Having read the epic tales in this thread, I now feel less guilty about my arrival at the RHP 40 minutes after the cut-off time for the 7.00 am starters.
I could see very little in the rain and darkness for the first 45 minutes, I got completely soaked and cold and when I went off route after 30 km for 10 km or so, I was ready to abandon and go home.
Morale at an all-time low, I retraced to the junction where I had gone wrong.
A wodge of 8.00 am starters nipped by and like a fool I got back on the bike and headed after them.
Why sit in the warm and dry when you can spend all day on a bike getting cold and wet?
At the first control I had a chat with Cycling Daddy (I think) and on the way to the Warwick services Saracen Sean remarked that I seemed to leaning ever so slightly to port.
Apart from being unable to distinguish port from starboard, I was puzzled by this comment then realised that he was right.
The cleat on my right shoe has become worn recently and although I am still clipped in, the shoe slips along the pedal so my foot is at a slight angle and I am wasting some of my feeble power output in tipping myself to the right.
Arriving at the services at Warwick I did the same as I did last year (when I finished with only 7 minutes to spare) and raced past the entrance to the services by bowling round the left hand bend and climbing all the way to the main road up that nice series of slopes before realising my mistake and coming back again........
I saw Saracen Sean again at Chipping Norton, he recommended the carrot cake, which was excellent.
I also failed to be of any use to Bikeabilityman there, it was not helpful to tell him that I used to cart a spare tyre around but stopped about five years ago.
The final leg took me much longer than I had expected, lack of fitness, the very thick fog, ancient lights and a slow speed fall on Edge Hill (I should have walked it like I did last year) all contributed to the late arrival, I left the control at 5.30 pm so really should have done better but at least I will remember this ride when many others have faded in the memory.
Thanks to Mark for organising so well, despite being seriously under the weather himself, congratulations to all who managed to get round, next up is Sam Weller's trip to Wochma.
I will have new cycling shoes by then!