We interviewed Mr Larrington at Brest in 2007, when he seemed perfectly sensible. I was retreiving a loaned camera from Julian at the end, when she and Charlotte were preparing to rescue the now 'Mayor of Mortagne au Perche' from hospital, where he was attached to 'a machine that goes beep'.
References to the 'Mayor of Mortagne au Perche' are about the sort of pschycotic breakdown that can occur on PBP, as Mr Larrington entered a delusional episode around 1,000km on PBP 2007. He's a noted figure in recumbent circles.
Dave wasn't too bad when I caught up with him on the approach to Mortagne. Despite reporting three episodes of falling off his SpeedMachine during the previous few hundred km, he was riding, what looked to me, to be just fine. Memory is a bit patchy myself, but apart from being thoroughly exhausted [not unusual at that point in the ride] there wasn't anything obviously suspect about his state of mind. After leaving Mortagne together, he stopped and decided to go back to the control as bike handling was now becoming very difficult and feared he may have to pack, but again still coherent, but obviously physically completely wasted.
It was a real surprise to me when I finished the ride that I discovered he'd ended up in hospital! What? I would never have guessed things would have got so bad for Dave after I rode away from him just outside Mortagne. In fact I don't think I even found out until I got back to the UK of what had happened. And a certain amount of guilt* ensued too that I hadn't spotted how bad he was [not that I would have been of much help]. There had obviously been some kind of accumulation of mental stress [or whatever you want to call it] when he got back to the control and everything just kind of deteriorated big time for him after that.
He assumed legend status [he already had a bit of that anyway] but it was a great shame to see that happen.
* guilt from raiding his wallet of 50 euros when the poor bloke was suffering more than I realized! Thanks anyway Dave
