Up and Down Like a Fiddler’s Elbow
Cornwall is an old Gaelic word that means lots and lots of really, really steep short hills that will cause you much pain when riding a bicycle. Okay fine, that might not be quite right, but that’s what I will always remember about Cornwall. That and the endless vistas overlooking pastures, forests and both the English Channel and Atlantic Ocean. There are also innumerable stone pillars dating from the 500’s AD and rock circles from the Bronze age.
Leaving Callington in good time Wednesday morning, I figured I’d cover the 80-90kms to my destination of Maenporth in about 6-7hrs. Typically, that would not be too ambitious but the Cornwall terrain belied that goal. Because of the seemingly endless twists, turns, switchbacks and 21% climbs–dozens of them–coupled with two ferry rides, it actually took me nearly 10hrs to cover the 112kms. Despite–or probably because of–the demanding geography, Wednesday was a great day in the saddle. Although, getting off the saddle and sitting down to a meal with my friends Dru and Trevor in Maenporth at about 9pm was that much more gratifying.