PBP 2011: how it was for me

[dellzeqq]

Frank - I'm overwhelmed by admiration, not least because your description conveys a vision of cycling hell.

Sleeping in fields wrapped in space blankets! Feet going numb!

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNUr__-VZeQ


(or, perhaps,

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy-0ZwgeSvc
)

 

[frank9755]

Great read, Frank. I bet the beer tasted good at the end. I suspect a buff comes in handy for the layering system, doesn't it?

When you finish they give you a voucher for a free beer! Surprisingly, the next day - around the time that most of the British contingent were finishing, the bar ran out of beer!

If anyone wanted to nick some cycling kit then those sharply-dressed Italians would be the ones to go for - although you'd have to have the whole, perfectly co-ordinated outfit to get the look. Just nabbing a random accessory would be frowned upon (unlike here, where it is of course fine

).

 

[frank9755]

As an aside, Frank mentioned to me that his hands were sore and he was 'feeling it a bit' after his exploits so wouldn't be doing much riding...so today he is doing a ten mile time trial! The reasoning? "Well, the position is different, and it will be a nice change and not put too much pressure..." etc.

I did the TT as this, plus a 25 yesterday, are the main events that my club organises so I wanted to support them. We had a few top riders there this year and, at the start, I got chatting to Jerone Walters. He told me that he was going to do LEJoG on a tandem with James Cracknell in a few weeks time. They are having a crack at the record (45 hours). That will make PBP seem like a breeze...

It was a nice morning with not too much wind, on a decently fast course (and I've only done a couple of 10's before), so I managed to get a personal best. Someone said that riding PBP to get a faster 10 time was a bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut! Certainly not recovered though as I had little power on the moderate climbs (what's new, some might say!)

 

[frank9755]

Frank - I'm overwhelmed by admiration, not least because your description conveys a vision of cycling hell.

Sleeping in fields wrapped in space blankets! Feet going numb!

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=aNUr__-VZeQ

(or, perhaps, http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Jy-0ZwgeSvc )

Sleeping in fields in the rain 1,000 ft up looked grim but the controls during the latter stages started to take on the air of field hospitals, with shell-shocked people queuing for medical attention, falling asleep in the middle of corridors, or even in the middle of their dinner. The sleeping areas - which were clean and empty when I used them - were apparently not so later on, either!

 

[rich p]

Excellent report Frank and many congratulations.

Did the locals give you any champers to drink from your flutes?

 

[frank9755]

Did the locals give you any champers to drink from your flutes?

Alas not - Champagne was in the other direction!

 

[dellzeqq]

Sleeping in fields in the rain 1,000 ft up looked grim but the controls during the latter stages started to take on the air of field hospitals, with shell-shocked people queuing for medical attention, falling asleep in the middle of corridors, or even in the middle of their dinner. The sleeping areas - which were clean and empty when I used them - were apparently not so later on, either!

sounds splendid!

Was there no chance of nipping in to a chambre d'hote?

 

[frank9755]

There were alternatives to guerilla sleeping. Some did book hotels while lots of the Italians, Americans and quicker French riders had camper vans in support. But that meant they missed out on a good night ride!

 

[zigzag]

excellent report Frank! i'm working on mine atm, which might take few days..

 

[PpPete]

Chapeau Frank !
Great ride , great write-up.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Brilliant ride! Brilliant writeup!

 

[Ian H]

Excellent.

Don't forget to send stuff, including pics, to Arrivee, AUK's magazine.

 

[stevevw]

Frank
A great write up. It is truly an honour to know and ride with you, well done. I started reading your report thinking that this will be the inspiration I need to get me motivated for the thousands of miles training for LEL instead it made me think "Bloody hell I will never make it". Still I like a challenge, see you on the road soon.