Soldato
- Joined
- 13 Jan 2004
- Posts
- 12,795
- Location
- Leicestershire
London-Paris Charity Cycle Ride - updated with blog
Did the trip - the single most physically demanding thing I've EVER done! Even when I was more able bodied!!
I'm at nearly £1800 and there is still a week or two to collect even more!! So impressed - Some VERY generous donations from people! The humbling thing is they have given so much and I've never even met them so it must be because of what I'm doing, who I'm doing it for, what I've had to go through to get here and even how I got on when they hear of the physical and mental pains I went through (doctor wouldn't let me leave when I finished because I'd pushed myself to the absolute limit and then some!)!
New supporters include:-
Laura Lucas
Keeper - Kevin Cannon
Kats Norton
Fay Reid
Jo Underwood
Jaine Rowe
Nana/ Grandad
And also thanks to:-
Karen Selby
Libby Thompson
Tara Walker-Rose
Kath Fisher
Asda ADC
Janette Walters
Barry Fryer
James Cooper
Alison Price
Miroslava Kocurova
Chloe Fletcher
Sharon Hayes
Alan Clark
Laura Cave
Diana Tidman
Lorraine Cannell
Simon Mander
John Borlase
Kevin Draper
Steve Field
Steve Radmall
Richard Gamble
Jamie Radmall
Mick Wills
Andy Fenlon
Zoe Small
Carla Lowe
Volker Struck
Denise Struck
Kirstin Struck
Asda IDC
Paul Gascoigne-barnett
James Harris
Umar Farooq
Steve Hornsby
Caroline Sharrott
Claire Ross
John Bass
Bob Betts
Jody Smith
Barry Wyatt
Diane Judkins
Steve Warner
Kully Dosanji
Geoff Smith
Kirstin French
Vee Hryniw
Manju Modhwadia
Dave Parker
Davyd Field
Andy Marlon
Asda Foundation
N Coward
C Sewofield
D Powers
Keith Davies
Nigel Reid
Chris Montgomery
Graham James
Allan Hughes
Barry Hickering
Alison Worth
Emma Williams
Wayne Grzeb
Steve Oakley
Holly Fusion
Jodene Fusion
Gary Puddifoot
Kelly-Marie Bracken
Claire Latham
Mandy Barker
Harsana Malde
Jolene Widdison
Dave Wileman
Arco
Mark Taylor
Tim Ellershaw
Helen Briscoe
Maureen Elden
Ranjit Patel
Clare Garner
Alan Normandale-Greef
Chris Wright
Zeke
Ruth Buzzard
Adam Robertson
Kesiah Wickland
Alan White
Laura Eason
Lucy Downs
Claire Merriman
Thomas Green
Karen Jervis
Lorraine Mawbey
Hannah Mills
Ian Spencer
Leinia Assi
Sian Thorpe
Heather Griffiths
Andy Kimberley
Gary Arden
Mick Daly
Andrew Roake
Soroya Ahad
Kingy
Rob Bayman
Chris Williams
Sue Paterson
Chris Fenlon
Rob Bayman
Dave Demott
and also the person who gave £5 who I will thank when I catch his name!
BLOG
My London-Paris 24 Charity Ride for Scope.
www.justgiving.com/Dan-Cannell
To date £1790 pledged after committing to raising £1200.
Currently received over £1400.
Charity Cycle Ride Summary from my Polar CS400 cycle computer
London-Paris(Eiffel Tower unfortunately not finish line)cycling time - 18hrs (inc rest stops so maybe 17hrs)distance cycled - 271.5miles
calories burned - 15000+
paracetamol/ibuprofen taken for pain in shoulder - 16
mechanicals - 1 (mudguard came loose after atrocious roads in England!)
punctures - 0!!!!!
avg cadence - 86 (England) ...77 (France)
max speed - 39mph (England) 72mph (France - got to be an error severely motoring tucked into drops and not pedalling on downhill bits but no way!!)!
avg heart rate - 170 (England 90miles) 137 (France 181.5miles)
This is everything I have so far - still need official time which I fear will be over 24hrs due to me getting lost in Paris on my own and the delirium I was apparently suffering from..
