That didn't go exactly to plan...
We'd mapped out a three-day tour, with the IOW as the middle day. A 60-mile leg-stretcher on Saturday from Guildford to Southampton via Petersfield, the island on Sunday and then a ride back to Guildford via Winchester.
Here's a top tip: if you're planning on riding 60 miles on a tandem with luggage, don't forget to pick up the four water bottles you've filled. Don't forget to pick up more than one spare inner tube, especially if you're riding a tyre you don't entirely trust. Don't forget to pick up patches and rubber solution for emergencies. And don't forget to eat. Oh, and if you need a specific tool to put your bike back together don't leave it on the ground outside a pub...
Our second deflation event was finally confirmed as we limped into Fernhurst. Fortunately, Fernhurst has a very welcoming pub (the Red Lion) which supplied us with sandwiches and enough drinks to keep body and soul together. And a phone book so that we could call for a taxi to take us and (separated) tandem to Liphook cycles, where we stocked up on three new tubes, some glue and patches and a new tyre. It's not the marathon plus I wanted, but it does fold, so I suspect it will go into the "tour spares" pile. And we clean forgot to buy new water bottles...
Now, this is the third time we've needed to buy water bottles half way through a ride, and about the seventh time we've forgotten to attach full bottles to a bike. Is there a fool-proof method of remembering them?
The taxi then took us, and bike, back to Fernhurst to pick up the S&S spanner (fortunately still on the ground where I'd left it) and we started grinding through the South Downs. What had looked on the map like a relatively gentle day with a couple of hills turned into a monstrous corrugated climbing session. Mapmyride.com claims 1500 foot of climbing in 60 miles. Our GPS is claiming 4500 foot. Somewhere between one and the other is no doubt the truth.
At some stage across the South Downs R realised (a) that her seatpost had slipped down, and (b) that her saddle was the wrong shape, and was trapping a nerve. A slipped seatpost can be rectified on the road, a dodgy saddle can't be. (We've since measured some saddles - she has two 15cm saddles; the one on the tandem was a 17cm with quite a wide middle. She's out there now, testing out a different model.)
We finally rolled into Southampton waterfront at 7pm, and stayed to eat in the hotel (plus a bottle of wine...) rather than go out and find pasta. That wasn't the brightest of thoughts - but then neither of us was really capable of thought by then...
Sunday dawned cold and grey, but (just) dry. The 8am ferry was full of cyclists loading up on bacon rolls and coffee. But as we steamed into Cowes, the drizzle started, and there was a stiff breeze. Both dropped by about 4pm, but that was too late for us. Before we got to Bembridge, R's saddle started giving her pain again, and we decided to abandon the long ride at the moment of choice at Alveston. Thank heavens for sustrans and the council - the cross-island path is mostly decent. There's about half a mile of compacted gravel which has roughed up a bit, but apart from that it's tarmac and concrete.
It's a good thing we did abandon - I began to struggle somewhere around Newport. We were finding it difficult to maintain 10mph on the flat tarmac, which isn't a fine advertisement for the qualities of a tandem! I think a combination of several weeks dieting, overwork, undersleep, lack of water on the previous day, heavy exercise sessions during the week, compensating for a struggling stoker and drinking more than I'd got used to finally did for me. And the touring tandem is a lot heavier than we'd got used to.
Today has been filthy again weather-wise - and I was glad to be doing a complex route home involving train and car rather than struggling against yet more wind, rain and cold. The car thermometer registered no more than 10 degrees as I drove into Southampton - isn't it May?
. Planning to complete the ride this time (after failing two years ago (multiple punctures)).
