Morning of the 28 July had arrived. I awoke at 4 so that I
had time to get to start in London .
The hotel was about 20 mins away by taxi and to avoid any complications, I’d
left the bike at the HQ. Scott CR1 Record groupset on Ksyrium Askiums. Not at
all Audax but I’ve ridden thousands of miles on the frame and so any major
changes were avoided.
So after signing on my group D had assembled for 6.30. The
starter set us off and off we went. 1419 km stretched out in front of us. Under
Audax rules (Audax UK
is the governing body for long distance cycling) you are required to sign in (with
the brevet card you’re given at the start) at control points along the way.
Food, drink mattresses and blankets are provided at most of these. You can take
any route you want to the controls, although the shortest route is provided on
a route sheet.
The first 100 km to St Ives was tapped off far too quickly
with quite a big group of around 16 riders, at an average of 33 kmh. I remember
thinking “that’s gonna hurt later”. Just time to fill bottles with energy drink
I carry (preprared bags of electrolyte powder which is thrown into the bottle
and I just add water) and for a quick coffee and a cake and we were off again.
I let most of those guys go out ahead of me, as I really needed to go slower if
I was to make Thirsk that night. This kind of event is great because you get to
ride with many different people from all over the world. The day is mostly
spent catching people, chatting for a bit, then moving on.
Arrival 09.44
St Ives – Kirton
81km
Arriving at Kirton at 180km meant I was on very familiar
ground.
I had a mug of tea and quite a few sarnies and of course
cake. Filled bottles and had a bit of a stretch.
On leaving someone called to me, it was Jackie and she
brought her friend Mel. It was great to see them and it gave me a huge boost. I
would have liked to stay longer but time was ticking and I had planned a big
stop in Market Rasen, so after a couple of piccys for facebook off I went.
Arrival 12.25
Kirton - Market
Rasen 68km
I had ridden this
route before so I wouldn’t need the route sheet much, I could enjoy the ride
more. It’s pretty flat as well so easy riding. I rode mostly alone until
nearing Market Rasen where I found some lost Norwegians, trying to follow a
European sat nav for England .
I came across quite a few over the next four days. They see you reading from a
route sheet (the sheet has directions and pointers on them and don’t run out of
power or send you down one way streets) and grovel to stay with you until the
next control. I don’t mind, it’s great to have company when you want it but
it’s also nice to ride alone when you don’t feel so good...
Great feeling arriving at Rasen (249km). Mum, Dad, Sister,
even Thomas my Nephew was there. Dad and Tom had volunteered to help at the
control. Mum gave me a massage as I had suffered a bit with cramp (hot day and
not enough salt). After about 45 mins I picked my bike up and waved adios to
the folks.
Arrival 15.41
Market Rasen –
Pocklington 85km
Felt really good riding Walesby hill and onto Caistor road...
After crossing the Humber
Bridge
Arrival 20.15
Pocklington –
Thirsk 65km
Thankfully the Irish Guy had waited for three of his
teammates and he asked me if I would ride with them. Really pleased he did and
we all rode off together. By now the light was beginning to fade. No problem, I
had the mother of all lights with me. With 900 Lumens no one else really needed
a light with me there. We picked our way through the tiny lanes of Yorkshire and I felt fantastic riding at night. The sense
of liberty just makes me smile, amazing as I had been riding for around 15
hours. After we crossed the A19 and headed to Castle Howard where the roads
went vertical. I didn’t mind as I love climbing hills on the bike. The other
Guys however didn’t and as I approached the castle they were nowhere to be
seen. I had to wait firstly out of loyalty and secondly it’s not good practice
to ride alone at night, particularly when you’re that tired. I watched a couple
of guys go past as I waited, then decided to go with the next lot that passed
whoever it was. I didn’t wait long and I had hooked up to four guys who were
going at a real good pace. We started picking up riders all the time now and
accumulated rather a large group. The hills came thick and fast. I tried to
warn one Norwegian about the gravel at the bottom of a very fast right hand
bend but he didn’t understand so he ended up going off road a bit and so did 3
others…..No damage thank goodness. After
a really long climb the personnel in the group had changed entirely as riders
got dropped and others came through. I rode the last 10k with an American and
two Germans really hard.
