Courtesy of the Garmin, the actual tracks for all six days, showing position, speed, altitude and heart rate. Day six is broken into two files after I forgot to recharge it overnight and had to top up at lunchtime.
Friday, 4 June 2010
He ain't heavy, he's JPD
Although this was a short day of 125 miles, and so to some extent I'd written it off as a done deal, the miles still had to be covered. We started with some rolling Devon countryside, climbing up and down repeatedly between about 200 and 700 feet. This is really bad news for JPD, who's been struggling to get much force down on the pedals, so pushing on uphill really isn't an option. Once things flattened out a bit, we were able to make much quicker progress with a lovely tailwind that gradually moved around throughout the day from east to south and later back to east. With me leading continuously, time seemed to pass quite quickly and we ticked off the miles gradually through the morning and with a few more big but generally steady climbs (today we've climbed more than any other day) we found ourselves signposted to Penzance, which we reeled in from 35 miles out on busy, fast main roads.
In Penzance we checked in to our hotel and dumped our bags, then set off on the final ten miles to Land's End. This was a fun ride, especially with the weight off the bikes, but also slightly melancholy as the focus that's been fairly all-consuming for the last six days started to fade away as the sea came into view either side of us, before vanishing completely as we coasted down a gentle slope to the signpost at Land's End that marks the official finish point for the trip.
Oddly, one of the most common things we've been asked on the trip is why we're doing the route 'the wrong way', I think the setting for the finish gave us an unexpectedly good answer. The sun, which had been at our backs in the morning and overhauling us all day, was low in the sky out over the sea, giving us a perfect hazy view to gaze out at as we wound down over a well-earned pint. I wasn't sad to have finished, or even particularly happy, but thoroughly satisfied with a week well spent. We certainly couldn't have done it in five days.
We were met at the finish by Zara (thank you!!), who drove us back to the B&B. After a week averaging 15/ 16 mph I felt like a Victorian taking his first train ride, the sensation of speed initially alarming and my legs restless, as though feeling they ought to be working.
In Penzance we checked in to our hotel and dumped our bags, then set off on the final ten miles to Land's End. This was a fun ride, especially with the weight off the bikes, but also slightly melancholy as the focus that's been fairly all-consuming for the last six days started to fade away as the sea came into view either side of us, before vanishing completely as we coasted down a gentle slope to the signpost at Land's End that marks the official finish point for the trip.
Oddly, one of the most common things we've been asked on the trip is why we're doing the route 'the wrong way', I think the setting for the finish gave us an unexpectedly good answer. The sun, which had been at our backs in the morning and overhauling us all day, was low in the sky out over the sea, giving us a perfect hazy view to gaze out at as we wound down over a well-earned pint. I wasn't sad to have finished, or even particularly happy, but thoroughly satisfied with a week well spent. We certainly couldn't have done it in five days.
We were met at the finish by Zara (thank you!!), who drove us back to the B&B. After a week averaging 15/ 16 mph I felt like a Victorian taking his first train ride, the sensation of speed initially alarming and my legs restless, as though feeling they ought to be working.
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
The Final Countdown
Well we made it to Crediton, and we have just one day left.
Somehow we clocked 161 miles, although I think the original route called for 154. The first few were over rolling hills, after which we joined the A38 which was pretty flat and we added 73 miles in the first four and a half hours which took us to Bristol.
Bristol is the biggest city on our route, and it took a whole half hour segment to get across it, leaving by the Clifton Suspension Bridge before descending the next 20 miles or so to Weston-Super-Mare, where we faffed around the sea front before settling on tried-and-tested Tesco for lunch.
The next section was OK at first, but as we approached Taunton I was feeling pretty empty. This quickly becomes annoying due to the lack of speed that can be attained up hills, and the poor acceleration from junctions and summits. This then deteriorates to a sense of wanting to stop, and of being angry (for me this was directed at the GPS device, which didn't seem to be working properly causing numerous missed turns).
Eventually something clicks and all emotions and pain disappear. The only thing left is the knowledge that you have to get to the end, and that means to keep the legs movin, however slowly. Eating, drinking and rest breaks become instinctive. It ceases to matter how far there is to go. It's a very calm, very focussed state and it's only after that it becomes clear how tiring it is.
I've experienced this before, on the Bob Graham Round where not long after half way I knew we would finish so long as we just kept going, even though there were still 10 hours to go.
Well we now have 10 hours of cycling to go, and I know we can finish. Hopefully we can take things a bit easier given the shorter distance tomorrow (125 miles).
P.S. Sorry for the lack of photos from the last few days, will definitely get some tomorrow!
Somehow we clocked 161 miles, although I think the original route called for 154. The first few were over rolling hills, after which we joined the A38 which was pretty flat and we added 73 miles in the first four and a half hours which took us to Bristol.
