06:10 Where's the big guy who beat me up while I was asleep?? Ok MB/LAA/A-T I'm earning it today, my legs are blown and I can barely sit on the bed, while the standard issue hotel kettle takes 4hrs to boil.
No nice brekkie today just tea/tin milk, and yesterdays bread + nutella. The staff don't start till 7, I'll be gone.
Had a scare with gps unit last night. Think I've fixed it but am v glad I have paper village/road name list as backup.
Right here goes
While the bath is running...
It was a game of three thirds. The first bit I just couldn't warm my muscles up. I was riding slow, my knees were both a bit tendon grumpy, my butt was literally stinging, I was sleep deprived and a grump. But after a nice boulangerie raid I hit that fabulous d1 and caught up lost time by lunch. The last third was cruel mind game. I kept thinking I was further than I thought. It never ended, the surfaces turned rough.
The least 50km was all hills, not one flat bit at all. I got stung on the thigh by a bee I hit at 40mph and stuck to my lycra. I got another puncture.
What else...I observed today that 80 of french drivers are male, between the age if 50and 55.
I concluded that the answer to almost any question is basically "it depends", which is why a lot of people like maths.
I planned my summer holiday. Twice.
And to cap off the evening I just dropped my long finger gloves in the TOILET. Forgot I had tucked them in the back of my bib shorts...so now they're wet and I wanted to use them in the morning. Skies are clearing so it's going to be a cold one I think. 7hrs kip and I'll be back on it :/
Oh and my garmin battery died as o reached the hotel. So whole course recording lost. I also can't restart it. Uh oh.
Taxi!!
At 4;10:
Bored now. 4hrs left. But a bit sunny. Big country, fields, more fields. But warmer :)
Just enjoyed two hours of face splitting grins courtesy of the SE drag of the D1, and those nice men with #500 grade wet n dry who polished the road surface, and the tailwind that saw me hold 40-50kmh for 1hour!
Then a positively pyrenean descent into the town of vernon.
About 130km to go, two more big climbs, and a climbing finish just to finish me off.
Ca y'est, je pense en français maintenant. Il fait froid et brumeux. Mon cul est bien mort. En gros, je souffre! Mais bon c'est ca la vie a deux rous.
Wait...i see something... A GHOST!
Hang on! It's the ghost of my BUTT which died an hour ago.
Nearly at foucarmont. Rolling slow.
Not quite the steaming platter of dead pig and chicken embryo I was hoping for, but a good solid grain and carbs start to the day's riding. I wish I had a MAGIC BREAKFAST bagel :)
Have to say my first thought when I woke up was not "mmmm let's do another 250km.", and I won't print what it was actually, my kids are reading this...
Body is ok, one slight nee grumble but will warm up ok. Great tail wind again: 20 gusting 60 like they said. I'll just hold my jersey open and get blown up the hills. Speaking of hills, only SIX river valleys to cross today, guuuulp.
With only the insult of a puncture 8 miles from the end to dampen my spirits, I've arrived at the friendly hotel ibis in abbeville. Louis, the charming receptionist, asks me "would you like a cold beer?"
WOULD I LIKE A COLD BEER?? DOES THE POPE WEAR A FUNNY HAT?
I forgot to mention an amazing thing from this morning at royal london hospital. Just after I took my picture, the air ambulance crew walked past! What are the chances of a call out just that moment.
So now it's bath and eat as much food as I can choke down. Tomortow meant to be nice weather...it'd be nice to get my arms out...
Scores for today's two rides:
1. 150km, av 24.4kmh, 5hrs 8min
2. 130km, av 25.4kmh, 6hrs 9 min
Well chuffed with that :)
After another 4hrs of rain, and shivery cold and DOVER HILL i've made an early boat thank you p&o.
Just met a group of riders doing sonething for freekicks foundation, going from peterborough to brussels. So we can geek out on the crossing :)
Right then, no more excuses. No birdsong either, too early. Not much sleep: adrenaline makes sure of that.
Reduced today's ride to dover to 88 miles, as france is now 412.
Weather in france bleak. Plus I will likely puke on the ferry. Game on!
Ok here's a fundraising experiment. If anyone donates £25 or more to my impending solo 500mile ride ( uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TomMann ) , I pledge to give them a minimum 30mins of my time face to face or skype to discuss any aspect of:
- Cycle commuting (9 years experience)
- Bike buying advice for novices or "next-bike"
- Long distance rides equipment/training
- Training for racing
- cycling nutrition
- maintenance/repairs
I will also follow up with email conversations to a reasonable extent.
This is money well spent, as 5 happy commuter friends of mine will confirm, as you will make the right purchasing decisions (i am not in the industry, this is totally impartial advice) and save hundreds in the long run! And you'll support three AMAZING charities as well!
Bring it on!
I live in SE london and work in central london. Contact me via @curv_org or on tom [@] reduceviolence [dot com]
A quick post to celebrate two bits of human kindness at last!
I have had to change my dates; rather than leaving weds (tomorrow) 2am I have to leave thurs.
This is so I can have only 1 day of rain rather than three (just too dangerous: road conditions and likelihood of hypothermia).
But rather than sting me for rebooking fees, the lovely lady at p&o and the charming gent in abbeville Ibis hotel both rebooked me and waived fees.
Bless you both, good karma coming your way! May you roll without punctures, may the wind be on your backs!
Just a quick blog. The reason I've not posted any is the total PANIC I've been in, trying to sort everything out.
My fitness and bike.are both spot on. But I currently have a chest and eye infection, STILL no accommodation for either night in france (my social network experiment failed, and eurosport and cycling weekly mag didn't even reply to my pleas for just a simple contact to help. All the french bike shops and cycling clubs did not even reply ).
The french weather is looking cold, rainy, but occasional tailwind. I can't carry clothes so I can't eat in restaurants at night. 6 degree nights not that tempting in a foil bivvy bag.
But I'm not giving up. I've come too far, something will happen soon. My temporary agonies is nothing compared to a whole childhood of neglect or malnourishment, or compared to near death before being saved by air ambulance.
