2020 RR X CCC Oh how I wish I was in California.
03.10.20
Ride 1 - 525 miles to go.
Isn’t it just typical of the English weather that on the day you’ve been counting down for months. It decides take a turn for the worse. Flat grey miserable skies are one thing that I really struggle with. But when the heavens decide to not just trickle and instead absolutely pour. Then those 6 hours and 85 miles in the saddle is not very appealing.
To make matters worse - if 2020 was a ‘normal’ year I would ‘normally’ be over in my spiritual home of California. Gearing up for another adventure of a lifetime. Riding the magnificent California Coastline with a few hundred of my friends in support of The Arthritis Foundation.
But this is 2020 and anything but normal.
So you adapt and try your best to overcome the challenges set before you.
Riding 525 miles within the month of October should be pretty straight forward. As we cover this within 8 days on the journey between SF and LA.
Today was 85 to match that of what the rides itinerary.
Obviously I was aware of the approaching dumping of water but we Northerners are use to it. Right!? Well there is northern rain and then there was this deluge. It is still pouring as I type.
10am I sat on my bike at the front gate, looking up at the sky and my gut instinct was telling me this is not going to turn out well. I almost called it off.
But if we let the English weather dictate things we wouldn’t get anything done.
My mind turned to my friends and all those who suffer from Arthritis and the simple thought that I’d have to endure this for a matter of hours but those with Arthritis have to live with it 24/7.
So with a quiet word to myself I headed off.
Today's route was a nice easy outbound 35 to Chester. England's stunning Roman Fortress City - founded in the 1st Century A.D.
Then a loop taking in new places - Delamere Forest and Tatton Park before rejoining the outbound circuit at Warrington and a short trip back home.
First 10 was a breeze but then my ‘waterproof’ attire suddenly was no longer waterproof and very quickly the cold set in. Now at this point I was thinking, ‘You got this dude. It is going to be uncomfortable but you can do it’.
The rain was so hard, that as it fell on my Garmin, it was waking it up from sleep mode and making it cycle through my displays as though it had a glitch. I ended up using my CCC rider number on my handlebars and folding it back on itself to form a rain shield to protect it and stop my OCD from going in to overdrive.
At 30 miles it felt like I had already done 60 and in my head I was already done.
You have to listen to your body. And when it is already wet and shaking with cold and with another 50 long miles to go. Head has to take over heart and do the smart thing and live to fight another day.
Still I wanted to get to Chester and to a location in my head that was a satisfying marker and then reassess the situation.
Three options. 1 was to continue. 2 was to cycle back the way I came. 3 was to head to the train station.
If my clothing had kept me dry I would still be out there. The thought of heading back along a route I had already covered isn’t my style and would be a real struggle regardless. So train back it was.
I would normally be really pissed at myself for not completing the challenge I had set but this is a marathon and not a sprint.
Some days on the saddle are phenomenal and sometimes they aren’t.
But it was a start.
34.7 miles down. 490.3 to go!
Ps - please weather don't be like this all month!
Pps - Your support would mean the World to me and even more so to The Arthritis Foundation…
>>> MY DONATION PAGE
Ride 1.
D. 34.7 miles.
E. 850ft.
Ride 1 - 525 miles to go.
Isn’t it just typical of the English weather that on the day you’ve been counting down for months. It decides take a turn for the worse. Flat grey miserable skies are one thing that I really struggle with. But when the heavens decide to not just trickle and instead absolutely pour. Then those 6 hours and 85 miles in the saddle is not very appealing.
To make matters worse - if 2020 was a ‘normal’ year I would ‘normally’ be over in my spiritual home of California. Gearing up for another adventure of a lifetime. Riding the magnificent California Coastline with a few hundred of my friends in support of The Arthritis Foundation.
But this is 2020 and anything but normal.
So you adapt and try your best to overcome the challenges set before you.
Riding 525 miles within the month of October should be pretty straight forward. As we cover this within 8 days on the journey between SF and LA.
Today was 85 to match that of what the rides itinerary.
Obviously I was aware of the approaching dumping of water but we Northerners are use to it. Right!? Well there is northern rain and then there was this deluge. It is still pouring as I type.
10am I sat on my bike at the front gate, looking up at the sky and my gut instinct was telling me this is not going to turn out well. I almost called it off.
But if we let the English weather dictate things we wouldn’t get anything done.
My mind turned to my friends and all those who suffer from Arthritis and the simple thought that I’d have to endure this for a matter of hours but those with Arthritis have to live with it 24/7.
So with a quiet word to myself I headed off.
Today's route was a nice easy outbound 35 to Chester. England's stunning Roman Fortress City - founded in the 1st Century A.D.
Then a loop taking in new places - Delamere Forest and Tatton Park before rejoining the outbound circuit at Warrington and a short trip back home.
First 10 was a breeze but then my ‘waterproof’ attire suddenly was no longer waterproof and very quickly the cold set in. Now at this point I was thinking, ‘You got this dude. It is going to be uncomfortable but you can do it’.
The rain was so hard, that as it fell on my Garmin, it was waking it up from sleep mode and making it cycle through my displays as though it had a glitch. I ended up using my CCC rider number on my handlebars and folding it back on itself to form a rain shield to protect it and stop my OCD from going in to overdrive.
At 30 miles it felt like I had already done 60 and in my head I was already done.
You have to listen to your body. And when it is already wet and shaking with cold and with another 50 long miles to go. Head has to take over heart and do the smart thing and live to fight another day.
Still I wanted to get to Chester and to a location in my head that was a satisfying marker and then reassess the situation.
Three options. 1 was to continue. 2 was to cycle back the way I came. 3 was to head to the train station.
If my clothing had kept me dry I would still be out there. The thought of heading back along a route I had already covered isn’t my style and would be a real struggle regardless. So train back it was.
I would normally be really pissed at myself for not completing the challenge I had set but this is a marathon and not a sprint.
Some days on the saddle are phenomenal and sometimes they aren’t.
But it was a start.
34.7 miles down. 490.3 to go!
Ps - please weather don't be like this all month!
Pps - Your support would mean the World to me and even more so to The Arthritis Foundation…
>>> MY DONATION PAGE
Ride 1.
D. 34.7 miles.
E. 850ft.
|
|
|