Journey to London - after 2hrs on M1covering 100miles and 3hrs on old kent road covering 10miles to the Clarendon Hotel in Blackheath I was frustrated and tired. Perfect for what was coming ahead tomorrow... check in/sign on/meal/bed was the order of the day. Not that I got much sleep as too nervous and anxious.
Start-line - was right outside the Clarendon Hotel. Met up with an old friend who lived local in preparation which was great as it helped settle my nerves with much needed laughter!
I've never done anything like this before so as this was new territory I just made sure I followed people and paced myself. I had a plan - pace myself to Dover as I can't catch an earlier ferry and then pick up the pace a little in France assuming I was ok as I wanted to get as close to Paris before I 'hit the wall' and my pace dropped off.
I had never done more than 70miles in a day before so I had no idea how my body would hold up with the injuries I have which are a big hindrance as after 60miles my shoulder is in bits!
Locally there is a hill climb course at Pollybotts hill which I've been up before. There was 3 hills on the way to Dover that I.M.O. felt steeper! Then there was another hill - the A20 I think it was. Will be forever etched into my memory - THAT was tough! Steeper and longer than Pollybotts for sure as it was a dual carriageway and I had to stop half way up. Then at 3/4. After cycling about 80miles I was physically done... completely drained! I was past the maximum I had done before and it had showed how hard the rest of it would be. The roads were terrible - SO bumpy and full of pot holes. Makes you wonder where money from tax for cars goes? So far - 0 punctures. I kept 2 spare innertubes on me at all times as I have been 10miles and had 2 punctures before now... Suffered one mechanical as a result of the roads - the mudguard had literally been shaken loose and I had to ride to the next rest stop with it rubbing on the tyre and acting as a brake!
Got to the penultimate UK stop - had bike fixed and had to seek help from the doctors. My shoulder was hurting so bad! Ended up having paracetamol and ibuprofen at every second stop from then on as it did enough to take the edge of it. It still hurt like hell but it did enough to keep me sociable!
Arrived at Dover inside 6hrs so a little early as the ferry was 20:15 and we had to be at the port for 19:15. Some much needed hot food was had though - any diet I had went out of the window and on energy stuff, out of respect for other riders, I limited myself to one gel pack and 1litre of it to allow for others as asked but it was a free-for-all for the rest!
Ferry journey went ok. I still didn't know anyone but I had been talking to a few riders so I felt more comfortable - you have to be bold and a little bit forceful to make yourself heard but they were all fantastic once I put myself out there.
France - lights were put on, arm warmers donned and cycling glasses changed to night time lenses. Off we went.... still trying to pace myself a little and I got talking to even more riders. We would encourage each other and you have no idea how much the camaraderie helped when you reached what you thought was your limits. I managed to tag onto a few riders going at a fast pace so I tagged on the back. I felt cheeky for doing it so I asked the woman out of the pair if they wanted me to lead for a bit so they could use less effort to keep pace. She said "no, he likes to lead - he's done the Race of America twice!". "oh ok...." and all the sympathy went away.... ha-ha. I still have no idea who they were. They turned off to stop so I carried on a slower pace but still reasonable.
Ended up talking to one guy on the night stage as well and it proved a tough stage as a lot of hills to climb and descend. I helped him a bit on the stage with advice and he offered encouragement too. We got passed by a French car driver - he could have gone by as we were riding as a pair talking and hadn't heard him but in England the car driver would have gone! Instead he put both left hand wheels onto the central reservation the height of a kerb, drove round us and as soon as I saw him I pulled in front to give him room. When he passed us he dropped the car off the kerbs and then waved his hand out as if to thank me for pulling in!!! My help between the two of us was mostly to get free speed - on downhill sections tuck into the drops, go as quick as you can and when you can't go any quicker put your head as close to the bike as possible, bend both legs on the bike to make yourself as aerodynamic as possible.... when you get to the next hill you will get half way up it before you have to think about pedalling! According to my cycle computer that was 72mph which has got to be impossible!! That is extremely scary as I'd have guessed on 50-55mph as my maximum as I am still peddling at 40mph! If true and I'd come off that would've been the same as jumping out of a car on the motorway in shorts! Luckily the roads were SO much smoother than in the UK - they were fantastic! So smooth! Even one French road that was full of roadwork's and rough surfaces was better than 90% of UK roads! Everyone commented on the quality of the roads compared to the UK!
