EPILOGUE
I understand some of our (ahem!) 'well-wishers' have been having side bets on our fortunes - OR OTHERWISE(!) Well to put you straight here are the final scores:
DISTANCE TRAVELLED:
Father Michael: 1013 miles. In view of his cracked ribs Father Michael wisely took the van from two of the late-afternoon food/water top-ups, meaning 15 miles less riding on each occasion.
Mick Claridge and Mike Burton: 1043 miles.
Mike Carney: 998 miles. Just one small cheeky van ride to avoid riding in the dark, fair enough. And of course his 38 mile taxi ride from Aosta, the cost of which would make another good side bet!
BIKEMANSHIP:
Father Michael: Had a dramatic crash and cracked his ribs, unfortunately the conditions were wet and littered with pot-holes.
Mick Claridge: The only Mike not to fall off, in spite of riding backwards (see earlier photo). I did however witness a dramatic speedway-style slide whilst he braked to avoid the van he was following on a wet downhill section. I was just close enough to smell the adrenaline (pheew!) and extract a confession that it was “in anger” and not done deliberately for dramatic effect.
Mike Burton: Had a clean record until day 18 and simply couldn’t resist jumping up a pavement, while being over-kind to the oncoming traffic (after all they were going the CORRECT way down a one-way street!) He needs to learn from his son how to do this without taking a pavement biriani! Luckily the pavement was smooth so no grazing was incurred.
Mike Carney: Managed five falls, including one as he climbed onto the bike and hadn’t even started riding. We think he has learned from his nasty experience of tram tracks in Montreul, as he was very cautious when we encountered them again in Rome. His best performance was head-butting a car, but luckily it was unoccupied so there were no financial implications! Of course we wish his shoulder a speedy recovery.
PUNCTURES:
Mick Claridge: Four punctures. This is disgraceful as Mick is the only professional mechanic among us. Best stick to restoration and body work Mick, and please don’t get a job at Kwik Fit!
Father Michael: Two punctures. Could have been more, he gave his tyres such a hard time that the rear one de-laminated, so need to bring more spares next time!
Mike Carney: Nil! Those gravel tyres he imported from Germany were well worth it, and cost 10% less than they would now due to those who voted while we were out of the country, very astute!
Mike Burton: Nil! Credit to tyres borrowed from a friend and a trusty Giant XC Team bike that has survived many years of punishment by two owners who are far from careful.
Mike Burton
