Day 6 : Crossing The Rhine & The Half Way Point

Day 6 Ride Stats

Day 6 in the LifeCycle House. In the last 5 days we’ve covered over 850km, spent an average of 9 ½ hours a day on the road, in the saddle for 8 ½ of those. I am amazed that I’ve made it this far – there were always those nagging doubts about fitness and/or injury, but so far I’ve been lucky.

We did another 190 today, to take us over 1,000km and the half way point. It will also be 75% more than we ever did in even the toughest week of training. How we can keep going day after day with no preparation of the same scale defies my logic. Of course everyone’s bodies are crying out in pain, but they still keep going somehow.

The route card showed today to be long, but reasonably comfortable. Dan rode with Steve C again today and Lenny and I were left alone. How do you pass that length of time in the saddle in a day? It’s difficult to put it in context. It’s only one day out of 12, and it’s only 10% of the distance.

But on it’s own, 9 hours and 200km is a long way to have to deal with. Not just once, but for 12 consecutive days. Its works you mentally as well as the physical side. And the two combine to work you emotionally too.

I’ve been lucky riding with Dan and Lenny to have a couple of similar like-minded people who like to ride the same way, enjoy the same chat, and seem to know when to turn it off and on when needed. This mornings ride was easy going for the first 65km. It allows you to totally unwind. Who has that amount of time normally to think? We are eating at Old Trafford for example and I didn’t have time to reply to the “what meal?” question when I was at work. Today Lenny and I enjoyed a happy ten minutes discussing the infinite detail of the ideal meal we’d have if we could.

We talk inanely about all sorts of rubbish, and then with no signal, will descend into our own thoughts. You then talk to yourself about all sorts of rubbish too. That’s when you find it hard to keep going. Pedal turn after pedal turn, monotonously for minute after minute. Drafting with Lenny I find myself constantly looking at the GPS – is that km up now? Is it time to switch? It’s all consuming because it’s so tedious. Slowly the km’s get eaten away. 2 minutes becomes 10 minutes, and then 20. Dig deep and remember the things that keep you going! The ones that get you up in the morning for training are useless now, the altruistic ones not much good either.  So it's back to the big personal ones like family pride and hating the idea of personal failure as well as the little ones, like getting each day done.

Don't listen to the Demons telling you why you should stop, focus on the Angels and their positive words - it's actually good that you're capable of feeling so comfortable!!

The combination of extreme tiredness and all this time on my hands is playing havoc with my brain, unable to form even the simplest thought.  I feel like Dory from Finding Nemo – I start to form a list or ponder something really very significant, then a moment later I can’t remember, for the life of me, what it was. And then it’s back. Sometimes. Planning the blog is a good time passer, but I never remember all those classic lines by the time I get here. Sorry, but on the ride I could have you all rolling on the floor in hysterics.

The last 5km towards the checkpoint are a great relief – it’s like you have them hooked on a fishing line and are reeling them in. The legs get an extra surge of energy and we’re in before you know it, milling around the van for a baked potato or a nutella sandwich. Luxury.

After checkpoint 1 and by the time we hit 65km I was thinking that I was bored and finding it easy. Every cafe looked good enough to stop for. And then.... A hill climb. 4km of steady ascent – I loved it. The challenge and change was just what I needed. Now I could focus on pushing myself forward. The next 20km went in a series of fast downhills and steady climbs until we hit the lunch stop. I was elated, and loved the morning session.

Looking at the card – a tough climb straight off the blocks, one later on, then home and free. Well, the climb was tough. Now your mind is working like yesterday on keeping the wheels turning. If you get overtaken, no problem. If you overtake, be careful not to lose rhythm. 3k and 12% later we were there, Lenny, Nick, Chris and I, dying but relieved to be at the top.

And then it all went wrong. The next 40km was a never ending series of steep, long hill climbs in the heat of the day. When I was 10 I went in the sea at home, and realising it was too rough, tried to get out. A huge wave dragged me under, hitting me on the pebbles and dragging me along the sea floor. Just as I came up for air another one hit me and took me down again. And again. And again. Moments away from what I thought was a certain drowning I managed to get free of the waves and get to safety. That is what today was like. All of a sudden I was wishing for the easy roads of this morning but knowing they were now long gone and we had to keep pushing ourselves up the hills until we hit the checkpoint. Evan named them. Death Hill. Big Brother of Death Hill. Etc, you get the picture.

We arrived at checkpoint 3 totally battered by the severity of the hills. Probably no worse, in reality than yesterday, but totally un-prepared for it mentally I found it way harder than St Gotthards.

The one upside is that you are also so focussed on just getting by that the concept of time disappears. Every now and again you’ll look down and realise you’ve done just a km. Others it will be 5km or 10km.

At the checkpoint everyone was in the same boat. Aching legs, suffering in the heat, and desperate to make it home before their bodies caved in. At CP2 Lenny and I discussed a 5pm finish. Now we were just talking about getting there. The time was irrelevant. Amazing how the state of mind can change in such a short space of time because of the pressure on your body. Is this the right way? Is the sign wrong? All sorts of mind games kick in. Riding as a group helps keep you both sane, and on track.

The last 50km were also pretty tough. The route card didn’t do the climbs justice – what could have been a 2 hour ride was almost 3 hours in the end.

We hit a fast A road with cars flying and hooting past us. Apparently we shouldn’t have been there. Luckily we, and Lee and Ian made it to the end before we were stopped. The others weren’t so lucky. Dan and the Weasels enjoyed a short ride in a police van and had their pictures taken. Luckily, no mugshots, just snaps with the surprisingly friendly policemen! Several others suffered the same fate.

We’re home, and we realise why the police are so friendly... their Mayor is here to give us a welcome speech and champagne to celebrate our visit. I skipped mine – saving that first drop for when we reach the sacred walls of the Theatre of Dreams.

So we’re over the half way mark and have a short day tomorrow. Will I be filling my mind with nonsense or will I be surviving? Somewhere in between would be good please Soner.