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The main communications point for checkers etc was my parents' home. The numbers of telephone calls taken can be broken down as follows:
Top callers with 10 each were Pauline Strong and Edwin Hargraves, closely followed by Pete Swinden on 9. Eric Wilkinson, Jean Luxton, John Arnold, Andy Wilkinson, Carol & Eric Tremaine and CCP Davies each called in 8 times. Dave Pitt, Alan Strong, John Pardoe, Peter Barlow and Pat Kenny deserve honorable mentions for their 7 each. My car covered 1911 miles in six days. Apart from the chainwheel failure, I had no mechanical problems. The only wheel change (at Forth Bridge) was precautionary, as I'd damaged the tyre (which was not a tubular). The rear Vittoria Corsa CXs, which did 500 and 770 miles respectively, seem in fine condition. The front one, which did 760 miles, wasn't even new at the start. It should still be good enough for training. I used Longstaff two-wheel-drive trikes. England was covered (apart from Shap) on my machine, which had gears ranging from 117" to 58.5". For the second half, Tim's trike was used. This, when roadworthy, offered a top gear of about 93", and a bottom gear suitable for Ben Nevis (now THERE'S an idea....). For sustenance, I drank Maxim (flavoured either Orange, Lemon or Blackcurrant) and I ate sandwiches. The usual rice/banana/sultana drink also seemed to crop up every few hours. I can recommend this combination for 800 miles. After that, I drank coffee and half a flask of JD's brandy. |
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