mark c
Über Member
- Location
- Bridgwater Somerset
Amazing progress from Anco De Jong and Jasmine Sabine !
LEL 2017
- Thread starter martint235
- Start date
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Trackers not working anymore I'm trying to follow a friends progress I know she was at Brampton having a kip number FF11 Gina Clere
fatjel
Veteran
- Location
- West Wales
Lucky Olaf,
Spalding 9pm ish ... food run out no coffee
Louth 2.30 am ish food run out and nowhere to sleep
And when I say nowhere to sleep . There was folk sleeping on the floor
Under tables on the stairs we couldn't even find any floor to sleep on
Spalding 9pm ish ... food run out no coffee
Louth 2.30 am ish food run out and nowhere to sleep
And when I say nowhere to sleep . There was folk sleeping on the floor
Under tables on the stairs we couldn't even find any floor to sleep on
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
The tracker seems to be working now, Anco arrived at Barnard Castle an hour ago and Gina is showing as having left Brampton a bit more than an hour ago.
I remember seeing Anco arrive at Barnard Castle for the second time in 2013, and I think it was closer to midnight.
This leads me to wonder if he's aiming for an even faster time.
I've had to retire.
It was all going rather splendidly. Got to Spalding with plenty of time in hand and met up with my long term Audax riding partner Bob. We rode off into the sunset and made great progress until the hills started then got split up. I was desparetely tired and had a little incident where I found myself cycling in a grass verge and only just woke up in time to avoid a crash (not good!) When I got to Louth there were no sleep places available, so I laid on a hard floor for about 2 hours, with very little sleep.
The catering was running out when I woke, but I got some food, only to have it cleared away whilst I went to the loo and by this time their was nothing left! Never mind, this is the reality of trying to cater for unpredictable people, who decide to go one step further because if good conditions.
Fortunately I had some extra food, so not really a problem, particularly as just eating something can be a challenge for me. After 30 mins on the road the dozies were kicking in, so I had a 30 minute nap in one of Lincolnshire's finest bus shelters. This was whole section was very hilly and my knees were really strarting to protest, but it was a glorious morning and the world was good. I had hoped to have some food at the Humber Bridge visitor centre, but it was too early, so I pushed on to Market Weighton where I found a great cafe that did a full English including coffee for just £5. Welcome.to Yorkshire.
After some more breakfast at Pocklington I decided to avoid the Howardian Hills and do the unofficial alternative via Easingwold, which is much flatter, but involves a 10 mile stretch on the A19, which is a nightmare. It is a single carriageway road that seems to attract the worst of Yorkshire's drivers. After multiple close passes, caused by impatient drivers it wasn't difficult to understand why the official route avoids it. However after surviving this along with a biblical downpour I arrived in Thirsk. I still had plenty of time in hand, but the pain in my knees was getting worse. In my years of cycling I've never experienced this and I was really worried that ploughing on could lead to longer term problems, so reluctantly I decided to call it a day after 400km.
I've booked in to a Premier Inn and had a great meal and will have a proper sleep before heading home on the train tomorrow. As I have a week's leave booked I've volunteered to help on Thursday and Friday, so will hopefully be able to greet some of our successful CC riders.
It was all going rather splendidly. Got to Spalding with plenty of time in hand and met up with my long term Audax riding partner Bob. We rode off into the sunset and made great progress until the hills started then got split up. I was desparetely tired and had a little incident where I found myself cycling in a grass verge and only just woke up in time to avoid a crash (not good!) When I got to Louth there were no sleep places available, so I laid on a hard floor for about 2 hours, with very little sleep.
The catering was running out when I woke, but I got some food, only to have it cleared away whilst I went to the loo and by this time their was nothing left! Never mind, this is the reality of trying to cater for unpredictable people, who decide to go one step further because if good conditions.
Fortunately I had some extra food, so not really a problem, particularly as just eating something can be a challenge for me. After 30 mins on the road the dozies were kicking in, so I had a 30 minute nap in one of Lincolnshire's finest bus shelters. This was whole section was very hilly and my knees were really strarting to protest, but it was a glorious morning and the world was good. I had hoped to have some food at the Humber Bridge visitor centre, but it was too early, so I pushed on to Market Weighton where I found a great cafe that did a full English including coffee for just £5. Welcome.to Yorkshire.
After some more breakfast at Pocklington I decided to avoid the Howardian Hills and do the unofficial alternative via Easingwold, which is much flatter, but involves a 10 mile stretch on the A19, which is a nightmare. It is a single carriageway road that seems to attract the worst of Yorkshire's drivers. After multiple close passes, caused by impatient drivers it wasn't difficult to understand why the official route avoids it. However after surviving this along with a biblical downpour I arrived in Thirsk. I still had plenty of time in hand, but the pain in my knees was getting worse. In my years of cycling I've never experienced this and I was really worried that ploughing on could lead to longer term problems, so reluctantly I decided to call it a day after 400km.
I've booked in to a Premier Inn and had a great meal and will have a proper sleep before heading home on the train tomorrow. As I have a week's leave booked I've volunteered to help on Thursday and Friday, so will hopefully be able to greet some of our successful CC riders.
rb58
Enigma
- Location
- Bexley, Kent
Hard luck Tim. Sounds like you had no choice though.
middleagecyclist
Call me MAC
- Location
- Prestwich, Manchester
Sensible decision. Bad leg/knee stops ride. I know the feeling. Enjoy the volunteering
fatjel
Veteran
- Location
- West Wales
Sad to her that Tim.
