Day 5 - Market Drayton to Chorley

First I would like to apologise for my disgraceful spelling. I have been posting my blog using my iphone and the letters are so small even my specs don't help!
Porridge and toast on the menu this morning so another day without a cooked breakfast. On paper one of the easier days so we are feeling good. GOF has complained of tender quads, I have a sore left knee and CFE has what everyone expects - a sore a**e.
We said so-long to salop at 9.00 and called into the just one Netto shop for supplies. It was whilst setting off three lads in the top floor of the house opposite using a megaphone decided to take the p**s. It was taken in good humour. This weather was overcast with spells of sunshine and GOF and I resorted to wearing armwarmers. Whilst navigating to Nantwich another rider passed us and offered to donate via my website.
Cruising the countryside to Chorley we stopped at Nantwich for a coffee. Donations were handed to us again. The day seemed more leisurely as we had only 73 miles to
cycle. Only 73 miles I hear you say! Before stopping for lunch we passed a couple on a tandem with a trailer heading to Land's End. After they passed we could see they were also collecting for a charity.
We stopped for a nice pub lunch at Lower Peover after 35 miles (no alcohol was consumed!) and again donations were gratefully received.
We all started suffering together of "ALL" and it seems to be getting worse each day. "After Lunch Legs" is not something to be afflicted with.
A little later I was reminded of the old classic by Ike and Tina Turner as we cycled by "Knutsford City Limits"
The sun came out in the afternoon and armwarmers were repacked into panniers and sun cream applied.
It was a steady ride and we did indeed watch our wheels as the second half of the ride was transformed from gently rolling countryside to th'industrial north with traffic! It was another world.
The highlight of the day scenery wise was the bridge we had to go over which spanned the Manchester Ship Canal.
When you are doing such distances you try and make the ride as effortless as possible and I have learned to take the smoothest part of the road which is normally melted tarmac flattened by many tyres and I can also get myself into the Kevin Haynes aerodynamic crouch behind my bar bag. Still can't go as fast as Kevin though! One other method to adopt is to cycle behind the tallest rider and as CFE is 6'+ it's like riding in a vacuum. With still over 500 miles to go I will try to experiment with other techniques.
Only covered 74.1 miles today in 5 hours 22 mins ride time. Climbing was also low at 556 meters which we are not sure if it includes the four category 1 speedhumps into Nantwich!