Day 1......
Hills, hills, hills, rain and a few more, slightly steep hills (slightly being a big, fat, lie!)
We started from Nant-y-Finn hotel in Llandsillio at 8am Friday, with a tootle up a gentle hill for a group picture in front of the hills. Lots of banter, smiles and laughter ensued, little did we know......
1st stop was 23 miles away and wasn't too bad, a few steep hills, switch backs as I have now found out they are called, country lanes that felt almost vertical and wound their way up through trees and farms (steepy is nothing compared to these hills) nice break, water and some snacks and we were good to go, i'm still smiling!.
Stage 2 gave us our 1st casualty as Lynne one of the HASSRA riders came a nasty cropper at the bottom of a hill, kerb plus bike wheel resulted in a hefty knee injury (36 stitches worth to be exact), shoulder dented and a cracked helmet-please, if you ride do not ever ride without a helmet!
Then on to the the mother of all hills, a constant, seemingly never ending hill that resulted in me walking some of it, eeeeevil hill.... it would lull you in to a false sense of security by levelling out and pretending it was the end, then starting on up again! Not helped by the fact I had fallen behind my group so was alone for a chunk, convinced i was a failure for having to walk. Then I came across a lovely chap from English heritage called Joe also walking,so we kept each other company, riding some bits walking others until we got to the break stop. I have never been so happy to see a pub in my life! (and those who know me know I always like to see a pub!) Lunch was an odd concoction of pasta salad, ham roll and soup! and i find that most of the riders had walked some of the evil hill too, so I felt a lot better as I had begun to doubt i could complete the ride as I was finding it so hard.
Ross the leader tells us we have some more climbing to do, with a VERY steep climb coming soon to a ride near us! My heart sank, I was almost 50 miles in and pretty sure we couldn't go up any more. As i will mention again later Ross isn't very good at either distance or the severness of hills, he also doesn't seem to know the difference between up and down hill! (all done on purpose i think to try to lessen the fear)
We came out of the lunch stop and, discovered the hill from before lunch hadn't actually ended,
oh. Dear. God!
I just looked at it and shook my head, self defeating to the end, I can't do this! I stopped and stood astride my bike, head down just thinking what the hell have i done. Carl rode past and asked if i wanted him to be Andy and beast me up the hill, i think i just shook my head and said I couldnt do it!
Then a voice from above said "come on Zoe, you can do it"
Nope not god but my 3 nights on shining bikes Owen, Gavin and Dean.
I insisted that I had nothing left in my legs and there was no way i could do it...... these guys were having none of it-luckily for me!
They dragged me up not only that hill but more, eemingly never ending climbs, they rode slowly with me, insisted that I didn't need to get off my bike at all, that it was fine and I just needed to keep going, they fed me energy gels and biscuits and willed me up the hills, they never got cross and i never felt they were helping because they had to but because they wanted to.There was one hill where the chaps got to it first and, Dean and Gav looked up, stopped and got off and walked before I had even got to it, made me feel better. If I'm honest without the team around me I possibly could have given up and, had that happened I would have been so angry and let down by myself.
So now i'm feeling more confident I can do it.
Then the rain started and we hit the hedge trimmers. It seems every farmer in wales had chosen that weekend to trim the hedges, and not just any hedges, oh no hawthorns!!!
So now we have hills, rain and hedge cutters and, that means......
Punctures! 32 to be exact, between 35 riders, that's quite impressive.
But the Brecon Beacons made it all worthwhile, Brecon national parks are amazing, beautiful and awe inspiring. If you ignore the fact I decided riding across a cattle grid was a good plan, (it wasn't), resulting in my wheel slipping and me meeting the floor with a clunk and a slide, head and arm and leg connecting with the ground. Good old Dean came running back to lift the bike off me and check I was ok, a little stunned and for a moment not convinced I wasn't going to pass out, but other than scrapes and bumps I was fine, so we carried on cycling along enjoying the sheep by the road bemusedly watching us. My bike had developed a bit of a strange clunk in certain gears, in fact I found that 2 of my gears i couldn't use without a scary sounding clunk so, i knew i had done something to the bike but, it was rideable.
