Last minute advice - 110 miles tomorrow - solo!

FeynmanC

I've started getting butterflies and I woke at 4am this morning listening to the wind and rain wondering what the hell I had decided to do.

At 5am tomorrow i'm leaving my work to ride the 110 miles to head office and I was hoping for any last minute advice or inspiration, checks that I may not have made, etc, before I head off.

I've already raised the £500 that was my target so I've GOT to complete it now.

At least the 20mph gusts are meant to be at my back most of the way :shock:

Yours, in increasing nervousness,

FC

il_principe

Good luck, at least the wind is with you! I'm sure you've thought of everything, just remember to eat before you get hungry and drink before you're thirsty. If your back etc starts to hurt then stop and stretch it out if you can. Lots of pasta tonight and a big porridgy brekkie.

Enjoy.

MonkeyMonster

Banana's

You are one and take some with you.

cjcp

Good luck. And, for God's sake, don't do what I do and tear off at some frantic pace.

Check your tyre pressure. Make sure your mobile is charged up.

Rich158

Good luck, drink little and regularly, and ensure you eat enough at regular intervals. Finishing will give you a great sense of achievement, have a great time doing it.

I'd also make sure I keep a few gels in my back pocket to get me through those last few miles, there's nothing worse than blowing up 20 miles from the finish, take it from me :shock: they were the most painful 20 miles of my life, a few gels would have spared me a world of pain :roll:

may the wind be at your back the whole way

UndercoverElephant

FeynmanC wrote:

At 5am tomorrow i'm leaving my work to ride the 110 miles to head office and I was hoping for any last minute advice or inspiration, checks that I may not have made, etc, before I head off.

Hmmm, that would be 5000 miles for me, probably a bit too far. I think the Atlantic might cause problems too.

Just wishing you good luck. I recommend the SIS boxed sets they sell in Asda, they have many recovery, electrolyte and bar things.

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

Do you have to be in for 9am? A 5 o'clock start might be pushing it, particularly if you allow time for a shower.

secretsam

Riding 110 miles to head office? Surely the cutbacks in your company's internal mail deliveries can't be that onerous?!?!?!

You're f :twisted: ing mad, so don't forget to take your medication.

P.S. Good luck

greg66_tri_v2.0

Il Principe wrote:

Good luck, at least the wind is with you! I'm sure you've thought of everything, just remember to eat before you get hungry and drink before you're thirsty. If your back etc starts to hurt then stop and stretch it out if you can. Lots of pasta tonight and a big porridgy brekkie.

Enjoy.

+1.

For rides of that length, I take 1 bottle of water and 1 of electrolyte mix. I pack in a pocket a small bag of electrolyte powder sufficient to make up a second bottle. When I run out, pull up at a petrol station, grab some water, and presto - two new bottles as you started with.

I also try to eat and drink at a set interval - say every 25 mins. Something ob easy to work out. Takes my mind off the riding, doing sums.

Gazzaputt

Chamois cream

Feltup

Don't forget to look around you and enjoy the fact that you aren't cooped up in a metal box.

If the wind is gusty give yourself a little more room from the curb. Set off at a pace that makes you think you are going too slow, you can always speed up later if that is the case.

Stand up occasionally to give your bum a rest and also to change muscle groups for a few seconds.

Relax and enjoy the ride.

Jay dubbleU

Spare tubes - carb load before you go - best of luck

FeynmanC

Thanks all for your support and advice.

I think I should try and get a few more fuel bars to take, or buy more enroute.

It's looking like staying mainly dry now, but that could all change in the next few hours again, so I think i'll have to dress for all eventualities - so much for riding light :roll:

Only 12 hrs to go now - :?

Kieran_Burns

Stupid question: where are you going from and to?


(and Good Luck! I'd drink so much i'd be sloshing before I left and so doped up on sugar I'd be buzzing....)

FeynmanC

Oops, i forgot that bit :oops:

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=15819

sloboy

is that straight across the Cotswolds ? Nice. But hilly.

If you're not used to those distances, take it especially easy on the hills, they're what take it out of you and if the going gets tough, just think about getting to the next major town, or clicking off the next 10 miles.

I was out for a solo 106 on Monday (first 100+ for a couple of years) and after 45 miles, I couldn't imagine how I was going to get home. So I just kept putting off the Call of Shame to the missus for just a few more miles, and then after about 70, it suddenly all got easier and I was bowling along.

All then went swimmingly until my chain broke with 12 miles to go :x

So there's another one - review that your spares are in good shape, a couple of tubes, patches, levers, mini pump and perhaps a chain tool, connecting links, tyre boot if you have portable versions to hand.

FeynmanC

No chain tools, but i've got 2 spare tubes with me (and just upgraded to Gatorskin tyres), plus some levers and park tools self-adhesive patches...i'm pretty good at fixing punctures after my run of luck with the P*ncture Fairy

I've also got elastic bands and cable ties, to strap things back together or attach things to the frame (or me) if needed.

And, as for the hills - thank god I went for the Defy with the triple and not the Boardman.

MonkeyMonster

So..... how did it go?

CiB

FeynmanC wrote:

Oops, i forgot that bit :oops:

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=15819

You work for Unisys then? That or The Harvester restaurant / pub down there.

Good luck - it's 3:30 ish so you should have completed by now. When you can, post a review of the ride; how it went, best / worst bits, max velocity, worst encounter with a motorist en route etc. At least you had a decent wind to help you along.

