Yep I'm out, but it wasn't connected with all the hills nor indeed fitness related....
None of the hills troubled me, and my planning had got my weight to my ideal 60.8 kgs (ish) compared to 63/64 kgs on flatter events earlier in the season, and the weight gradually reduced month by month... I experimented taking bendy slip on walking shoes and walking all of hardknott, and although it wasn't that much slower, and I saved lots of energy, my judgement was that riding would have been better overall, because it took ages getting the s-works shoes off and then on again, so I changed back from then on...
Struggled down some of the steep bits, which were nearly all wet, cos of being so light maybe... Kept speed really slow to avoid getting too near to front wheel lock up... Had to walk down a few... I guess I've lost confidence downhill...
I haven't really mentioned the deluges, but I had my excellent completely waterproof, hooded and drip tailed jacket, but whilst it kept me bone dry, I still had to stop to delayer and relayer, due to getting too hot,, losing a few minutes every time.
Got to Askrigg around 1:30 am first time, I think, but there had been some problem with the sleep arrangements and many of the inflatables were punctured, and there was nothing left at all... I tried to sleep on a bit of carpeted floor in the drop bag room, but it was 'industrial' carpet, and within minutes it just hurt my hip... I can only sleep on my left side, due to the injuries sustained in 'THE ACCIDENT'... Of course having very low body fat didn't help in this regard.... I've ridden many 600s without sleep, but a hilly sleepless 1,000 would have been too dangerous... I kept still and eyes closed and dropped off now and then, but was not feeling rested when I rode off at 05:30... Not what it said on the tin, but not Andy's fault....
First thing you get leaving Askrigg is a very long beautiful climb, which brought a smile to my face, and it actually was sunny and fairly dry.. Caught up a few riders who were afoot, but loved it.... Ride all the way to the top on the saddle apart from a few standing sessions to give my bum a breather...
Soon though I'm into the windier bits, and I was very prone to side wind, indeed on many of the descents at full speed down, augmented by rear/side wind, it was just unsafe (at my weight), since a two foot change of course would have put me off road, and many times that would have meant plain flying, so I had to brake to keep the speed down... However I found that side winds plus heavy braking, even with hydraulic discs, lead to much stiffer arms and that lead to high speed shimmying, which was nearly as dangerous, so I elected to let go of brakes, steady bike, and before shimmy got too bad, begin hard braking again.... I tried going down on the drops, but that put weight too far forward, and the shimmy was still evil...
Just before arriving at Barnard's Castle, I had my first 'danger yawn', the sort that lasts ages and is a sign of impending loss of concentration, balance and eventually loss of consciousness, so as I had a few hours in hand I stopped at Costas and recaffeined.... Of course I lost half an hour, and that was a direct effect of the messed up sleep arrangements.....
Got nicely to Stanhope (pronounced 'Stan-up') and went to the cafe, but somehow they didn't know we were coming, and hadn't enough staff, and after a long wait in queue ordered beans on toast with scrambled eggs, and more coffee.... took ages to come and I lost another hour...
There's a lovely yet again never ending climb out of Stan-up too, which I went up barely puffing, and at the top it was an amazing sight - sunshine, wondrous scenery, but what you couldn't see were the variable direction, invisible gale force gusts, that were stopping me almost dead, or knocking me up to six feet sideways, meaning that I either kept bars straight and was going to be blown flat sideways off the bike, or my front wheel had to turn away from it, meaning I went to my right.... Although there were few cars, and the drivers were pretty considerate, this gale gust condition resulted in several very near misses, where the drivers had gone completely to the right before overtaking, and I had basically been blown across their path... Scary wasn't the word, and I couldn't even take a hand off the bars to check the garmin without losing control... I kept having to accelerate back up to speed, and it was extremely hard work..
At this point I analysed my situation...
Physically I'm extremely strong and my legs have oodles of power and stamina...
I'm about two hours in hand....
I'm on the verge of sleep deprivation, and there's no guarantee that the cause will be rectified by the time I get back to Askrigg, nor indeed for the time after that another day after that I get to Askrigg for the third sleep....
I'm unlikely to gain time before Kielder, and then I would be turning directly into that gale for a very long stage, to Lockerbie, so unlkely to gain time, and more likely to lose some more, and as the wind is South West, I then would turn south, still into headwind, for another 143 km south to Askrigg....
Decision time !! Route sheet says in Hexham to take an exit off a roundabout opposite a train station
You know what? I've never voluntarily packed before, but my odds of finishing in time, or staying awake, or even avoiding being blown off the bike or under a car, are just too poor, and I packed....
I was buying my ticket when Jamie (Vorsprung) arrived, and as I got off the second train at Blackburn, a rider waiting to get on looked at me and said "So you packed too?" We were all obviously scattered over the rail network. I then got a third train to Blackpool, drove to Askrigg, got mine n Jamie's drop bags, and had lots of food, and three hours sleep in one of the (now empty) beds...
My commiserations to all who didn't / won't finish, but remember it was still a very good ride.
My thanks to Andy and the team, who did their very best in difficult circumstances, and could not have foreseen the bust air beds, and who obviously can't control the weather....