The French attitude to cyclists is amazing too!!! We slowed for stop lights with the intention of stopping if they were on red - French cars going across the crossroads on green would see and stop to allow us to go through when it was on red!!! Most car drivers we saw beeped their horn, yelled something French and frantically waved at us! We felt like rock stars! Or maybe I was becoming delirious... It was still early hrs of the morning but the next stop was coming up soon and I had started to get a pace on so I was on my own as I felt I was getting behind a bit and if I stayed with the group they would not make it so I figured if I wanted half a chance I would have to do it on my own. This was a brave choice as I knew no French, didn't look at the map and had never ever done this sort of distance before (I was well over my maximum I'd ever done by now!). Pink arrows - they'd save me! They were what we had been following up to now!
It turns out this was kind of my downfall and saving grace - I saw a sign saying rest stop ahead after doing 45miles. Brilliant - quick refills and off I got again. I never saw the stop so I had the lights on my bike still, my elbow warmers on and it was approaching 30C rapidly if not already so to say I needed the drink was an understatement! I saw riders in front of me so I caught up with them to ask the pace rider in a pink bib where the stop was - "4 miles back." Crap.... so I explained what had happened and he gave me a flapjack bar. Do I go back or do I carry on to the next stop? I figured I'd stop with the group and use them to limit my efforts by drafting... stuck with them for 15miles at 25mph+ on the flat and told myself to slow down or you'll never make Paris! So I slowed to be joined by another rider and we both had to stop on a long hill. Then we were passed by the Race of America pair again so I said my goodbyes and I thought "these are quick, I'll stick with them." After a few miles I thought "Dan - stop this! Slow down....". So I slowed again. Made the last stop and explained what had happened - believe the word to describe me was 'you're a nut job'. The painkillers were still taking the edge off but I decided do dump all my extra kit and press on. I missed the group that was guaranteed to do it in 24hrs. Even more pressure on myself.... Off I went again with another group with the intention of just 'making the finish line'! That in itself would be an achievement after a few could never do the full distance due to having to miss sections. The Paris section was HUGE! Again the cars and their attitudes were fantastic! Arc De Triumph roundabout was something else on a bike! 16 lanes I think of traffic and when I got there the lanes were clear to allow traffic to come onto the roundabout via traffic lights I guess. I went 20mph+ across the roundabout and wasn't intentionally cutting lanes but I ended doing just that but again - the traffic observation by the drivers was superb! Each of the 16 lanes stopped as soon they saw me coming around the roundabout at speed to let me through safely!
Next stop was the champs elysees - the famous Tour De France finish on the infamous cobbles. After 260+ miles they were not welcome! Still they were better than some UK roads...
Then it happened - was tagged onto a couple of guys and we got a set of red lights - we slowed, ready to stop and i went towards the kerb because i had started to unclip early as i was now getting tired. once, twice, three times... nothing - then BANG and on my side on the pavement. Figured hitting the pavement is closer than hitting the road and less dangerous. I quickly picked myself up bleeding and cut with no intention of seeking medical help - I'll press on and sort it after.
I must've gone across Paris as close to 20mph average, eventually on my own as i felt they wouldn't make it, as I could because I was so single minded on getting to the Eiffel Tower in 24hrs. That turned out to be my downfall as I ignored every sign (there was green, red, blue, yellow arrows as well on lamp posts!), headed straight for the Tower by sight and got there inside the 24hr window. Because I was so single minded I hadn't read the map right and missed the finish point as it was on a road about 1/2 mile away. I was so delirious and severely dehydrated to the point of collapse I struggled to cycle to the finish line after I'd rung Action Challenge for the road name and directions. At that point nothing else mattered, cost, safety or even manners!
