The oppressive heat did not encourage us as we rode through Ashburton, but we hoped things would be a little cooler on the moor. On the climb from Bickington, however, Michael lost control and fell off his bike. Did he have a good excuse? Closer examination revealed that his right crank had broken clean in half - almost unheard of! With no backup available on the end of the phone and no way to ride with only one pedal we had little choice but to hobble back to Ashburton where BigPeaks fitted a second hand chainset as a temporary solution.

By now the heat was so oppressive that we decided to abandon ideas of returning to Bickington for the climb, choosing instead to take the short route home and cool off at Crofters.