London-Edinburgh-London 2013: The thread

[tubbycyclist]

Yesterday was the toughest yet. 370km from Moffat to Edinburgh and Barnard Castle. 2 blocks of wood for legs. Time to get cracking

 

[Aperitif]

Anco is now home. just over 2.5 days to Edinburgh and back @22.55. Hardly credible.
No chapeau is big enough.

Was he 'first'? Reminds me of this: "de Jong wons"

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Yesterday was the toughest yet. 370km from Moffat to Edinburgh and Barnard Castle. 2 blocks of wood for legs. Time to get cracking

Well done Tubby....I'm very impressed with what you've achieved in this last 18 months...an inspiration.

 

[frank9755]

Have read more of the thread. Am even more amazed at your interest.
Frank's updates on our sleeping and thinking was bang on the nail. Mcshroom lives in the Lakes so packing up there was always better than struggling and packing in Pocklington or Market Rasen which would have left a long and expensive trip home. Also he has mates helping at controls up there. He'll do it next time. We were together for many hours on the early stages and drafted each other, but he was often faster than me.
With hindsight I would not have spent a night in the Enfield Travelodge which was so hot I was dripping sweat all night and slept for three hours max. So many of us started already tired. And I would have made an effort to get over Yad Moss in the day and do the Lockerbie road in the dark, it's flat and straight and impossible to go wrong on the nav. And I would have thought much more about the implications of arriving, as I did, at Moffat as it closed, leaving me with maybe a five or six hour ride over big hills to Edinburgh to certainly arrive as it closed, so no sleep there, and be faced with 170k to the next beds. Making a day of more than 300k.
But all I did was pay my money, ride the bike a bit - sometimes with mates in the land of Johnny Foreigner - and rock up on the morning armed only with a steely determination to enjoy the ride. Which I did. i absolutely loved it. At the start Charlotte (OTP) took my photograph. I asked if I looked fit and determined. She said: "You look terrified."
But the truth is that much of the time I was a quivering wreck struggling with exhaustion. The Howardian Hills are sometimes 18% gradients and we all walked them, even the tough Finnish machine. On Yad Moss at midnight my chain came off the front cogs and - oh joy - also jammed in the back cassette. I was all wobbly and dizzy and needed to lean against the bike to stop myself falling over while I used a handful of grass to stop getting grease all over my fingers and extricate the thing. No tears were shed in the freeing of that chain but very, very nearly. And in some godforsaken tiny village at 1am somewhere I had to stop and sit on a wall and drink some water to have a rest as I simply couldn't go on. It was a real struggle and I was dwarfed by the challenge. I'm sure others will be along later with great tales of derring do, but for me it was a humbling experience, because sometimes on hard audaxes in the long night hours you get to look into your soul and you don't always like what you see.

Great post, mmmm! You've really summed it up in those words, especially the last bit. I think you don't always see what you expect or might want to, but the great virtue is that it is the most honest picture we can get and you know that there is nothing else hidden! Having read that, no-one is going to have any doubt that you gave it your best shot, or wonder why you had to give up. Well done! I look forward to hearing more about it in person.

I've obviously been part-regretting not riding as I've followed your and others' progress. My 'excuse' was that if I did it, I wanted to do it quickly, but it was too close to the 24 for me to have recovered to be able to do that. So I decided to pull out. Then a friend decided to get married on the day of the 24 so I missed that too! (now my main challenge for this year is a 12-hour the weekend after next).

I'm sure LEL is a far harder ride than PBP with more hills, narrower and darker lanes and (slightly) more weather risk. Hence Anco de Jong's feat is really remarkable (as those of others are in their own ways). Definitely agree with Yad Moss in the daytime with company, then the old A74 (Lockerbie) by night. I had thought that there was a bit of a lack of official sleep opportunities in those Scottish border controls.

Enjoy the rest!

 

[mcshroom]

Just surfaced after a short kip and before that a long stint on the Barney reception desk. I think seeing the level of effort and suffering some of these riders are carrying on through is awe inspiring. I'm hoping CrinklyUncle (S47) and Ray Joiner (fungus) have made it in while I've been snoozing. Also redflight, Deckertim and lastant.

One of the eliptigos was parked outside when I set off for the csr. Madness!