I DID IT! I finally got across the finish line! It turns out that as annoyed as I was at getting lost a few hadn't managed the full distance which made me very proud of what I'd just achieved! Given the abnormalities and unknowns I had to go through to get to the end that was down purely to my mental determination! The body was weak, but the mind was strong! Or they were right about me being a 'nut job'.
The furthest I'd ever ridden by 200 miles and the longest stint on a bike without stopping - 74/75 miles! Never been so chuffed as I am now about getting that medal. At the time I was so severely dehydrated and delirious the doctor wouldn't let me leave the medical tent until she was happy I'd recovered a bit. That meant the coach I was supposed to be on had my suitcase on and that had gone to my hotel already. that's another story of which I am apparently 'infamous'!
Because I wasn't there to get my suitcase at the hotel it went to a different hotel. So I had no clothes, no toothbrush and no phone charger hence no phone as it was flat now! Had a shower and stuck on my spare cycling kit which luckily was clean and then sat on bed. Had an hour before celebratory meal. I woke up 4hrs later missing the meal completely and everyone so I was forced to go for a steak downstairs at 9:30pm! 10am next morning I got my suitcase after telling the event organisers what had happened.
After that a few of us made our way to the Eurostar station with our tickets. We got there early so went for a bite to eat. The conversation turned to me and my injuries and when it came to paying for the meal I only had my debit card on me so I told everyone else to get mine taken off the bill and I'd pay it separately. They said not to worry about it as they'd all pay for me - because I shouldn't even be here!
When I got to pick my bike up in London after sharing a cab to pick cars up (and the guy told me don't worry about it when I was about £10 short on the taxi fare so I said I'd stop at a cash point and grab it for him), he had 'heard' about me on the train back with the other organisers - I was the 'guy who fell asleep in his kit and went to breakfast in it'. Wasn't quite the story but I was asked once why I was in kit at breakfast to which I replied "we're only half-way done - now to go home!".
3hrs later I was back home and went straight to my mums to boast!!
Did the trip - the single most physically demanding thing I've EVER done! Even when I was more able bodied!!
I'm at nearly £1800 and there is still a week or two to collect even more!! So impressed - Some VERY generous donations from people! The humbling thing is they have given so much and I've never even met them so it must be because of what I'm doing, who I'm doing it for, what I've had to go through to get here and even how I got on when they hear of the physical and mental pains I went through (doctor wouldn't let me leave when I finished because I'd pushed myself to the absolute limit and then some!)!
New supporters include:-
Laura Lucas
Keeper - Kevin Cannon
Kats Norton
Fay Reid
Jo Underwood
Jaine Rowe
Nana/ Grandad
And also thanks to:-
Karen Selby
Libby Thompson
Tara Walker-Rose
Kath Fisher
Asda ADC
Janette Walters
Barry Fryer
James Cooper
Alison Price
Miroslava Kocurova
Chloe Fletcher
Sharon Hayes
Alan Clark
Laura Cave
Diana Tidman
Lorraine Cannell
Simon Mander
John Borlase
Kevin Draper
Steve Field
Steve Radmall
Richard Gamble
Jamie Radmall
Mick Wills
Andy Fenlon
Zoe Small
Carla Lowe
Volker Struck
Denise Struck
Kirstin Struck
Asda IDC
Paul Gascoigne-barnett
James Harris
Umar Farooq
Steve Hornsby
Caroline Sharrott
Claire Ross
John Bass
Bob Betts
Jody Smith
Barry Wyatt
Diane Judkins
Steve Warner
Kully Dosanji
Geoff Smith
Kirstin French
Vee Hryniw
Manju Modhwadia
Dave Parker
Davyd Field
Andy Marlon
Asda Foundation
N Coward
C Sewofield
D Powers
Keith Davies
Nigel Reid
Chris Montgomery
Graham James
Allan Hughes
Barry Hickering
Alison Worth
Emma Williams
Wayne Grzeb
Steve Oakley
Holly Fusion
Jodene Fusion
Gary Puddifoot
Kelly-Marie Bracken
Claire Latham
Mandy Barker
Harsana Malde
Jolene Widdison
Dave Wileman
Arco
Mark Taylor
Tim Ellershaw
Helen Briscoe
Maureen Elden
Ranjit Patel
Clare Garner
Alan Normandale-Greef
Chris Wright
Zeke
Ruth Buzzard
Adam Robertson
Kesiah Wickland
Alan White
Laura Eason
Lucy Downs
Claire Merriman
Thomas Green
Karen Jervis
Lorraine Mawbey
Hannah Mills
Ian Spencer
Leinia Assi
Sian Thorpe
Heather Griffiths
Andy Kimberley
Gary Arden
Mick Daly
Andrew Roake
Soroya Ahad
Kingy
Rob Bayman
Chris Williams
Sue Paterson
Chris Fenlon
Rob Bayman
Dave Demott
and also the person who gave £5 who I will thank when I catch his name!
