That was fun ... actually, that was a bit painful — lack of riding over winter meant I might've overestimated my ability and I was suffering for most of the way around. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it though!
I left home just after 5am for the ECE to Great Dunmow. It was "warm" at 8°C, but raining, so I was boil-in-a-bag. I was riding into the breeze and that was enough to tell me I am well down on power at the moment, probably through lack of miles. Two Cambridge riders caught and passed me on the 50km run down — both waaaay stronger than me, so no surprise.
I left slightly after the main group, intent on bagging some opportunistic
Explorer Squares, so being near the back would mean I could divert with few shouts of "wrong way!". I dropped off the group in Great Bardfield and took a more cross-country route to Castle Hedingham, bagging a few squares.
It was at this point that I discovered my Garmin had chewed up my carefully-crafted, square-bagging GPX and was just showing where I'd indicated each "bag" should occur but no route between — aaargh! I had a printed map, too, so I had to navigate off-piste using the on-screen and paper maps and guessing as to which lane was the correct one. In the end I missed two squares — one I should've gone 100m further into the square, and the other VeloViewer's "simplification" routine straight-lined and missed the corner of the square, as it has done several times in the past (time to start gaming that particular algorithm ... next year, p'raps).
Rode briefly with Sue, who was struggling, and HK and LittleWheelsAndBig before diverting left for one square before Sudbury — and passed The Straggler heading in the opposite direction, although not himself on The Horsepower. A nice quick run into Lavenham with the tailwind and caught up with the aforementioned and others for a swift buttie.
After Lavenham, I again took to some alternative lanes, bagging a long series of squares on a laney route parallel the official one, to Stanton where I once again bumped into Sue's group. The tailwind made this leg a bit easier and I dropped that group and headed off on my own once more for a final few before lunch at Snetterton. A jacket spud with curry was nicely warming while I chatted with Tomsk's lads manning the control, just as it started to rain again. At this point I reckoned there were just four riders behind me.
It was surprising just how flooded the roads and lanes were — large puddles, many large enough to be classed as floods, along the entire route. I had to unclip and glide through a number of full-road submersions, which is always fun trying to clip back in afterwards, as I was riding fixed-gear. So much for my new chain, which is now oil-free and rusting quietly out the back ...
After the turn it was back into the wind and by now, over 150km in, I was feeling spent, so I paused the square-bagging and took to the proper route. Although I could occasionally see riders ahead, there was no way I could catch them without blowing up, so I settled in for a solo ride into the wind along some quite exposed sections. I didn't pass anyone, and I wasn't passed. Some of the climbs — and these are barely humps anywhere but Suffolk! — were taken at less than 15kph, I am
that unfit at the moment.
Some really appalling driving and lots of close passes on the B-road into Newmarket, which I always think is a shame — you'd've thought horsey types would have sympathy for us two-wheeled, self-powered brigade and leave lots of room, but seemingly there are many who don't.
I bounced Newmarket control — I first had to try a number of ATMs, but none of the receipts indicated "Newmarket", as per Tomsk's instructions, so a stick of chewing gum from the Shell garage was necessary. At Newmarket the sun finally made a full-on appearance and the temperature soared to a balmy 14°C, although it didn't last long enough to remove any layers and in fact when the sun went back in, another layer went on, brrr.
The final pull over the hill to Great Dunmow is a classic Tomsk sting-in-the-tail. The climb up to West Wratting seems to go on forever, and in my fatigued state felt like hard work, but as with all these things, you keep chipping away and get there eventually. I had a number of cheeky off-route excursions planned between Ashdon and Thaxted to bag squares, but I couldn't face them, so I plodded on. After Thaxted, at the Big Flood on the B184, I turned left into a never-ridden hinterland of baggable squares, bagging six in as many kilometres, right around the corner from arrivée. And then the final run to the finish, just me on my own.
As ever, the Great Dunmow arrivée was thrumming with chat and banter with plenty of delicious soup and cake, and lots of smiley faces that made it all seem worthwhile. I discovered that I was late-mid-pack and that I had passed quite a number of riders on the road — ah, the ACME group had paused in the Wetherspoon's in Newmarket where I bounced the control.
Before long, though, I had to think about the 50-odd kilometre ride back home.
Outside temperature had dropped rapidly to barely 5°C, but it didn't feel quite cold enough for full-colds, so I rode as briskly as I dared to keep warm. Several riders passed me in the opposite direction, racing to get to arrivée before it closed.
Just at the Big Flood near Thaxted, I suffered a pop-ffsst-ffsst-ffsst-ffsst-ffsst-ffsst-ffsst under braking — noooo! Cold and with everything covered in sand and gravel, I had to change the front tube. A car stopped — actually passed me and reversed back — offering assistance. I think it was riders from the event, but I couldn't quite make out who in the gloom — I thank you for your offer, I did manage to get going again shortly after. An odd one — it definitely looked like the tube had failed rather than anything pointy interfering with it. In fact, I wonder whether the pressure hadn't been a good deal higher than I usually run, and whether the gauge on my track pump has lost any reliability, because when I inflated the new tube with my hand pump, all the buzziness and bouncing from the front wheel during the day disappeared and it was lovely to ride, while still being hard enough to not bottom out on bumps and holes. You live and learn.
By the end I was out for 18h15m and stopped for three of those — nothing amazing and a couple of hours down on where I was pre-LEL last year. Sore in places I don't want to be sore (possibly due to over-inflated tyres). As I'm planning on riding TINAT 400A and ACME Grand this year, I clearly have a bit of work to do.
My thanks to Tomsk for putting on the event, and to all his helpers, especially Junior Tippers, who is fast becoming a fixture
ps. 27 cheeky Explorer Squares bagged, but no change to my max-square at this time, which is still just 10x10. At some point I'm going to have to gain access to a corner of Lakenheath — do they do open days?