The view was amazing, gentle undulating hills and scenery that went on for miles. It felt isolated but in a good way, like we were the only people in the world, and that cycling all that way was worth it. The rain even stopped a little bit!
By the time we got to the last rest stop however we were cold, wet and desperate for a drink, oh and my arm had bled everywhere, nice! a nice pot of tea and chocolate flapjack and a bit of tlc from Mark, Alison and Judith and I was good to go, I put my rain jacket on, which was a bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted but, it helped warm me up.
Only 10 miles to go then till home, a little hotel called the George in Brecon. Easy right? Wrong, this is where the punctures occurred, hedge trimmings galore meant that one, by one we fell by the wayside, replacing inner tubes left right and centre.
Mine occurred 3, blinking miles from the hotel! By this time it was p1ssing it down (that's for you Alison) so I'm stood by the side of the road, all the gear and no idea watching as rich changed my inner tube, yay. Then along came bob one of the expedition wise riders to help. (I had told dean to go as he was shivering with cold it was truly awful weather) tube fixed, lets pump it.........
We forgot to get the thorn out!
So tube 2 and we were on our way, but got stuck behind another bloody hedge trimmer!!!
Then bob got a puncture, and it became like some sort of drama movie "go on without me, i will be ok!"
so we did..........
then rich got one noooooooo!
"Go on without me"
So now I'm alone, a mile from the hotel, wet and determined to get back as soon as, i gritted my teeth, put my head down and pedalled like a woman possessed!
I hit Brecon just as the girls were biking to the hotel, perfect timing.
Shower then down for dinner.... For an update on our fellow riders, Lynne-due back, complete with 36 stitches, she would complete the ride but in the van as support (and amazing support she was to everybody!)
Igor who had an argument with a car (it went over him) and rode the rest of the trip with a bandaged knee and a different smiley face picture on it each day.
Everybody was exhausted and, even the experienced riders were saying it had been a tough day. It had also been a lot further than originally stated, i think it was 78 miles day 1 in the end. As we were discovering Ross the expedition leader has no idea what a steep hill is and his mileage is rubbish!
By now my arm is hurting quite a lot, with my bicep starting to stiffen- whoops
Day 2 started so much better, for one it wasn't raining, whoop whoop and, it was only a 53 mile day with 1proper hill. My right upper arm was so stiff that getting dressed was interesting, however once i was on the bike it didn't hurt.
Rest stop 1 was after15 miles of beautiful, rolling Sunday morning ride conditions, the sort of thing I'm used to and, i may even ave managed a few "weeeeee" down the hills (much to Gav and Deans amusement) the rest stop appeared in what seemed like minutes, i think the fact the sun was shining helped. I was really starting to enjoy the ride and, believe that i could do it!
The rest stop was by the side of a river and we had a group picture taken, the sun was shining and the little town was so pretty.
stage 2 had a few short baby climbs but again was beautiful, dean and Gavin took turns with me and I swooped in to the lovely Alice springs golf club for lunch.We had carelessly lost 2 riders who took a "wrong turn" (or a planned detour depending on who you asked!) lunch was pasta, batches and soup again.
Day 2 rocks!
Until........
Ross gives his break brief, there is a hill, and it's comparable to yesterday's pre lunch climb
oh.dear.god!
But, it's only a 12 miler again so, i dug deep and convinced myself i would be fine!
It was a steep, gorgeous tree lined road but have i mentioned it was steep? So I walked whilst Gavin zig zagged up in front of me despite his sore knee. I was so fed up of my calves hurting from my cleats I took them off and walked in my socks, much to Andy the expedition riders amusement when we got to the top.
