a stone in a very deep well as the pace was cranked up by the leaders of the peleton. After what seemed a hundred miles I saw that Captain C had waited to drag me forcibly back to the pack and as we climbed another of those steep things I nearly burst through the field.
As we gathered at the top for a round of haribo Now then Vicar confidently predicted that this was the last major hill of the day, how very wrong can you be!
Descending rapidly and with a high cadence we hit Stanhope and turned majestically upwards on a gentle climb. Captain C and Lance to prove a point kindly waited for the mortals to get a good 8 minute lead by completing their social networking before joining us and for a short period the ladies to whom we had been good samaritans raced in the thick of it.
The hill which garnered new and more succinct descriptions as time went on ( none of which appeared complimentary to my innocent ears) just kept on rising and rising in continual bursts of 90 degrees until eventually as we reached the cattle grid at halfway seemingly upside down
we halted for a brief pause before joining the headwind to the Waskerley Way.
As we began our trek across the moors having left DK Brady behind the speed increased markedly and we shot onwards and onwards like speeding bullets down towards Consett. We blew through Consett like a tornado and shortly afterwards rendevouzed for lunch before saying tearful goodbyes to DK.
The paths and tracks were now well marked and good quality and the peleton once more blitzed away. Regathering we passed through a very dizzying maze section in which The Creator somehow levitated just on the rim of a rather large hillock as he sought to find a way out (or that is what I assume he was attempting).
As the peleton gradually pulled away and just before we crossed the railway I suddenly began involuntary sideways motions as the air in my rear tire decided escape was the only option from this speeding torture. The Peleton had by chance awaited my delayed arrival and again those magic thumbs came to the rescue once more.
We were now within sight of our end and it was designated that the Snake should lead (basically to keep the wind off everyone else. So with daring and an interminably slow cadence in comparison to earlier I somehow managed to drag the peleton through the final miles!
As we passed the Stadium of Light and posed upon the promenade we were greeted by a multitude of flag waving dignataries before we raced down the beach to dip our wheels in the sea. Now then vicar holding on to the drama to the last, deciding on the way there to do his falling log impression one more time for all those gathered.

So my friends we have done it we are officially C2C veterans, we have sore bits where perhaps we never thought we would, the laughter has been abundant, the weather most clement and the company good.

Special thanks must go to our support crews who have been excellent, our families for putting up with all the preparation etc , our hosts along the way and last but not least to you who have for whatever reason read our ramblings and sponsored us.

Updates with more photos and sponsorship totals etc will follow later, till then, I think we all deserve a beer!

Cheers

Racing