More intricate turns, through Sowerby and then the arrival at
Thirsk (which is actually in Sowerby), 407km in 17.50 hours and 11000 calories.
I rode into the control, and then sat down to pasta and rice pudding. I’d
booked a B&B for that night and arose around 5ish. After 5 hours sleep I
got up and got into some clean cycling clobber. You get 2 free bag drops at
control points of you choosing and I had mine at Thirsk and Brampton . I had allsorts of goodies in these,
most importantly energy drink powder and isogels oh and cake bars. After making
sure I had everything I needed, off I rode.
Arrival 23.47
Thirsk – Barnard Castle
First job was to redirect 3 Spaniards going the wrong way.
The road to Barnard castle were rolling and just warming us up for what laid ahead
in the afternoon. Progress was pretty quick and I dismissed the idea that I
might get tired before the really hard stuff.
So into the control to get card stamped, refill bottles and
a quick bite to eat and off.
Well if I thought the section to Thirsk was hilly, I was in
for a shock. As we entered the borders, hills turned into mountains
Arrival 09.48
More rain
Yad Moss 25 km ascent followed by a gloriously fast 8 km
descent which ends in a precarious set of cobbles on a 1:5 gradient…Not funny
as I slid, juddered and precariorised (made up word)down them.
Arrival 15.20
Nice rolling hills to warm the legs up for later in the day
My main Memory of this section was being befriended by
Valisilki, a Greek girl, really nice and friendly but wanted to push on the
whole time. I tried to slow her down by buying her a coke at a garage but I
think that made it worse. In the end I let her go.
Arrival 20.07
Moffat – Edinburgh
Sat eating and drinking everything in sight, I heard a more
than welcome Ciao from G and a strong handshake from James. I’d met these guys
on a 300 km in Hertfordshire somewhere. James said I should ride with them
Huge climb out of Brampton
and James was in his element as the gradient wasn’t harsh enough to slow him
down. There are 3 types of climbers in my experience. 1. Power climbers, big
guys who can sit in the saddle ride with their legs on fire with Lactate. 2. Wiry
and small guys who excel on steeper climbs. 3. Guys who cry when they see a
hill. Unfortunately I was beginning to feel very much like a number 3 on this
one.
By now it was pitch black and wheels were getting wobbly, not
to mention vivid hallucinations of roast chicken dinners covered in cake and
treacle. These were discussed at length, until we found ourselves being carried
down the final hill into the Edinburgh Control. London
to Edinburgh in
42.5 hours! Needless to say we ate a lot, had a shower and went to bed. I
didn’t know how I was going to feel the next morning so I decided to ride on my
own and told the guys not to wait for me. I had 5 hrs sleep and had a really
leisurely breakfast.
Arrival 00.57
Edinburgh –
Traquair 42km
Saddle sores had become an issue but my chamois crème was
doing its job for the time being. I also had symptoms of indigestion, so
stopped at the first chemist to get some gaviscon.
Rather than sending us home to London
the same way we came, the brilliant organisers sent us on a tour of Scotland .
As soon as I set out it was clear the wind had become my
enemy and the journey south was not going to be pretty.
This was the longest most depressing 42 km of my life so
far. It took around 4 hours to get to Traquair and I’m very grateful to an
American called Brian for making the journey more bearable. Climb after climb
followed by pedalling down hill into a headwind is not nice particularly when
you are thinking of having to do it for the next 3 days. So after numerous
close encounters with wondering sheep I arrived. I didn’t stay long, just
enough time for some porridge and cake. Whisky was offered but I don’t drink
whisky and haven’t ever tried riding 700km after taking alcohol so now wasn’t
an ideal time to experiment.
Arrival 09.38
Traquair –
Eskdalemuir 46km
Well I was in for a shock with this as it was even harder. Absolutely
beautiful scenery (if you could see) but a total bitch to ride. It was
basically uphill!