I have retired too in much the same circumstances ..
Those hills just before Louth are mean especially so as the fens are so easy..
My left knee was hurting as I climbed which is a new and unwelcome feeling
Arrived at Louth around 2.30 am after 24 hours awake and hardly anything to eat
Nothing much left to eat there which was pretty demoralizing
Spent a half hour trying and failing to sleep sitting in a corner on the floor
Found a seat at a table and spent the next few hours chatting to the lovely people who came and went.
6.30 am monday we decided to push on to Pockington tho if Louth had a train station we might have packed there
Found a spar not far out of Louth and sat on the pavement with some new cycling buddies and ate a hot sausage roll
Food has rarely tasted so good
Got to Caistor and found a bacon roll stall at the side of the road
By now we were getting edgy on time , riding too slowly and not feeling much love for audaxing
A perhaps too quick decision and we diverted to Market Rasen and a train home
8 hours sleep and a chinese and I feel like new
Have lots of good memories of the people I met and the cycling
Some major disapointment that I quit after only 280k ,
I have learnt much tho..
It turned into a food and drink hunt rather than a bike ride which could so easily have been avoided
I should have slept when I was too tired not waited for the promise of a warm comfy bed
I don't blame the organisers , they have an impossible task to feed and house 1500 of the most unpredictable folk
I had entirely the wrong attitude and packed the wrong stuff, entirely my own fault
Normally the first bit of research when planning a ride is where to get food and drink
Next time I'll be ready.
Some fun memories of people I met and bikes
People clapping and cheering us on from the roadside
The ever helpful and hardworking volunteers
The train home was good too
I'm publictransportphobic and couldn't believe how helpful virgin and eastern staff are
Cycling from kings cross station to charring cross was a blast too
Its 5 am and I'm going for a ride on my bike now
I have retired too in much the same circumstances ..
Those hills just before Louth are mean especially so as the fens are so easy..
My left knee was hurting as I climbed which is a new and unwelcome feeling
Arrived at Louth around 2.30 am after 24 hours awake and hardly anything to eat
Nothing much left to eat there which was pretty demoralizing
Spent a half hour trying and failing to sleep sitting in a corner on the floor
Found a seat at a table and spent the next few hours chatting to the lovely people who came and went.
6.30 am monday we decided to push on to Pockington tho if Louth had a train station we might have packed there
Found a spar not far out of Louth and sat on the pavement with some new cycling buddies and ate a hot sausage roll
Food has rarely tasted so good
Got to Caistor and found a bacon roll stall at the side of the road
By now we were getting edgy on time , riding too slowly and not feeling much love for audaxing
A perhaps too quick decision and we diverted to Market Rasen and a train home
8 hours sleep and a chinese and I feel like new
Have lots of good memories of the people I met and the cycling
Some major disapointment that I quit after only 280k ,
I have learnt much tho..
It turned into a food and drink hunt rather than a bike ride which could so easily have been avoided
I should have slept when I was too tired not waited for the promise of a warm comfy bed
I don't blame the organisers , they have an impossible task to feed and house 1500 of the most unpredictable folk
I had entirely the wrong attitude and packed the wrong stuff, entirely my own fault
Normally the first bit of research when planning a ride is where to get food and drink
Next time I'll be ready.
Some fun memories of people I met and bikes
People clapping and cheering us on from the roadside
The ever helpful and hardworking volunteers
The train home was good too
I'm publictransportphobic and couldn't believe how helpful virgin and eastern staff are
Cycling from kings cross station to charring cross was a blast too
Its 5 am and I'm going for a ride on my bike now
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
The organisers knew about the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire controls being mobbed on the first night, not least because it happened last time.
I know they planned to avoid a repetition, so they will be doubly frustrated it seems to have happened again.
One problem is ever increasing numbers.
It may have been fairly easy to upgrade the control facilities to cope with the same number who rode in 2013, but there are more riders this time which puts you back into uncharted territory.
I know they planned to avoid a repetition, so they will be doubly frustrated it seems to have happened again.
One problem is ever increasing numbers.
It may have been fairly easy to upgrade the control facilities to cope with the same number who rode in 2013, but there are more riders this time which puts you back into uncharted territory.
monstadog
Guru
The hills before Louth got me too. My lower back was aching a but after the long flat stuff, but would have been fine, i punctured in middle of nowhere at just after midnight and crouching at side of the road fixing it something went in my back properly , and riding the hills to Louth really really hurt.
After no sleep and two croissants and a pile of jam :-) I left Louth at about 3:00 hoping to ride my back out, but it was all uphill to the bridge, so by the time I got there i was slow and walking anything above about 5% gradient. I took the hard decision to pack and caught the train home. Ill be back next time though!
After no sleep and two croissants and a pile of jam :-) I left Louth at about 3:00 hoping to ride my back out, but it was all uphill to the bridge, so by the time I got there i was slow and walking anything above about 5% gradient. I took the hard decision to pack and caught the train home. Ill be back next time though!
