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| THE BIKES WE USED TO RIDE FROM EDINBURGH |
I have to admit that I was glad to get home - I was tired and worn out and I have to question my decision to do the ride in the first place...
One of the problems with this type of ride, is that although you travel the length of the country you see very little of it, because the emphasis has to be all about pushing on and chewing up the miles...
Working to the clock every day. Up in the morning...pack all the camping kit away...grab a quick breakfast of sorts....Shower...toilet and then back on the bike for the rest of the day.
It's a little bit like being an automaton...some kind of mechanical robot.
The stupid thing is that it is not as if I didn't know what it would be like....
After we did Land's End to John O'Groats in 2008 I said then that I really did not want to do another multi-day challenge ride and then in 2009 there I am cycling from the UK to Spain on the Atlantic Coast Challenge Ride.
Last year's Rock to the UK ride back from Gibraltar was different because it was a long distance touring ride with flexibility on time...daily distance and route taken.
This latest ride was fraught with problems from the start - beginning with our support driver Dave breaking his arm before the event and another driver Daniel (his son-in law) kindly offering to fill in for him.
Unfortunately Daniel had never driven in a cycle support role before so Dave had to ride shotgun and this in turn led to some logistics problems at the end of ride due to insufficient vehicle space.
Because of this I finished my part in the ride at our last nights campsite at Watlington fourteen miles south of Oxford, effectively missing out on the last stage.
So yesterday, once JD had started riding the last stage into Portsmouth, Daniel and Dave drove me to the outskirts of Fareham where Anne met us with the car. Unbeknown to me she had put back by 24hrs her plans to travel up to London for the Jubilee celebrations in order to be free to pick me up. As it transpired that was a very wise move, as due to this being one of the busiest bank holiday weekends of the whole year the traffic back home at that time of day was absolutely horrendous.
Eventually I got home......after all those hours of effort of what seems like cycling a sportive a day back from Edinburgh, the whole thing feels like a total anticlimax....!
A bit of a non event!
Once I have had more time to reflect on the ride I may post a further review and also some of the photos I took, although it must be said I didn't take many......too busy cycling.
10 comments:
I love multi-day tours, but I like to feel like I'm touring, not racing. Glad you're home safe and sound.
*jeff*
I agree Jeff. Multi day touring is terrific fun- but multi day challenge rides are too much like racing to give you time to do much more than actually spin the pedals......
Glad to hear you are home and OK. I agree with you about challenge rides. They make you feel like a hampster trapped on an exercise wheel!
Thanks Marsha.....That's a pretty good description of what it's like.
What comes next? Berlin-to-Baghdad?
Fantastic expedition, I love bicycle trips. I am greeting
Sounds like quite an adventure. But I think true to your nature, you toughed it out.
Thanks for the post!
RL
*Steve A*
Now there's an idea Steve.....
*ZielonaMila*
Thanks for your visit and comment...
*rlove"bike*
It was a bit of an adventure in a number of ways...
Things never seem to be perfect but thankfully everyone seemed to be ok with no catastrophes. Maybe time will heal your reflective experience :-)
*J_on_tour*
After a few days looking back on the ride....the bad bits didn't seem as bad and the good bits just got better....!
Nice to hear from you J.
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