I eventually grovelled my way to the control. I was in a
mess and the section had taken another 3.45 hrs. I must have looked a site
because several of the volunteers insisted on having their picture taken with me
(not pretty) although this control didn’t provide sleeping accommodation they
did have a few emergency beds for people who looked like me (wrecked)
The volunteers once again were saintly. They made sure I ate
and drank then showed me to a mattress. I didn’t sleep much but just to lay
flat and shut my eyes seemed to do the trick. After 1.5 rest I somehow felt
rejuvenated. Filled my bottles, took a couple of bananas and I was off.
Arrival 12.44
Eskdalemuir – Brampton
Rode most of the way with 2 guys from Sheffield
way. Steady climbers which suited me, because although I felt good there was a
long way to go. That was until someone shouted “tandem” this thing was flying
on the flat, so I decided. to hitch a ride , regrettably leaving my mates for
the last 40km to their own devices.
Arrival 16.46
Saw G and James who were just leaving.
And so we were back to Yad moss but in reverse. So 8km up
and 25 km down…..glorious, except for one thing ….rain. I hooked up with a guy
from Hong Kong who said he was going to ride
very easy till the big hill. 4 girls joined us and couple more lads, a mix of
Germans and Belgians. The pace was very easy over the first few hills and then
just on the approach to the big one the heavens opened soaking us on the way
up. I didn’t want risk injury on the cobbles, so opted for the path. Getting
wet on the way up isn’t fun but going down, it’s bloody freezing. My whole body
was shaking and it was difficult to control the bars. At the bottom I found a
phone box and huddled in there to try and get warm. You’d think I would've known better than
that, it got worse. Luckily riders were going past all the time. One rider went
the wrong way and I called him back. Even more luckily this guy had a spare
gillet which he lent me until the control.
My aim was to make it to thirsk that night but I resigned
myself to sleeping in Barnard castle for the night. I ate swathed in blankets
provided by some fantastic volunteers who can recognise a man in deep deep
trouble. Lovely hot shower. I slept for 5 hours
Arrival 22.20
Had a hearty breakfast of cornflakes and lots of coffee.
From the moment I straddled the bike, it
was very clear that this wasn’t going to be a very comfortable day. Bruffen was
the next thing I ate which helped a lot. It was a lovely day and the miles flew
by into the Thirsk control. This was a huge milestone for me as the next 125 km
were home ground to me. Delusional thoughts sprang into my head…… this was the
1000km point which means I had 400km to go which only took me a day on the way
up. These thoughts in my head didn’t reflect reality in the slightest.
Arrival 09.45
Thirsk –
Pocklington 65km
Back on the hilly rough Yorkshire
roads, down to Castle Howard and took a little detour near Terrington bank, I
wasn’t alone there were riders all asking each other which way was the right
one. Eventually we came to a consensus and eight of us set off again. After the
big hills before the village I found myself alone again, and decided to have a
break at the local shop half way up the hill, I saw one of the Irish riders
coming out with bags of crushed ice taped round both his Achilles. Now I’m no
expert but I didn’t think that was a good idea….Hope he was ok. Sat outside for
a while, and spoke to some normal people about what we were all doing. They
found it incredible that no one knew about what was going on. And so I arrived
at Pocklington. Looking back I must have looked a state because the Volunteer
came straight for me and showed me to the signing in table, waited for me and
then took me to a table and got me some pasta and a coffee….Thank you so much!!
Arrival 14.41
Pocklington - Market
Rasen 85km
The rain visited again and I was soaked, cold and not very happy.
I did feel better after I came across a guy from London who was riding at my pace but didn’t
mind facing the wind. His sat nav had expired and he hadn’t laminated his route
sheets so he didn’t know where he was. I didn’t feel so bad forgetting to take
a waterproof now! Another good thing was that he had a spare
gillet…..brilliant. This was a good team up and my strength returned. As the
rain got heavier, we started to catch riders and formed a nice group of about
12. The road to Caistor was hideous and took an age but the mood in the group
was quite comical, strangely. We turned right into Walesby and I flew down to Rasen.