BLOG
My London-Paris 24 Charity Ride for Scope.
www.justgiving.com/Dan-Cannell
To date £1790 pledged after committing to raising £1200.
Currently received over £1400.
Charity Cycle Ride Summary from my Polar CS400 cycle computer
London-Paris(Eiffel Tower unfortunately not finish line)cycling time - 18hrs (inc rest stops so maybe 17hrs)distance cycled - 271.5miles
calories burned - 15000+
paracetamol/ibuprofen taken for pain in shoulder - 16
mechanicals - 1 (mudguard came loose after atrocious roads in England!)
punctures - 0!!!!!
avg cadence - 86 (England) ...77 (France)
max speed - 39mph (England) 72mph (France - got to be an error severely motoring tucked into drops and not pedalling on downhill bits but no way!!)!
avg heart rate - 170 (England 90miles) 137 (France 181.5miles)
This is everything I have so far - still need official time which I fear will be over 24hrs due to me getting lost in Paris on my own and the delirium I was apparently suffering from..
Journey to London - after 2hrs on M1covering 100miles and 3hrs on old kent road covering 10miles to the Clarendon Hotel in Blackheath I was frustrated and tired. Perfect for what was coming ahead tomorrow... check in/sign on/meal/bed was the order of the day. Not that I got much sleep as too nervous and anxious.
Start-line - was right outside the Clarendon Hotel. Met up with an old friend who lived local in preparation which was great as it helped settle my nerves with much needed laughter!
I've never done anything like this before so as this was new territory I just made sure I followed people and paced myself. I had a plan - pace myself to Dover as I can't catch an earlier ferry and then pick up the pace a little in France assuming I was ok as I wanted to get as close to Paris before I 'hit the wall' and my pace dropped off.
I had never done more than 70miles in a day before so I had no idea how my body would hold up with the injuries I have which are a big hindrance as after 60miles my shoulder is in bits!
Locally there is a hill climb course at Pollybotts hill which I've been up before. There was 3 hills on the way to Dover that I.M.O. felt steeper! Then there was another hill - the A20 I think it was. Will be forever etched into my memory - THAT was tough! Steeper and longer than Pollybotts for sure as it was a dual carriageway and I had to stop half way up. Then at 3/4. After cycling about 80miles I was physically done... completely drained! I was past the maximum I had done before and it had showed how hard the rest of it would be. The roads were terrible - SO bumpy and full of pot holes. Makes you wonder where money from tax for cars goes? So far - 0 punctures. I kept 2 spare innertubes on me at all times as I have been 10miles and had 2 punctures before now... Suffered one mechanical as a result of the roads - the mudguard had literally been shaken loose and I had to ride to the next rest stop with it rubbing on the tyre and acting as a brake!
Got to the penultimate UK stop - had bike fixed and had to seek help from the doctors. My shoulder was hurting so bad! Ended up having paracetamol and ibuprofen at every second stop from then on as it did enough to take the edge of it. It still hurt like hell but it did enough to keep me sociable!
