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| Boarding The Ferry Over The Broads! |
Starting out as a novice Audaxer you quickly work out the rules are simple, ride to checkpoints and either get a stamp/sticker in your Brevet card or a receipt to prove you were there. Get to the end and hand the card in. En route you stop where you want, eat where you want and just ride at a comfortable pace. Yes there are a lot of beards and a few odd balls (no more than on a club run!) Every now and then you meet strange eccentrics on recumbents and Eliptigos but on the whole it's a mixed bag of road bikes. There are dynamo hubs, plenty of traditional Carradice bags and the odd pannier. Smaller bar bags and some of the modern bikepacking frame and saddlebags are also in abundance. Riders have pimped their rides to suit individual needs. Comfort over weight is the general rule. Everyone starts together (except us who never quite get it together and are a few minutes late) and then it fragments like any mass event with riders going it alone and others in ever changing smaller groups. All very friendly and at a pace that is easy. It just goes on longer than the average ride!
Nigel,JV and myself drove up on Friday night and stayed in a Travelodge 5miles from the start. My initial plan of camping was dismissed as foolhardy when there were proper beds available. I had to admit we were making it hard enough riding so gave in without a fight. Steve B had other commitments and had already ridden a 400 recently so did not ride with us. We rode to the start and I wondered if the return route would be so easy after 400km. At the train station we joined a growing line of riders queuing for their cards then it was off without ceremony.
We were blessed with a cloudy but warm day and quickly found ourselves on quiet lanes. The route crossed into Suffolk and through pretty villages and over gentle inclines. All around us were fields of yellow and green and above huge skies. It felt good to be rolling along but I was conscious that there was a long way to go and resisted the temptation to go faster. This was about pacing and not racing. Not sure that Nigel subscribed to this approach as he powered ahead. He kept using excuse of it's just to warm up but JV and I were not buying it. I kept waiting for the Sat morning rush of cars but it never happened. I seems that in this part of the country everyone is on a different time clock. The one that is slower than all the rest. The busiest it got was a man walking with his dog and a couple of horse riders. No complaints as this made riding a real pleasure. Reaching the first checkpoint (only one that was manned) we were told to be careful of timings as most people were ahead of the average speed. I had not noticed but on the brevet card there were time windows for the remaining checkpoints. It was important to make sure that receipt times were correct to avoid possible disqualification. Imagine missing out on a PBP entry because you bought your sausage roll a minute too early!
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| Revived By Fish & Chips And Coke! |
Pushing on it was time to put the miles in and head for the coast at the top of Norfolk. Destination was a chip shop at Wells next the Sea. I have a feed bag on my stem/handlebars which holds my on the go snacks. This is not aero in any way but this is Audax and not TT so who cares. The need to snack without fuss is for me better than trying to open an energy bar on the go. I can see what I have and have discovered that a bag of jelly beans is a great motivator and distractor when it's hilly.
I joked to JV that I could smell the sea and then we came around the corner and there it was. Well there was the quayside and the tide was out which was good enough for me as this meant a proper hot food stop before the night. The chippy was almost full of riders with bikes piled up outside. Bemused day trippers and locals watched as the circus rolled into town. Fish and chips had never tasted so good and cans of coke were piling up on tables. We undoubtedly spent longer than really necessary there relaxing and chatting but as this was no race it did not matter. Legs and heads were glad to rest and the chatter was of how cold the night would be and what to wear. We also charged the Garmins with battery packs, an essential piece of kit for these longer rides. Leaving with gloves on and lights it was into the evening and onwards to what felt like the home stretch. In reality there was still over 200km to go but it felt like we had turned a corner.
Night riding was not a new experience for any of us but on top of a whole day it was going to be a test. The miles flew by and our eyes became accustomed to the dark. It stayed generally warm until the small hours when the temperature dropped and my hands froze. Just as well I had put in a second pair of gloves which saved the day. These are now essential kit. Nigel could not get his temperature right with clothing so opted for ride faster to stay warm. JV and I had the right mix of clothes and layered up when necessary. My recent addition of Nano flex arm warmers has been revolutionary.
We regrouped with other riders at a service station with about 110km to go. Walking in it there were riders everywhere, sitting, standing , shuffling, mumbling, stuffing their faces with all kinds of nutritious food. Ginsters were flying off the shelves and the coffee machine broke down through over use. The hot air blower at the entrance was attracting people like flies. No one was rushing to leave and we succumbed to a food fest before finding the strength to leave the neon sanctuary for the dark. Leaving the group we found ourselves alone again. Just 40km to the next checkpoint in Saffron Waldon. This was a nice low number to focus on and keep the pedals turning towards home.
Just as we reached the outskirts I started to see signs of the Audax 'hotel' being used. It seems that around 3-4am people started to wilt or maybe they were seasoned and wise riders? Every bus shelter had at least one or two bikes outside with their riders dozing inside. One guy was even under a bivi sheet and I am sure I heard a snore as I passed. The final checkpoint was to get a receipt from an ATM? In the main square riders massed and took their turn. A lot were joking about what the organisers would say about their balances. It seemed we were all collectively broke. It was like scene from Hot Fuzz/Zombie Apocalypse and anyone looking out would think they were dreaming. I swear someone said 'Yarp' from the shadows! After this it was 70km into the dawn and the final push for the end. Tired bodies were warmed by the rising sun as the world woke up. This is a magical time with hares in the fields, owls hunting, dozing horses, dew on the grass, and mist burning off the trees. It is a time most do not see but to be a part of it you know you have earned it. It lifts the soul and almost but not quiet massages the legs!
The hills were still there, rolling but enough to remind you there was work still to do. Around a corner and some freshly laid gravel sent us fishtailing and jolted the senses to fully awake. Then the signs for Manningtree appeared and all of a sudden we were back. There is no big welcome just the satisfaction of finishing and being part of an epic ride. Brevet card handed in, a simple well done from the organiser, big cooked breakfast at the station cafe and then a slow ride back to the Travelodge.
This was almost the final straw as neither JV or I had the route and Nigel had already finished and was in bed. Those final miles were hard and after a few wrong turns and me threatening to lie down and sleep on the verge, we eventually found our beds and crashed out for a few hours before the drive home.
ONLY the last qualifier to go, the big 600km. This has a sleep stop half way which will be essential. It is from North East London (Waltham Cross) to just beyond Yeovil and back. Sounds easy when you put it like that or does it? I will pen an account from this once my body and mind heals. I am taking this one step at a time as the thought of 1200 km in 90 hrs for PBP is too scary. It all might sound crazy (that's part of the appeal to go that extra distance) but there is no doubt that any club rider can do this and all should try at least once. For me this is all about 'going nice places and doing nice things' on your bike.
Take the plunge and start with the Dunwich Dynamo in July. You will be left with memories and a hunger for more.
Jon S
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