Thank you everyone for your messages of support, really helps.
I made it to the finish in 199 hours 49 minutes. I realised at about 12km to go that if I really gave it some, I could just make it in under the 200 hour mark. I emptied the tank in the last 8km (got slowed down by the worlds slowest traffic light), made it to the finish, and all the finish photos are of me laying on the floor in agony. My left achilles exploded in pain about 60km from the end, I found a position for that leg in the last 30km where it balanced the knee and achilles pain, then just didn't remove that foot from the pedal till I got to the finish.
Amazingly, no saddle sores, but I've got a number of areas else where from chaffing, I've had to put nappy rash cream the front of my thigh (rubbing from silicon strip of leg warmers), arm pit (rubbing of wet bra after getting caught in a monsoon), ears (rubbing of head phones).
I discovered my sleeping quilt is nowhere near warm enough for sub 5°C bivving, after waking with hypothermia, I had to adapt my plan, and use hotels through out, which cost me about €500 more than I had hoped for the race.
My wahoo died in Limburg too (tho it seems to have come back to life once the battery discharged fully), I had to visit 3 bike shops to get a spare.
I'll write a proper report when I can type properly (I hands are still fixed in a claw config from gear shifting...), but in the mean time:
Two riders behind QG are having a mad dash to try to be on time before the cut off. QG should make it comfortably, barring accidents or mechanicals. 2 other ones have no chance at all. One seams to have disappeared
Ivo, you utter utter bastard, about 10 minutes after the time stamp of this post, I went past some road works, they were dressing the top surface with a sort of fine gravel. I got a flint shard through my rear from this. Kindly not to be cursing me like that :p
Used my last tube, my pump failed, wouldn't inflate in Presta mode, fortunately I have shraeder adapters for my valves so I can inflate in gas stations, flip the pump valve to schrader, and bingo, we have inflation. It was almost a show stopper there.
I did most of the last 200km with a dry chain, and most of the 100 before that with a chain lubed with water. The monsoon in Limburg washed all the lube out the chain, with so little distance to the finish, I just rode as was, perhaps not ideal, but the chain isn't at 095% after this, (hippy's 11 speed lasted the race, but is worn to beyond 0.75).
Can we all have a Go QG Go chant or something?
Bit of a following on Twitter, but I really think she should stay off it for a while and concentrate on getting over the line.
It's a fine balance. I hit some real emotional lows, but turning data on on my phone and getting a number of messages of support really helped drag me back out. Getting a message from Emily Chappell with just over 30km to go was a massive boost. I may have got in an hour earlier had I not tweeted as much over the whole race, but I may not have made it at all as I didn't get the cheer squad effect from checking it.
I've a physio appointment booked for this afternoon, "may I ask what the injury is?" "everything", I'm not looking forward to the 2 flights of stairs to get there. Will allow an extra half hour...
Will give more info later, for now: thank you everyone for your kind messages, it really means a lot.
J