The Cambridge Express team was successful in its endeavour — a team of three Arrow-rookies, Alex B and Pichy from around these parts, and Nigel, and a first-time captain (me). Two on fixed, two on Trik Domaines I think.
A loop around Cambridge for a Full English at Red Lodge Café, and then a proper sit-down lunch at The Tally Ho in Barkway, bang on the LEL route. The only niggly bit was that insufferable westerly to get between the two.
We then followed the LEL route in general to Louth, implementing a few shortcuts once the sun went down and the roads emptied. The wind remained annoying cross/cross-tail, but we did get a decent amount of sunshine in the afternoon. The team kept a good pace, at times on the exposed sections riding echelon to play to everyone's strengths.
A proper break for tea and cake at Bridge Café in St Ives.
We bumped into Kingston Wheelers before Spalding, standing around berating a puncturee on his repair technique, in the accepted manner — we stopped to assist in the banter for a few minutes
The rain started shortly after. Spalding the 'Spoons was rammed, so we popped along the street to the Tulip Garden for a sit-down Indian, which was very nice. A couple of teams passed us while we were there, I'm pretty sure I saw a not-so-laidback LaidBackRich go by?
Kirton (nr Boston) always seems to figure on a ride through Spalding, but a quick receipt and we headed onto the direct route to Horncastle — long, straight droves, with traffic lights visible straight ahead for bloody miles!
We climbed the main road over the Lincolnshire Wolds to Louth, since we were approaching midnight, and bumped into the Lincoln team resting up in the services — they'd had to loop a long way around in the Fens to build up miles — the thought of all those flat-flat-flat miles just to get some distance away is still giving me nightmares!
The longest run to Beverley, we skirted the Wolds on the main road, which was all-but deserted. Obligatory bridge photos. Bumped into Swaffham? or Sudbury? team on the way into Bev.
The team started to flag a lot at this point and I had to bring out the tough-love stick and chivvy everyone along — combination of fatigue and sleepiness, which I know only too well (last year I was asleep in the 22nd-hour stop). No more stops to York, now, since all the time we'd made up on the road had been spent in the longer-than-expected stops — not even a few minutes for coffee, since once down then I could see at least one of our team not getting up again!
The climb out of Bev really revealed the fatigue in the legs. Market Weighton (22nd-hour control) came bang on time leaving just 31km to the Postern Gate and 2.5 hours to ride it. We got to the pub at 7am sharp (in 1.5 hours, although it felt like 3.5 hours) and were the first team to arrive, exactly on schedule (as much by luck as by judgement), with an hour in hand for mechanicals.
And then it was great to see the place fill up — the Postern Gate is huge compared to the Punchbowl, and the terrace, which we used for bike-parking, is capacious, with no danger of blocking fire exits — that's the reason we're not welcome at the Punchbowl. The Postern staff were on it and everyone seemed to get served in good time, the only complaint being they don't serve alcohol before 9
Piles of bodies everywhere, teams looking more shocked than elated, haggard and dour. But soon enough the conversations were rolling. The Thursday Essex teams popped down from their overnight hideaways looking far too chipper
Chatted with teams from ACH, Bristol, Kingston, Ipswich, Essex, and probably others, and bumped into lots of friends and met a few new faces. Teams sprinted in as if on a mission — looked to be borderline in-time, but that could just have been the thousand-yard stare at the sight of a 'Spoons breakfast menu
Well done to my team members — Alex B, Pichy and Nigel — well done guys, good team work out there, respect!
There were ups and downs and I think we all learned a lot about where our fitness is at the moment, and all four of us will be using that in our respective build-ups for LEL.
Edit: 412km ridden.