Break stop was a lovely sight after a few more climbs that I didn't walk but huffed up slowly (well according to my trip computer i was doing 0 miles per hour, which wasn't really possible as i hadn't fallen off!), but as I was one of the last everybody else was ready for the final leg, this resulted in the riders setting off before me and Gav had even stopped, so we didn't really get a break which would prove to be a problem at the end of the day.
we rode off for the Severn bridge and our last bit of the ride in Welsh Wales, it was a nice down hill until we hit Aust
There was a hill up to the Severn bridge and it was normal town traffic, which after the country roads was a bit of a shock, Andy from the crew was behind me as we rode up it, slowly (i could feel him willing me along every turn of the pedal!) then we re grouped and cycled across the bridge.
It's amazing, so huge with a nice up hill to get on to the bridge, it has its own cycle path which meant it was safe to ride and the sweeping scenery was fab, it was fun to ride over,i only wish i had stopped to take a picture!
Once over the bridge it was the final stretch, but by now my neck and shoulders were burning, my arm hurt, I had no energy and my unmentionables were mashed, i really felt as if i couldn't go on,if i am honest i think the lack of a proper stop had really been my down fall. So close to that nights home though Gavin again fed me biscuits as we rode along and chatted away to me so i forgot that i was struggling.
With the help of Gavin and Antonia I rode in to Alveston for our night in a Premier inn, i was so exhausted i ate dinner and then went straight to bed, i had started to write my blog but the WiFi was pants so i gave up!
Day 3
was a day we were dreading, we knew it was a longer day, 70ish miles (remember i told you Ross lies!) and the weather forecast was dreadful, in fact if you listened to some of the other riders we were in for torrential rain and hurricane like winds that would threaten to send us flying off in to the sky like Dorothy on her way to Oz.
So we set off, everybody wearing arm warmers, waterproofs and anything else we could find to ward off the evil weather.
stage 1 wasn't too bad, we knew there was a hill coming fairly early on and, Ross had obviously decided to be more truthful (think he was fed up of the abuse lol) so had said that the hill was after the bridge, it was- we started to climb but due to another riders injury a few of us walked to the top, i have to be honest, it was only 17 miles to the 1st stop but it seemed to go on forever, it wasn't particularly challenging but just seemed longer and harder than before, not helped by the fact my neck and unmentionables were burning with pain. rest stop 1 was closed, so we had snacks and water as usual supplied by the team but no toilets- not an issue for the blokes but for a woman wearing bib shorts not great. unfortunately Gavin's knee injury had become so bad he couldn't continue with the ride to the lunch stop so he had to concede and get in the van.
let me tell you about the van, fans of top gear will be familiar with the consolation car- when they do challenges they always have a car nobody wants to drive that follows ominously and sits waiting for a breakdown, that's how the van was. it drove behind us (well Sean drove it!) and waited at the bottom of steep hills almost as if it was ready to pounce when one of us fell by the wayside!
stage 2 was 22 miles and not too bad actually, a few little climbs and less country lanes than before, we cycled through some gorgeous little villages and, had 1 stretch where the road looked like a drive up to a country manor- and the rain held off! in fact i took my water proof off for a bit so it didn't get in the way. Dean was now also suffering with his knee (and i was beginning to get a complex as both Gavin and dean had ridden with me along the way and were now broken) so we took it nice and steady.
lunch was in a lovely little pub and again batches and soup were the order of the day.
stage 3 was hard, it had started to rain and the first part after lunch was a long, windy climb up to the white horse, we had driving rain and cross winds that whipped the front wheel of the bike and threatened to throw us off if we didn't ride quickly, it was another hill i ended up walking some of (i really wasn't the only one!) but the climb was worth it, beautiful scenery and you could see for miles! i was a bit let down by the white horse, not quite as amazing as i had expected.
Dean was really struggling by this stage but, determined that he wasn't getting in the van we rode on, this bit was definitely a bit hilly but nothing like day 1!
about 2 miles from the break point, in pouring rain his knee finally gave up on him and he had to join Gavin and Lynne in the van, i know that all 3 of them were gutted to not have been able to ride the whole event but, sometimes you have to make the sensible decision that short term gain is not worth the long term agony.
