DNF from me.
Despite the biblical showers and hail in places it had been going well. I’d had a couple of long diversions due to work on bridges damaged recently. But all part of what you may find on the ground.
I had headed east via Gt Dunmow, Lavenham to Thurston swing round Bury St Edmonds and off to Ely. The Chinese in Ely wasn’t yet open. Stopped in chip / kebab shop in Little Downham. After waiting 10 mins for the guy to even take my order I left. The guy was too busy taking phone orders and ignoring the only customer actually physically present. Waiting in the kebab shop has cooled me down, so I stopped and put a second merino base layer. I also added my PBP gilet as it had by now turned dark. My GPS complained of low battery. I had a Chinese in March which took 25 mins to be ready, but I wasn’t the only one they were apologising to. That was consumed in a bus shelter (giving some shelter from the rain), with my spork.
My first set of rechargeable AA popped up low battery again before GPS switched off. Popped in a second set and carried on. The second set died after an hour. Despite being freshly charged on Friday. So I put in some non rechargeable AA I bought recently. My last set of spares. No problem I would get four more AA at the garage in Whittlesey before the curfew kicked in.
There are a few level crossings on this stage. After my experience of 2018 of the off on the Prickwillow level crossing in the dark and wet. Opening a hole in the elbow that wouldn’t stop bleeding and ended my Easter arrow. I decided to walk any level crossings I came across. This was born out when I was walking across one and my front wheel dropped in a groove and turned 90 degrees.
All was on track to reach Whittlesey before the 10pm curfew. Then the first puncture occurred on one of those dark midnight black fen roads. Not a light to be seen. Under my head torch I tried to find the hole in the rain but no luck. So I fitted a spare tube and carried on. It had taken a while checking the tyre and making sure I didn’t lose anything in the dark.
The second puncture occurred maybe 30 mins from Whittlesey. The road had subsided and my bike just dropped down in a straight line with lots of metal scraping sounds, then came to a complete stop from around 24 km/h. Then I tumbled onto my right side a little bit puzzled as to what had just happened. Sure on a road bike I’d have been over the bars.
On checking the bike seemed ok, though the front wheel had taken a beating. It’s a 406 rim with 36 spokes so amazingly stayed true. It was the rim that’d been making the scraping noises. Plenty of scratches but no dents I could see. But the tyre was a flat as they come. Whilst standing in road gathering myself a car with two lads came along. They asked if I had puncture repair and then offered to shine their car lights whilst I sorted it. We moved down to a pull in they knew about, about 200m away. They’d seen my PBP gilet in their lights.
The spare inner tube had a largish hole but looked repairable. I patched one hole but it had a hole somewhere else and wasn’t inflating and buggered if I could find the other hole. So reluctantly I pulled out the original inner tube and looked for the hole. Fortunately, I found it and it was just a small hole . The patch solution wasn’t curing in the cold. It was thankfully between rain storms at this point. So I blew on the so,union and that was enough to get it to cure. Patch on, quick test to see it inflate, then on wheel, tyre on, and inflate , wheel back on. Then noticed the handlebars were not straight with the front wheel. Yep that was some impact. Luckily just stem had twisted. So sorted that out and off we went. The lads lived just 1/2 mile further on at a farm and followed me to make sure all was good. I thanked them several times for shining their car lights. The tyre had a bit of loose rubber on the side wall where the full stop moment had sliced it. I darent pull it off in case it opened up a hole in the tyre. So I rode along with the flap making a thacking noise on the mudguard. But other than that bike was running fine with no other noises and no shifting issues. Having gone down on right side.
Unfortunately these delays meant I didn’t roll into Whittlesey till 10:45pm. It was dead as a dodo , no garage open, nor anything else. All shut up. So I carried on with no more spare GPS batteries and hoping for no more punctures.
Then the supposedly new AA threw up low battery on the GPS. WTF? Anyway I carried on down through Pondersbridge and right through Holme. Across the A1 and towards Northamptonshire. The new AA lasted about another hour and then the GPS turned off. I was purposefully following new roads on this leg and wasn’t that familiar with all the places I needed to pass through. I saw a sign to 24 hr services but after diverting, the lights were on, but no one home. With little prospect of finding an open services before I hit the M1 I had choices to make. I decided I didn’t know this leg well enough from my planning to do it from the sign posts. It wasn’t the weather or time to get lost. So reluctantly decided my attempt was over.
I retraced back to the A1 where I’d seen signs for Huntingdon. This led me to the Alconburys then on to Huntingdon. I gazed upon darkened forecourts as I passed through on the ring road. Following the signs I found the A1198 south to Royston and jumped on it. I wouldn’t touch it in daylight but after midnight, single cars and trucks were only about every 20 mins (and mostly going the other way).
Down the A1198 , even the garage at Caxton was closed. McDs had the lights on but no they wouldn’t serve me on my strange contraption. Yes I might be the only one there but health and safety. Argh.
Back on the A1198 and onwards to Bassingbourne where I turned right. I’d had the dozies most of the way down A1198 but didn’t want to stop on it. On reaching Litlington I saw the church and went to investigate. It was raining again which it had been doing on and off to various degrees since Dunmow. There was a deep substantial porch. So I got myself and bike in there. Got my emergency silver bag out, together with an inflatable mat. Got my head down and was soon asleep. I didn’t set an alarm, no longer bound by time limits. I awoke after 1.5 hours now cold. Time to get moving again.
Onwards to Steeple Morden, then Ashwell reentering Hertfordshire. From here on to Bygrave the Baldock, Weston, and home as the clouds cleared a little and the glow of pre sunrise then a bit of low sun. Lovely light.
I’ve enjoyed my ride and even retracing then heading to Huntingdon I suspect I’m not too far short of 400km. But stuff happens so no audax 400. I’ve got a light graze about 4 inches long on my right thigh , but no pain, and got away lightly.
This ends my late season 2020 SR attempt as I don’t have enough weekends to fit another 400 attempt then 600. Just some 100s or 200s over the winter now.