After recent mojo loss, I forced myself out on a 200 from home to Stonehaven yesterday. An early rise was required to have enough time for the pre booked train home at 1510 and my scheduled timekeeping stint at the 24 starting 0230 this morning
I was back on the carbon steed used for PBP qualifiers but with a different saddle and left home at 0430. After about 1km this nosedived and I had to stop to readjust it. This involved removing my saddlepack and it was 15 minutes or so before I got going.
It stayed dry til Dalmeny at 8km when it started to rain steadily. I had been expecting flooding at DRon but the road was fine. Usual shit driving was experienced through Perth even though it was still early. I celebrated getting off the A94 at Collace and had a couple of bananas to keep me going til my scheduled feed stop in McForfar. The roads between Meigle and Forfar were quite badly flooded and I just had to take pot luck and assume there were no potholes. A biblical downpour looked to be enveloping Forfar and was heading East.
At McDs in Forfar I discovered Id left my bank cards and train tickets at home so breakfast was instead paid for by emergency cash from the town centre machine courtesy of my phone (an all day breakfast with tea - much better than a McBreakfast!) and the sun came out too and all of a sudden it was warm. A braw hurl to Montrose at 150km was stopped in its tracks around Hillside where my legs started to give up a bit and I started doing the mental arithmetic on my average speed to catch the train.
I thought I had lots of time but the road between Fettercairn and Auchenblae was seriously flooded in three or four places and a few drivers coming towards me stopped and told me Id not get through it. The worst bit had my bike in below the axle and even with my feet at "quarter to three" they were submerged, but I could just about still see the white line up the middle of the road. Id no practical alternative really anyway.
Even with a stop to put my jacket back on just after Auchenblae (yes, heavy rain) and a change of batteries for my GPS I rolled into Stoney at 1445.
I was delighted to recognise the guard on the LNER service who welcomed me with a "afternoon sir, we were expecting you and a bicycle to Haymarket again" which eased any concerns about not having my ticket though I did have pdfs on my phone just in case.
Snooze on the train, home, wash, drove down to Whitchurch to do my timekeeping stint on the 24, snooze in the car, drove back and now Im home with a filthy bike to clean!
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/37533547 ps - yes I know I can use a phone to pay stuff and to hold rail tickets, but Id only leave that at home as well and then be totally gubbed.