I was meant to be riding the LEL today!! but I had a bad reaction to the heat and sun half way round a 400k perm just three weeks ago, while unknowingly having a virus, this put me in hospital with stroke like symptoms for 6 days, various scans, and so many blood tests that they put a permanent stent like thing in my arm, and they told me it was more than likely a bad virus that affected my nervous system. Any how they advised me not to do the ride.
SO I thought! If I can't ride, I’ll help out.
I contacted Mel who put me in contact with Phil Dyson who is running the Eskdalemuir control, and it was all set up to travel up there on Sunday ready for Monday. I was even going to take a few bags up for Hummers and the Postie, I was going to take a good camera, a camp bed and I was going to make a bloody good time out of it, I was so looking forward to it.
So I wake up Sunday morning with the horrible and to familiar (will be my 5th or 6th) pain of a bloody kidney stone in my right side. So my first reaction was how the hell I get their bags up to the control. There was nothing for it but to take a shit load of pain killers and try and catch Hummers and the Postie at the train station, so the wife and I made a mad but futile dash to the wrong station. By which time the pain killers had kicked in and the pain had subsided!! So I made the decision to take a chance and drive to Lea Valley and try and catch the guys there. I left messages for Hummers, he rang back to hear the good news. I made it to Lea Valley and we got the bags sorted. I then made the decision to press on as the pain was still manageable. I got as far as Newport pagnall services where the pain kicked in again; I took another load of pain killers and made the right but very disappointing decision to return home.
And here I’m sat just waiting for the pain killers to subside, to see if I can ride the pain out or go down to A&E.
I have never felt so deflated and pissed off as I do right now, I suppose it was never meant to be.
Good luck to you all.
That was my first, but not my last LEL
Phill