FeynmanC

Oh My God! That was fun...noone told me it would be fun...was it meant to be fun?

Friday night I had a quiet evening and 2 plates of pasta and chicken, then was up at 4am to eat a big bowl of porridge before loading the bike onto the car to drive into work.

I left at 5.30 with my pockets stuffed with energy bars, gels and print outs of my route in the pitch black. The £10 tesco 3w torch gave enough light to see my way down the unlit country roads (more on that later).

I took it very easily to start with, not going over about 14mph. It was very cold, especially with the wind coming off the Severn, but the DHB Bibtights did their trick - so glad I got them!

The sun started to come up as I was on my way up towards the Cotswolds and I was treated to several sunrises as I went over crests along the single track lanes.

As someone that's not really dealt with hills much, living on the Somerset plains, I wasn't sure what to expect going up to Wotton-under-Edge and Tetbury, but i actually enjoyed it. I stuck it in the granny ring in lowest gear and just kept on pedalling for as long as it took, enjoying the brief respites as I went over the top before having to dig deep again for another climb.

The views back down on the way up were fantastic, though I only caught glimpses as I couldn't stop or i'd never have got clipped back in again.

About 40 miles in I pushed a bit too hard going up another hill and felt a sharp pain in my knee, so eased off immediately just in time to stop a proper tear in the tendon that attaches to the top of my kneecap. This was actually a blessing in disguise as it meant I had to make a conscious effort not to push too hard for the rest of the ride, or my knee would remind me not to be silly.

I stopped for a bacon sandwich and to refill my water bottles in Bibury at about 9am and was on my way again. All of a sudden I was at 70 miles, and I realised I was past half way and only had 40 miles left...and I could definitely do 40 miles...this gave me my second wind and the next 20 miles were easy.

The last 20, not so easy though as the road was constantly going up or down with roundabouts to get in the way and I'd mentally thought "I was nearly there".

This "nearly there" got even worse as I entered Milton Keynes, with about 10 miles left to go, and the Red Routes were awful to ride on (though preferable to the dual carridgeways.

All of a sudden, I was at Willen lake and I was there - i'd done it!

I rolled up to the door at 2.30 - 9hrs after i'd left, and my computer said i'd been riding 7h55, average speed of 14mph and a top speed of 36.6mph (down a hill in the cotswolds where I made the 30mph speed warning flashing sign light up - I was so proud! :twisted: )

None of my colleagues could believe i'd made it in such good time, and I really couldnt believe it myself. I'd told them I thought I could take 12hrs, but in my head I had a target of 10 at best. 9 hours! So happy with that!

Would I do another one? Yes!
Will I be going it this weekend? NO!!!

I've definitely got the bug though.

Oh yes, the tesco torch - failed to light up again after it had done it's job and i'd turned it off. I now have to give it a sharp tap if I want it to work...but for £10 it really produced a lot of light - plus I still have the receipt, so i'm going to take it back

Thank you all for your support and assistance - i'd not have even considered attempting it without Bikeradar's forums offering answers to the stupid questions and helping me decide the best kit to get.

I'm off to get an icepack for my knee.

FeynmanC

ChrisInBicester wrote:

You work for Unisys then? That or The Harvester restaurant / pub down there.

I had pasta and chicken in The Harvester after i'd arrived - but I work for DHL, who share the Unisys buildings....stalker

Corporate Camper

You will have passed right by my place in Bicester, If I had read this earlier I would have offered a rest-stop or at least a friendly wave and shouts of encouragement.

Well done!

FeynmanC

I may have had a rest-stop just outside your place in Bicester :oops:

Jay dubbleU

Congrats man and yes it is meant to be fun

cjcp

Excellent effort. It's a long way, but, as JDU said, it's definitely meant to be fun.

UndercoverElephant

Congratulations, good effort. It really is quite a buzz when you've finished a long run, and the actual doing it is great fun too.

the article don

Well done. Inspirational, and timely as I'm going to try to cycle 106 miles from Glasgow to Oban via Arrochar and Inveraray a week on Thursday and I feel confident now I've read your tale. Thanks

richara3

Well done mate. I did my first 100 a few months ago now. An over nighter from Linlithgow to Berwick. I loved every minute. Ive got another 100 to do on the 13th. Ive not trained or done more than short 20-30 milers since the Berwick run.... Im not bothered though...just going to take it easy and take it all in.

Well done again ...


Andy

FeynmanC

iainm73 wrote:

Well done. Inspirational, and timely as I'm going to try to cycle 106 miles from Glasgow to Oban via Arrochar and Inveraray a week on Thursday and I feel confident now I've read your tale. Thanks

Good luck to you, and glad my ramblings have been of some help to you after all the help i've got from everyone else.

Do you have a route planned out on bikehike so I can compare your scottish hills to my cotswolds? I fancy visiting hillier places now - I think i've gone a bit wrong

CiB

Superb - well done on an epic ride. Good write-up too - you sounded well buzzed up after it. Here's to the next.

The 30 miles from Bicester to the other end of MK is a bit of a rise & fall type of challenge. At least you had the big downhill ride down the Finmere bypass into Buckingham, and the drop out of Buckingham over the river. What goes down must go up though.

I'm impressed, so impressed I've just entered m'self for the Blenheim Palace 100 miler on Oct 4th. Cheers for this nudge up the backside that got me to do it.

Stalker... I ask you...

Well done tho.

cjcp

Blenheim Palace eh? Nice part of the world. Should be a nice ride.