Day 49:Jane gave up today... sadly it only lasted 10 minutes before she was back on the bike again. It was a result of two weeks of constant dog attack. Quite frankly know Jane’s phobia of dogs I’m surprised she didn’t jib after the first one. In truth I’ve been niggling at Jane to give up for weeks (in fact she shouldn’t have started); probably because I’m too close to her and having to see what she’s going through. We are now only 150 miles from Washington which is just astonishing when you look at any atlas and trace the route from San Francisco. Indeed one of the RV’s is being returned tomorrow. If I never have to spend another night in one I’d be delighted, it’s motorised hell. And as for dumping don’t go there. At least my RV is almost in one piece the second one has systematically been falling to pieces since day one. Today was a brutal day and how Jane got through I don’t know, 70 miles, 7000ft of climbs There’s another day like it tomorrow, bloody Appalachians. I do though want to recount a quick tale from yesterday. We were in a café in Wallace, West Virginia; there was a page from the internet on the wall detailing the struggles the local have. I didn’t realise that 20% of the States population live in poverty. Now the café wasn’t a swish city type, but basic. As we went to pay the owner said the coffee and cakes were on the house on account of the charitable nature of the ride. This was the first time any discount had been given on the journey and like the old saying that those who have the least give the most. Now what the people of Wallace may lack in wealth they make up for in stunning scenery and a great attitude to life. Finally a church board from today “Don’t drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.” I hope Jane’s guardian angel looks after her next week and on. Day 48:The most frequent topic in the e-mails we receive is about publicity. There is a recurring theme, whether it’s an American or British correspondent, of why is the ride not covered more extensively? From our perspective it is simple, Jane is doing the probably the biggest endurance feat that any terminal cancer patient has ever done only two months after chemotherapy. By doing it Jane hopes to raise as much money as possible for several cancer and children’s charities. If a media outlet wants to cover the story, great, we encourage it as coverage will increase the revenue to those who need it. If we don’t raise any money it won’t make a jot of difference to Jane’s circumstances; she’ll die anyway. Anyone who is losing, or lost, someone because of this disease will know exactly what we are trying to do and understand why we are passionately trying to raise money. The publicity doesn’t enrich Jane’s life, add value to it, or help in any way. So please don’t anyone be concerned for Jane about any perceived lack of publicity, it’s only the charities that matter. That said I do hope that the enormity of what she is achieving will make a difference to other lives, that a cure for cancer will be found, patients will be cared for, infant illnesses prevented and the children’s hospices funded properly; that is what matters, nothing else. Today’s ride in the light of the above is totally irrelevant but yes there were more dog attacks. Day 47:Well at last we've reached the banks of the Ohio at Marietta, which is a beautiful old town, steeped in history - a rare attribute on this trip. Because it was a rest day we have had a good chance to get a better flavour of the area. The ride from the Hocking Hills included the breakfast stop at Amesville where a cinnamon roll, chocolate muffin, muffin, three coffees and a delicious milk shake cost the princely sum of 5 dollars 85 cents. It really is cheap to live here. The continuation of the ride has been threatened over the last few days by an increasing number of ferocious dog attacks. Packs of five vicious hounds stalk their prey and Jane nearly fell foul of dogs attacking from the rear and front. Because the number of cyclists was down to two, Martyn had cycled the stage a day early, it did leave Jane vulnerable. Jane has kept going but has felt increasingly uncomfortable, she has a phobia of dogs especially those whose sole purpose is to attack passing cyclists. You don't see any hikers in these parts, which is not surprising. Tomorrow we head into West Virginia and the Appalachians; we are all hoping that the dogs are behind us as if they continue we probably won't see the week out! This is going to be a tough week especially as Jane is not well. We'll need some good thoughts and luck as the struggle continues. Day 46:Yesterday was without doubt the worst day of the last seven weeks. There was no one thing, which spoilt the day just a collection of happenings that made it unpleasant. A series of dog attacks punctuated the day; as I