Instead of looking at graphs, to visualise Steve's amazing achievements, on Saturday I set off at 04:30 and rode 326km due North to Stockport.
By the time I got there it was past 11pm. The weather was dark/windy, dark/rainy, very rainy, very windy, even more windy, even more rainy, windy, sunny, dark, cold, foggy, very cold and then very dark, foggy and cold.
It's not the first time I've ridden such a distance but it's the first time I've done it at this time of year. What I noticed:
1 - It's dark just as much as it's light. Night riding is slower and you certainly get a lot of night riding in November.
2 - It's full of weather. It took lots of concentration to deal with buffetting from wind and rain. Lots of stopping to change into appropriate clothing for the conditions.
3 - It's messy. The smaller roads and lanes were close to off-roading conditions at times. soggy leaves, branches, gravel-strewn and often flooded. Add darkness to that and some of my descending was at walking pace. How I didn't puncture is a mystery. It was very hard to keep up any sort of pace.
4 - Food. I was much hungrier, more often. Even though it started out mild I was soaked early on and then it got cold. It takes a lot of extra calories to stay warm, extra calories you don't need in July.
People who don't cycle think that Steve's challenge is hard. "Wow!", they say, "200 miles a day, that's a lot". But they really don't have a clue.
People who cycle think that Steve's challenge is very hard. "Wow!", they say, "I've done London-to Brighton and that was really tough. I can't imagine 200 miles". They have a slight clue.
I think that, to fully appreciate what Steve is attempting, you really need to try a day in Steve's (cycling) shoes. My (already high) respect for Steve went higher when I was about 250km into the ride and feeling weather-beaten and, quite frankly, bored of riding in the dark on my own.
When it's dark at 6pm, thinking to yourself "Just another 100km" is actually fairly depressing when you are on your own, in the middle of Nowhere, Nowhereshire.
I can sort of, possibly, maybe, perhaps, imagine getting to a place when 320km a day isn't physically too demanding but the mental aspect of banging out the miles, relentlessly, in the dark, is totally beyond me.
I have always struggled, and always will struggle, to get any enjoyment out of riding dull miles in the cold & dark.
Amazing stuff Steve... Keep on going mate.