So i was now on my own riding with Andy from expedition wise the last 2 miles to the swan pub which was the last stop before the final stage. there was a hill and i rode it, all the way to the top, then down a fab country lane to the swan, it was raining so hard, and when we reached the stop i discovered that my waterproof was far from water proof!
we had a long stop at this pub as we had strict timings for Stonehenge and, were making good time. Ross told us we were all riding together the final stage, which made my heart sink a little as i knew that meant the front riders would have to wait for me.
when we left the swan Carl was waiting and said that, as i had lost my support crew in Gavin and dean that he would ride with me for support, i did warn him that all the people who rode with me had become injured (thinking about it Lynne rode with me at the start of the weekend, just before she came off!!!!) but he insisted we would ride together. I am glad we did, the ride wasn't particularly hilly but the winds were horrible, i managed to keep up with the group quite well (obviously nowhere near the front!) and the scenery was fantastic, high up looking across the country side. i had fallen behind Carl a little when a Geordie voice said "come on Zo keep going" and i found that Gavin had decided he would ride the last stage, yay! he really is inspirational (as is dean but more on that later) so i rode the last few miles with both Carl and Gavin willing me on. Carl kept switching sides so that the cross winds didn't affect me and, each time we hit a down hill and, could see the next hill he was telling me to "hit it" and "go for it"
We stopped for the final time at the pack horse pub 3 Ross miles from Stonehenge, again this was because we had made such good time, we couldn't get in to Stonehenge until 6pm. This was the only time i saw any of the riders have an alcoholic drink on the ride, we all knew the end was nigh so people were relaxing.
Dean had decided he was riding the last few miles with us, i told you these guys are amazing!
it was actually 4 miles to Stonehenge (of course it was0 and none of them were down! in fact you could see the road rolling up and down in front of you and, i really really had to dig deep to finish those final 4 miles. When we got there, people were waiting, clapping and cheering and the relief and realisation that i had done it meant i cried, because i am soft as!
We waited till dead on 6pm and then went through to the stones, they are amazing, i always though "so what, they're just stones" but they aren't, they are huge and breath taking and i had a real sense of awe at seeing them.
and now we were on the home straight, 2 miles to the hotel, somebody (thanks Joe from English heritage) suggested walking through a field to get back on the main road. It was a safer and quicker option however.......
sheep poo in cleats is not good, it meant i couldn't clip in so, Gav and i ended up behind everybody else, on a busy duel carriageway with Ross behind in the car directing us, it was getting dark, pouring with rain and, cars were coming round Ross and beeping at us/shouting abuse. bearing in mind i wasn't clipped in it was really, very scary.
we came around the corner and could see the holiday inn in the distance, just as the sun was setting, it was so beautiful, i wish i could have taken a picture, it was deep red and threw a red glow across the whole landscape, it felt as if the sun was saluting us after an amazing ride.
we landed at the holiday inn and found that the rest of the group had taken a wrong turn and, as a result we were 1st back!!!!! well there is a 1st time for everything.
This ride has been the hardest thing I've ever done but also one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences of my life. I've learnt how to cycle better, I've learnt to have confidence in myself and i've learnt that, if i put my mind to it i can accomplish anything and that i need to stop self doubting.
I need to train more on hills and, learn to not tense (the cause of my shoulder issues) i also need to not ride across cattle grids as it has caused damage to my poor trek. looking back i wish i had taken more pictures but it was so difficult to stop and take pictures when you are focusing on getting up a hill.
I have to say the group made it, all 34 of them were amazing and friendly, they came from all over the globe (alaskan Liz and Kung Fan from Taiwan!) and were so supportive. And Expedition Wise are fab too, the leaders were patient and the signing was spot on, Ross was great as group leader too even if he needs to learn how to lie better!
I enjoyed every moment, I didn't walk every hill just the really steep ones that others walked too! I met new people who i would love to ride with again (promise not to break anybody next time!) and I do, truly, madly and deeply love cycling!
so, when is the next one??????
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