write now sitting in the RV in the middle of a steep valley in Eastern Ohio miles from anywhere one has just past the rig. The volume of these dog attacks has increased as we've been travelling through Ohio and it’s a particularly unpleasant experience; everyone will be glad to see the back of them. Yesterday was a 73-mile ride from Lebanon, which was a pleasant town between Cincinnati and Dayton. We stayed last night in Chillicothe and for only the second time on the trip we've had to move our overnight location. As before we felt a moved was required because we didn't feel safe. There was an atmosphere of intimidation in the centre of town with a good proportion of the people walking past the vehicle under the influence of substances. So it was a location move at 8pm, which meant the riders hadn't had a settled location for seven hours. As a result no one eats properly, there will be a sense of tiredness, heavy legs and general fatigue on the road tomorrow. Yesterday marked the 3000-mile point of the trip and there is an overwhelming sense in both Jane and I that we just want to get home. When your personal safety feels threatened wherever you are it takes some time for your confidence to be regained. We should finish with Ohio tomorrow night and head off into the mountains of West Virginia. Day 45:Yesterday we crossed the State boundary and entered into Ohio and last night we stopped in Lebanon. We are still conscious of the strict timescale we are under and Jane has said she wants to be at the border of West Virginia by Sunday. This is a tall order so yesterday the cyclist put in a fair effort and did 76 miles. For the next three days the mileage will be high, thunder storms are predicted today and tomorrow so hopefully they won’t hinder their progress. Jane has been feeling a little better and I think this is partly down to the less oppressive conditions on the road and at night. It’s been impossible to get the temperatures in the RV down at night which has made sleeping difficult; this is a particular problem for Jane because of her disease. It still feels that the finish is a long way away and I’m afraid it is. There are two weeks left but they both looking daunting, we are trying to work out the route logistics for the last week but are finding it difficult as its impossible to get the right maps. Day 44:Yesterday, so I’m told, was the most uninspiring days ride in the last seven weeks. We drove the route and the first part from Martinsville was lovely but after passing Shelbyville the volume of traffic on the road increased, the road flattened and the sun shone. There is a definite feeling about the weather that it’s the end of summer so the ferocity has gone out of the sun. Temperatures are down 30 degrees on earlier in the trip. We finished just in time to watch the Murray – Federer victory at 4pm local time. We are very close to Cincinnati, 70 miles, but too far to get there. Tonight we should finish very close to the city so I’m going to take Steven to the tennis tomorrow; he’s not had a day off following the ride in seven weeks and needs a break. Jane obviously won’t be able to as she’s got to get across Ohio by Sunday. I promised her years ago that I’d take her to Wimbledon but we keep getting thwarted so she’s used to me letting her down! After today’s ride to Dayton/Cincinnati it’s back into the rural areas of Ohio and West Virginia for 10 days. We’ve come a long way across the country now but we’ve still the length of John O’Groats to Lands End to cycle so it’s far from over. Day 43:Today the ride took Jane through Southern Indiana and very beautiful it was too. If there is one thing in America that won’t disappoint you, it’s the stunning scenery which because of the vast spaces available you can often enjoy free of traffic. Unfortunately today was punctuated by a series of dog attacks, fortunately no one was injured. Jane has been relatively well today and greatly benefited from yesterday's rest day. That’s the last one though until we get through Ohio and the deadline for that is this Sunday. There is an increasing sense that the finish is only 16 days ride away, the support crew swaps over for the final time this Saturday (which was always going to be a more vital milestone than any mile marker). At last the weather is being kind, the temperatures have dropped to a more manageable level and the wind is non-existent. We are hoping that this good fortune will remain for the rest of the week. One of the major issues for Jane of late has been trying to work out how many miles are left and whether the journey is possible in the allocated time. She spent in an inordinate amount of time on her rest day picking routes and stopping-off places. She’s confidant that there is a possibility of getting to Washington by the 26th so we’ll continue for now. | 
