First of all: many thanks to Tomsk and all the familiar faces of the help out army!
Control 1: Red Lodge
After a tea and some snacks I left Dunmow at 06:00hrs and made my way to Red Lodge some 61km away. There was some light drizzle when I left so I put my water proofs on but it soon stopped, so I had to stop and take them off again.
Nick kindly stamped my card at the cafe and I went inside and had some beans on toast.
Control 2: Whittlesey
The rolling hills of Essex would soon be a memory as I headed for Whittlesey and into the flat fens of Cambridgeshire. The wind was still behaving quite nicely and whenever I looked at my speedo it showed I was travelling at 15mph, a rare occurrence for me. Normally I also show the miles travelled but I find that I am always counting down how much further it is until the next control / finish, so this time I had just displayed the time and current speed. That way I could roughly work out how much time I had before the control closed and then how long I could stop for when I got there. This seemed to be a much better approach and kept the mind focused in the present.
Approaching the Wetherspoons in Whittlesey the rain started to pour. I wasn't sure if it was strong enough to put the water proofs back on yet and as I was nearly at the control I left them off and got a bit damp!
Control 4: Boston
After my vegetable wrap it was still raining, so the waterproofs came back on. It was raining on and off on the next stage and by the time I got to Boston it was mostly on! I think the wind had also joined in to create some real misery.
I had a real bad patch on this stage. I think it was just the weather which had turned and made a bit of tiredness but it made me question why I was doing these long distance bike rides? What is the actual point? Do I really want to do double this distance in France in a couple of months?
After fighting through the rain and traffic into Boston I controlled at the McDonalds. The strawberry milkshake normally lifts my mood but on this case it didn't. I think deep down though, I knew this was just a bad patch and I just had to push through it.
Control 5: Kirton in Lindsey
It wasn't until I was some way into the next stage to Kirton in Lindsey that I got over it and my mood improved. Probably because it had stopped raining? It also turning it out to be a nice evening and I started to enjoy it.
My speed was still up and my legs weren't complaining yet. Using the timer on my speedo also helped avoiding the dreaded energy lose that I have been experiencing lately between each food / cafe stop. Once every hour I would eat one of my cereal bars and then on every half hour I would eat a pear drop. This also gave me something to look forward too.
I controlled in Kirton at the CO-OP and explained what I as doing to the lady at the till. Not sure if she was impressed or thought I was mad or a bit of both? Either way though she wished me luck in finding a dry bit of field to sleep in later than night!
Control 6: Goole
The next stage to Goole wasn't very long! I managed to find one of my 'short cuts' which usually invovle some comedy off road and lifting of the bike over small gates and things. This time was no exception as I went down a path into a wind farm. I should have taken some more pictures as the wind mill - power generators were quite impressive up close, not to mention huge. Anyway, to get out I had to lift the bike over a small locked gate and then rejoin the road.
On the arrow earlier this year I really struggled to climb up the bridge which leads to the roundabout to the McDonalds, I had no trouble this time. So I was quite pleased about that.
Control 7: Gainsborough
Another short stage to Gainsborough next into the night and more than half way through, which is always an encouraging thought. Retracing the route out of Goole I saw some other riders still on their in, which is another a mental boost - even though it’s not a race of course.
After the sun went down it started to get cold. I had already put on my night kit (mainly my water proofs and an extra jumper) but it wasn't quite cold enough for the jumper so I had to take that off after 15 minutes or so.
I got to the petrol station and bought a hot chocolate and then moved on to the next control to Sleaford. Just as I was leaving a drunk local appeared and was arguing with himself on his way into the station. It wouldn’t be an audax without at least one intoxicated person in the middle of the night. I got out of there as quickly as I could on my way to Seaford.
Control 8: Sleaford
I had trouble staying awake on this stage but realised I had plenty of time in hand. Foolishly though I had left my bivvy bag at home as I was planning just to ride straight through the night like I did last time. Still, I was falling asleep on the bike so would have to make do without it. I found a secluded spot in a field which looked dry and set a timer on my phone to wake me up in half an hour. I laid on my side and tucked my hands between my thighs to keep them warm and it felt like I was asleep instantly. The cold woke me up before my alarm with 11 minutes to spare. I did feel a bit better and set off to continue on to Sleaford.
However a little bit later on the sleepiness came back and so I found another field to sleep in until I got cold again. I repeated this process a few more times until eventually the sun rose and my body clock reset. In the last field I was treated to hearing some owls call to each other.
The sun may have been rising but it was still really cold and it there was a deep fog as well. With all the stops it was a really slow 56km but eventually I arrived at the Sleaford McDonalds ready to start the second day.
Control 9: Chatteris
The last two stages were the longest and I wasn't looking forward to them, but best to get it over with I guess!
It seamed to take a really long time for the sun to burn the fog off but eventually it did. That being said I still wasn't brave enough to take off my long sleeve jersey. Working the zip was a good compromise though.
To break up this stage (and because I had the rare luxury of plenty of time) I stopped in the Whittlesey Wetherspoons again for some porridge and then finished the last 13 miles to Chatteris.
Control 10: Great Dunmow
The final stage and the return of the hills some were welcome and made a change some were just too steep for my tired legs: looking at you Saffron Walden. I took the direct route from Cambridge back to Great Dunmow.
I walked into the control at The Angel and Harp and found Tom, Grant and his army of helpers stamping cards. I added mine to the list and then ordered myself a coke and pizza.
Thanks again to Tomsk and all the helpers for making it happen.
Same again next month on the Fenland Friends?