Having got home from picking son up from work in Ambleside just before midnight, it was back in the car and down to Pendleton for a few hours kip in the car park before the event kicked off at six. Not ideal preparation, but at least I had not been working myself. Also, it was not raining on us, unlike the crowds gathering in London for the Thames Pageant.
The route has a relatively quick start to the East coast, barring the grind up Greenhow Hill, the sharp pull up Sutton Bank and a series of steep climbs around the Yorks Moors - I've never seen so many 1:3 and 1:4 signs in one day! Don't do this ride with less than perfectly adjusted brakes. It's a bit of an O level Geography project as you cross the Wharfe, Nidd, Ure and Swale and despite the busy sections of main road you pass through a lot of very scenic Yorkshire.
A big carbo load at the cafe on the coast sets you up for another fairly quick section to Barnard Castle, although on this inaugural run, the weather was not really June-like, a sharp Easterly wind, rather cold and with drizzle setting in as dusk arrived. Heading North across the dark and lonely section to Hexham was not much fun for me, as I got lost and had to put a lot of extra miles in, but Hexham has the promise of very late takeaways open to feed the hungry cyclist.
Lovers of the wild Pennine hills will enjoy the next section to Alston and then over the 1800' pass to Penrith as the light returns, followed by an early morning spin on the A66 to Keswick - usually horrendous, but OK in the early morning. Out of Keswick it's into grimpeur mode to tackle the Whinlatter - not a big player by Lakeland standards, but still testing after 24hrs+ in the saddle. Dropping into Lorton the 2012 route avoids the hills out of Loweswater, favouring a quicker bash to the main coast road instead, some nasty traffic, but not too hilly except the (mercifully resurfaced) pull out of Ennerdale Bridge.
Down the coast at Seascale, faster riders can get a morning/lunch snooze and then it is over Irton Pike (hard with that much in the legs) and into Eskdale for the Hardknott/Wrynose which were particularly unforgiving in the strengthening Easterly. I walked the steeper sections despite having ridden them several times before even in Winter.
Fairly easy riding to Lancaster is a welcome relief, especially the scenery of the Lyth Valley, and a chance to catch up some time, then a fuel stop at Truckhaven. If your legs are 'shot' here is where the trouble starts, the climb at Quernmore is pretty cruel and then there is the Trough of Bowland to come. Everyone knows the Trough and it's the last big name on the route, but watch out - there's more to come! Dropping into Dunsop Bridge, the legs relax, or in my case seize and then you hit the climb at The Inn at Whitewell. This is a serious pull and you have to dig deep to keep pedalling. Again, a long descent lets the legs relax/seize as you think it's all over. In reality there a quite a few k to go to get around Clitheroe before welcome relief at the Arrive.
Almost all finished but don't expect much sleep - I had none, although that was partly due to losing over an hour due to bad navigation.
