Well LEL2017 didn't go so good for me with a DNF northbound at Pocklington but thanks to all the volunteers who I met on my short trip.
Saturday at registration may have been portents of things to come as I got soaked on the ride in to Loughton and drenched on the ride out to my overnight stay at South Mimms. Mind you the staff at the Premier Inn didn't even blink when a drowned rat of a cyclist pitched up and pushed his bike into reception. Heated towel rail and hair dryer came to very good use drying kit out, maybe I should put that little bit of info on TripAdvisor
First bike issue arose on the Sat, when my seatpost decided to drop and in trying assure a fully tightened bolt I stripped the damn thing
Rode back in on a sunny Sunday morning to watch a few groups set off before my later departure (3:30pm) on a lowered saddle and tried to get the mobile mechanic to loosen the bolt off as I had a spare but no joy. As the saddle was 'just' a few cms lower I thought, what the heck press on ( a decision I think I regret a little now!)
A brisk tailwind and good weather saw to a swift lead out from London and I ended up in a group of 5 ticking along nicely, though we did see a downed rider at the roadside but our calls of assistance were declined. (I hope they were okay, looked like they had fallen off after a descent!)
A stop to put on my raincoat saw me and the heavy shower split the group so I rolled into St. Ives as a solo. After some pasta, soup and bread, fitting my lights for the first night it was off into the lowering light for Spalding.
Unfortunately the food at Spalding wasn't the best with undercooked rice and a curry which had nothing in it except sauce! I should've opted for the baked potato but there didn't appear to be anything to add to it either, no beans, tuna or cheese etc. So purchased a coke and choccie bar and off into the night to Louth but only after fixing my light bracket which had been shaken off my handlebar, doh.
Arrived at Louth via that nasty little kicker of a climb a few miles out, at 3AM to find loads of bikes still there which got me wondering as I believed I would still be at the back of the field ! But after talking with a few VC167 riders in the very crowded dining hall it seems that a lot of the earlier starters had chosen to get some sleep in Louth. Which may also explain why there was no food
I managed to get the last pain au chocolate and a yoghurt. Decided to take a little rest here as the nether regions that were in contact with the saddle, in places that they don't normally due to it's different position, were a bit tender. So as dawn came up I launched off into the Wolds and their lovely roller coaster hills which I never seem to make all the way to the top off despite some ridiculous descending
The Humber Bridge was a cycling tourist trap and many riders were taking the obligatory 'selfie' in the lovely sunshine but I pressed on, now feeling the lack of energy in the legs and occasionally hearing a rubbing noise as my Carradice saddle bag contacted the rear tyre as the seatpost had dropped a little more. Heading towards the next control at Pocklington it became obvious that the tenderness wasn't going away and I was having to get out of the seat and reposition every 3-5mins but the promise of some good Yorkshire grub get me pushing on.
Cheery smiles from the volunteers saw me into the control just after 9am, so it was obvious to me that I was slowing down and I filled a plate with rice, stew and chips, which looked and smelt fantastic to this weary rider. But joy was not to be in the eating, as my tastebuds had decided to go on strike and everything felt like cardboard even though I knew it was delicious. Also I wasn't able to eat more than a small spoonful without gagging and that took over 10 minutes.
So now I was in a quandary, the bike was playing up and I wasn't able to replenish my energy stocks (even my emergency Jelly Babies hadn't helped, in fact they had given me cramps
)
So with a heavy heart I made, for once in my life, a rational decision to DNF and went back to the control table and let them know. Immediately I felt a pang of regret but then thought about the hills to come and not having the energy and the saddle which increasingly felt that it was made from razor blades. So decision made, stop before I fully hate riding my bike
I looked at the train service back south and after balking at the extortionate fares for late booking made one for the next morning and then went back and offered my services to the volunteers. I did a little bit of cleaning but most of the riders were past Pocklington now so not much to do.
Met an aussie (Mark from Melbourne if I remember his name correctly) who had fallen off his bike after being dazzled by an oncoming car and hit his knee which meant he had DNF'd as well. Later on Monday night 3 French riders came in from DNF-ing in Thirsk (1 of whom had very bad back issues) and there was also a Romanian rider on a MTB who could hardly walk, so I felt a little fraudulent about my stopping but....we all looked a sorry bunch when on Tuesday morning the 4th southbound rider came through, looking fresh as a daisy though he said otherwise!
Tuesday morning saw myself and Mark cycled into York where he had to pay for a later train as the website wouldn't accept his overseas card details which meant he paid nearly 3 times as much for the same journey, not a happy camper.
So I spent Tuesday traveling home to Somerset instead of my plan of setting out from Barnard Castle to Edinburgh and back to Innerleithen and probably looked a sad sight on the trains I took.
So a bike that plagued me with small issues that led to bigger ones with my butt and a lack of energy intake saw me unable to go on but thinking today about my preparation I'll add the lack of big miles to this sorry tale of woe.
But despite not completing I must end with a huge thanks to the LEL organising team and of course all the great volunteers, especially those at Pocklington and of course all the other controls I didn't get to visit.
To all the riders still out there battling south into the wind and rain, keep going and keep enjoying it