There were people waving to us from their houses and although freezing I was
elated. Entering Rasen control I saw my Mum and Jackie were at the entrance and
emotions were overwhelming. Soaked, cold and very fed up. My London friend asked if I was riding to Kirton
with them, but I declined. I stayed at Mum and Dads just a mile from the
control. Piping hot shower, fresh clothes, comfy bed, orange rice and a massage
= recuperation on a grand scale. Got back to the control at 01.50 in the
morning and said bye to Dad.
Arrival 19.53
Market Rasen – Kirton
68km
Well this section had people baffled. Two guys streaked past
after 1 k into the ride. I caught them at the next junction as they tried to
navigate the lanes on Canadian software. Funny. I got to Kirton at 05 26.
Reports later that all the beds were taken at both Market Rasen and Kirton so I
think I made a very good decision.
It was fantastic riding into the dawn.
Arrival 05.26
Kirton – St Ives
81km
By now the sun had made a very strong appearance and I was
struggling to keep myself cool. The roads are flat, straight and boring so it’s
important to concentrate or ride with someone. I was riding with an American
who was slower than me but consistent, when we came upon a cyclist lying in the
road with locals directing traffic around him. There was a Norwegian guy
talking to the ambulance man about what had happened. Reports later are not
clear but it looks like the guy fell asleep and hit a parked car. There were
several incidents of that nature, none too serious though.
After a couple saddle discomfort enforced stops I checked in
at St Ives.
I had a little sleep here at the table. It’s funny now but
one of volunteers in there enthusiasm woke me up to ask if I wanted to sleep on
a mattress.. After about an hour and with some pasta inside me I was away
again.
Arrival 10.34
St Ives - Great Easton
Again the organisation decided to take us on a sightseeing
loop instead of repeating the outbound journey. Hill after hill came, after 1300km
in our legs we were still being punished. The descents weren’t any fun as they
were on single track, potholed roads. You usually accept the ascents because of
the fun you can have on the descents….Not today. I stopped few times when I saw
groups of cyclists stood outside shops gorging themselves on Ice creams and
anything cold and fattening.
Arrival 16.46
Great Easton - London
This was gruesome for me. I just wanted it to end. I could
barely sit on my saddle. Eventually sounds of cheering could be heard as all
the finishers were enthusiastically greeted by the volunteers. That was it. I
got my card stamped. 109 hours. More than I had planned but that would have
taken more planning!
Arrival 19.58. Time limit was 03.10 the next day.
More Thoughts
Apart from the bike
riding bit, most things on this ride were alien to me. I had started
Audaxing in February and used 200km
rides back to back and 300 & 400 Kms with hardly any sleep, But stopping
and starting again is really quite hard on the muscles, going slow was a real
challenge. I’ve been racing bikes for 30 years now but this is a whole
different ball game. This is ultra distance cycling I have to say this isn’t a
young man’s sport this is for people with belligerent, dogged determination,
with single track minds.
Lessons
1. Do not change your saddle a week before this ride (even
if yours has collapsed)
Patch it and ride.
2. Don’t go too fast on the first day.
3. Take any kind of rain mac
4. Don’t sleep for too long
5. Limit your control stop times
The bike
8 year old Scott CR1 carbon Monocoque.
Campag Record 10 speed
53/39 with 12-26
Mavic Askiums with 23mm Schwalbe Durano Plus (no punctures)
Saddle Selle Italia SLR
Carbon everything else
Cateye rear lights
Lumicycle Freeway front
Other kit
Used laminated route sheets on a handlebar mounted plastic
clipboard and no GPS
No speedo or gimmicks just a heart rate monitor
Small tool bag under the seat and a larger one attached to
that with all my prepared SIS go powder in
Very small rucksack for leg warmers light jacket etc
2 helmet lights
1 helmet torch for reading route sheet.
Thank you to everyone
who helped me achieve my goal and Hi to everyone I met and whose names and
faces I’ve long forgotten. I just remember riding with someone at certain
points.
Finally a huge thanks
to all the Volunteers and Organisers who made this a fantastic event.
