Well were do we start, probably on the Tuesday night before the epic ride.
I had renewed my cassette and chain, then went with the Wrinklies on Wed..
I had gear problems and they just went on and on and on..for days..
I convinced myself it was [still] to do with chain length [mistake], and I still had them at the start of the 400 on the 25th May, I took 2 [more] links out of the chain.
Anyway, the short story is my lowest gear was 50 x 23, the inner ring was out of bounds and I faced the prospect of 400km on the 50 tooth ring!
I had sort of resigned myself to this as we approached Post Office lane in Norley, Pete Hammond commented on the noises coming from my bike.. which was the pre curser to my chain snapping..oh! deep joy!.. I told Derek and Syd to carry on [but they didn’t] [to quote Gary Brown, I don’t object to getting dropped, I do object to you all waiting for me!]
So I joined up the chain [putting the links back in that I had only an hour before removed!]
Mechanical over, just as Syd returned to see if I was going on.
All was pretty much as Derek’s blog, and he is right, up Halkin Mountain and Sychnant Pass [clue’s in the name] I did struggle and took to Shanks’ pony a couple of times while others waited for me [and Pete H] at the top.
[Now I don’t do hills,I like everything to be in equilibrium.. no up, no down,,just flat or better still all down a little bit.. but finding a 250 mile downhill run that starts and finishes at the same place is ‘utopia’]
I lost Derek and others just into Anglesey with about 160km covered, [I didn’t know that Del and Team Audax had stopped for a Gentlemen’s excuse me, so when they were nowhere in sight I just pressed on {in true Audax fashion}]
the road thru Anglesey was rolling all the way to Holyhead.. here at 1/2 way point I donned my night clothes, had a very welcome hot drink, some rice pudding, a bit of cake and a ‘nanna’.
I started off again and found Del, Syd & Co at the chippy tucking into something that had once walked or swam [allegedly], a quick chat followed, ending with me telling them that I was going back the way I came [on the A5] just to keep the bigger gear rolling.
Lights and reflective top on the mainland, I knuckled down to the prosect of the rest of the journey on my own, I overtook a good few weary soles on trek to the next control at Abergele. A stop of about 40mins here, a bite to eat and 10 packs of salt to replenish what I’d lost.. it never ceases to amaze me, the sights you see in a 24hr McD’s at 2 in the morning..
{Now I wont embarrass Syd, by telling everyone that in the loo at said 24hr McD’s, allegedly he was just about to apply some more cream to a tender spot when the motion activated lights went OUT! }
After I left McD’s, I joined up with a couple of blokes that were going about 2km/hr too fast.. I stuck with them for about 15K then I had to let them go..
It was a dead still night [the smoke from Stanlow was going straight up!] and very uneventful, I kept on the main road as it was truly deserted and you couldn’t see anything as it was dark!
Next stop was at Elton [nearly home a mere 40k to go] 40 mins here eating sugary rubbish, you know the stuff – it has no nutritional value what so ever!..
It was cold now and the daylight was coming.. now I know Dave F wonders were the hills are round there, let me tell you, I agree with Derek, anything that is not down is up!. Helsby to Poytnon after 360k,, us mere mortals may as well be in the Alps
I got back to Poynton at 07:30, 400km [240 of it on my own] in 22.5 hrs .. I’d like to give you all the technical splits, but to be fair, I cant be bothered..what you really want to know is what happened on the way home!!
Well after a bacon butty [very welcome] cup of tea, wash and change.. I left for the 23 mile drive back to sunny Winsford, unfortunately about 3 mile from our house I lost control of my car, veered over the road, hit a low brick wall, and over turned my car..
I managed to scramble out, I was attneded by an Ambulance.. a trip to Leighton followed and after x-rays and check ups, I was discharged at 1pm.. now when I went to pick up my personal belongings it was the Tuesday after the BH.. Mrs Williams [who doesn’t resort to expletives] muttered…How ************ have you walked away from that without a scratch , it’s only cats that are supposed to have 9 lives.. well I always knew I’d get my 2nd cat license one day!