Arrived at Dover inside 6hrs so a little early as the ferry was 20:15 and we had to be at the port for 19:15. Some much needed hot food was had though - any diet I had went out of the window and on energy stuff, out of respect for other riders, I limited myself to one gel pack and 1litre of it to allow for others as asked but it was a free-for-all for the rest!
Ferry journey went ok. I still didn't know anyone but I had been talking to a few riders so I felt more comfortable - you have to be bold and a little bit forceful to make yourself heard but they were all fantastic once I put myself out there.
France - lights were put on, arm warmers donned and cycling glasses changed to night time lenses. Off we went.... still trying to pace myself a little and I got talking to even more riders. We would encourage each other and you have no idea how much the camaraderie helped when you reached what you thought was your limits. I managed to tag onto a few riders going at a fast pace so I tagged on the back. I felt cheeky for doing it so I asked the woman out of the pair if they wanted me to lead for a bit so they could use less effort to keep pace. She said "no, he likes to lead - he's done the Race of America twice!". "oh ok...." and all the sympathy went away.... ha-ha. I still have no idea who they were. They turned off to stop so I carried on a slower pace but still reasonable.
Ended up talking to one guy on the night stage as well and it proved a tough stage as a lot of hills to climb and descend. I helped him a bit on the stage with advice and he offered encouragement too. We got passed by a French car driver - he could have gone by as we were riding as a pair talking and hadn't heard him but in England the car driver would have gone! Instead he put both left hand wheels onto the central reservation the height of a kerb, drove round us and as soon as I saw him I pulled in front to give him room. When he passed us he dropped the car off the kerbs and then waved his hand out as if to thank me for pulling in!!! My help between the two of us was mostly to get free speed - on downhill sections tuck into the drops, go as quick as you can and when you can't go any quicker put your head as close to the bike as possible, bend both legs on the bike to make yourself as aerodynamic as possible.... when you get to the next hill you will get half way up it before you have to think about pedalling! According to my cycle computer that was 72mph which has got to be impossible!! That is extremely scary as I'd have guessed on 50-55mph as my maximum as I am still peddling at 40mph! If true and I'd come off that would've been the same as jumping out of a car on the motorway in shorts! Luckily the roads were SO much smoother than in the UK - they were fantastic! So smooth! Even one French road that was full of roadwork's and rough surfaces was better than 90% of UK roads! Everyone commented on the quality of the roads compared to the UK!
The French attitude to cyclists is amazing too!!! We slowed for stop lights with the intention of stopping if they were on red - French cars going across the crossroads on green would see and stop to allow us to go through when it was on red!!! Most car drivers we saw beeped their horn, yelled something French and frantically waved at us! We felt like rock stars! Or maybe I was becoming delirious... It was still early hrs of the morning but the next stop was coming up soon and I had started to get a pace on so I was on my own as I felt I was getting behind a bit and if I stayed with the group they would not make it so I figured if I wanted half a chance I would have to do it on my own. This was a brave choice as I knew no French, didn't look at the map and had never ever done this sort of distance before (I was well over my maximum I'd ever done by now!). Pink arrows - they'd save me! They were what we had been following up to now!
It turns out this was kind of my downfall and saving grace - I saw a sign saying rest stop ahead after doing 45miles. Brilliant - quick refills and off I got again. I never saw the stop so I had the lights on my bike still, my elbow warmers on and it was approaching 30C rapidly if not already so to say I needed the drink was an understatement! I saw riders in front of me so I caught up with them to ask the pace rider in a pink bib where the stop was - "4 miles back." Crap.... so I explained what had happened and he gave me a flapjack bar. Do I go back or do I carry on to the next stop? I figured I'd stop with the group and use them to limit my efforts by drafting... stuck with them for 15miles at 25mph+ on the flat and told myself to slow down or you'll never make Paris! So I slowed to be joined by another rider and we both had to stop on a long hill. Then we were passed by the Race of America pair again so I said my goodbyes and I thought "these are quick, I'll stick with them." After a few miles I thought "Dan - stop this! Slow down....". So I slowed again. Made the last stop and explained what had happened - believe the word to describe me was 'you're a nut job'. The painkillers were still taking the edge off but I decided do dump all my extra kit and press on. I missed the group that was guaranteed to do it in 24hrs. Even more pressure on myself.... Off I went again with another group with the intention of just 'making the finish line'! That in itself would be an achievement after a few could never do the full distance due to having to miss sections. The Paris section was HUGE! Again the cars and their attitudes were fantastic! Arc De Triumph roundabout was something else on a bike! 16 lanes I think of traffic and when I got there the lanes were clear to allow traffic to come onto the roundabout via traffic lights I guess. I went 20mph+ across the roundabout and wasn't intentionally cutting lanes but I ended doing just that but again - the traffic observation by the drivers was superb! Each of the 16 lanes stopped as soon they saw me coming around the roundabout at speed to let me through safely!