Bristol is the biggest city on our route, and it took a whole half hour segment to get across it, leaving by the Clifton Suspension Bridge before descending the next 20 miles or so to Weston-Super-Mare, where we faffed around the sea front before settling on tried-and-tested Tesco for lunch.
The next section was OK at first, but as we approached Taunton I was feeling pretty empty. This quickly becomes annoying due to the lack of speed that can be attained up hills, and the poor acceleration from junctions and summits. This then deteriorates to a sense of wanting to stop, and of being angry (for me this was directed at the GPS device, which didn't seem to be working properly causing numerous missed turns).
Eventually something clicks and all emotions and pain disappear. The only thing left is the knowledge that you have to get to the end, and that means to keep the legs movin, however slowly. Eating, drinking and rest breaks become instinctive. It ceases to matter how far there is to go. It's a very calm, very focussed state and it's only after that it becomes clear how tiring it is.
I've experienced this before, on the Bob Graham Round where not long after half way I knew we would finish so long as we just kept going, even though there were still 10 hours to go.
Well we now have 10 hours of cycling to go, and I know we can finish. Hopefully we can take things a bit easier given the shorter distance tomorrow (125 miles).
P.S. Sorry for the lack of photos from the last few days, will definitely get some tomorrow!
It's a long long road
Today has been my longest ever cycle ride in a single day. All told we've covered 167 miles from Sedbergh to Bewdley and now that we're a little over 2/3 of the way through, my mind is unwisely starting to wander towards the finishing line. Being a poorly educated southerner, it came as a great surprise to me that we would only leave Scotland half way through the third day, but now that I'm in slightly more familiar territory it starts to feel like we're making faster progress. South Lakes to Birmingham seems a lot further than John O'Groats to Inverness not because it is, but because I just about stop counting northness at Edinburgh. Sadly though we're going to progress rapidly into less famliar territory again as we pass through Bristol tomorrow and start to head west.
JPD won't mind my saying that he had a bit of a tough afternoon. The cumulative strain on our legs is starting to slow us both down, so keeping our speed up was hard today with lots of traffic and junctions as we worked our way through Preston, Wigan and Warrington. We have big thanks to offer my family at Bratt & Evans in Northwich for letting us do some serious damage to the coffee shop (that sausage pie should be winning awards!) and to Neil for setting up a roadside feed station to sort us out with much needed goodies to see out the last 30 miles.
The main thing I'm being taught by this trip is patience. It's impossible to rush anything when you're already tired - it's simply not an option to sprint up small hills like I normally would, you have to slow down, give every climb its due and then take back what you can on the other side. The combination of horrible weather for the first four hours, some extra fuel / rest stops in the afternoon and the simple fact that we're slowing down meant that we spent a total of 14 hours travelling today, including over 11 actually riding. Without support, we find it difficult to take short breaks since finding somewhere, locking up, buying food etc all eat up precious minutes. This means our days are about as long as we could make them and still fit in breakfast, dinner and some sleep.
Although we're both suffering increasing levels of fatigue and muscle soreness, we're neither of us carrying any serious niggles so far. The major concern for tomorrow is quite simply whether we have the stamina to complete a reasonably long day of 155 miles. If we can do that then we'll be a lot happier in the evening, contemplating a 'mere' 125 miles to Land's End.
That's all from me. JPD's asleep already so I'd better get off to sleep myself before he starts snoring...
JPD won't mind my saying that he had a bit of a tough afternoon. The cumulative strain on our legs is starting to slow us both down, so keeping our speed up was hard today with lots of traffic and junctions as we worked our way through Preston, Wigan and Warrington. We have big thanks to offer my family at Bratt & Evans in Northwich for letting us do some serious damage to the coffee shop (that sausage pie should be winning awards!) and to Neil for setting up a roadside feed station to sort us out with much needed goodies to see out the last 30 miles.
The main thing I'm being taught by this trip is patience. It's impossible to rush anything when you're already tired - it's simply not an option to sprint up small hills like I normally would, you have to slow down, give every climb its due and then take back what you can on the other side. The combination of horrible weather for the first four hours, some extra fuel / rest stops in the afternoon and the simple fact that we're slowing down meant that we spent a total of 14 hours travelling today, including over 11 actually riding. Without support, we find it difficult to take short breaks since finding somewhere, locking up, buying food etc all eat up precious minutes. This means our days are about as long as we could make them and still fit in breakfast, dinner and some sleep.
Although we're both suffering increasing levels of fatigue and muscle soreness, we're neither of us carrying any serious niggles so far. The major concern for tomorrow is quite simply whether we have the stamina to complete a reasonably long day of 155 miles. If we can do that then we'll be a lot happier in the evening, contemplating a 'mere' 125 miles to Land's End.
That's all from me. JPD's asleep already so I'd better get off to sleep myself before he starts snoring...
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