 

[mcshroom]

Oh and Martin235 left Barnie a while ago

 

[frank9755]

Tuesday evening roundup:
LongMart probably now fast asleep at Barnard Castle
Redflight going ok. Was at Brampton heading South at 5:45. Presumably crossing back over the Pennines now. Might make BC around midnight
Something funny has gone wrong with Pete's timings. He's just got somewhere but the system says it's Traquair - but he was at Eskdalemuir a few hours ago, so he might actually be at Brampton. (EDIT: he is now: got there at 10:45pm - well done, Pete!)
Tim made Eskdalemuir by 9pm. May stay there or push on to get to Brampton for around 2am.

Wednesday morning:
Not much change since last night. Looks like most people bedded down for the night.

Tim did well last night and made it to Brampton just after 1am, a bit quicker than I guessed. Expect he stayed there. Probably along with Pete.
I got that wrong about Red, above. It now says he got to Brampton at 9:45 last night. Looks like he spent the night there. Probably heading back over now.
No further news on Long Mart [Edit - there is now, see above post from Mcshroom]. Had a good, long (no pun intended!) sleep at BC, I expect!

 

[yello]

sometimes on hard audaxes in the long night hours you get to look into your soul and you don't always like what you see.

Firstly, and most importantly, bloody well done. You're a hero sir.

LEL, PBP - such things are exceptional, and take courage and determination. Some have it naturally, others have to dig deeper to find their reserves of it but it's an intensely personal experience for all. I remember finishing in 2009 in tears. No idea why. No one thing in particular; tears of relief, of happiness, and most of all tiredness - physical and emotional. What you saw then will never change, and you'll never forget that moment, but perspective will be added.

You're still tired. It'll take days before you come right, before the everyday balance reasserts itself. You've done exceptionally well, exceptionally. I applaud you.

But, it begs the question, is it too early to ask 'ever again?'

 

[yello]

I've obviously been part-regretting not riding as I've followed your and others' progress.

Me too.

 

[ianrauk]

Me too.

Add me to the list.

 

[ianrauk]

LongMartin is in Thirsk, heading for Kirton as a minimum, but will try for St Ives.

 

[mmmmartin]

Am awake after a night in own bed. Feel terrible. V tired. The endorphins and adrenalin have worn off, obvs. With hindsight and on reflection, feel even more chuffed that I got as far as I did. Doing more than 600k is a small victory for me.
My original "plan", if you can call it that, was to maybe get to Pocklington or Market Rasen and sleep long, then ride a 200k DIY audax verified by my GPS track back to the start, which would be my audax for August and my 12th monthly ride so I could wear a little badge. (And yes, it is pointless. But we all have our little goals.) i never thought I'd get so far that I would be so tired I couldn't do the 200k. I think I did OK for an old fat bloke who is nearly 60.
And thanks for messages of support, both on here and privately in messages and texts. I never knew you cared.

 

[frank9755]

Am awake after a night in own bed. Feel terrible. V tired. The endorphins and adrenalin have worn off, obvs. With hindsight and on reflection, feel even more chuffed that I got as far as I did. Doing more than 600k is a small victory for me.
My original "plan", if you can call it that, was to maybe get to Pocklington or Market Rasen and sleep long, then ride a 200k DIY audax verified by my GPS track back to the start, which would be my audax for August and my 12th monthly ride so I could wear a little badge. (And yes, it is pointless. But we all have our little goals.) i never thought I'd get so far that I would be so tired I couldn't do the 200k. I think I did OK for an old fat bloke who is nearly 60.
And thanks for messages of support, both on here and privately in messages and texts. I never knew you cared.

Many congratulations on doing a 600 in the time limit - that's a big victory!
I would have been most concerned if you were able to do a 200 DIY today! It can be even harder to stop and start again than to keep going.
You might find you are a little peckish over the next few days...

 

[mmmmartin]

In other news, PpPete is riding with Mrs PpPete, who is a renowned long-distance walker in her own right, very determined gal. The rider tracking says they arrived at Brampton last night, so still together. Her first audax was a couple of years ago, a 100k near Midhurst. It's not about the bike.

 

[mmmmartin]

You might find you are a little peckish over the next few days...

As always you are right. About to start second breakfast. It is easier than the other option, which is to go back to bed. Trouble is, bed is upstairs and I couldn't manage the stairs just yet. Had to come down backwards. Legs seem a bit leaden.