We jostle for breakfast amongst lycra clad cyclists, topping up with protein, carbs and caffeine ahead of what is likely to be the cycle ride of a lifetime. The Pru organisers have wrestled through the night with decisions on route changes and whether the course can even be safety run in such conditions. Their final decision, having consulted with the Met Office, is that Box and Leith Hills must be cancelled, being just too dangerous for the volume of riders to traverse over such slippery and steep terrain. The course is shortened to 86 miles. Jason is disappointed that this cheats him out of his first 100 miler, while I'm disappointed that my only edge over Jason - hill climbing - is removed from the ride!
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| Our two jerseys ready for the ride |
It is important, however, to remember why we're here at all and this is to raise money for our chosen charities. It is not to race for personal gratification but to show endurance and personal sacrifice, undertaking an activity that one has trained long and hard over, for the benefit of others. For Jason, this is for Help the Hospices, and for me, Diabetes UK. Our two jerseys hung ready for the ride say it all.
Our start times are 10 minutes apart and the distance between our Yellow and Blue starting pens around 15 minutes cycling. We've heard that the marshals may turn a blind eye to us leaving together, so I risk joining Jason for his earlier start time, in that I could make a mad dash back to the Blue sector before they leave. At dead on 07:45 the gun goes for the start of the Yellow group of riders with celebrities: Amy Williams and Dominic Littlewood and a gate crashing Blue rider, your's truly! Coincidentally, Dominic Littlewood was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes almost 40 years ago and today is riding with Amy and other celebrities in support of Bliss, the charity for premature babies.
At the time of the start, the rain is spotting lightly and all hopes are that the main force of the storm blew over during the night and we'll be lucky. I'm even wondering whether the two hills would be reopened, but as riders had been leaving their pens since 06:00 am this morning, this would be unlikely as they would already be too far around the course. Shortly after leaving the Olympic Park, taking up both lanes of the A12, we see the first of many falls, a sobering thought that one must take extra care in these conditions, as from the sight of one lady's bloodied face, her ride is over before it really began. I've also never seen so many punctures, something Jason and I take care not to talk about until we are safety home again, the 'P' word to cyclists being as the 'Scottish play' is to actors!
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| Head down through the driving rain |
It is not long before Bertha puts in another appearance and I echo Chris Boardman's comments following his ride, the rain fall was truly biblical! At least, I thought, my 2013 AVP 100 miler gave me some experience of riding in such conditions and ensured the bike had mud guards and I was wearing overshoes, a good waterproof race cape and a peaked cycling cap under my helmet - the latter being the best decision of the lot as the mix of salty sweat and rain in the eyes is a painful and debilitating experience!
I could go on waxing long and lyrically over the professionalism of the feed and drink stations, the marshals lining all 86 miles of the route, of the few brave and hardy souls, charity cheerers and public alike who stood for hours in the pouring rain. Of the sorry open and empty parks and fields with lonely and slightly deflated bouncy castles, empty roped off squares and tightly closed marquees that no one would be visiting today. As we pedalled on leaving the villages behind, it was hard not to spare a thought for all those who had put so much effort into preparing for this day and how if the sun had shone, what an amazing carnival atmosphere they would have created.
At the 40 mile Ripley Drinks Station, we are invited into a club house to partake in the various and delicious cake offerings that had been intended for the supporting masses that were expected to be attending. Hot coffee and carrot cake is food of the gods to most cyclists and this is one who certainly appreciated the opportunity that the rain had delivered.
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| A surprise offering at Ripley Drinks Station |
After the coffee and cake stop we have to venture back out into the rain for the remaining 40 mile loop through Surrey, omitting Leith and Box Hills. Prior to moving on, I have one mechanical task to attend to. Having originally selected this stop primarily to change my GoPro camera battery, there was one factor regarding the elements that I had not accounted for. While being able to extract the camera unit from its waterproof case to complete the change in the warmth and dry of the building, high humidity + rapid drop in temperature = fog and this is just what happened as I resealed my GoPro .. it fogged up badly! So, as we ride on I am unable to shoot any film between Ripley and Newlands Corner hub, which is where I'm finally able to source paper towels to remove the misting.
We now make no further scheduled stops, pressing on through Dorking, Leatherhead, Oxshott, Esher and crossing back into London at Kingston upon Thames. Newlands Corner marks a steady improvement in the weather as the rain starts easing and as we start our northerly return to London shadows appear and the sun starts to burn through. About 15 miles out Jason gets a new wind, and storms up Wimbledon Hill as if he's on his way to a fire. I'm now overheating in my rain cape and have to stop to stow it away. Jason by now is a dot on the horizon and so I sit back and take a short "Hamlet moment" ... happiness is a banana flavoured gel under a warm sun - am I showing my age here?
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| Passing the Houses of Parliament |
My final 15 miles are perhaps the best. Reflecting on the ride, the purpose, my mum, the support I've had to get here and the generosity of my sponsors. The sun has also brought more people out onto the streets and ear to ear grins are now being seen not just on the riders.
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| Entering the final straight on The Mall |
Crossing the line at 13:55, 6h:10m after setting off that morning is an incredible feeling such that the only suitable reaction is to thrust my arms into the air in celebration .. only then to have to bring them swiftly back onto the bars to make the double hop over the cable trunking, containing the timing sensors, spanning the road and avoid an embarrassing crash into the crowd. I'm sure the pros don't have that issue!
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| A proud moment outside Buckingham Palace |
Awaiting us, as we feed our way further along the Mall towards Buckingham Palace is a line of greeters with an endless supply of medals. It is their job to place the medal over the completing riders' heads just as you imagine grass skirted Hawaiians would greet you with a garland of flowers. What a great way to end a ride.