Next stop was the champs elysees - the famous Tour De France finish on the infamous cobbles. After 260+ miles they were not welcome! Still they were better than some UK roads...
Then it happened - was tagged onto a couple of guys and we got a set of red lights - we slowed, ready to stop and i went towards the kerb because i had started to unclip early as i was now getting tired. once, twice, three times... nothing - then BANG and on my side on the pavement. Figured hitting the pavement is closer than hitting the road and less dangerous. I quickly picked myself up bleeding and cut with no intention of seeking medical help - I'll press on and sort it after.
I must've gone across Paris as close to 20mph average, eventually on my own as i felt they wouldn't make it, as I could because I was so single minded on getting to the Eiffel Tower in 24hrs. That turned out to be my downfall as I ignored every sign (there was green, red, blue, yellow arrows as well on lamp posts!), headed straight for the Tower by sight and got there inside the 24hr window. Because I was so single minded I hadn't read the map right and missed the finish point as it was on a road about 1/2 mile away. I was so delirious and severely dehydrated to the point of collapse I struggled to cycle to the finish line after I'd rung Action Challenge for the road name and directions. At that point nothing else mattered, cost, safety or even manners!
I DID IT! I finally got across the finish line! It turns out that as annoyed as I was at getting lost a few hadn't managed the full distance which made me very proud of what I'd just achieved! Given the abnormalities and unknowns I had to go through to get to the end that was down purely to my mental determination! The body was weak, but the mind was strong! Or they were right about me being a 'nut job'.
The furthest I'd ever ridden by 200 miles and the longest stint on a bike without stopping - 74/75 miles! Never been so chuffed as I am now about getting that medal. At the time I was so severely dehydrated and delirious the doctor wouldn't let me leave the medical tent until she was happy I'd recovered a bit. That meant the coach I was supposed to be on had my suitcase on and that had gone to my hotel already. that's another story of which I am apparently 'infamous'!
Because I wasn't there to get my suitcase at the hotel it went to a different hotel. So I had no clothes, no toothbrush and no phone charger hence no phone as it was flat now! Had a shower and stuck on my spare cycling kit which luckily was clean and then sat on bed. Had an hour before celebratory meal. I woke up 4hrs later missing the meal completely and everyone so I was forced to go for a steak downstairs at 9:30pm! 10am next morning I got my suitcase after telling the event organisers what had happened.
After that a few of us made our way to the Eurostar station with our tickets. We got there early so went for a bite to eat. The conversation turned to me and my injuries and when it came to paying for the meal I only had my debit card on me so I told everyone else to get mine taken off the bill and I'd pay it separately. They said not to worry about it as they'd all pay for me - because I shouldn't even be here!
When I got to pick my bike up in London after sharing a cab to pick cars up (and the guy told me don't worry about it when I was about £10 short on the taxi fare so I said I'd stop at a cash point and grab it for him), he had 'heard' about me on the train back with the other organisers - I was the 'guy who fell asleep in his kit and went to breakfast in it'. Wasn't quite the story but I was asked once why I was in kit at breakfast to which I replied "we're only half-way done - now to go home!".
3hrs later I was back home and went straight to my mums to boast!!
Last edited:
