Arrivée 149 Autumn 2020 by Audax UK

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Arrivee

Into the dragon’s lair

list ce cyc n a t s i g- d zine the lonbers’ maga – K U Audax tion – mem 2020 a associ 49 • autumn 1 Issue

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INSIDE ISSUE 149

Letters 04 Just a Sec…

Cycling shorts 06 The night has a thousand eyes

Accepting with serenity the things that cannot be changed

Let the record show… it was a happy accident 18

Front cover… Clare Walkeden faces down the Mille Cymru dragon – page 32

The masterminds – Lucy’s passion NAETW for plotting your Audax adventures 22 FE U R E Rising to the challenge of Monstrous mountains 24

Slaying the Welsh dragon 32

The dark corners of a cyclist’s soul

Biking bounty – a pheasant plucker’s tale

Corsican climbs and scary chasms

Pride and Joy 44 The Baking Biker 46

There and back again a ride to remember… or forget 48 RRtY awards

Prize crossword 62

48 Welcome to the autumn 2020 issue of Arrivée

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Breaking the Code?

Many years ago, before sitting Maths O-Level* I was required to study logarithms, sine and cosine tables in a book. I’d no idea what on earth they indicated then… and it’s fair to say I’ve managed to struggle through adult life without the need to reference them again – ever. Similarly, the Highway Code was a book I flipped through with vague interest before taking my driving test. It is clearly full of useful information for the road user, but again, I don’t think I’ve looked at the Code since ripping off the L-plates on my old Morris Minor 48 years ago. Did you know, for instance, that on a narrow carriageway, a vehicle travelling uphill has the right of way? No. Me neither. Nevertheless, it was interesting to read recently that there are serious proposals in

the pipeline to amend the Highway Code to, among other things, clarify the rules about cycling two abreast once and for all. One doubts there is a single cyclist reading this who has not experienced a motorist’s rage, at least once, while riding two abreast on the highway. The practice has always been controversial, and quite probably the single biggest cause of conflict between cyclist and driver. But all that unseemly argy-bargy is about to be resolved – in definite favour of the cyclist. Rule 66 of the Highway Code used to say that cyclists are allowed to ride two abreast, but should ride in single file on narrow or busy roads, or when riding around bends. It also says that cyclists shouldn’t ride three abreast or more. None of this, however, was actual law… they were “advisory” rules.

Needless to say, the wording was so woolly, the advice was open to different interpretation… with most motorists believing their understanding to be the correct one, especially when screaming “Get out of the bloody way, you idiots” as they sped by. In July this year the Department for Transport published a consultation document outlining its plans to introduce “a hierarchy” of road users, putting pedestrians and cyclists at the top. We report on the proposals on page 7 in this edition, but in short, cyclists are now very definitely going to be allowed to ride two abreast in any situation, as this is deemed to be safer than the current guidance. Well, that’s all good then… isn’t it? I’m absolutely convinced that every white-van-

man will, from now on, wait uncomplainingly for the opportunity to overtake, giving cyclists an extra wide berth, and maybe even a cheery wave as they pass. Let me know what you think; my address is: Flying Pig Cottage, Cloud Cuckoo Land. * By the way, I’m ashamed to say that I failed Maths O-Level… three times.

Tony Lennox former editor, Birmingham Post and Warwickshire Life, 45 years in regional newspapers

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS… with Caroline Fenton, AUK Membership Secretary A big welcome to all new members who have joined us despite having no events running between mid March and the end of July. I hope you have at least enjoyed reading your back copies of Arrivée and starting to plan your rides. NEW MEMBERSHIP SYSTEM We achieved a major milestone when we moved to our new membership system on July 14th. The main difference for members has been the requirement to log-on with your email address not membership number. There have been a few issues with this – easily resolved and generally happening when members hadn’t realised exactly which email address we had registered for them. If you are having problems please don’t hesitate to contact me at membership@audax.uk ADDING YOUR CLUB AFFILIATION AND DATE OF BIRTH TO YOUR RECORD When you join AUK you don’t need to fill these in – this information is not mandatory. However, to be eligible for age-related awards (including the free brevet 250 badge for under 18s) you need to add your date of birth. Why do we also ask what other cycling club you belong to? This is for our club awards – see audax.uk/results/ annual-awards/club-points/. In PBP qualification periods it also links your results, although by default we will assign you to Audax UK anyway so you don’t need to choose a specific club. To add missing information or update any details just login go to “My account” menu (top right) and choose “Membership details”. AUDAX CLUBS Across the UK there are several local clubs that organise Audax rides, and/or provide a meeting point for Audax members within an area. Some also offer local awards and

also have (in normal times!) a SR (Super Randonneur) calendar event series. You can see some on our website audax.uk/about-audax/local-clubs/. We know that this is not a complete list, so if your club is missing let us know. Note that for inclusion it is not sufficient to just be a group of people from a club who ride events together! HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS Just a quick reminder that household membership gives all the benefits of full membership except a copy of Arrivée. You can now add a household member on line – no need to contact me and wait for a number to be manually assigned, and by the time you read this it will be free for the rest of 2020. So if you have a spouse/partner/ daughter/son/sibling/parent/flatmate who wants to try audaxing, now is a good time to add them to your membership. Just login, go to the “My account” menu (top right) and choose “Household members”. You will need to provide an email address that is different from yours. If this does cause a problem (eg for young children) then contact me and we can sort it manually instead. RENEWALS I very much hope that we will all be looking forward to more of our normal events in the not too distant future, and that you will therefore want to renew your membership – not least to also get four more copies of this magazine! If you don’t already pay by direct debit, but would like to switch across then look out for a notice on the website/forum about this. KNOW A NON-MEMBER WHO MIGHT LIKE A COPY OF ARRIVÉE? If you know someone who might be interested in joining in the future and would like to find out a bit more about Audax, then we can send them a recent copy of Arrivée to whet their appetite (number limited and UK only). Either send me their details or ask them to contact me directly. We offered this earlier during our pandemic shut down and have converted quite a few interested parties to members.

Index of old magazines Thanks to work by a group of volunteers we now have an index to some of the old Arrivée issues. For now (until we work out a neater way to do it!) you will find a link to a spreadsheet on the website page audax.uk/ join-us/arrivée-magazine. When you have opened it you can search in various ways – for example by author, by description, by ride name and by some hashtags such as #lel, #equipment, #rrty. It doesn’t cover all issues yet, so if you would like to have a go at one or more that aren’t on the list then please contact membership@audax” We also have a small selection of earlier issues, which have been scanned from paper copies (thanks to member Robert Fargo) so you can check out what things looked like back in the 1980s and 1990s. www.audax.uk

Just a sec

Letters…

AUK’s strangest season continues but I am pleased that progress on the resumption of events has been made since my last column. We have also made a significant stride forward on our IT Refresh Project.

NO OFFENCE… IT WAS FUNNY Sir, Having just read the letter (Arrivée. 148 – “Who are you calling pathetic?”), I feel I have to write in support of your editorial. I thought the piece was written in good humour and not meant offensively. It was probably the funniest editorial I have read in a bike magazine ever. It was the first thing I read in this current edition. I found myself in sympathy with your views on non-real cycling and while I accept that, especially since lockdown, turbo training has become very popular, important and enjoyable to many people and also that it is useful for training for those with injuries preventing them riding, I am still resisting it and keeping my mileage real. As I am so often out riding my bike in the real world, my skirting boards definitely need repainting! Keep writing excellent editorials. James Davis [Tony Lennox responds: Thanks, James. To be honest, being reasonably thick-skinned, I’ve no problem with anyone taking offence at my opinions. In hindsight, my observations on the use of indoor bikes was probably badly-timed… just as we were all going into lockdown. As you say, I’m sure turbo trainers have provided many Audaxers with a healthy outlet during the pandemic.]

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DAN’S IN THE HOT SEAT

Sir, I took over from Peter Lewis as Events Services Director and Recorder in March this year. Peter has performed these roles admirably for many years and I am sure you will all join in thanking him for his work. I’m also grateful for his patience with my questions during the handover as I appreciate for some time he has been extraordinarily busy with his “real-world” work. My appointment did, of course, fortuitously coincide with the arrival of COVID-19 and very soon events were put on hold which has meant that the majority of the Events Services team has enjoyed a hiatus. However, no such luck for the recorder as a backlog of tasks had built up and the results of the recent membership survey showed that there was some dissatisfaction with the time it was taking to respond to tasks such as multi-year brevet validations, the additions of overseas rides and finalisation of PBP results. I’m pleased to say that I completed working through the backlog of overseas ride claims by the middle of April and brevet claims by the beginning of June. If you have submitted a claim and not heard from me then please resubmit it via the online form or the email address below.

It is also worth mentioning that now is a good time to look through your results to see if you qualify for any multi-year brevets as these are not currently awarded automatically: you do need to send me a claim before you can order medals or badges from Allan in the shop. The requirements can be found on the page https://audax.uk/results/achievementawards/brevet-awards/ or by web search for “brevet award series”. I have also been finalising the results of last year’s PBP. This exercise requires manual checking of the results provided by ACP (which seem to have existed in several “final” forms this time around) and correlation with active Audax UK members by name as AUK numbers are not part of the PBP registration process. Peter had done much of the work and I will have completed it by the time you are enjoying this edition of Arrivée. If you completed PBP last year and it does not appear in your records then please contact me so that I can resolve this with you. For queries relating to brevet validations, addition of overseas rides (including PBP) or other rider record updates please contact me at recorder@audax.uk. For any general Event Services queries please contact me at services@audax.uk. Dan Smith

Covid-19 The gradual easing of lockdown that started in May allowed us to start planning for our own re-start. The first questions to be considered at our teleconferences in June were; do we aim to resume at the same time across the whole of the UK and are we willing to validate some types of events or distances ahead of others? The answer to both questions was yes so we had our starting point. One of the real challenges for AUK throughout has been the need to take account of legislation and guidance across the UK. At a superficial level the measures were moving in the same direction and at similar speeds across the country but the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations have sought to differentiate themselves from each other in the detail. Even if we had not decided to proceed on a one nation basis, the work would have been the same. Following our quarterly board meeting on 8 July we announced that we intended to start validating permanent events of up to a nominal distance of 200km from the 1st of August. This was soon followed by more detailed guidance for those looking to get back on the RRtY treadmill. We also applied a rider limit to each event route for each day based on the restrictions on different households meeting

GRAEME PROVAN, General secretary, Audax UK

outdoors across the UK. Our thought at the time was that this was a simple means of avoiding group permanents becoming quasi events. This proved to be an important decision in hindsight as the UK Government issued detailed guidance on the 10th of July for the return of outdoor events and team sports which was soon followed by similar announcements elsewhere in the UK. By differentiating between small group activities which were clearly permitted across the UK and actual events, we were able to commence activities but, crucially, leave a path clear to a safe and responsible return to calendar events. That path was vital for two reasons; the ongoing availability of our insurance cover and the protection of our organisers. The next challenge arose from AUK’s status. AUK is the national governing body for long-distance randonneur cycling in the UK but its application for recognised National Governing Body (NGB) status remains pending. The guidance issued in England, Wales and Scotland referred to NGBs submitting risk assessments and guidance for approval and, clearly, this was the safest and most responsible path for us to follow but it was not clear how best to do so. Eventually the question was answered for us by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport when they asked us to rely on British Cycling’s guidance with suitable adaptations for our sport. That process has now been approved and accepted by Sport Wales, Sport NI and Sport Scotland. It provides AUK, its

organisers, its members and its insurers with the confidence that we are following an officially sanctioned route towards resumption using approved guidance. As we look to the future and to the resumption of calendar events, it is clear that those events will look different for some time but the only way we can move forwards is to find ways of running events in a manner that feels safe for organisers, volunteers, riders and the general public and gives us as many of the treasured aspects of our sport as is possible. IT Refresh Project Since AUK took Phase II of the project “in house” an incredible amount of work has been going on behind the scenes. AUK will always owe a debt of gratitude to Kevin Lake, Francis Cooke, Dave Allison and Caroline Fenton. Working with our contractor, they have managed to complete Phase II and launch it successfully. Members logging on to enter rides will notice that they are now almost exclusively working inside the new website. Attention has now turned to Phase III and its scope and execution.

being developed by Dave and Caroline. A number of members are already trialling it and the early indications are positive. They are now looking for some help with the migration from Android to Apple. We were also encouraged to see our Financial Director, Nigel Armstrong’s, latest figures and projections. Nigel has been constantly monitoring AUK’s financial position as we navigate through these difficult times. Thankfully, his view remains that we are in a strong position with healthy reserves. At our teleconference on the 14th of August we took the decision to extend the current season from the 30th September to the 31st October. This brings AUK

back into line with other randonneur organisations around the world who follow the BRM calendar. A resolution will be proposed to the AGM to allow members to decide if this change is to be permanent. I hope as many of you as possible are able to take part in calendar events in the coming months or to ride longer permanents. It is important to remember that these events all rely on organisers being willing to run them. Please bear with and support our organisers as they come to terms with the changes and challenges they will have to deal with as they start to open up events.

Board Meetings A great deal of the Board’s time has been taken up with COVID and the IT Refresh Project of late but there is life beyond the pandemic. At our July meeting we looked at possible designs for the next run of brevet cards and these should be appearing at an event near you in the near future. Coincidentally, we also looked at the e-brevet system www.audax.uk

CYCLING

SHORTS

Cycling Shorts is a platform for your news, views and opinions on anything bikerelated. How did it feel getting back on the road after the months of lockdown? Did you spend your days in isolation plotting and planning new routes? Or did you overdo it on the cake and biscuits? Maybe you’ve got something else to get off your chest. We’re keen to hear any of your biking tales, old or new. Drop us an email with the details. We’re looking for all types of story from Audax riders (up to 200 words), with a picture of yourself, too. Contact gedlennox@me.com.

Taxpayer to fund e-bike boom?

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The government is reportedly considering introducing a scheme to promote the sale and use of electric bikes as part of a more general campaign to improve the nation’s fitness. At the end of July this year, roads minister Jesse Norman indicated that a subsidy was being considered to encourage older and less fit people who may be unsure about getting back into the saddle, to buy an e-bike. The vehicles, which can cost anything between £600 and £3,000, can be powered by a small electric motor within the bike’s frame, as well as propelled by pedals. The suggestion is that they will be included in the government’s £2 billion proposal to promote cycle use generally. So far there are no details about the e-bike subsidy, though if it similar to the scheme for electric cars, the taxpayer may pick up the bill for up to a third of the cost. The announcement came on the same day that the government launched a scheme offering bicycle repair vouchers. The website crashed within minutes of the scheme’s midnight on 29 July launch, according to news reports. While demand was expected to be high, the popularity of the £50 repair voucher scheme, 50,000 of which were offered on a first-come, first-served basis, took CS the government by surprise.

OCD claims

This has not been the best year for Audax rides, but if you have been out on your own, cycling in the hills, you may have some cols to claim. So, as you are reading this, now is a good time to review, and submit your claim via the AUK website.

The OCD man, Rod Dalitz CS

A Lockdown SR

Back in March a pessimistic John Irwin, fearing a total lockdown, rented a treadmill and exercise bike before the hire company shut up shop. Roll forward to early April and, although he was clocking up the kilometres on the treadmill, the bike had yet to see any significant usage. Realising it was only a matter of time before this would start to draw comments from his family he decided to do something about it… My first few 25km efforts were hot and boring but, with an industrial fan and streaming music, it was altogether different. I started to appreciate the efficiency of the bike as a means of covering distances I could only dream of outdoors. I started to think about what my standard six hours per 100km with stops might feel like and then if I could do a 200 on it? If I could do a 200, could I do a 300, and if I’d done a 200 and a 300, could I go the whole hog and do a 400 and 600 to complete the set? … once the idea was in my head, the Lockdown SR was on! I was up early on the morning of 26 April for the first leg. My strategy, thinking of longer rides ahead, allowed two hours including stops every 50km with longer two-hour breaks after each 100km. This pattern served me well throughout the series. I even had time, on the longest rides, for four-hour sleeps each night

The Crafty Charlotte upcycles fancy furlough fashion

which was a novelty and a luxury for someone who usually rides in fear of missing the cut! That said, plenty of time was lost from faffing at virtual controls but at least there weren’t any queues. Even though cycling indoors meant no headwinds, rain or hills, I suffered just the same, particularly on the longer two rides which were as tough as anything I’ve experienced outdoors – riding solo and staring at the same wall for 1500km was hard enough, without catching sight of the occasional ‘wall monster’ lurking in the corner of my eye. Physically I’d seriously underestimated just how much time is spent freewheeling in the real world, and this lack of punctuation became more prominent the further I rode – evidenced by the penultimate 50km becoming two 25km legs and the final 50km being ridden over four 12.5km legs! Although I met the challenge, and successfully completed my Lockdown SR, it was probably a one-off, driven by a unique set of circumstances I’m hoping not to encounter again. And, of course, I prefer to ride outdoors and have my rides officially validated. Starting, finishing and remaining at home throughout provided me with easy access to my domestiques, both of whom lasted the event, so thank you, long-suffering wife and daughter.

Like many an Audaxer, ceramic artist Charlotte Stockley found herself with time on her hands during the lockdown furlough – and turned her attention to a pile of old inner tubes. “Being furloughed from work meant that I finally had time to concentrate on all those crafty ideas on my to-do list,” she says. “While I try to patch as many punctured inner tubes as possible, some are inevitably irreparable. Rather than throw the old tubes in the bin, I’m now upcycling them into various items, such as keyrings, dog leads, bookmarks and Christmas decorations. “There’s been a lot of trial and error, and some swearing too,” she adds. “I’ve discovered that different width tubes are good for different uses. My local bike shop has even kindly supplied me with all sorts of odd sizes.” More products are in the design stage. Charlotte is pictured here with one of her keyrings, which was stitched on a sewing machine using different coloured thread, then riveted into place. Charlotte, who lives in Surbiton, Surrey, cycles every day to her studio in Kingston-on-Thames. She rides for Kingston Wheelers and regularly takes part in Audaxes and other long-distance events. In 2017 she cycled a solo LEJOG over 11 days, and also had a couple of memorable years at the Tour of Flanders sportive with fellow members of Kingston Wheelers. You can see other examples of her art at https://folksy.com/shops/CharlotteStockley.

Charlotte Stockley CS

Code to favour cyclists

Major changes to the Highway Code, which will have a direct impact on Britain’s cyclists, are being considered by the Department of Transport. Since its introduction in 1931, the Code has sought to establish a common set of rules for those using the country’s highways. But the grey areas covering priorities applying to different road users – motorists, pedestrians and cyclists – have been the cause of much argument. In July this year the government announced the preliminary results of a review of the document, which aims to provide clarity on a number of points. The review will suggest putting vulnerable road users at the top of a new “hierarchy”. This would include giving those walking or cycling priority over motor vehicles when turning left on to side roads. There will also be new rules regarding giving adequate space for vehicles overtaking cyclists, as well as clarifying the position of cyclists riding two abreast. Under the proposed new rules, pedestrians, in particular children, older adults and disabled people would be at the top of a road users’ hierarchy, followed by cyclists, horse riders and motor cyclists. A Cycling UK spokesman, welcoming the moves, said: “It won’t

Marcia Roberts CS John Irwin CS

Small businesses across the country are coming up with creative ways to promote cycling as a clean alternative to other forms of transport. One example is Aquabio Ltd, a Worcester-based company which is actively encouraging employees not only to come to work on their bikes, but to use them to travel to other sites or to meetings during the day. And Bike Worcester, a group of cycling enthusiasts whose aim is to turn their city into a bike-friendly environment, is set to benefit financially from the Aquabio scheme. The company, which specialises in industrial water re-use and anaerobic digestion, will log the distances covered by employees in the course of their work, and will donate 2.5p for every kilometre cycled to Bike Worcester. Terry McCarthy, Aquabio’s MD said: “The scheme has transformed the way we think about transport. Using a bike to travel to the office, to construction sites or to meetings is now seen as a normal activity, and we’re seeing our team then using bikes more in their personal lives.”

PICTURE PAUL JENNINGS

Firm’s bike scheme benefits local campaigners

Super mum aims to set new LEJOGLE record

remove the need for all road users to behave responsibly, or give priority to pedestrians and cyclists in every situation, but it will ensure that their needs are considered first.” The Highway Code currently contains nothing explicit about motorists turning across a cyclist’s path at a junction. Under the new guidelines this action will be deemed illegitimate. New overtaking rules will state that motorists should give cyclists a 1.5 metre berth if travelling at under 30mph. That width will increase to two metres at higher speeds, with larger vehicles required to give two metres at all times. Cyclists will also be unequivocally allowed to filter through slow-moving or stationary vehicles. One of the biggest causes of conflict between cyclists and motorists – whether or not to ride two abreast – will also be clarified in favour of the cyclist. The code will clearly state that riders are no longer required to ride in single file. There could also be new advice to encourage motorists to look before opening car doors into the path of cyclists – a common cause of accidents. Cycling UK, an independent organisation which has championed the cause of cyclists for 130 years, says the proposals will go a long way to making our roads safer, though it believes the main aim should be to create separate cycle lanes on all roads.

Virtual globe-riders Audax UK member, Andy Rich isn’t a fan of turbo-trainer sessions. When he used to compete in triathlons he says he would begrudgingly do some sets when the roads were icy, or if he was pushed for time. “I would never have considered cycling 240 miles on one,” he says. But when he heard of Scottish distance-rider Mark Beaumont’s plan to ride “Around the World in One Day” to raise funds for the NHS during lockdown, “something clicked,” he says. “It was the challenge I needed. It was achievable, but it was going to be hard work.” A total of 79 riders around the country joined in, each completing 240 miles, and being sponsored by the mile… without a single rider leaving home. The riders set off – together, but alone – at 4am on 14 May, with the aim of completing the ride by 8pm on the same day. “It wasn’t lonely as we were all linked up via Zoom, with guest speakers cycling along with us while telling stories about epic adventures they’d completed,” says Andy. “Fourteen hours later I finished my ride – very tired but with time to spare. I’d raised £750 and eaten my weight in pasta. Would I do it again? I seriously doubt it.” Mark Beaumont’s Around the World in One Day challenge raised a total of £231,000 for the NHS.

John Irwin CS

As we go to press, Marcia Roberts, a super-cyclist mum in her fifties, is attempting to set a Guinness world record for a Lands End-to-John O’ Groats-and-back ride – in just 8.5 days. Marcia, who is riding in aid of the mental health charity, Solent Mind, is on the road and in the eye of storm Francis, a particularly fierce summer storm with gusts of 50mph. We plan to report on the full story of her epic attempt in the next edition of Arrivée. She also hopes to complete a blog during the ride, which started on 23 August, and you read about her ride on her Facebook group. You can also find details of how to sponsor her via Just Giving. 7

CYCLING

SHORTS

Don’t forget the fun

Real life often gets in the way of cycling – and many readers will empathise with Mike Wallis, an Audax member for 27 years who freely admits that work and domestic life has kept him from the saddle for many years. But a recent biking expedition with his children reaffirmed his passion for cycling – not just for the rigorous long-distance challenges, the honours and badges, but just the sheer fun of riding one’s bike. “It’s not the distance, speed, or equipment which matter,” he says. “It is simply riding your bike and enjoying it.” Mike, a 47 year old PE teacher who has worked in Malaysia, London, Egypt, Togo, Lancashire, Qatar and Scotland where he now lives, has been an Audax member since 1993. “Back then I was cycling for Derby Mercury and hanging on the back wheel of the infamous Mick Potts, Graham Moult, Simon Pedley, Keith Mayfield, David

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Phil’s mapping system is way ahead

What happens when you combine some lockdown spare time with a bit of computer wizardry? If you’re Phil Whitehurst, you come up with a new, interactive mapping device allowing cyclists to digitally find the shortest route between two points anywhere in the country. In 2018 Hertfordshire-based Phil, an IT specialist who rides for Four Corners Audax, had worked on a project to identify all the Audax UK permanent controls and their locations, resulting in the creation of an interactive permanents map which is currently located at https://perms.audax. uk. But during lockdown he took his research further. “I was doing some work to make it easier and quicker to either correct existing perm map data or create the map data for new perms,” he says. “I got distracted by something called the Audax UK mesh. This was last updated in 2005, the year Google Maps was born. Online mapping was in its infancy then. The mapping APIs that have enabled RideWithGPS, Strava and many other applications weren’t quite with us, but they weren’t far away.” The eureka moment came when Phil realised that with the control location data of every permanent, he had the basis for a modern online Audax mesh map.

Mikw Wallace CS Howes, David Messenger and Jeff Bowler to name a few,” he says. “The bike was being used very regularly, and I was rushing around all over the place. But life threw up some challenges and cycling took a back seat. For many a year I hardly rode my bike at all. “While I was proud to be on the support team of the legend that is Steve Abraham for his year record attempt, my own cycling was limited to a trundle to work and back.” Nevertheless, Mike was tempted back on the bike this year – for an 11 hour jaunt with two of his children, Ronnie and Shaun, both aged 14, around the “rough stuff” on the Isle of Bute. And this excursion turned out to be one of his most memorable days out on a bike. “I decided to take advantage of the long Scottish

“We had the locations of controls that will have been chosen with the same criteria in mind as those in the original mesh,” he says. “So the question was, how to build on that data to produce an interactive online mesh. “I could just stick with a mesh consisting of the existing known control sequences for each permanent. But that could lead to odd routing where the controls of two permanents come very close geographically but don’t overlap. “I came up with the following rules for the mesh: Each permanent control should be linked to its nearest neighbours; the output should be the list of controls, and for each control a list of the nearest controls that it has been linked to; and for each pair of linked controls, calculate the minimum distance between them. “For parts one and two I turned to Delaunay 3D triangulation. This divided the map into a series of non-overlapping triangles, with the control locations forming the vertices of each triangle – the edges of the triangles being the routes to take. “I viewed the result on a map to see that the mesh had the properties I was after. It did. The controls were only directly linked to their nearest neighbours, and the mesh was nice and uniform. There were a few anomalies, for instance where controls across the

summer days,” he says. “Around the Isle of Bute are nine trig points – small stone pillars on summits, used for surveying purposes. With the children not in school, I thought that the ride might inspire them to embrace the outdoors and ensure they got to breathe some fresh air. “The ascents to the top of each trig meant carrying or pushing the bikes, and it brought back memories of watching slideshows with my parents, Brian and Susan, when I was young. These slides showed my own mum and dad doing lots of rough stuff. The slides also included pictures of my grandad, James Wallis, on top of Scafell Pike with his bike in 1929. “It was a truly cracking day, and the children have since been pictured in the local press with their bikes at the trig points.”

Bristol Channel were linked, but I edited these out, so the mesh crossed via the nearest controls to the bridges you can cycle on. “So now I had a list of controls, the nearest controls they were connected to in the mesh, and the minimum distance of each of those links.” Phil wanted to present a map of the UK showing all the permanent controls. A user would then be able to click on any two or more controls in the country, and the map would then calculate the shortest route between them via the other controls. “Once I understood that the data I’d generated could be transformed into a weighted graph, it became easy,” he

says. “Shortest routes through weighted graphs are a well-studied mathematical problem. I turned to Dijkstra’s algorithm, which is both fast and compact – GPS and Sat Nav use a variation of this algorithm to calculate routes. “It’s still a work in progress, but I hope to see it hosted on the Audax UK website in the near future, as a tool to plan DIYs and long-distance routes, via known control points. The modern mesh doesn’t know about roads, just the minimum distance between neighbouring controls – you’d have to work out your exact route yourself. But it should give you a pretty good start.” Phil has been an Audaxer since 2010, and has ridden LEL, Mille Cymru, PBP, WAWA and the West Highlands among others.

Phil Whitehurst CS

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WORDS AND PICTURES PATRICK DANIEL

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Sheffield-based rider, and novice Audaxer, Patrick Daniel saw tigers in the dark, and mysterious black shapes slithering in the ditches as he sped warily through the Lincolnshire night towards the east, and the blessed dawn. These are his impressions of a long night’s journey to the sea…

IT TURNS OUT THAT 2020 probably wasn’t the best year to join Audax – an organisation devoted to bringing people together. In July I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a long-distance ride of my own. I’ve done the occasional century ride before. Now it was time to spice it up with the AUK spirit of derring-do. Inspired by Ben Connolly’s Voyage of the Dawn Pedaller article in Arrivée 148, I decided an unsupported through-thenight ride would be just the ticket. I pored over the road atlas and my own memory banks to come up with a worthy route. One soon emerged: my home in Sheffield to the coast. Cycling towards the North Sea and the rising sun was appealing. Taking the quieter Trent crossing at Keadby would put Mablethorpe around 100 miles away, so that was settled. Fortunately, the wet spell that had characterised the start of July broke a couple of hours before my departure, and as I rolled out, the setting sun cast long, spidery shadows on to the road ahead. This wasn’t going to be a hilly ride, but the fiercest incline came early – three minutes of handlebar-gnawing up a 1-in-5 stretch of suburban Sheffield. It didn’t get properly dark until I reached Worksop and most of the roads were fairly well lit until Bawtry. But the country east of there is sparsely populated, and leaving the last streetlight of Bawtry behind felt like stepping into an inky pool. I’d only ever used my Dayblazer front light for urban commutes, so it wasn’t until it was pitted against such true darkness that I appreciated what a searchlight it is – and how much companionship it provided, as together we scanned the road ahead for debris and potholes. I loved how riding at night brought a touch of magic to the roads. Around Epworth, scuds of mist passed through my light beam, which picked out a badger scuttling across the road ahead. As I put the flatlands of the Humberhead Levels behind me, the moon rose. It was huge and blood red. I couldn’t see the blades of the wind turbines near the M180, but they were made visible as they swept silently over the moon’s face. I had my first coffee stop at a 24-hour garage in Scunthorpe. I was feeling good and loving the experience. I texted my wife: “Scunthorpe, 1am. Not as bad as it sounds”.

Before setting off I wondered if I would get spooked being alone in the dark. Well, no, but I did feel jumpy. At one point I gave an involuntary and frankly embarrassing shriek of fear. Out of the corner of my eye I saw what my addled brain suggested was a tiger crouching by my left knee, ready to pounce. A splitsecond later I realised it was just bracken and shadows, a trick of the dark. Laughing nervously, I moved on. Some miles later, something very long moved in the reeds in a roadside ditch. I pressed harder on the pedals. A certain staleness crept in around 3am. I wasn’t feeling sleepy – I found the fresh air, exercise and sense of endeavour

kept sleep at bay, but was feeling physically weary. Fortunately the hills, as I hit the Lincolnshire Wolds, broke the monotony, and a touch of blue in the eastern skies heralded the dawn and moved the ride into a new chapter. Very late became very early. My second coffee stop was in Louth, and from there it was flat to my destination. The sun peeped over the horizon as I crossed the Lincolnshire Marsh. Sedge warblers started to whistle and buzz in the roadside reeds. At 5.40am, 175 km and 8.5 hours after setting off, I reached my destination. Mablethorpe is protected by a line of dunes, so I didn’t see the sea until it was right in front of me.

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I sat on the North Promenade and watched the waves, the rising sun made the sea silvery; container ships on the horizon, more wind turbines, lots more. A municipal tractor sifted litter from the sands. A few early morning joggers, walkers and people in mobility scooters passed and said hello. There was a sense of peace, and for me, achievement. So, there I was in Mablethorpe: 5.40am, everything shut and I was getting chilly.

What now? Well, now came the coda to the ride. I now had to pedal back over the Lincolnshire Wolds to join my wife and children in Market Rasen, where they were staying with my wife’s parents (camping in the garden, social distancing and all that). Those 55km were a paradox: a pitiful grovel on the one hand, but quite pleasant on the other, thanks to the fact that the Wolds are such a lovely place to ride – smooth, quiet roads, bucolic scenery,

undulating but essentially benign. When I finally petered to a halt in Market Rasen my family and in-laws had formed a surprise welcome party (they’d been watching my progress via a phone app) and I was met with applause and a bunting finish-line held by my two young children. A much better way to end such an amazing night out.

The sun peeped ❝ over the horizon as I crossed the Lincolnshire Marsh. Sedge warblers started to whistle and buzz in the roadside reeds

❞

I sat on the North ❝ Promenade and watched the waves, the rising sun made the sea silvery Arrivée149Autumn2020

❞

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WORDS AND PICTURES RICHARD BETTS

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Accepting with serenity the things that cannot be changed

NOTHING EVER GOES TO PLAN in life. Life is defined by the setbacks you will face and how you deal with them. You must accept that things will not always go to plan – and that things will go wrong. When I received a letter from the NHS in March 2020 informing me that I was classified as “Extremely Vulnerable” and I should self-quarantine for the next 12 weeks to avoid catching the coronavirus, I was quite depressed. “I’m not ill,” I told my GP. “I go cycling and hillwalking, and I play sport. There is no way I should be considered extremely vulnerable,” I protested. My GP explained that as I had suffered from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2012, my card was marked. We discussed the benefits of exercising, and agreed that I could leave my house for daily exercise which would be a bike ride or a walk. This time served to reinforce my love of cycling and the health benefits which it delivers. Cycling has made my shielding period bearable and sometimes enjoyable. I recently received an email that informed me a fellow Audaxer had succumbed to a similar illness and was undergoing treatment. This made me think about my own story and the outcomes I experienced. My story was not complete. I needed to detail my recovery and return to Audax cycling. There are people, just like me in 2012, who may have a cancer diagnosis or something equally devastating, who want to know what the future holds for them and if they’ll get out cycling again. If this contribution helps just one person then I’ll be content.

Richard Betts was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2012. He wrote an article for Arrivée in 2015, describing how Audax cycling had saved his life. The stamina he’d built from Audax events was a contributing factor in his survival, and his achieving full remission. But the cancer left its legacy on 61 year old Richard’s body. Here he tells of his long battle with the debilitating effects of the illness, his determination to get back to long-distance riding, and the eventual outcome…

I was in full remission in 2015. I’d started driving again and was back at work. Almost as important, I’d got back on my bike and cycling with friends at the weekend. I was slow and had no strength when it came to climbing hills. My friends were patient and spent a lot of time waiting at minor summits while I puffed and panted to catch up. Both my legs were weak after so much time out of the saddle. I thought that once I started putting the miles in, I’d build some strength back into them. There was a limited improvement in my left leg, but unfortunately not in my right. I went to see a neurologist, also a cyclist, to see if he could help. He explained that the lymphoma had damaged my nerves and compromised function to my lower right leg and foot. He recommended physiotherapy but did not offer confidence of success. I met some excellent physiotherapists who persevered with me but had only limited success. One suggested I try yoga and Pilates, which turned out to be excellent advice. A friend told me the story of his first PBP. He was near the end and the spectators suddenly burst into applause. He thought it was for him but when he was overtaken by a one-legged French cyclist, he understood. This demonstrated that my own troubles were minor and insignificant. One thing that I couldn’t ignore was that I found it almost impossible to unclip from my SPD pedals on my bike with my weak right foot. I fitted flat pedals and continued cycling. I also found that I would tire more quickly and after some

longer rides I was exhausted. I decided that if I were to complete an Audax it would have to be a flat one. As luck would have it, my friend Jonathan Greenway was the organiser for the Morley Meander, a 113km ride with only 600m of climb, across Norfolk. I signed up for this ride on the 25 April, 2015. My legs were now a bit stronger and I’d decided to refit my SPD pedals again. This proved to be a mistake. We started from Morley village hall with everybody racing off. I got caught up in the excitement and found myself going far too fast in the peloton. We approached a main road junction and I braked with the other cyclists. As I slowed down, I tried to release my right foot from the SPDs to steady myself when coming to a halt, but nothing happened. I fell, skidding along a fairly greasy road. I picked myself up and carried on, and enjoyed the ride as a solitary rider, cycling at a more pedestrian pace. There was one more episode where I was unable to release myself from my SPDs, this time following a meeting with a pothole while talking to Nigel Shedd and not paying attention. Fortunately, this time I landed on a soft grassy bank. I considered this ride as refresher training after my long lay-off. Jonathan Greenway congratulated me on finishing the ride and directed me towards one of the most sumptuous post-ride buffets I had ever experienced. I didn’t feel too bad. I was back to enjoying Audax events again. I decided to do some more 100s during 2015, a bit closer to home and a bit more challenging

My friends were patient and ❝ spent a lot of time waiting at

minor summits while I puffed and panted to catch up. Both my legs were weak after so much time out of the saddle

❞

NON-HODGKIN’S LYMPHOMA

is a cancer which originates in the lymphatic system, part of the body’s immune system. White blood cells undergo a genetic change and start multiplying rapidly. Symptoms include persistent tiredness or fatigue, and an increased risk of infections. Medical advances have greatly improved survival rates in recent years. www.audax.uk

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than the flatlands of Norfolk. Maybe I was overly optimistic about my cycling future. I started to dream about getting back to 200km events and other challenges such as RRtY and LEJOG. I arranged to do the “Every time a bell rings” event at Evesham on 10 May. This went well apart from a major steep hill that I really struggled to climb with my weak legs. I believed that if I made an investment in a new bike it would motivate me to put the miles in, with a corresponding improvement in my health. In June I took possession of a new bike from Echelon Cycles at Pershore. Tim had built a Van Nicholas Yukon to my own specification catering for my shortfalls. A sympathetic combination of a 50/40/30 triple on the front matched to an 11-32 cassette. I hoped this would help me to climb hills. My next Audax was a 101 km event organised by Mark Rigby, starting from Bushley Village Hall near Tewkesbury. A group of women tried to block the entrance of the hall with their cars. Apparently, they were a group of child carers who were protesting about the fact that 100 or so cyclists were preventing their children using the toilets. This was an enjoyable event in decent weather, but I was amazed how slow I was, compared with the other cyclists. I experienced a few more challenging hills when the route took us into the Forest of Dean. So, one more completed, with the level of difficulty increased. My last Audax in 2015 was a 111km event at Wickhamford, near Evesham on another fine day. I did feel I was holding them all back at times as my weak legs struggled to propel me up the many hills on this route. I was disappointed that I wasn’t getting the strength back into my legs after a summer of cycling. It was beginning to dawn on me that I would never attain the same level of cycling ability that I possessed before my lymphoma, even with my new shiny, titanium bike. Despite this, my consultant said I’d exceeded all expectations with my recovery, but had to be careful that I didn’t push myself too hard. My blood test results showed my immune system was still low, so I had to proceed with care. But I kept cycling

in all weathers and probably pushed my luck too far. In terms of Audax achievement, 2016 was a disappointing year. My consultant was right about my compromised immune system and I was plagued with ill health towards the end of the year. However, I did manage one event on 7 May 2016 at Alveston, near Bristol. This was a lovely route through the southern Cotswolds. I suppose it said something about my cycling ability that I was cycling most of the route with a charming gentleman from Bristol, who was 26 years my senior. I was determined to do more Audax events in 2017. I visited family in Norfolk and managed to fit in another of Jonathan Greenway’s excellent events, the Seething 100, another relatively flat and enjoyable Audax. A pattern was emerging. I found it easy enough to complete a flat 100 but when a few hills were thrown in my weak legs would struggle to apply sufficient power and this could lead to a fairly uncomfortable and less than enjoyable ride. I returned to Alveston in 2017 as I’d enjoyed this event so much. I was feeling good and keen to see if my level of fitness had improved. This good feeling turned out to be ephemeral and only lasted until I met the first major hill. Although I met some lovely people on the ride, and enjoyed the day, I realised there was no significant improvement in my cycling ability. It was continuing to be apparent that I was unlikely to improve a great deal at the activity at which I used to excel. Towards the end of 2017 I again developed a severe chest infection that rendered any more cycling impossible. It took me well into 2018 to recover from this infection. Eventually I became fitter and started eyeing the Audax calendar again. I came up with a plan to enter and complete three 100km events that would progress in difficulty, indicated by the amount of climbing I would need to do. The first was the very popular Warwickshire Wanderer, superbly organised by Jon Porteous in Meriden. I teamed up with an RAF doctor who was able to offer me lots of good advice and support during

the ride. Heartened by a good ride with no problems, I entered the Rollright Rumble, which was a challenging, lumpy Cotswolds ride, starting and finishing at Honeybourne, Worcestershire. The 1,150m climb seemed like a natural progression in difficulty. This event took place on 10 June and was probably the hottest day of the year. I didn’t feel 100 per cent, but thought I’d be fine once I started pedalling. I was wrong. I struggled in the saddle all day but did the mileage and completed the course, though I didn’t get all the information points, so effectively failed. I’d also become significantly dehydrated, and that resulted in another infection, this time a nasty one in my urinary tract which took a long time to recover from. I’d planned to cycle the Gwent Gambol

So what have I learned? Understand one’s strengths and weaknesses. Be sensible and responsible with your own health. It’s the most valuable thing. At the end of 2018, I decided there’d be no more Audaxes for me. Long-distance cycling was having an adverse effect on my health. I decided to concentrate more on golf to get my fix of the outdoors. Yes, I know – sad. I still get out on the bike – distances of 20 to 40 km. There is nothing as good as cycling for getting good quality exercise and fresh air. On a sunny day, down country lanes, with buzzards flying overhead and the scent of spring blossoms it is so uplifting in these troubled times and it takes a lot of beating.

in Usk but this was now out of the question. I went on holiday to Italy to recuperate and reflect on my unsuccessful Audax season. As I looked out at the sunrise over Lake Maggiore from my hotel balcony, I concluded that it wasn’t only my Audax season that had finished prematurely, it was my Audax career. I’m now 61 and retired from work. I’m in reasonable health, although my immune system is still low and I have to be careful about infections, particularly in the winter. I’ve lost the use of some facial muscles and my non-verbal expression has therefore suffered, and I have a permanent limp in my right leg and double vision, which my optometrist has treated with prescription spectacles. Apart from that I’m OK.

It was beginning to dawn on me that I would ❝ never attain the same level of cycling ability that I possessed before my lymphoma, even with my new shiny titanium bike

❞

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WORDS AND PICTURES COLIN BEZANT

Basingstoke rider Colin Bezant had more or less given up on ever completing the Brevet 5000… until he checked his records and realised he’d already done it – by accident. We’re not sure if 56 year old Colin also made an exact record of postride beers consumed, but these appear to loom large in his description of the achievement

At Robin Hood’s Bay on the Pendle, looking a lot happier than I did later that night

Let the record show… it was a happy accident

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The AUK Brevet 5000 is a cycling challenge which requires a Randonnée of 1,200 km or more, a Super Radonneur, a 1,000 km event, a 24 hour team Arrow event, plus other events to a total of 5,000 km, all BR or BRM, and all ridden within a four year period.

Colin is a member of Cycle Club Basingstoke, and an Audax rider since 2002. Many will have seen him in the club’s distinctive pink kit, based on the 1990s Lampre colours. He has completed 15 successive SR series, three PBPs, an LEL, Mille Miglia, and two Scottish 1000s. He’s the organiser of the Cambrian Series permanents and the UK’s first 10,000m ascent 600km Super Randonnée. He was also responsible for over 2,500 meals served at the St.Ives control on LEL in 2017.

COMPLETING THE BREVET 5000 should have been straightforward, with my annual SR series, plus Paris-Brest-Paris, but somewhere along the way I lost track. It was the team event element which mucked it up. An Easter Arrow run had been snowed off south of Lincoln, and I’d kind of lost enthusiasm. When I managed to complete an Arrow, I forgot about the Brevet 5000 as I had a couple of years where I packed on major events and struggled to complete my SR series. It was only thanks to a chance post on a forum in August 2019 that I finally checked back on my records to find I’d completed the Brevet 5000 entirely by accident. Here’s how I actually did it:

JANUARY 2015 POOR STUDENT 200

I hadn’t ridden over Christmas and was obviously still in a fuddled state when I prepared for this. At the start I realised that I did need that broken space bar after all. My Lumicycle light shone brightly into the back of the bar bag instead of shining over

the top. It was a dank January day, which was fortunate as it discouraged faffing and I made it round just before dark.

MARCH 2015 HARD BOILED 300

A magnificent ride through Dorset and Somerset, which gets its name because just like boiling an egg it gets harder the longer you go. After the umpteenth big climb on the second half I passed the Cerne Abbas giant, in need of a fresh cut of chalk, a fading figure that matched my spirits and the remains of my bike’s transmission, shredded by the muddy winter roads and constant climbs.

MAY 2015 SEVERN ACROSS 400

Work had been unrelenting and I started this in a tired state. After a good beginning, where I led the peloton across the Chilterns, I progressively faded and suffered monstrous attacks of the dozies on the way back. At least it was a 400 qualifier for Paris-Brest-Paris.

JUNE 2015 KERNOW & SOUTH-WEST 600

One of my favourite rides, starting from Exeter, passing to the north of Dartmoor and then circumnavigating Cornwall before a second day skirting Exmoor and exploring the Blackdown Hills. I rode most of this in company with John Barkman. My legs were good, we had five hours sleep, shrugged off the night and morning rain and raced each other over the savage hills back from Seaton, probably the only people who have ever made up time on this section. We had time for a beer before his train, and I had time for another one before mine. It had been a risk using a hard 600 as my only chance of PBP qualifying, but it had been a risk well worth taking.

On the 1100 metre Vogelberg with a graident steeper than Honister pass

AUGUST 2015 PARIS BREST PARIS

I set out with a plan to enjoy my third PBP and I did. I got a magic ride to Mortagne, which was a springboard to getting to Brest on the second evening. I had a long sleep there and another at Villaines on the way back, and soaked up the atmosphere, getting the best of the weather. I had a few beers at the finish with John, who had beaten me back by almost a day, riding the fastest ever PBP by a British rider.

MARCH 2016 CAMBRIAN 3B 300

With one of my Dutch friends at Benthuzen Windmill

I’d set myself loads of silly targets for 2016, starting off with what sounded like a brilliant idea for a time-poor Audax rider – get the evening train to Carmarthen on a Friday, ride through the night and get an evening train back on the Sunday. Riding through the night was brutal, not helped by striking something on the A40 and puncturing. I was lucky to find a café open in Lampeter. Then the heavens opened and I battled around the second half in the gloom, managing to get lost on my own permanent, and beat my record for my slowest 300 set on the Hard Boiled the previous year. It was a miracle I finished. The object on the A40 had broken one and almost broken another of one triple set of spokes on my Shamal Ultra rear wheel. How it had stayed intact over 250km of Welsh hills remains a mystery.

AUGUST 2016 EL’S 400

The long break wasn’t intentional. I’d packed on the Cambrian 4E as my head wasn’t in it and on the Tan Hill 600 with 150km to go because of a knee injury. I’d pretty much given up the idea of an SR

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at Bratton, who weren’t expecting so many to turn up so early. The banter was good and the Easter Arrow was back on.

APRIL 2017 EASTER ARROW

We assembled at Basingstoke Station in good time on Good Friday and were blown all the way to March. It was a bit tougher getting to Grantham with rain, wind and some mechanicals but we were still far enough ahead of schedule that we could have a short sleep stop in the services. Through the night we passed some other teams, a couple of teddies and some empty prams as the challenge of riding 24 hours in company wore on, but we were sufficiently well matched and accommodating of each other’s foibles that we were able to have another long stop in Goole before enjoying the last two hours and some pints of mild with our cooked breakfast at Wetherspoons.

JUNE 2017 BRIMSTONE

Start off on the perfect Audax day – Corran Ferry

series until I had a magical ride on my Airnimal through the Jura Mountains south of Basel, Switzerland while on a business trip. That gave me the confidence to plan to complete my three missing rides in six weeks in the late summer. EL’s 400 is a practical route that makes the most of back entrances to motorway services, but is a lot nicer than it sounds. Chichester can be used as a start/finish control which is only 13km from my static caravan in Selsey. It rained a lot in the second half, including a Sussex monsoon with the roads awash. I got lost in Chichester Sainsburys at midnight searching for something to heat up when I got back to my caravan. Not my finest post-ride supper.

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AUGUST 2016 OLD ROADS AND DROVE ROADS 200

Salisbury plain on a windy day. Eight miles per hour in one direction and 30mph the other. My Roberts Audax bike with 28mm tyres coped well with the gravel sections. The ghost village of Imber was a nightmare as half of Wiltshire seemed to be visiting on a rare day when it isn’t closed as part of military training. But I got blown back and really enjoyed my tea at the finish.

SEPTEMBER 2016 FLATLANDS 600

I booked accommodation in Sleaford at 434km thinking that I would ride this on my race bike with tribars to overcome the notorious fenland winds and then noticed the “M” for Mudguards in the instructions. I hastily attached the tribars to the Roberts Audax, which handled well, and found good company for most of the first day, including Steve Abraham for the last bit to Sleaford, on his way to a record for the most miles in a month. The finish was at a pub and I sat outside in the sunshine with a refreshing Caesar Salad as a late lunch. Somehow I had kept my SR series intact.

MARCH 2017 KENNETT VALLEY RUN

I rode the Upper Thames in November, adding to and from home for a bit of fun, and then decided I’d try to put together an Easter Arrow team with a route from Basingstoke to York roughly following my 2009 Dinner Dart epic. Then I came off on black ice over Christmas and badly bruised my hip, spending three weeks on crutches. I would have abandoned the Easter Arrow but Steve Ferry convinced me to continue. We assembled at the start and rode as a group, four strong riders towing quite a large group to a somewhat shocked café

I set off in a fast group, with the strongest of my Easter Arrow companions. Somewhere just after the New Forest I realised that following their pace was foolish (someone waltzed round the route in an unnatural 30 hours), and eased back, finding myself in the company of three others. They were good company, so I towed them into the wind all the way to Exmouth for the pleasure of compensation and others with whom to share the stunning scenery. It was a bit harder on the way back, but the weather was fine throughout and pretty much the perfect way to ride this amazing event.

AUGUST 2017 MILDENHALL 300

I had another go at one of Andy Corless’s 600s, the Pendle, rode with impressive discipline over the North York Moors and then got ground down by a relentless headwind over the Pennines before packing in pretty much the same spot as I had packed in the Tan Hill. I needed one ride for an SR series, and this gentle jaunt around East Anglia was perfect.

JANUARY 2018 BUNNIK 200

I spent a year working in The Hague, so my next Audax was in the Netherlands. My Airnimal lived in the staff bike park at my regular hotel. I took the train to Utrecht and spun around the flattest 200 of my life, including passing the Netherlands’ lowest point seven metres below sea level, with a

Benthuizen Sweet Shop

river towering over us. We stopped at the sweet shop museum in Benthuizen (next to the Windmill). The last 60km was Dutch mountain territory, fighting a merciless headwind. My Garmin was the only working GPS in a group of three so I had the pleasure of guiding the locals home.

APRIL 2018 HEART OF ENGLAND 300

I was a bit nervous about this one. Nearly all my recent riding had been in the Netherlands where the toughest hill was the 10-metre rise in the dunes north of Scheveningen. Now I had the Cotswolds. I towed a group around most of the way and then tired in the last 50km, but it was a fine ride that had been on my shortlist for years and somehow never ridden. I was quick enough to miss the thunder and lightning that gave a spectacular if dampening show for the later riders.

MAY 2018 PORKERS 400

I was even more nervous about exchanging the flatlands of Holland for

the Wessex hills and all of Shawn Shaw’s delightful 20 per cent climbs in the middle of the night. It turned out that Dutch mountains were good preparation for real hills. Fifty kilometres back from Zandvoort into the teeth of a gale is about as hard as it gets. More likely it was working away from home and getting three hard rides a week that helped. Or I was just on a good day. No-one held my wheel and I had a good sleep in Crowcombe followed by a relaxed ride around the last 150km the next day, a little bit of mist adding mystery to the hills. Ice creams at the finish on the hottest May Bank Holiday ever.

MAY/JUNE 2018 WEST HIGHLAND 1000

The last ride to qualify for the Brevet 5000, that second thousand. I started nervously. Unlike nearly everyone else who’d booked accommodation for two nights in Oban, I’d organised youth hostel accommodation in Glencoe and Crianlarich, with an idea of getting a Sunday night sleeper home. There wasn’t

a Sunday night sleeper and I found myself contemplating 520km before my first sleep stop. I found a good group for the first midge-laden night, struggled a bit through a hot afternoon, but made Glencoe to plan. The next day was perhaps the finest ever of my Audax career, the magical roads of Ardgour, protected from traffic by remoteness and the Corran Ferry, on a fine sunny morning. On the Sunday, refreshed by a good sleep and a pizza at the youth hostel, I spun past several riders who had ridden through the night. I finished with one other rider I met on the run into Edinburgh, at Monty’s Bar with its brilliant selection of craft beers, surprised to find myself first back due to my ambitious sleep stops. I stayed for several beers before finding my hotel, unaware that I’d just completed my Brevet 5000. There’d been some epics, some failures, and some dream rides along the way, but that last ride remains the favourite of all my UK rides and a perfect way to finish a Brevet 5000.

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THE MASTERMINDS – by Grace Lambert Smith Organisers of Audax events are the people who work tirelessly in the shadows to provide real challenges for the nation’s long-distance riders. Keen Audaxer Lucy McTaggart fell into event-organising “by accident” – but loves it. In this edition, Arrivée contributor Grace Lambert Smith quizzes her about her passion for behind-the-scenes planning

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Lucy’s passion for plotting your Audax adventures

IT WAS OFF THE BACK of mine and Liam Fitzpatrick’s Audax chats, which we hosted during lockdown, that it dawned on me that I’d seldom read about the wonderful event organisers of Audax UK. Of course, I’ve ridden many events and spoken to them pre-roll out and again when I returned with varying levels of feedback directly correlated to the elevation of their rides. Throughout my few years of Audax so far, it’s always amused me how much assumed knowledge there is when I talk to other people. Of course, I can now relate to that knowledge but there was a time I’d return some bewildered looks as a fellow cyclist rattled off the names of organisers like I was their next of kin or something. In the days of reflection after hearing everyone’s inspirational chat on Zoom, I pitched the idea of some organiser interviews to Arrivée’s managing editor, and busied myself contacting a couple of organisers to get the show on the road. My first port of call was Lucy McTaggart based near the Scottish Borders. Lucy hails from Cambridge, where her cycling career took off. The lovely folk of Cambridge CC took her under their wing when she was just 17 years old. Her route into longer distances was perhaps similar to many others: a few time trials and road races alongside the usual Sunday club run. Sure enough, the pressure of racing tarnished her love of the sport, so her friend encouraged her to come along to what was then called the Stevenage Start of Summertime 200km. “From there I was hooked,” she says. “It was just like being back to old club run days. I finished out 1999 with a few more populaires and then spent the winter plotting bigger adventures for the next year.” The following year, she completed her first SR which at the turn of the millennium

included an extra 500km. She’s since notched up over 400 completed Audax rides including three PBPs. She epitomises a well-oiled machine when it comes to her results and she’s carried this forward in her events. “It seemed like a natural progression really,” she ponders, reflecting on how she accidentally fell into organising Audax events by taking on the Hauxten 200 from Mike Stapleton. “I always wanted to give back rather than taking all the time, and it’s always nice to share your favourite local

Lucy rides St Mary’s Loch in the Scottish borders

By day, Grace Lambert Smith is a freelance copywriter. When she’s not at her laptop’s keyboard, she can be found riding her bike around the Peak District. She’s completed a couple of SRs and a PBP and is looking forward to pedalling her bike across more countries in the not-too-distant future

routes with other people,” she adds. The feeling is reciprocal, she says, as she relishes riding the routes of other organisers. Who needs a route planner when you’ve got Audax organisers, eh? Some of her most cherished roads meander around the Ettrick and Yarrow Valleys, and she’ll often find herself on a pilgrimage to the Tibetan Monastery in Eskdalemuir. “It’s a lovely long, gradual climb and when you turn around to come home, it’s usually a westerly wind bringing you back,” she laughs.

One of the aspects of Audax that sets it apart from a lot of other sports are the stories that come out of hours, maybe even days, spent a-wheel, chasing stamps and collecting receipts. As an organiser, the stress is often compensated for by the flurry of hilarious anecdotes, both during the event and the days after. “The funniest one I’ve had is the guy who uploaded his GPX track back-tofront, and unfortunately for him, he turned up 10 minutes after everyone else had left,” says Lucy. “This meant he set off in the opposite direction without realising until half way around when he suddenly met people coming the other way!” I begin to picture the unfolding debacle that would ensue if I’d have done a similar thing but still find myself bursting into laughter at such a mistake! Despite the occasional and harmless misfortune, organising events boils down to a few simple pleasures for Lucy: “Seeing all the riders enjoying themselves, and it’s always quite heartening when they all come back safely without having got lost,” she says. “All the banter at the finish is great and makes it all worthwhile.” I guess that’s all we want at the end of a ride: a bit of chat, cake (of course!) and to feel content with a day on the bike. While Lucy still plays host to a number of calendar and permanent events, she’s also channelled her energy into mentoring up

and coming organisers over the last 15 years and has been instrumental in creating Scottish Borders Randonneurs alongside fellow local Audaxer Russell Carson. The latter is designed to encourage newcomers to the sport and has a more obtainable award than the traditional Super Randonneur series. Riders set about completing a 100km, 150km, 200km and 300km event within the first 12 months of their Audax career (as opposed to the R1000 AUK award which runs in any given season). “It’s been a bit scuppered by lockdown but we will get it up and running as soon as we can restart, so it may be something to give incentive to all of us to get going again,” she says, hopeful of the August recommencement of events. Lucy’s aim of lifting people out of lockdown with some of her rides appears to be somewhat paradoxical as she discloses she’s struggled with mojo for the longer riders more recently. “Anything over 300 and I find myself getting bored and tired and desperate for my own duvet, so I really want to shake that feeling,” she confesses. “The night time rides were my favourites. I’d love to ride all the way through and see the sun rise just as you finish.” Lucy and her team of merry helpers have a great reputation for organising memorable Audax events. There’s been a full series of PBP qualifiers in recent years and they’re

now building up to another SR series for 2021. If you’re thinking of preparing yourself for some of Lucy’s events, you’d be wise to take on her advice. “You can be 40 miles from getting any help and often with no phone signal, so it’s often about being very self-sufficient,” she warns, encouraging riders to consider carrying an extra snack or two into their saddlebags to avoid running dry. For those with a penchant for an even longer few days in the saddle, look out for the Flamborough Head 1000. She won’t disclose whether it’s due to run in the near future but I for one will be keeping my eyes peeled for it!

I always wanted to give ❝ back rather than taking all the time, and it’s always nice to share your favourite local routes with other people

❞

www.audax.uk

From the Mediterranean Sea to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean – and back, the Trans Pyrenees Race is a 1,500km ordeal of epic proportions across one of Europe’s most spectacular mountain ranges. Aware that his preparations had been less than ideal, Joss Ridley wasn’t even sure he’d finish. This is the story of how he tackled the 2019 race.

Rising to the challenge of

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monstrous

NOT BEING A NATURAL CLIMBER, this race didn’t really suit me, but I’d always wanted to cycle in the Pyrenees, and this would give me a flavour of big unsupported bike races, so I entered on a bit of a whim. The event, at the beginning of October 2019, was the first to be organised by Lost Dot, the people behind the famous Transcontinental Race. My preparation wasn’t ideal. All my training had been focussed on my attempt at Paris-Brest-Paris. I didn’t even have a suitable bike for the Trans Pyrenees as I did almost all of my Audax rides on a fixed wheel bike. Being accepted on to TPR in early March gave me the perfect excuse to buy a new “super-bike”. I settled on a bespoke steel frame built by Jaegher in Belgium. The bike was designed to be somewhere between a road bike and a gravel bike, with a SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset, SWS carbon wheels and finished in a glorious metallic burnt orange paint job. It was stunning. The only problem was it arrived in the UK while I was riding PBP – and only six weeks before TPR. My feet and hands weren’t great after PBP, and I wasn’t very motivated to go out and train, even with the new bike. So, come the end of September, I panicked and went out and did about 500km in the week before TPR, but mostly in the rolling Essex countryside. In Biarritz a couple of days before the start of the race, I was still tired, stressed

THE TRANS PYRENEES RACE

is a self-supported, single stage race in which the clock never stops. Riders plan, research and navigate their own course and choose when and where to rest. They take only what they can carry and consume only what they can find. Four mandatory control points and associated parcours, plus four separate parcours, guide the route from west to east and back again, through 1,500 km of the most remote routes of the Pyrenees.

and nervous. My neck ached and I really didn’t feel in great shape. I met fellow competitors who looked super fit. Some had even shaved their legs! The day before the race, the riders gathered to show insurance documents, make sure our bikes were safe and to pick up our GPS spot tracker. Every competitor had to carry a spot tracker so that the “dot watchers” at home could keep an eye on us and make sure we were following the designated routes and not cheating. Every competitor had to plan a route between these controls and parcours, minimising distance and elevation gain, while making sure we could resupply along the route. After working out my route, taking in the parcours and controls, I was facing about 1,600km with 32,000m of climbing. To qualify for an official finish I had exactly one week to make it back to Biarritz. My plan was to cover roughly 250km a day, and leave 100km for the last day. I felt this gave me enough contingency in case of bad weather or other problems. I had

scoped out potential places to stop for the night, and was hoping to make it to a hotel most nights. At the last minute I decided to take a sleeping bag and a bivvy in case I got stuck in the mountains and had to sleep by the side of the road. All the competitors gathered together to pick up their race cap and listen to the race briefing delivered by Anna Haslock. I was going to be cap number 89 – #TPRNo1cap89 – my first personal hashtag! Looking around the room of roughly 100 people, I realised I was definitely in the heavyweight division. I thought to myself: it doesn’t matter, just go out and enjoy the first few days. I went to bed early, anticipating the 4.30am alarm clock and the imminent start of the race.

DAY ONE: BIARRITZ TO SABIÑÁNIGO 268.43KM, 4,441M

It was still dark and starting to spit with rain when we lined up at the start. We were let off in waves of about 20 people. I was in the last wave to set off – obviously

Joss Ridley is a 44 year old Essex-based rider who runs The Compasses public house in Littley Green near Chelmsford. He describes the pub as the “spiritual home” of the Audax club ACME. He’s been cycling seriously since 1995 but only started riding Audax events in 2018

mountains I was in the last ❝ wave to set off –

obviously the “fatties wave” at the back

❞

www.audax.uk

the “fatties wave” at the back. I promised myself to go very slowly to begin with. Everyone else seemed so strong. They raced off up the first few hills out of Biarritz. The sun came up and I settled into my work, trying to keep everything easy and light. I passed one or two cyclists and was overtaken by plenty more, but I just tried to relax and ride my own race. I’m not built for hills, but I didn’t disgrace myself, and I’m not ashamed to say I got off and walked on some inclines. While recognising I wasn’t in the mix for the win, I still needed a good night’s sleep to be able to go again the next day. The descents were epic – the bike was so stable that I made up some of the time I lost on the up-hills. Strangest story of the day? Someone crashed into a cow and broke their frame. In hindsight, I probably went off too hard, even though I spent some time walking up the steep gradients. It’s difficult not to get overexcited when there are lots of other cyclists around.

DAY TWO: SABIÑÁNIGO TO ALINS 224.85KM, 3,528M

Though not as steep as yesterday, it was relentlessly up and down all day, and the sun took its toll. I got a pinch flat going over a cattle grid. The heat really caught up with me and I had to stop more than I wanted to, mainly for drinks. My hydration strategy was getting a little better as the race progressed, but I was now starting to get into a deficit. But 485km out of 1,600 in two days wasn’t too bad.

… the perfect ❝ excuse to buy a new

“super-bike”. I settled on a bespoke steel frame built by Jaegher in Belgium

❞

DAY THREE: ALINS TO LA JONQUERA 266.88KM, 5,122M

A 4am start, and a puncture at 4.10am. You tend to question your life choices when you’re mending a puncture in the pitch dark. It was difficult to pick your line in the dark, and the descent into La Massana and CP2 was freezing. It took me a long time and two cups of tea to thaw. Then there was the small matter of the 28km climb out of Andorra past “El Pas De La Casa”. It was long. My coordination had

gone and I found it hard to clip in or rest my bike without it falling over. I didn’t get into my hotel until about midnight. It had been a really tough day and I was proud that I kept going considering my poor balance while climbing up to Port d’Envalira. The exhilarating downhills certainly helped my mental state. I had to dig deep to get over Col de Palomere. My feet were playing up, but sizeable chunks of walking certainly helped. My strategy was to keep moving, either on the bike or on foot – and by that stage there wasn’t much difference in speed between the two.

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DAY FOUR: LA JONQUERA TO MOLITG-LES-BAINS 210.41KM, 3,156M

This was supposed to be the “easy” day – a nice flat run down to the coast, over a small headland, get my brevet stamped, and then head back into the hills. Unfortunately, someone had obviously upset the gods as we were faced with 45mph northerlies gusting to 60mph. It was tough just trying to stay upright. The last few kilometres to Cap De Creus was so windy that I had to walk, at one point my bike taking off into a horizontal position like a kite. When I was having my photo taken, my glasses blew off and went over a cliff. Fortunately we managed to scramble down and find them. Control Point 1 (CP1) at Ansó, Spain

Sabiñánigo to Alins… though not as steep… ❝ it was relentlessly up and down all day, and the sun took its toll… The heat really caught up with me and I had to stop more than I wanted to, mainly for drinks

❞

www.audax.uk

Cap De Creus was so windy ❝ that I had to walk, at one point my bike taking off into a horizontal position like a kite

❞

I’d felt a bit sick all day. I was dehydrated from the day before and was playing catch up. The climb up through Oms to La Bastide was pretty good though – it really is beautiful countryside. My feet were getting worse each day, and my neck hurt badly on the descents, especially in the dark. I wasn’t sure I had enough left in the tank to finish. But with 650km left over three days, it wasn’t impossible, even though there was 5,000m of climbing each day. I planned to enjoy my night in Le Grand Hotel in the spa town of Molitg-les-Bains, have an early breakfast and see how I felt.

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I was proud that I ❝ kept going considering

my poor balance while climbing up to Port d’Envalira… the exhilarating downhills certainly helped my mental states

❞

DAY FIVE: MOLITG-LES-BAINS TO CASTET-D’ALEU 184.81KM, 3,701M

Another puncture almost did it for me, but I managed to patch a spare. There was 470km to do in two days – which included over 10,000m of climbing. And this was the toughest start so far. The hotel bed was big and comfortable, my neck was really bad and I was in a Spa Hotel for goodness sake! I told my wife Linda that I was going to spend another night there and then slowly cycle back to Biarritz and try to make the party on Friday night. Linda encouraged me to go and have breakfast, even if I had given up. It was important, she said. At the breakfast buffet I helped myself to everything – about three times! On my third coffee and umpteenth croissant, having watched numerous riders pass me on trackleaders and having contemplated whether I was going to go for a swim first or maybe have a massage, I started to feel better. Before I knew it, I was back in my slightly damp and sweaty top, packed and ready to go. The climb up to Col de Jau was one of the most picturesque of the entire week. A group of TPR riders had gathered at the bakery in Belesta. People started talking about whether they could get back in time. Three or four decided there and then, they weren’t going to make it. Talking to Dan Sparrow afterwards, we both agreed that the fact others were giving up spurred us on to keep going, even if there was only a small chance of

Enjoying a pizza with Michael in Prades, France

book a hotel, but there didn’t seem to be any left on the road ahead. I decided to carry on without a plan. I’d dragged my bivvy and sleeping bag over countless hills so I had to use them at least once. Once I got going, I resolved to get over the last couple of big lumps of the day and then find a suitable place to camp, somewhere before St-Girons.

… The climb up to Col de Jau ❝ was one of the most picturesque of the entire week. A group of riders had gathered at the bakery in Belesta… three or four decided there and then, they weren’t going to make it

DAY SIX: CASTET-D’ALEU TO SAINTE-MARIE DE CAMPAN 176.97KM, 4,229M

us making it back in time. A lot of people had decided to stop in Tarascon-sur-Ariege for the night. Eating a pasta dinner in the Lidl car park, I pondered whether to go on or not. By this point of the day, I’d only done 135km or so, and it was only 7pm – far too early to turn in. Normally at this time of day I’d

Mark Christy came out to cheer me on the Col De Menté. I was so in the zone, I couldn’t even work out if he was speaking English. I thought he was a crazy Basque. All I could understand was my name, so I gave him a thumbs up. It was a fabulous effort by him, and made a big difference to my day. I fell short of my target owing to the rain. I just couldn’t keep anything warm or dry, so had to cut it short before getting hypothermia. But there was still 300km to go on the last day. Just to complete the

❞

course would be enough. A third of the field had already pulled out. I managed to bag the last hotel in Sainte-Marie De Campan but it wasn’t easy to find. When I got there it was all shut up. Eventually, I found a door and an envelope with my name on it. I made so

… sizeable chunks of ❝ walking certainly helped. My

strategy was to keep moving, either on the bike or on foot – and by that stage there wasn’t much difference in speed between the two

❞

www.audax.uk

Climbing up through Mosset on the way to the Col de Jau

much noise that the owner came out. He took one look at me and immediately offered me hot soup, bread and cheese. I can’t tell you how much of a life-saver that was. Looking back, it was the single most important moment in my race.

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DAY SEVEN: SAINTE-MARIE DE CAMPAN TO BIARRITZ 306.15KM, 6,429M

What a last day. More than 300km to ride, 6,429m of climbing (including Tourmalet and Aubisque) and a little under 22 hours in which to do it. Despite intending an early start, I enjoyed a decent breakfast and finally set off at 8am. My legs felt sluggish and the bike felt like it was made of lead. But I soon got into a rhythm on the Tourmalet. It has a formidable reputation, but for me it was the perfect warm up – between 7 per cent and 9.5 per cent all the way up for about 17km. There’s a bludgeoning constancy about it that works for the way I like to climb. Getting to the top without stopping or going into the red, gave me the confidence that I might be able to pull this off if I kept pushing all day. Somehow I’d ridden myself into form and now it was all possible. Having got to the top of the Tourmalet with an average of less than 10kmh, I knew I had to push the downhills, thrash the transitions between climbs and minimise stopping time. I got to the foot of the Soulor having raised my average to

15kmh. The climb up the Soulor and then on to the Aubisque was totally different from the Tourmalet – lots of changes of gradient which I found hard. Having got up and over the two big climbs of the day I was feeling optimistic. The only wrinkle was my phone, which was playing up after all the rain the day before. I use it for navigation, and if I couldn’t follow the parcours correctly, my ride wouldn’t have counted. It was the thing that stressed me out most all day. I put it on airplane mode and turned the screen brightness down to preserve it for as long as I could, but it seemingly died with about 100km to go. I stopped at about 10pm to charge it at a hotel whilst munching on frites. Unfortunately, I couldn’t breathe any life into the phone and I was resigned to trying to navigate using my watch at night, which can best be described as a little vague! Although I was out of the high Pyrenees, there was still the 500m climb over the Col D’Ispeguy into Spain and then back over the Puerto d’Otxondo. Miraculously my phone came back to life for about half an hour which allowed me to navigate around the tricky gravel roads in Spain, but finally died on the downhill after Otxondo but I felt confident I could get back from there. I rode with other cyclists to the finish. It was a relaxed ride in, knowing we had plenty of time in hand. Sharing the moment with other people I’d bumped

into over the last seven days made it extra special. We rolled in at about 4am. Hugs all round, a few tears, and amazement in realising what we had just pulled off. I’ve had some epic days on a bike, but this was a new level. I’d never pushed so hard for so long without needing to stop. I was completely in the moment. It’s one of the reasons I ride a bike. And to do it in the Pyrenees, over some legendary climbs – well, it just doesn’t get better. I finished with two hours to spare. There were only 45 finishers out of a field 107. My final position was 37th after starting time adjustments – six days, 22 hours and 27 minutes. By comparison, the winner did it in four days, seven hours and 28 minutes. I was on a high for about three days afterwards. Biarritz was buzzing and everything felt so visceral. However, the incredible high was met by an unbelievable low for a couple of days when I got home. It took me a good two months to feel normal again. I think the problem was that I didn’t take proper care of my recovery straight after the race which prolonged the time I needed. Plus my knees and pelvis haven’t been quite the same since. Would I recommend TPR to other cyclists? Yes, of course. Would I do it again? I’m not sure. But I’d like to go back one day when I’ve stopped racing and take a little time over the “Route du Fromage” – with a couple of empty panniers and a cheeky bottle of vin rouge.

What a last day… ❝ more than 300km to ride, 6,429m of climbing (including Tourmalet and Aubisque) and a little under 22 hours in which to do it

❞

OTTAVIO BOTTECCHIA

The inspirational Le Geant du Tourmalet at the top of the Col du Tourmalet depicts Ottavio Bottecchia on stage 6 of the Tour de France 1924. In spite of losing time after hitting a stray dog, Bottecchia became the first Italian cyclist to win the TdF, and the first cyclist to wear the yellow jersey on every stage from start to finish. Why he is represented without his jersey (or anything else, save a little hat, for that matter) Wikipedia doesn’t tell but it looks pretty parky to me [ed]. www.audax.uk

Slaying the

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The land of the red dragon, with its mountains and valleys, has a fearsome reputation for cyclists. Chris Pugh tackled the Mille Cymru in 2018 with friend and fellow Audaxer, Clare Walkeden. It was a punishing 1,000km journey over the toughest of terrains – and it left Chris with a deep personal animosity for Pembrokeshire in particular. This is the story of their ride

THE MILLE CYMRU is more than just a bike ride. The route takes in literally thousands of hills – the total ascent being twice the height of Mount Everest. The savage scale of the thing made it, without doubt, the hardest, toughest, silliest event I’ve ever done. My journey here was an emotional one. A few years ago I attempted a 400km ride which I quit through sheer boredom. The mental desolation of not having spoken to anyone for 18 hours just did me in. When my cycling friend Clare Walkeden and I decided to do Mille Cymru I knew we had to do it together – neither of us could have ridden this alone.

Welsh d

Clare has more experience of this type of challenge but even she wondered whether it was actually possible.

FIRST LEG: UPTON MAGNA TO LLANWRTYD WELLS 303KM, 4,500M CLIMB We rolled off at 8am. Everything we’d learned about Mille Cymru had told us that this was going to be hard, both physically and mentally. It was July, so it was also going to be hot. The only way to ride this was to break it down mentally into a section at a time. Ride, sit down, regroup, and off you go to the next section. The miles rolled by – over Long Mynd,

Stiperstones and Red Lion Hill on the first section. Then on to Bwlch Llywn Bank, Llanbedr and the Gospel Pass. Things began to hurt. It was so hot. Other riders were clearly struggling. We’d only done 160km. The third section was mercifully flat, but all ridden in savage heat. By Tintern we’d done 200km. It was 8pm, and still another 100km to go. We rode on into the night with a stunning sunset. I felt privileged just to be rolling along quietly witnessing this sheer beauty. After one final mountain, Mynydd Eppynt, we reached our stop at 1am, with 300km done. Only 715km to go. Sleep was, alas, impossible. I guess that

dragon

Chris Pugh, aged 47, from Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, has been riding Audaxes on and off for 20 years. As well as completing the Mille Cymru, he also rode PBP in 2019. He admits to â&#x20AC;&#x153;going over to the dark sideâ&#x20AC;? from time to time to take part in a number of Ironman challenges. Clare Walkeden, aged 37, from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, has also competed in Ironman events. She did LEL in 2017 and PBP in 2019.

www.audax.uk

in a room of 100 cyclists there’s always going to be a snorer. And what a snorer! Hey ho.

SECOND LEG: LLANWRTYD WELLS BACK TO LLANWRTYD WELLS 320KM, 4,800M CLIMB

Out of the door at 4.30am and straight on to one of the most feared climbs in the UK – the Devils Staircase. It’s not pleasant at the best of times, and even less pleasant after being on the bike for a full day, without sleep. I was already felling nauseous, the body already telling me that it wasn’t happy with what I’m doing to it. Up and over Devils Staircase and into a very remote section of the ride. Clare and I were both struggling badly. It was a very tough 100km leg, especially when sleepdeprived and fatigued. We were saved by the “van of dreams” – a roaming van full of sugary delights and, more importantly, coffee. We felt it had saved our lives. The next stop was St Davids – 500km done, and officially half way. So now we were in Pembrokeshire. Never go to

Pembrokeshire. I could leave this stage blank – erase the horrors from my memory. Never to be revisited. It was the grimmest, most unpleasant, nasty, savage 80km of riding I’ve ever done. I’ve no idea how long that 80km took us. It felt like we were there the entire day, just desperate to escape the misery but unable to do so. Nasty, nasty one kilometre climbs at 15 to 20 per cent, round the corner and straight back down again to the next village by the sea. Through the village and back up another nasty climb, round the corner and repeat, repeat, repeat. I take photos when I am happy. No photos were taken on this section. My soul just left my body. Never have I suffered so much misery on a bike.

THIRD LEG: LLANWRTYD WELLS TO LAKE VYRNWY 315KM, 5,000M CLIMB

An hour’s luxurious sleep later and we were off again – the hardest leg ahead of us. We were both struggling now. Everything hurt. Fatigue was beating us up. Decisions were becoming impossible to make. But we were back in familiar territory now – North Wales.

The first section was a proper tough mountain segment, up into the remote Elan Valley. Once again the van of dreams met us and saved our souls – which were then destroyed again by a real slog. False summit after false summit all the way to the seaside at Aberystwyth. Now it was just 300km to go. We can do this, we said. I have to confess I’ve no recollection of the next 75km to Barmouth. I was gone. Ten minutes sleep in a bus shelter saved me but I was mentally and physically spent by now. We went through places we knew well, and which brought back fond memories for us both – Barmouth, Harlech, Beddgelert, on to the stunningly pretty climb into Llanberis. This was one of our spiritual homes, and we paid homage to Petes Eats, to refuel for the stage ahead. Just 170km to go. Just a century ride left now. Just? Any cyclist will tell you of their first century ride – it’s the mark of being a cyclist. We’ve just done five of them, back to back – in Wales. It’s stuff like this that makes me realise the insanity of this ride. The final stage of the day was by far the hardest of the whole ride – a real shocker.

… the grimmest, most ❝ unpleasant, nasty, savage 80km of

riding I’ve ever done. I’ve no idea how long that 80km took us. It felt like we were there the entire day, just desperate to escape the misery but unable to do so Arrivée149Autumn2020

❞

Riding into the night, with the wind picking up and the darkness hiding the true visual impact of the climbs – just relentless, never-ending, savage slogs into the wind. And now it was raining, making the descents treacherous; our on stalks in the dark, picking our way down off the mountain, with our concentration levels under attack from fatigue. The rain was miserable now. It was 2am and we’d been on the road for 22 hours today. We were cold, wet and tired. But still dreamed of the finish. Lake Vyrnwy finally arrived. Only 70km to go.

FINAL LEG 70KM BACK TO UPTON MAGNA

We slept in wet kit. The hall was half empty, the beds no longer needed by riders who had quit. Those two hours of sleep were glorious. It was still raining when we set off at 4.30am – proper wet, cold, miserable Welsh rain. It soaked us all. Only 70km to go, but it was utterly miserable, soul-destroying, horrible and grim. We rode in silence, too tired even to make conversation and too far

from home to start feeling happy. When we finally reached Shrewsbury, the rain stopped. I watched my Garmin click up from 999.1, 999.2...999.9 as I rode alongside Clare, and sobbed like a baby when it hit 1,000km. Riding 1,000km is just nuts. That’s Audax for you – cycling in its simplest, purest form – just you, your bike and 1,000km ahead of you before you get back to where you started. No high fives or dancing around, just 50 people in a room, tired beyond comprehension, just sharing the moment. We’d done what had seemed impossible. We’d done it together. We got our mug. And a lifetime of very special memories. I ate my breakfast, and then I ate Clare’s. We rode our ride, our way. We supported each other physically and emotionally and we finished with a couple of hours to spare. Many of the 86 riders who started didn’t finish. Sixteen were defeated by the 30 degree heat on day one. Another 11 succumbed to the brutality of Pembrokeshire on day two. Did I mention – never, ever go to Pembrokeshire.

… We’d done what had ❝ seemed impossible. We’d done

it together. We got our mug. And a lifetime of very special memories. I ate my breakfast… and then I ate Clare’s

❞

THE MILLE CYMRU

is a 1,000km grand tour of Wales designed to test the toughest of riders. The route is formed by three rings, taking in the mountains, coastline, hills, valleys, rivers and lakes of north, south and mid-Wales. Starting on the English side of the border, near Shrewsbury, riders must complete the course within 75 hours.

www.audax.uk

Arrivée regular columnist Eleanor Jaskowska continues her frank exploration of the darker side of cycling… and how she learned to find a way to deal with the agonising mental effects of failure

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The dark corners of a

IT CAN BE a delicate balance, being a long-distance cyclist. It’s all too easy to allow yourself to become defined by your sport. When this happens it can be difficult to hold the inevitable failures lightly. Sometimes an unfortunate turn of events might even force us to stop riding – injury, bereavement, a change in priorities or even a global pandemic. What does our love of long days in the saddle, night riding, sheltering in bus stops, tell us about our underlying values? I remember my first big failure: scratching from The Transcontinental Race in 2016. As a relative newbie to longdistance cycling, I’d fallen head over heels in love with this obscure community of like-minded folk. I enjoyed being known by my friends and colleagues as that person who cycles crazy long distances, and it helped me define myself in a way that was independent of my career – a sore topic at the time. When my race went pear-shaped and I started to fall apart from grief, anxiety and heat stroke, it wasn’t just my ride across Europe that had failed – I’d failed. I was a failure. I’d put an incredible amount of pressure on myself to ride across Europe, despite not having very much experience. I’d pushed myself hard in the run-up, but it had also given me a purpose. Having completed my first Super Randonneur series with relative ease I’d allowed myself to think that completing the 4,000km

Transcon might just be within my capability. But, it turned out it wasn’t and now I was back to the 9 to 5 and feeling like a zombie hamster on a wheel. I’d heard about the post-adventure blues before, but never expected them to be this bad. Even though moments of the race had been incredibly uncomfortable, I could remember vividly that feeling of forcing every fibre in my body to reach the top of a climb, and the sense of achievement upon seeing the summit sign. Returning to the office, where I was just pushing documents around a server and updating spreadsheets, I had to update everyone who asked why the TCR hadn’t gone to plan. Re-telling the story of my failure was agony. At each re-telling I would relive those days in Austria where I’d cried five times before lunch. My GP prescribed increasing doses of antidepressants and I was eventually signed off work. My life felt like it lacked direction and it took me about seven months to enjoy sitting on a bicycle again; the resulting lack of winter miles making for a very uncomfortable Bryan Chapman the following year. It has taken me a while to develop a sense of self which is independent of my hobbies, career and other external factors. I thought about what kind of person I was. How far I can ride on a bacon sandwich doesn’t tell you anything about the kind of

person I am. Am I kind? Fair? Optimistic? Well, generally yes, but my optimism has been known to falter at 4am rolling into the final control of the Mille Cymru on the verge of hypothermia. I was back at work and my mental health was being managed by HR like a performance issue. I was surprised that the public sector was unable to come up with a better way to help me return to being mentally well. I decided to change jobs, anything would be better than this. I managed to find something much closer to home and cutting out the 45 minute each way train commute helped me reclaim some valuable time for myself. Being in a new workplace helped me see things from an outsider’s perspective. If things didn’t go well on a project I was involved with, I could identify a bunch of things which were outside my control that led to this outcome. I could see that I wasn’t the cause of these failures and slowly learned to hold things much more lightly. I saw a therapist for a couple of years who encouraged me to think about the values which were important to me, and to pursue activities which helped to move me towards these values. I felt like this was much more effective for me than a goalorientated form of talking therapy. Setting goals wasn’t something I struggled with, but framing everything with values encouraged me to question why I would pursue certain activities. And were these helpful in building the life I needed to

Eleanor climbs the hills of Hirnant in Snowdonia with friends Rose and Sam in December 2019

get well again? This got me thinking, if I hadn’t become interested in long-distance cycling would something else have serendipitously crossed my path? Not many of us seek out randonneuring as a way to satiate some deep hunger within our souls. Might my attention have been captured by a different exploit, one which also allowed me to travel through beautiful landscapes under my own steam? Often, it’s just a chance encounter that gets us into long distance cycling. If it had been a different chance meeting with a different stranger, “it” would be something else. Surely something predisposes us to falling for long days in the saddle? I think exploring my values in this way also helped me navigate the Covid-19 restrictions and the immediate pause on AUK events earlier this year. Yes, riding to the other side of Wales and back again in a weekend is nice, but we were still permitted to explore locally. This felt like such a privilege given the state in many other countries. I also felt incredibly grateful not to have any children to home-school, or worry about how the situation would impact their future education and work prospects. I still miss the physical community. The first evening we were able to meet up in the park as a small group of friends was as restorative as a bowl of rice pudding at 2am. I’m not sure how much I miss the 2am rice pudding though.

I was back at work and my mental health ❝ was being managed by HR like a performance issue. I was surprised that the public sector was unable to come up with a better way to help me return to being mentally well

❞

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WORDS AND PICTURES JOE NORTH

As they say on television… if you’re of a delicate or squeamish disposition, probably best to look away now. While most cyclists tend to give a wide berth to the many dead creatures which litter our highways and byways, Joe North sees them as just another example of Mother Nature’s bounty

Biking bounty , a pheasant pluckers tale To help the novice, here are some handy tips for dealing with roadside bounty:

Lucy McTaggart’s rides ❝ have been particularly

PHEASANT BREAST This is a two minute job. Cut off the wings with poultry scissors. Pull the skin covering the breast away, make a hole and peel back. Slice the breasts off neatly. You can then make “road chicken” pie, or even a curry.

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❞

Bagged… Joe rides on with his mid-week feast, free of charge…

NIALL WALLACE /FIFEING EEJIT

bountiful recently, with a hare on my last Etal-u-Can and three pheasants on the last Long Dark Teatime

PHEASANTS, WHOLE BIRD Pluck the legs and back first to gain confidence, and take care as the skin is thinner than a chicken’s. Pluck the breast. Chop off the head, feet and wings. Make an incision at the throat, and remove the crop and all the organs. This makes a cracking and quick weekday roast. Young and old birds benefit from different cooking styles.

I’VE BEEN PICKING up roadkill for many years. Maybe it’s in the blood… my grandfather was an inveterate poacher with a liking for pheasant, though to be fair, I always stay on the right side of the law. My ancestors are an interesting lot: my great-grandfather, Ephraim Liggins, for instance, was once convicted of “furious cycling”! But that’s another story. All I know is that I’ve inherited an interest in the free “game” that presents itself to the cyclist. Before we go further, my advice would be to pick up roadkill only where it is safe to do so. Consider your visibility to other vehicles, what is visible to you, the traffic and where the animal is positioned on the highway. If you think that you can’t safely pick something up, don’t. Better to go hungry than become roadkill yourself. The likelihood of getting ill from well-cooked roadkill is less of a concern; as long as the animal is not too old or damaged, and the temperatures are cool, it will be fine. You still need to follow safe handling procedures though, as you would for any raw meat you might buy. If it looks or smells too bad, don’t bother. There are many good reasons to pick up roadkill. It’s free, incredibly tasty and will make you a better cook and butcher. When you cook jugged hare, venison stew or pheasant, with lentil and garlic soup, you can dine like Henry VIII in his fatter years… for free. Ethically, roadkill is organic. If you no

RABBIT If you can get over its similarity to your childhood pet, rabbits are possibly the easiest thing on the list to prepare, as the fur usually just peels off. Consider whether they have been run over or just knocked to one side, and any possible contamination. PARTRIDGE Totally worth it. These noble game birds are a delightful meal-for-one. Pluck carefully and cook gently. DUCK These often seem smaller than commercial duck, so adjust cooking times. The down can be hard to pluck, so use a knife. With a blackcurrant and port jus, these make a hearty roast dinner.

longer have faith in the shrink-wrapped packets offered by supermarkets, you can make your own judgement about freshness and provenance, secure in the knowledge that you cycled on the same road the day before. Game will improve your cycling performance, and not just because it is lean meat. Five-times Tour De France winner Jacques Anquetil said: “To prepare for a race, there is nothing better than a good pheasant, some champagne and a woman.” As Anquetil would have agreed, a pheasant in a Carradice saddlebag is the height of Audaxing aesthetics. Finally, you can add several hundred pounds worth of meat to your freezer each year. The casual nonchalance of the Randonneur, accessorised with beard, retro Lycra, steel bike, mudguards, mudflaps, Carradice and GPS brick can only be improved by sandals with socks – and a pheasant sticking out of a saddlebag. At this time of year gamekeepers across the country will, normally, be releasing around 35 million game birds, mostly pheasants. Whatever your ethical position on this, I see it as my personal duty to eat as much from the rich man’s table as I possibly can, while avoiding the expense, guilt or possible criminal record that come with actively pursuing game. According to studies and my anecdotal evidence, roadkill pheasants tend to be most prevalent in SeptemberNovember and February-April, fitting in

HARE This truly wild animal, which can run at speeds of 60kph, is a rare and exquisite treat, although I do mourn each one I find. WOODPIGEON A rich meat, best cooked quickly. I’m not a massive fan so I don’t eat that many.

neatly with autumn and spring Audaxing. If you’re really keen, you could even have a go at “beating” on a local shoot in the winter to keep up your fitness. It is a surprisingly physical day out. I am unable to turn down a good dinner while Audaxing, so have accidentally completed a Roadkill SR. The Two Deer Melbourne-to-London 200 was probably the toughest of these. I lost time butchering a deer near Melbourne, and waiting for a relative to pick it up. Once, near Kettering, I butchered and packed a muntjac deer in 20 minutes. After the CTC Hilly 50k, my friends and I enjoyed a sizeable roast dinner. I also picked up a brace of pheasants on the Elenydd 300, a rabbit on the National 400 and a partridge on the Flatlands 600. My prize was not a badge or another trophy for Four Corners Audax, but a muntjac deer, which I put in my ancient hatchback at 5am, after a night spent sleeping in a car park somewhere near Great Dunmow. Lucy McTaggart’s rides have been particularly bountiful recently, with a hare on my last Etal-u-Can and three pheasants on the last Long Dark Teatime. Game recipes and advice can easily be found in print and online. Honest-food. net and tasteofgame.org.uk are good resources. As regards ageing, game birds can be aged for three to seven days in an outbuilding. In colder weather, I’ve left venison to hang for a few days. Be mindful of temperatures and your home facilities, though.

BIGGER DEER The steak either side of the spine is the best bit so, if you can only take one piece, take these two strips. Few country folk will turn down a sizeable deer so be aware that, unless you phone a friend to pick it up, it may well be gone when you return.

SQUIRREL Unless they’re very fresh, squirrel fur tends to “glue” to the meat and skinning is hard. If you persevere, you will have a surprising amount of delicious, slightly nutty meat.

WILD GARLIC In spring you can often pick up the strong scent of garlic in shady areas. This underappreciated herb can be found, if you use your nose. It’s good in a stir-fry, pesto or, my favourite, wild garlic potato cakes.

MUNTJAC DEER A modestly-sized deer. With a penknife and a few bags the main joints can be quickly stowed in your saddlebag. Tastes like lamb.

FRUIT Wild and long-neglected apple varieties can be found all over the UK. There is plenty of fruit about if you look for it.

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WORDS AND PICTURES PAUL HARRISON

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Corsica is a magical place for those cyclists who love a climbing challenge. It also offers some heart-stopping descents where it’s wise to keep your wits about you – rather than gaze into the cavernous gorges just inches from the road. Regular Arrivée contributor Paul Harrison kept a cool head in his adopted home as early summer merged with the remnants of winter to offer some spectacular rides…

IT’S MID-APRIL and wall-to-wall sunshine, but it’s a nice cool start for the ascent from Lama to Pietralba and then over Santa Maria. My wife Janet and I are off on an adventure – it’s our intention to ride the Asco Gorges to Haut Asco, a mission impossible in the winter snow. A short burst on the busy N197, which can be scary at times, leads to a right turn on to the D47. This is quiet as it’s too early for the tourist season, but it’s late enough for the ice to be gone on the higher reaches. There’s a long, flat, straight stretch, then the road goes over a bridge, narrows, and starts to twist and climb.

Corsican climbs and scary chasms After 20 miles of riding we arrive in the village of Asco, go to the only café that’s open and sit outside with our coffees. Soon the café opposite opens and we suspect they’ve seen us and don’t want to lose any more trade to the competition. Two more customers arrive and there is much photographing of the old horse with a moustache standing in the road with his companion donkey. The donkey puts his head into a plant pot and starts munching. Luckily, it’s only the weeds he’s interested in. We discuss the lack of snow with the proprietor and wonder if there will be

enough to melt and feed the springs and rivers which Corsica relies upon for its water supply. He assures us that lack of drinking water is no cause for concern as they’ve got plenty of wine to drink. He goes on to say that in 1934 they had 2.2 metres of snow in the village. I don’t think he’s old enough to remember it. We continue climbing in the sunlight and it’s about as warm as a good summer’s day in England – just perfect. Occasionally passing in the shade of cliffs or under the trees, I am reminded of just how cold it was in the winter. The road goes over a bridge which, if it were in Britain, would be

Janet stands on the summit of Haut Asco

closed for “health and safety” reasons. The traffic is very light and, wanting the idyllic peace of the mountains to myself (my wife is well ahead of me), I find myself resenting the occasional vehicles that pass. A motorbike roars by and I imagine he must feel superior to the poor toiling cyclist. But his leathers, helmet and engine noise isolate him from the environment. No sun on bare arms and legs for him, no sounds of birdsong nor the rush of the river. The gradient is getting more serious. I have a George Longstaff bike with “Per Angusta Ad Augusta” on the head badge.

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This means “through difficulties to honours”. This Latin inscription is probably an affectionate twist on the motto of the Royal Air Force “Per Ardua ad Astra” – roughly translated as “through adversity to the stars”. What sense of achievement is there in reaching the summit by merely twisting a throttle? But I confess I might consider an electric bike in my dotage. The way gets steeper and what seemed like perfect weather now feels too hot. Fortunately, as we approach the snowline, the temperature drops and the last two hairpins are not so steep. Then suddenly, at 29 miles, we’re at the end of this cul-de-sac road. There are bits of my body hurting that I didn’t even know I had, but I soon recover sitting in the sun eating my

sandwiches. The Alpine-like scenery and temperature is an amazing contrast to the Mediterranean environment below. We’re at the ski station and I’m glad to have made it without having to resort to my bottom gear – the ratio of which is too embarrassingly low to reveal in the pages of this august journal. Descending in a delirious headlong rush through the warm air, it takes some will power (and braking power) to stop and peer into the river gorge far below. The gorge is on the right-hand side of the road now, and much easier to see than on the ascent. The temptation is to look at it as you ride, though this is not recommended as it could result in a much closer view than intended. We are exhilarated by our ride and so add a loop

into the hills via Moltefao and Castifao, thus avoiding the main road we did on the way out. Finally, there’s our second climb back over Santa Maria on the return leg to Lama. It’s 472 metres and this is the total of our Ordre des Cols Durs (OCD) claim for the day, since “a member may claim any individual col or summit only once in one riding day”. Haut Asco at 1,420m is only 57 metres lower than the Col de Vergio, the highest pass in Corsica, but is not claimable because “a mountain top must be a summit, like Mont Ventoux, not just a high point like Alpe d’Huez”. I do love quoting the OCD rules, and quite right they are too, but it does seem strange having such a small claim after a day out like that.

The donkey puts his head into a plant pot and starts munching

The gorge is on ❝ the right-hand side

of the road now, and much easier to see than on the ascent. The temptation is to look at it as you ride, though this is not recommended as it could result in a much closer view than intended

Ascu village

❞

A couple of days later, we decide to do the Restonica gorges, again a cul-de-sac and thus proving that not all my cycloclimbing is simply in pursuit of OCD claims. On the ascent, I’m finding it hard and have to use that low bottom gear. I’m wondering if I’m ill or something and take a rest. Janet catches me and immediately starts the conversation with “I had to use bottom gear – I wonder if I’m ill or something?” This is a relief to me as I know it’s got to be pretty steep if even Janet is finding it hard – she’s very fit. Later, I have a conversation with an old cyclist who is descending. He’s as brown as a nut and wearing a big hiking jacket. I notice he’s on a Dahon bike. Now Dahon have made some good bikes in the past, but this one looks like the sort of thing an

old lady might use to do her shopping. “You must have had to walk”, I say. “Oh no, I rode”, he replies. I look at him questioningly. “Rode in a car”, he explains, “it’s a folding bike, so I fold it and thumb a lift to the top.” This leads to some revised thinking on my part about possible power assisted futures. “You are very crafty”, I say, he replies “Yes, crafty as a fox. I have a

head like a fox. I don’t pay any taxes”. Back in the virtual world, with internet and all that, I do some calculations. Haut Asco (from the first bridge) is 23km long and climbs 1,075m to 1,420m, an average gradient 1 in 21. Restonica is 15km long and climbs 940m to 1,370m, average gradient 1 in 16. No wonder it was tough compared to the Asco.

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In the second in our series about our passion for our machines, we hear from East Lothianbased Peter Main who restored a Graham Weigh frame in homage to his father, an accomplished racing cyclist who died in a tragic biking accident in 1992.

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REBUILDING MY DAD’S OLD BIKE WAS A LABOUR OF LOVE

My father, Len Main, bought his Graham Weigh frame around 1990, built a bike and raced on it until 1992 when, at the age of 79, on another bike, he died in a cycling accident. I inherited the bike together with a lifetime’s worth of his cycling bits to add to my own life’s accumulation. Dad was a keen cyclist all his life; his racing career spanned 60 years from 1932 to 1992 with intervals for WW2, family and work. Over time he was a member of Goodmayes Wheelers, Suffolk Roads, Crawley Wheelers and Ribble Valley Cycling Clubs and was a good rider at all ages. As I’ve aged, I’ve become increasingly impressed with his racing times. He clocked 29 minutes for a 10 mile time trial at the age of Len Main circa 1939 78. I had the frame resprayed in 2005, fitted lots of new bits and added decals to advertise our business, which sparked off quite a few conversations. This was my “best” bike for several years. When I upgraded to a different machine it became my winter bike, but it gradually deteriorated until another renovation was necessary. My thinking was that the renovation should be a nod towards my dad’s memory. It’s also true that I have a large pile of old, random, cycling gear. I thought it would be an interesting project, and I fancied creating a gravel bike. The assembly took a while. It was a

bigger job than expected, and I wanted to get it right. The major problem was that the bottom bracket threads turned out to be badly worn, and kept coming loose. As it stands now, a cartridge bottom bracket is held in place with epoxy resin together with the remains of the threads, but if this fails I have a threadless bracket waiting in the wings. The frame was powder-coated by a local firm, MK2 Powder Coatings, Gilmerton, East Lothian. They mostly work with motorcycle parts but also do bike frames. They did a good job. You can check them out on their Facebook page. The oldest components are the Campagnolo handlebar changers, the Brooks saddle with hammered rivets and the Maes handlebars with engraving; all used by me in the 1960s. Other are mostly from the 1990s onwards, some are new. The first layer of bar tape is Lizard Skins – this was a great deal from a charity shop but I didn’t like it much, I found it too sticky – so I over-taped it with some nice Richie cork tape. The whipping uses ordinary string and is finished with shellac to keep it in place. Clear varnish would also do. As the aluminium seat-post is stuck forever, I had it coated with the frame. It’s my height, so there’s no need to ever move it again. The bolt to hold it in place is just for completeness. The pump was an excellent roadside find. I would like to have bought more of the kit directly from our local bike shop but, in the middle of the coronavirus lockdown, I was reluctant to visit any shops. The plan is that most of the time this bike will used on my turbo trainer and, occasionally, will be taken out and used “off-road”. In East Lothian there are many

It’s a wrap… the whipping uses ordinary string and is finished with shellac to keep it in place

miles of fast, rideable gravel and farm tracks, not rough enough for a mountain bike. With the addition of mudguards, it may also be an alternative winter bike. Would I do It Again? Absolutely not. It was fun, interesting, challenging and, mostly, enjoyable but it was timeconsuming. I want to spend my time riding my bikes and doing other things like going swimming and walking, not spannering away in the garage. However I’m very pleased I did it.

PETE MAIN is a 75 year old cyclist, born in London but these days living in North Berwick, East Lothian. He’s been a member of several cycling clubs over the years, and currently rides with a group of retirees called the BSpoke Cycling Club. He’s also a life member of Audax UK. He raced seriously between the ages of 14 and 21, and again from age 48 to 52. He’s toured extensively in the UK and Europe. He has also been a keen mountaineer, kayaker, sailor and skier. “I’ve completed many Audax and Sportive events over the last 20 years,” he says, “but nowadays I’m struggling with the longer distances. My focus is now on keeping fit and enjoying retirement.”

The aluminium seat-post is stuck forever… I had it coated with the frame

Lost the thread… a cartridge bottom bracket is held in place with epoxy resin

Main picture… Pete tackles the the Wall of Talla on the Southern Uplands sportive

If you’ve got a bike with a back story, or just a machine you’re really passionate about, we’d love to hear from you. Send us a picture of your “Pride & Joy”, together with its story. We’ll happily join you in admiring its style and beauty. Email gedlennox@me.com

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The

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Baking Biker

Fancy a taste of Swedish biscuit with a hint of Bakewell tart? Why not try this tasty, oaty recipe, invented by our very own baking bike, Sarah Freeman â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ideal for a steady injection of energy on a long ride.

SARAH FREEMAN She’s not only a keen cook and cyclist, Sarah’s also an active member of her local Women’s Institute in Lincoln, and she delights in creating delicious and nutritious snacks for her fellow cyclists.

A Scandinavian snack with a dash of Derbyshire tart This recipe involves a mash-up of Ikea biscuits and a Bakewell tart. The Ikea biscuits have a golden syrup flavour that I struggled to replicate at first. But then I decided to try an all-time classic of raspberry and almond to recreate a Bakewell tart flavour – which always makes me think of my times cycling in the Peak District. If you’ve never had Ikea biscuits, it’s worth the effort. The recipe has a high oat content, and unlike a flapjack, contains less sugar, so the energy should be released steadily. INGREDIENTS ● 85g butter ● 200g porridge oats ● 3 tbsp of ground almonds ● 1 tsp of almond essence ● 85g sugar ● 1 egg ● Raspberry jam

METHOD ● Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg, the ground almonds and almond essence. Combine well and mix in the oats. ● In fairy cake cases spoon one tbsp of oat mix, press down well, add a teaspoon of jam and cover with another tablespoon of oat mix. ● Bake at 180 fan/200 or GM for about 10 minutes. ● The raw ingredients freeze well and the baked bites keep for up to five days in an airtight container.

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It’s hardly surprising that for those who tackle the event, Paris-BrestParis leaves indelible memories, some mental and physical scars and many mixed emotions. Across the next 13 pages we highlight the stories of just a few who faced this beast of a ride in 2019.

There & back agaın A ride to remember…

My third day on the ❝ road featured the best of four PBP sunrises… ❞ Picture: Malcome Willis

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There & back agaın

Going west… A glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean in the background

Self-confessed MAMIL, Malcolm Wills decided to test his middle-aged body and mind against the daunting PBP in 2019, and conquered it, despite a brush with karma.

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Here come the Men in… Lycra

PBP SEEMED IMPOSSIBLY DAUNTING when the longest ride I’d ever done was the Dunwich Dynamo. Having reached the age of 56 in 2019, it felt like it was time to face the challenge. Apparently, some happygo-lucky people simply turn up and ride, with little preparation. I’m not one of them. Eight months before the start, I prepared like crazy. With man and bike ready, I set off for Rambouillet – a 200km ride from Dieppe as a warm up. It is fair to say that I was a member of the most common demographic at the pre-ride swarm of MAMILS (MiddleAged Men In Lycra). The preparation was over, and the adventure was about to begin. Brevet card stamped, then it was out through the park gates and on to the open roads, heading into the sunset. Peloton “night trains” sped me to the first rest stop at Mortagne-au-Perche an hour quicker than planned. Soup and pasta, then onwards. More night trains. A rider complained that my rear light was too bright. While resting by a

church I noticed several lights fail the bounce test over a rare pothole. Did I pick up some bad karma because I failed to warn other riders? After getting my brevet card stamped at the Villaines control, I rode on as dawn arrived – then a crash! Entering Loupfougères, riding twoabreast while overtaking another rider, my companion came too close so I pulled across the centre line – except it wasn’t a line. The white paint had been replaced by a “traffic-calming” cobbled ridge.

Job half done… Crossing the gossamer-strung bridge in the early morning light

The bike disappeared from under me. After the initial shock I was relieved to find only minor grazing to my right hip. An elderly man shouted: “Dangereux!” He explained that I was the second rider to crash here. He’d warned the council about the hazard, he said. Thanks a lot! Roadside supporters were now waving Breton flags. The riding was dominated by the headwind, characterised in some accounts of PBP 2019 as “brutal” but no match for the

worst of the Fenlands. At the Tinténiac control the entertainment included Breton dancing. I was tempted to join in, but my legs were not. The stage to Loudeac included the first of my hotel stops, only 1km off the route but I got lost, riding an unnecessary 3km rather slowly. I set the alarm and slept deeply. The whole stop took 2 hours 40 minutes for one hour’s sleep. Not efficient. I’d woken with a very sore wrist. This was a delayed effect of the crash, caused by lying still while sleeping. Resuming movement on the bike helped but it was still tender when I arrived at the Loudéac control. The medical centre dispensed an icepack and antiinflammatory gel which improved things. I rode the hilly stage to Carhaix-Plouger in the middle of the second night. The Carhaix control was full of sleeping riders. I put my head on the table, setting the alarm for 15 minutes. Then, into the small hours, I joined a group of British riders on a winding section between towering wooded ridges. As the road ramped up, I felt an unexpected burst of energy and kicked away from the group for a magical stretch of night-climbing. The elation dissipated with another 7km of climbing on a nasty dual carriageway, where the first lorries of the day were

appearing. Exhaustion was setting in, every pedal stroke wearier than the last. I’d been underway for 36 hours and had slept for just over one hour. Brest meant turning round and cycling the same distance back. This could have been disheartening, but I found it motivating that the iconic signs I’d been following for 37 hours were now directing me to Paris. The stage back to Carhaix was the hilliest of the route, but it felt easier than expected. I braved a 15-minute nap on a comfy grass verge, and was in and out of Loudéac in less than five minutes, pleased to have a three-hour buffer as I ventured into the third night. Talking can be a good defence against tiredness and I was grateful to meet a Yorkshire rider. We chatted about the Paris-Brest pastry and the encouraging sign I’d seen yesterday; “Paris-Brest, C’est du Gateau” – it’s a piece of cake! I spent an hour at the Fougères control, ostensibly

The dorm at Mortagne… which was the biggest I visited and deserted at 8pm

being sociable. The reality was, after 62 hours with only four hours sleep, I was putting off getting back on my bike. I left at 10am, my buffer diminished. I latched on to one of the few trains available. It was a struggle to maintain concentration for group riding but I arrived at Villaines-LaJuhel with my buffer restored. Villaines is famous for embracing the PBP spirit and was living up to its reputation that sunny August afternoon. The main street was lined with spectators. With 200km to go,

Flying the flag… The requisite official shot with me wearing my Audax Club Hackney shirt

the ride felt doable again. It was mid-afternoon and 25 degrees warmer than it had been on the previous morning. An excellent pop-up at Mamers had dark chocolate and fresh orange segments. I ate a fair amount, rather messily. But fatigue stalked me as I approached Mortagne. I was pleased, however, to arrive seven hours ahead of schedule. The next stage to Dreux was cold again. My front lights were low on power. The final control seemed to take forever to arrive. The effect of 80 hours on the road was evident from the deterioration in my capacity to speak French and do basic calculations involving times and distances. However, I was clear I wanted to leave Dreux early enough to avoid crowds of other incompetently tired cyclists on the final stage. So I left at 5am and enjoyed two hours of near-solitude until daybreak.

Then I was cycling into the park and past the chateau for the final kilometre of the ride. It felt unreal. Some early risers peeped out of campervans as I completed the short climb to the Bergerie Nationale. A handful of people clapped me through the PBP arch and into the courtyard, where someone had decided it would be amusing to make exhausted cyclists do a circuit of rustic cobbles before crossing the timing mat. A cheery man presented me with a satisfyingly heavy medal and a final stamp in the brevet card. I took selfies and composed a message of thanks to everyone and everything and posted it with my ride details online. My time was 83 hours and 35 minutes. I’d spent a quarter of this off the bike, including a fragmented seven hours of sleep. Incredibly, I arrived at Rambouillet three minutes before my planned time. ●

The long trek home… As the day faded I joined the stream of cyclists drifting away, like an army after a battle

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There & back agaın Energetic 33 year old rider Mark Kowalski had enough left in his tank to execute a BMX-style leap as he crossed the finish line in this summer’s Paris-BrestParis… but his abiding memory of the ride was the incredible international camaraderie of the road. Here’s his account of an outstanding experience

Tent finished, yes ’tis… Mark and Daves in the finishers’ tent

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Crowds, courage and comradeship

MY TWO COMRADES and I camped at a site a few kilometres from the start of the event. It was the culmination of a year of preparation, during which time David Tobin, Dave Brown and I had become good friends. This friendship and camaraderie was built on the trials and adversity of the qualifiers, culminating in plenty of pre-ride banter and giddy excitement at the campsite on the eve of PBP. The Sunday began with riders setting off in blocks: the 80 hours section setting off at 4pm, and the 90 hours from 6pm. I set off at 8.45pm, the second last group of the Sunday starts, with only the 84 hour group behind me starting at 4am. My friends, David and Dave, were in groups ahead of me. I didn’t mind the evening start, having practised it before. As we gradually squeezed through the starting gate, I shot off down the smooth-topped lanes of Rambouillet National Forest, jumping from group to group until it seemed there were no groups ahead of me on the dark roads.

The group then dispersed around 70km but others formed, and I was able to ride with them. I made good time and was excited to see myself closing the gap with friends on the tracker app. The first 28 hours of continuous riding were a bit of a blur – mostly fast and exciting with the hardest stage being Tinteniac to Loudeac where we experienced the hottest temperatures of the day. The controls and service stops of PBP are all run by volunteers, and the community spirit is on another level. Everyone comes out to cheer the riders or offer sustenance. It is clear this is a big event. Town squares are set up with elaborately themed decorations to inspire the riders. Front vestibules are opened with handwritten signs exclaiming: “Stop, Coffee, Cake!” Children dance around and scream with excitement as the next cyclist approaches. Day two followed a frigidly cold sleep in a school gymnasium, and I think I got little shuteye, being kept awake by my shivering and the loud noises of those around

me. I rose and opted for a shower to wake me. The semi-warm water certainly achieved this. I had a tasty breakfast of spaghetti, and while finishing up David Tobin walked in from outside. He was shattered and I told him he was probably better off trying to get some sleep on the cardboard-covered floor or on the tables of the much warmer canteen, which many others around and underneath us were already doing. I bid David a good rest and

Feeling fresh… Bike check on day one

on my way out ran into Nick Wilkinson. We set out into the dark and Nick guided me up ‘La Roc’, the main climb of PBP and one we would return to after Brest. The morning was cold and foggy, but I found the climb fun; it was long but gentle. And with the two of us chatting away we easily leapfrogged everyone up along the way. Many riders seemed to be affected more by the mental challenge than the actual gradient. Nick is a strong rider – he’d previously

completed PBP on a Brompton, and is well known in the Audax community. I should not have been shocked, but was, to see that Nick was riding fixed gear. Just before Brest we stopped along the Plougastel Bridge, which crosses the Élorn River. This is where everyone stops to take their traditional Brest photo. I later heard that there was a local man on the bridge in a hi-viz jacket solely there to help riders take their photos – another of the endless examples of locals coming out to show their support or lend a hand. I left Nick at the Brest control and turned back. I was 112km down that morning and I wanted to do at least another 238km before considering a final 55km push from Tinteniac to Fougeres, if I had the energy. Given that I’d started quite late this would mean a late-night finish. Along the way I saw more friends, and shared the 83km stage to Carhaix, putting the world to rights for the duration, with Tom Jackson. He was meeting his wife and daughter in Carhaix for lunch so I grabbed a baguette and pushed on, and 90km later at Loudeac I had one of my biggest meals yet, anticipating that the day was possibly not nearly over. The sun was now setting and the ride out of Loudeac was stunning. The harvest was just beginning. Combines rolled through the fields. Then I saw the wind turbines. These giants had been absolutely mesmerising from afar and struck me with awe up close. Now it was night, and I caught a ride on a train crewed by a hulking group of Austrians. They cranked up, down and around the winding lanes. It was all a bit manic with a group of amateur riders struggling to keep up and in line. I placed myself between the Austrians and the others and rode with them for a while before the Austrians abruptly

Filling station… The welcoming chefs at TintÈniac control. On the left is Ben Sherratt loading up on desserts

called it a night to go to their hotel. I picked up the remainders and carried them to the Quédillac services where they too retired. Continuing on in the dark I asked a trio of shadowy figures whether they wanted to ride fast to Tinteneac. “No thanks, Mark”. I turned around in the darkness, perplexed. “Did you just say my name?” It was Ben Sherratt, who I’d only recently met on an earlier stage. Ben was a strong rider and formerly a mechanic at my old LBS, Brixton Cycles in London. He was with one of his best friends, Tymond, who had come out to ride a couple stages with him. Tymond had previously completed PBP in, I believe, sub-50 hours, but who had recently had a health scare so could not take part in the entire ride. We rode together to Tinteniac, and I got what I asked for – fast. At around 12:30am we arrived at the control and had a wonderful meal at the restaurant. The temperature

outside had dropped. It was the coldest night of the ride and, finally feeling the effects of exhaustion, I felt like curling up in a corner of the warm, quiet restaurant. Tymond had to stop here and I asked Ben what his plans were. He’d started at 5am on Monday, had not slept yet, and was 9 hours up on me. He looked up at me and coolly said: “Ride, ride, ride.” That was that. The decision was made. Another 55km more to Fougeres. We shot off into the dark but soon I was in need of the toilet and Ben was feeling tired. Finding a public toilet in the next village, I suggested Ben get ten minutes rest while I struggled with my bib shorts. Afterwards, Ben suggested I get ten minutes too – to which I agreed but it didn’t work. I had heard of riders being able to knock themselves out for a few minutes and rise feeling new again, but I have yet to get the hang of it. We floated along cold, misty roads, owls hooting above us. As we passed

through the fog Ben said to me, in a matter of fact way: “I just cycled through a ghost.” He was hallucinating; he knew it though. “Don’t fall asleep”, I said. We continued, then, I noticed Ben was missing. I shouted to him. I could see his light in my rear-view mirror, meandering. “Sorry, I think I fell asleep,” he said. I proposed we ride fast 3km on, 3km off, to keep our brains awake. This worked for a while before the same thing happened again. So now I needed to ask Ben about everything I possibly could, and thankfully the conversation carried us, without any further close calls, into Fougeres. Here, I would try and get two or three hours sleep and Ben went to grab 30 minutes before continuing on. He would complete in 64 hours – gaining another two hours on me. When I woke on day three, my eyes were bulging and all my limbs were stiff as sticks. The canteen was serving a lovely carbonara, which gave me the good stuff I needed.

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On my way out, as I jumped over riders up the old and straight Roman road out of town, listening to a playlist from my cross-Canada trip. I found myself getting quite emotional thinking of my friends at home and how far I had come. This had happened in Canada, when the going was so tough but when success was within my grasp. All the hard work coming together. In pain, but happy. A rare feeling – but one that makes you feel truly alive. I continued to ride hard, solo, when an older Frenchman by the name of Frédéric Ricol, who was carrying two others on his wheel, caught up with me. He pointed to a church sounding its bells and said that the same church was ringing when we had both passed it on the way out. Apparently we had been riding together some 700km ago and he had remembered this. I remembered bells but not him, nor this place. “A sign,” he said. “I feel good and think I can finish sub-80, by tonight. My previous two attempts were 85 and 86 hours. How about you?” I gathered that maybe a 75 hour finish was possible, if I kept my controls short. It seemed that this could be one of those unspoken agreements that we should stick together. He offered me to ride his wheel. But soon more had joined our group and it was in pieces. I went ahead of the front and gestured to Frédéric and a rider beside him to catch me up. But shortly after turning to begin a downhill section, I heard a crunch. They had crashed. All the other riders stopped. Spectating locals began scrambling from their perches. I put my bike down

As we passed through the fog Ben ❝ said to me, in a matter of fact way… I just cycled through a ghost ❞

Pitstop… with Nick Wilkinson at the top of la Roc’h Trevezel, the highest peak on the Paris-Brest-Paris route

and went back. The situation seemed manic; everyone was running back and forth. Frédéric was told not to move, an ambulance was being called. Gradually the cyclists began making their exits as the locals took over. I later found Frédéric on the tracking app, hoping when I left him he would get to his feet and be able to ride on to achieve his goal. As it turned out, he would not continue. At 09:40 I received a text from my campmate, David. It read: “Pushed myself to both physical and mental exhaustion. Overslept in the canteen, tried to get back on track but nearly had an accident going the wrong way into the path of a lorry. I won’t make the next control cut-off. Catching train back to Paris.” This was greatly upsetting to hear. I’d seen David build up great strength over the qualifiers. At the same time I saw that the other Dave had finished.

Remarkable. He had started one hour before me on Sunday and had managed to put 300km between us in 56 hours. He wasted no time at the controls and survived on cat naps of 20-30 minutes. I rode hard to Villaines-LaJuhel. The crowds here were over the top – quite literally as Villaines is perched on a hilltop, and you enter a narrow walled street to reach the control. You give a bit more effort in the pedals here and they give you a great big cheer. With my Canuck jersey on, I stood out. I heard many shouts of “Regarde le Canadien!” Sticking to my Day Three policy of not stalling at controls, I jumped off my bike and began running to the control booth down the finishing road and up a set of stairs. Amazingly, these unused muscles did not resist at all and my body actually reacted positively to the short sprint. The crowd seemed to lap this up and cheered me on.

Stamped, watered and Pain au Chocolat’d, I stuffed my bottles into my jersey, and ran back to my bike. Mortagne-au-Perche was 85km away, just 197km to the finish. My imaginary goal of a midnight finish would be a long shot. I would need to find some fast groups. It wasn’t long before found a stronglooking trio repairing a puncture. As they caught up with me I noticed they had an odd-man-out and jumped on behind him. After tearing down the countryside for 20 or 30km our group gradually took on more passengers, including a trike which dazzled me with its speed down hills and around corners. The growing size of our group and hodge-podge of characters eventually caused everybody to slow down and our “train” became something of a “party boat”. The bends and drops in the road caused the boat to rock and sway, shifting its passengers around. When the boat levelled, we would each have a new partner. A fun crossing to Mortagne-auPerche. When we reached the control, tiredness combined with a couple of climbs caused the party boat to split apart, and not wanting to delay I resupplied, had a bit of a wash under a hose pipe, and got going again. My single set of kit was getting thoroughly crusted with salt, so I removed my cap and helmet to give at least one part of my body some fresh air. There were a few big climbs on the way out but nothing serious and the hills soon gave way to flats. I saw a rider wearing cargo shorts and a green t-shirt over his bib shorts, who had been a passenger on the party boat – a Frenchman. It seemed we were going at similar speeds and we ended up riding side by side before beginning to take turns on the front. Our speed then attracted the attention of an Austrian rider,

whose hulking stature and red and white kit gave me no doubts that he had been a member of the Austrian group I had hitched a ride with between Loudeac and Quédillac. The three of us charged along and rotated in fair intervals without saying a word, respecting that each of us had a different top speed. As the sun set behind us, we chugged along black-topped roads which weaved over flats of golden wheat fields. We were making good time, knowing that the end was now comfortably in reach. At the Dreux control, the Frenchman thanked me for the ride and we offered to have a quick refresh and then set off together for the final 45km. It was 21:50 and if the roads continued to be as flat and punchy as they had been, a midnight finish was feasible. While I enjoyed my second Paris-Brest pastry of the ride, the Frenchman had a coke, and we formally introduced ourselves. Bruno told me how his little son would be waiting for him at the finish with his wife, and that he wanted to keep the pace up, but not go quite as fast as our previous trio. I was happy with this and we set off. Meanwhile, messages of support were pouring in over my phone; my friends at home had been dot-watching me and were riled up at seeing me finish well ahead of the 90 hour cut-off. While riding out of the city a white convertible containing two black men passed us. When we came to the next set of lights, where it had stopped, I noticed two PBP riders flanking it. It looked like some words had just been exchanged and Bruno began speaking in French to the two riders. The light turned green and as we rode ahead of these riders I asked Bruno what had been said. It appears that the riders had suggested to the occupants of the car that they must be drug dealers to be

On the road with Austrian, Bruno

driving a car like that. Bruno was clearly aggravated, and had challenged these racist remarks. “It makes me sad,” he said to me. He said it was a growing problem in France. We continued on into the dark, subconsciously, or perhaps consciously, spinning our wheels faster, to put more distance between us and the country’s problem behind us. Bruno’s previous request to go steady turned out to be wishful thinking, because once we hit the 10km mark he set off at a ferocious sprint. I surmised that it might have something to do with his little boy, who was clearly awake long after his bedtime. We whipped passed other riders and barrelled down the final stretches through Rambouillet National Forest, rattled over the cobblestones before the National Sheepfold entryway up to the finish line, crossing over at 00:05. Bruno and I flew over the cable cover which held the timer chip equipment, taking it like a BMX jump – the crowd hooted. We still needed to get our final stamp to prove the journey, but while parking my bike I heard my name being shouted. It was the Daves. I couldn’t believe it. They should have been back at the campground. They’d calculated I might be arriving

at midnight based on my pace and decided to see the last of their own come in. A true sign of friendship. David, always prepared, had even thought to bring me a sweater and sweatpants to escape the impending shakes. Dave directed me to the control site to receive my stamp and medal. And we all sat down and shared stories over my finishing meal where I rewarded myself with a beer. Bruno waved me over from across the canteen and introduced me to his very proud boy and wife. We congratulated each other and despite only knowing each other for about four hours, the sum total of the last three days rose out of us through our smiles and farewell embrace. It was as if we had done the

whole thing together. And we had. Same as for David and Dave. Same as for everyone. We went back to the camp and retired. The next day we met more returning friends and hosted a little party at our campsite. What a truly grand adventure. A rare and remarkable test of endurance where so many diverse stories arrive at the starting line, and similar experiences are shared before the finish. Afterwards it didn’t take long before I was missing it. Sitting in a car feels like cheating. Sitting down for too long feels like time wasted. I wanted us all to race somewhere new. And then we began plotting. “Have you heard about Andy Corless’s 1400 Land’s End to John o’ Groats next year?”

Just desserts… Clockwisefrom left: Dean Bicknell, JoaquÌn “Dead” Gonzalez, David Tobin, Mark Kowalski and Dave Brown

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There & back agaın Nine members of Dulwich Paragon CC took on the PBP challenge in 2019. Andrew Wikeley pulls together some of their stories… Adrian Wikeley & Richard Ireland at the Arrivée

Never a dull moment for the nine riders of Dulwich THERE ARE BROADLY two types of Paris-Brest-Paris rider – those who are after their fastest time and those who seek a “full-value” experience, enjoying French hospitality and collecting their medals. But riding 1,219km in 90 hours is never easy, and you have to dig deep to complete this ride. This was especially the case for Dulwich Paragon CC members who tackled the event in 2019. There was the relentlessly hilly course, strong head and crosswinds from the start and temperatures which veered between 32C degrees by day and 5C or less at night. The 2019 PBP lived up to its reputation. It was a truly epic event. The nine strong Dulwich Paragon team consisted of Magnus Wills, Mark Goldstein, Ray Cox, Richard Ireland, Russell Kesley, Sam Crossley, Simon Bottomley, Claire Francis and Adrian Wikeley. Here are some of their views on the ride.

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RAY COX:

“This is wacky races” was my dominant thought at the start. A tight bunch, hopping from wheel to wheel, trying to avoid crashes. We were moving fast, and the night was surprisingly cold. I was in

a group which worked together, but the hills kept coming. The dozies struck early on Tuesday morning. I recall some unseen applauding in the dark at 2am – the general enthusiasm was amazing. This ride is undeniably easier in a group. Three hours sleep at Villaines and its back into the freezer at 5am on Wednesday. The last bit was flat and exposed but a sunny, fast run in to Rambouillet. Lessons learnt: consider using aero bars, as I still had numbness in the hands three weeks afterwards. It can get seriously cold at night, even in France during August. You can go as fast as you can, or take advantage of the lovely hospitality and local colour, not both.

CLAIRE FRANCIS

“Hello, I’m Raja”, said a Delhi Randonneurs member at the bike check queue in the drizzle. Raja let out a bellowing laugh when I told him that we were lucky it was warm. This initial encounter would wonderfully sum up my PBP experience – meeting friendly people from all around the world, and seeing them suffer in the European

climate. I suffered too, mainly from sleep deprivation and sore knees. I spent 18 months training and qualifying for PBP but nothing seems to prepare the first-time PBP participant for the grinding fatigue. Luckily for me at my two lowest points some friendly faces popped up and helped me get to the next control. The high spots were amazing; teaming up and sprinting out of Brest with a Bulgarian guy who had gaffer-taped his bike together, getting help from some friends from Penge CC to get me into Fougeres before my control time closed, a town party at 1am and then talking through the night to keep awake on the last 200km. I had a lot of fun. I also slept in some weird places and forgot I was in France.

plummeting descents immediately followed by grinding climbs, combined with extreme weather – on the night-time descent into Brest, I wore every winter layer to avoid the dreaded shakes, then 30 degrees of heat and cracked, sunburnt lips a day later. The bike’s squealing and creaking at every other pedal revolution, loud enough to startle other riders, will live long in the memory. Mentally exhausted, I was daydreaming of the sleep stop still 10 hours away, before shivering under a space blanket in a freezing cold sports hall. And extreme emotions – deliriously shouting: “Whose bloody stupid idea was this?”, and “I hate cycling”, out loud in the midday sun.

MARK GOLDSTEIN

My first PBP was a ride of extremes – starting with extreme preparations. There was a year of planning, a series of pre-qualifying events and vital family support. The PBP itself involved extreme distances, riding 612km straight through on days one, two and three with no sleep. The endless sequences of Magnus Wills

MAGNUS WILLS

The registration was chaotic with rain, French bureaucracy, but lots of friendly faces. The start was hectic with surges and sudden slow-downs. I discovered PBP was hillier than expected. With the help of some strong riders we arrived in Brest after 24hrs and 10 minutes. On the second night a roadside soup stop and loss of concentration broke my resolve. I showered, changed and slept for 30 minutes at Quedillac, then set off into the cold pre-dawn fog with Lako my new Spanish friend who spoke no English. I got into a good group after Tinteniac who worked well till the end. I was very happy with my time of 54h 35mins. PBP is a unique event and the only Audax event where you can share your passion for long distance cycling night and day with more than 6,000 other riders. It was, simultaneously, the absolute worst and absolute best thing that I’ve ever done on a bike. You should definitely try it sometime.

ADRIAN WIKELEY

“Remind me never to do this ride again” was my repeated statement during PBP. Four years ago, as a novice rider, I’d completed the event in 89:23, just 37 mins inside the 90 hour deadline, and I’d vowed never to return. However I was back again in 2019. When I actually set off I felt a huge sense of relief, suddenly I was like a coiled spring let loose. But after dark

the reality of this ride, with thousands of often very inexperienced and erratic riders on the road hit home, this was going to be tough and at my speed there were almost four days of cycling ahead. The French volunteers and general public are so supportive that I found myself pulled along by the carnival atmosphere. My return from Brest was more leisurely, and

by day three I was really enjoying myself. I managed to get plenty of sleep, and was enjoying the company and the scenery. The final stage from Dreux to the arrivée at Rambouillet seemed interminable, and when I finished I felt a strange anti-climax. It was over and I had to return to the real world. I will certainly be back for the 20th edition of PBP in 2023.

Smiles… Sam Crossley, Mark Goldstein, Adrian Wikeley and Ray Cox in Rambouillet

Riding between the lines… Martin Croxford’s plan to cycle from Bath to Paris before his PBP ride led to an unfortunate encounter with some slippery tram lines in Le Havre docks… adding the extra challenge of a painful groin strain at the big event itself

I WAS THOROUGHLY enjoying the first 800k of PBP 2015 – before waking up in Loudeac with an inflamed Achilles. The final 400k was uncomfortable and slow. I finished in 78 hours. My overriding emotion was relief that it was over. I didn’t want to do it again, but I had unfinished business. Fast forward to 2019… I was going to ride the event again. This time it would be out and back from Bath. The rain started two hours into the ride to Portsmouth on the Friday, and then again five minutes after leaving the ferry on Saturday morning. Le Havre was quiet at 7am as I rode next to some tram lines through the docks. I

Martin in Villaines… more grimace than smile on this first time through

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There & back agaın

remember thinking that I needed to be careful here. Then, before I knew it, I was on the ground, cursing my stupidity. The bike was fine, except for a bent derailleur hanger, rear wheel knocked out of position and brake hood twisted, all of which was quickly sorted. I had various cuts, and my inside right thigh ached a little, but I was soon off again, annoyed with myself. Why did I think I could ride across wet tramlines? But I seemed to have got away with it. However my leg was getting worse. Riding up the modest incline of the Pont de Normandie over the Seine was painful, and stopping at a junction standing on the leg made me wince. I was able to keep riding but it was slow going. At a food stop at Pont Authou I had to use my hands to lift my leg over the cross bar, and it took ages to shuffle into the patisserie. Munching croissants and Ibuprofen huddled out of the rain under the shop’s awning I felt despondent. Checking symptoms online suggested I had a groin strain, a fact confirmed by my GP when I returned home. Should I return to Le Havre and find a ferry home? Or try to continue and hope for improvement? I had booked two nights in a hotel near Rambouillet, and thought maybe it would improve before the start of PBP. I decided to carry on. On the ride to Paris I had two punctures, but the rain stopped for the final 50k, and I found myself starting to enjoy the ride again although was relieved to arrive at the hotel in Maurepas, which was buzzing with international

Audaxers. I remembered why I was doing this, and it was making me more determined to at least try to start the event. The leg was no better but no worse as I left the hotel on Monday morning. Finally the waiting was over and we were off. I was amazed at how fast everyone was going, while I could only pootle along. I quickly found myself alone. However it wasn’t long before I caught up with some others. The headwind was taking its toll on everyone and I was able to catch relatively slow trains which suited my reduced pace. It was tough going and I was taking far too long hobbling around off the bike at the controls. I was more comfortable on the bike than off. My aim had been to ride as far as I could, and ideally finish even if out of time. However, as the day progressed, and my leg continued to be manageable, I reset my ambition to completing within the 84-hour limit. I was hovering around two hours in hand at the controls, which felt tight, however many of the riders I spoke with were already well out of time and suffering their own crises such that I began to feel

Pop-up potential… Martin was more in the mood to use the roadside stalls in the return leg

relatively fortunate. The second day was much like the first – mostly an ordeal. I had some interesting riding companions, including an Indonesian man who was wearing all of his clothing and was still cold despite the heat. A Japanese lady was great company until we caught up with a Japanese man. “He’s my husband, don’t talk to me” she hissed. The turning point in the ride was descending Roc’h Trevezel towards Brest. Climbing up the other side having already been through Brest were groups of AC Bristol club mates. Their greetings gave me a massive boost. I arrived back at Loudeac with only seven minutes in hand, but was feeling good. My leg felt much improved. I considered a final sleep stop on arriving at Villaines, leaving just over 200k for the final day, but still had less than two hours in hand and was now feeling stronger, so I pushed on. The roads were very busy with riders. Many were sleeping by the roadside. On one long descent I suddenly felt sleep washing over me, so sat against the side of a cottage and slept for 30 minutes before waking cold and stiff. Mortagne was

busy, but I was able to find some floor space in the dining area for an hour of sleep before setting off for the final 120k. I felt terrific. With nearly three hours in hand there was time for a leisurely lunch at Dreux with other VC 167 riders before the final 45k. I was almost sorry to finish, I’d been enjoying it so much – but felt triumphant to have finished at all, and elated to be within the time limit of 81 hours. I rode to my hotel in Maurepas where I slept for twelve hours before waking up with my leg now solid. It took a while to eat and get back on the bike for the 200k ride to Caen, but a tail wind and a couple of leisurely meal stops made it a really good day. Arriving at the ferry on Friday evening I was totally done. Back home my GP prescribed rest and a fourweek course of NSAIDs to treat the groin strain, although it was four months before it was completely back to normal. Overall PBP 2019 was hugely satisfying, a lot of it very enjoyable, and I suspect I’ll be back in 2023. I still have unfinished business with PBP.

Randonneur Round the Year (RRtY) Award By Grant Huggins, RRtY Secretary Welcome to another Randonneur Round the Year Award – the prize for riding at least one 200km (or longer) Audax ride at BR/BRM pace per month for 12 consecutive calendar months. It can be started at any time, and riders can have more than one RRtY series running concurrently, starting in the same or different calendar months. This consolidation report of the last two years of RRtY series additions and updates brings the received claims up to the start of the validation

223 new Randonneur Round the Year (since Arrivée Winter/ Spring 2018) Mark Agar Paul Alinejad Margaret Allison Will Armitage Tim Arnold Christopher Ashford Roy Ashman Edwin Bartlett David Baston Les Bauchop Phil Beed 2 Charlie Beresford Dean Bicknell David Bishop Paul Bolton Gary Bray Vanessa Bridge 2 Keat Brigham Clive Brooker Andy Bruce Julie Bullen Paul Bullen Tim Burdon Paul Burnip Asif Choglay Nick Cleaton Stuart Clitherow Phil Collard Laura Collett Claire Cooper Peter Crawley Kate Culleton Matthew Cunningham

suspension period due to Covid-19. The last two years have seen more records broken for RRtY claims. Since Arrivée Winter/Spring edition 139 we have 223 new names (members claiming their first, in some cases multiple series) and 152 who have completed one or more additional series, in a total of 605 validated series. This brings the total number of award holders to 952. For the full roll of honour see https:// audax.uk/results/rrty-roll-ofhonour/ where there is also a

Tristan Davene Arthur Davis Adrian Dean Michael Denton Dave Dodwell Michael Donaghy Sarah Dowden John Duggan Robert Duncumb Stephen Eason Bruton Elizabeth Jeff Ellingham David Elliott Yasmin Emerson Jason Evans Robert Fargo Russell Filby Vicky Ford Andrew Foreman Claire Francis Julia Freeman Sarah Freeman Ulrich Freyburger Simon Galaway John Gallagher Alison Gardner Amey Gokarn Mark Goldstein Andy Goodman Steve Grace Hugh Grainger Amanada Grant Ben Granter Don Gray Jonathan Green Alex Greenaway Michael Greer David Gregory

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link to the claim form. The validation is based on individual rider results lists, although “special adjustments” are permitted. For example, by default a ride spanning more than one month is taken as belonging to the start date month, but can be claimed by request for the finish month as long as at least 200km at BR pace has been completed in that month. LEL 2017 triggered that adjustment with 23 members requesting LEL to be counted for August. Of course, we can’t

Keith Griffiths Anthony Grimes Byron Grimes Blair Hafford Mark Harding Thomas Harding Steve Harrop Tom Hatton James Hawkins Paul Haxell Philip Hay Simon Healey Neil Henn Ian Henry Nigel Hicks Chris Hodges Ben Holmes Peter Horne Mark Hudson Grant Huggins Mike Hughes Richard Iddon Dmitry Ilchenko Mark Jacklin Pete James Eleanor Jaskowska James Jinks Sheni Jiwa Duncan Johnston Geoff Jones James Jones Rob Jones Rob Jordan Julian Joseph Henrik Kaiser Sally Kelly Vince Kitley Christopher Knox

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Mark Kowalski Adrian Lai Richard Lake Grace Lambert-Smith David Lane Spenser Lane Gary Laver Nigel Leech Clare Liley Carl Lister Peter Lockey Peter Loveridge Ron Low James Ludlow Paul Mabley Daniel Mahler Andy Martin Robert McCready Jake McCreedy-Evans Sara McLoughlin Helen Millier Richard Mitchell Jane Moore Allen Morgan Julian Morgan Keith Mount Geoffrey Mowatt Kelly Murphy Jo Nevin Mark Nicholson Denise Noha Colin Norcup Debbie Norcup Jonathan Nunney Simon O’Gorman James O’Neill Richard O’Sullivan Tony Oakley

escape the impact Covid-19 has had on Audax and ride validation. I hope that by the time you read this report we will once again be riding at least 200km validated rides and beginning to accumulate months to your next or first RRtY series award. To view latest news about the RRtY validation resumption and rules see this page https://audax.uk/ awards-pages/randonneurround-the-year/rrty-andcovid-19/

Clare Parkinson Jamie Pearson Sarah Perkins Ian Perry Andrew Phillips Hugo Pile Antony Pollard Nic Pow Julian Pring Julian Prokaza Graeme Provan Sharon Puleston Tim Puleston Ian Pullen Matthew Radford Edwin Raj Jonathan Reed Kevin Reed James Rees Chris Regan Cheryl Reid John Reynolds Phil Richards Mark Richardson Fiona Ridley Jocelyn Ridley Marcia Roberts Craig Robertson Neil Robinson Andrea Rodgers Peter Rogan Jeff Rowell John Rye Mark Sadler Richard Sanderson Moritz Schick Stephen Scott Dave Sharpe

7 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 3

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Nick Shenton Chris Skelhorn Andy Smart Mark Smith Mike Smith Alan Sousa Da Silva Kevin Speight David Squance Ray Stagg Alan Steele Martin Stefan Jim Stewart Nick Stokell Matt Swaine Jamie Swann Jan Swanwick Nick Tait Adam Taylor Peter Thayer Phil Thomas Lee Tooey Alex Turner Piotr Tyrala Niall Wallace 4 Pablo Walsingham Nick Wargent Adam Watkins Rob Waugh Mark Whalebelly John Williams Johnatan Williams Rob Williams Ian Wilmshurst Niki Wilson Iain Wood James Woricker Lee Wren Wayne Wright

2 2

152 riders have added one or more series to their record since the Arrivée Winter/Spring 2018 list: Stephen Agnew 9 Aiden Allcock 3 Graham Allen 5 David Allison 4 Reid Anderson 2 Jackson Andrew 3 Nigel Armstrong 4 Simon Ashby 4 Rob Baird 9 Jon Banks 9 Alan Barnard 4 Steve Beard 2 Denise Booth 6 Stephen Britt 3 Sarah Britton 3 Andrew Broadbent 3 Anton Brown 5 Nik Brunner 4 Chris Bullock 3 Jason Burns 5 Russell Carson 8 Glen Charman 2 Raymond Cheung 12 Paul Conyers 3 Jim Cope 4 Andy Cox 4 Andy Cox 2 Neil Crocker 5 Martin Croxford 7 Andy Curran 16 Martin Davey 6 Ivor Davies 5 Nigel Deakin 2 Tom Deakins 8

Bill Dean Stephen Dee William Dickey Neil Dixon Ritchie Dixon Bob Donaldson David Eastwood Brandon Edgeley Richard Evans Ian Fairweather Hugh Falkner Caroline Fenton Kevin Firth Nick Firth Jo Flint Chris Forrest Ricki Goode Tony Green Jonathan Greenway Miles Griffiths Barbara Hackworthy Mark Hagger John Haile Robert Hanwell Shaun Hargreaves Peter Harper Daryl Hayter Gary Hibbard Graeme Holdsworth Francios Hugo Oliver Iles John Irwin Andrew Jackson Tom Jackson Joe Jord Mike Kear Lee Keillestein Nic Ketley Lee Killestein Simon King

2 5 5 2 5 3 3 2 4 3 2 4 2 10 3 3 6 5 14 4 2 3 2 2 14 4 5 2 4 16 10 3 2 8 7 3 8 6 10 2

Yvonne King Sian Lambert Marcus Lancastle John Lilley Derek MacKenzie Martin Malins Jacklin Mark Paul Martin James Metcalfe Smith Mike Ian Milne Suzannah Minns Dave Minter Liam Morris Dave Morrison Ian Newall Rick Nice Robert Norris Tony Oakley Stephen Ogden Steve Orchard Gordon Panicca Richard Parker Alan Parkinson Graham Parks Ivor Peachey Carl Pegnam Emyr Peregrine Tim Pickersgill Julian Plummer Steve Poulton Andrew Preater Andy Preston Stuart Proctor John Prout David Randerson Eric Richardson Steve Rosewarne Tim Rusbridge Ian Ryall

2 2 4 2 2 16 2 5 2 2 4 4 10 3 10 6 2 5 3 8 3 5 8 2 2 8 3 3 7 3 30 5 7 4 3 10 4 5 7 11

Richard Salisbury Neil Shand Dave Sharpe Jiwa Sheni David Sleigh Cliff Smith Gill Smith Ian Smith Stephen Smith Steven Smith Kevin Speight Graham Spiller Graham Spiller John Straughan Paul Summers Pete Summers Adam Talor Bruce Taylor Tim Taylor Chris Tillapaugh David Tobin Thomas Towers Christopher Tracey Andrew Turner Jack Tyler Andrew Uttley Trevor Wale Angela Walker Peter Walton Liz Webb Paul Whitehead Phil Whitehurst Adrian Wikeley Nick Wilkinson John Wilton Carlos Wong-Fupuy Andy Yates Anne Young

3 4 2 4 6 2 4 3 4 3 2 4 3 5 4 5 2 2 4 5 3 3 6 9 5 7 28 4 6 2 8 2 3 7 7 2 3 10

● Special mention goes to Raymond Cheung, Andy Curran, Nick Firth, Shaun Hargreaves, Oliver Iles, Lee Killestein, Dave Minter, Dave Morrison, David Randerson, Ian Ryall and Anne Young who have all achieved the coveted Ultra RRtY award for completing 10 series, however, extra special kudos must go to Colin Norcup who became Ultra in just 15 months after riding his first Randonnée. ● Steve Poulton completed his third Ultra series with clocking up a total of 30!

Arrivée149Autumn2020

HERE’S WHAT YOU THOUGHT

With the introduction of a web form to submit claims we asked for your thoughts about the experience. These are some of the responses: Richard Sanderson – “I’ve loved finding Audax and finding the RRtY to have a crack at. I’m now working on my qualification for PBP. Onwards!” Elizabeth Bruton – “As soon as I’d completed my first 200km Audax in July 2018, I knew I wanted to try for RRtY and

it has honestly been one of the best and most challenging cycling-related things I’ve done. I’ve met such interesting people, cycled through places I would never visit, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thanks for organising this!” Chris Forrest – “I learned that double felt more than twice as hard as single RRTY because ‘once a fortnight’ is much more ever-present in your life than ‘once a month’.”

Paul Burnip – “Mix of 200s DIYs and Perms plus first SR series – it’s all the fault of John Hamilton and his wonderfully organised National 400, in 2017.” Helen Millier – “I was inspired to try for this award by a rider who helped us out in the 2018 London Orbital Audax. I was new to Audaxing and didn’t know that there were awards. Since then I have attained my SR and now I am off to Paris in August! It’s amazing what a brief

conversation with another cyclist can inspire.” Keith Griffiths – “Didn’t plan to do it, until I realised late in December I’d entered all rides to complete the year, if I did a DIY a couple of days before the end of the year.” Mark Hagger – “Mainly DIYs on fine roads, plenty of red squirrel sightings and more cups of coffee.” Sheni Jiwa – “Well that was an

unexpected series. Started with an unplanned night time 300 on the Moonrakers & Sunseekers from Bristol last November and then I thought I’d try to do two simultaneous series from there onwards.” Nick Shenton – “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed completing my first RRTY and look forward to starting again in January for another 12 months and beyond.”

Andrew Preston – “2019 is my eighth consecutive year of RRtY, and the last seven years rides have all been AAARRtY (i.e. all 200km plus AAA rides). I think that qualifies as ‘interesting’.” Grace Lambert-Smith – “Chuffed to have achieved this!” Peter Loveridge – “My first RRTY series!”

For the statisticians among you, fig 1 gives a few statistics of some year-on-year trends. Although an RRtY series can be started in any month of the year, for the last four years there are two obvious trend finish months – end of season September, and December being the end of calendar year. However, February is holding strong as a popular finish month year on year. Spring and early summer starts are continuing to not be popular. Fig 2 shows the split between female and male riders claims. Not much change in the ratios, but interesting to see that again the proportion of women claiming their first series is higher than men. The close ratio of first timers to old timers maybe suggests not continuing on for a follow up series straight away. Any validated ride of 200km attracting AUK points or more FIGURE 1 can be counted for RRtY – so that includes calendar events, perms, DIYs and shorter rides with ECEs. Generally, most people use a mix of types. The chart below shows the percentages of completed series using calendar rides only, perms/DIYs only and including one or more ECEs for the last four years. Very few riders counted purely calendar events – probably the most difficult way to continue through the winter months. The reduction of series consisting of only 200km rides and only one per month in 2018/19 may be indicative of build up to PBP 2019 as longer rides feature more. ECEs remain popular, and a flexible way of increasing validated distance (the ACME Anvil Winter Series of 100km rides and similar almost certainly had some influence on this). Fig 3 – Most members only ride one series at a time, but RRtY rules allow for more than one series to be claimed. A total of 52 riders completed multiple series in the last two years (up from 18 in 2016), some completely concurrent, others involved various degrees of overlap. And 37 new AUK members completed an RRtY series in their first year of membership, two of them, Vanessa Bridge and Mark Whalebelly, doing two concurrent series. To complete an RRtY series demands the respect for year-round perseverance, to complete multiple series is outstanding. I know from my own experience of riding two series over a 24-month period the RRtY award is a great motivator to get out for that next BR/BRM validation tick; it was also a relief when I decided to step off the treadmill, although the draw of starting series 3 does keep nagging at me. Above all, RRtY is just another enabler for getting out on your bike and (hopefully) enjoying it all year round. So, until next year, keep riding, keep claiming and keep supporting the cafés by eating cake.

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

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PRIZE CROSSWORD NO2 by Sprocket

WIN

£50oucher

v Wiggnleer will be drawn the win the correct from all eived by c entries re r 2020 26 Octobe

Send your completed grid to: The editor Arrivée magazine crossword Walnut Farm, Bagpath, Kingscote Gloucestershire GL8 8YQ or email a picture/copy to: gedlennox@me.com YOUR NAME: MEMBERSHIP NUMBER: EMAIL ADDRESS:

ACROSS 1 Ted and Steve fail to be the first back to Paris 6 Block up to go between junctions 9 Character in casual clothing might be fix-gear specialist 10 Woman in coastal structures hiding luggage 11, 12 Cassette player blasting out a rural ride reel 13 Riding west, harbours temper 15 Let into mostly Polish annual event 17 Supporters faff at the tail-end; reprimands all round 19 Track surround-sound to hollow tree 22 Misusing man’s rights, they elevate cranks 23 Bear tramples on the early frontrunners 24 Ring in, abandoning control ‘cos mate is unresponsive 25 On mountainside, cold ones huddled around fleecy thing 26 Forward power distributed over first climb 27 Drag daredevil, getting into scrape

8 6 6 8 4,10 5 9 9 5 10 4 8 6 6 4,4

DOWN 2 Early start very much established at the highest level 3 Cut the flanks off piglet he rides into thin air 4 Puts foot down, shreds roundabout 5 Experienced amateur to drink on job and run one out 6 Solid bronze – big up the French 7 To take offence: habit for a traditional sort of rider? 8 One true disaster in transit 14 Old boyfriend we cart right off at first event and keep out of view 16 By force, our membership redoubled 18 In short, it comforts the vulnerable? 20 Sprints clear toward turns 21 Triple-A routing through station to capital 23 Repeat climbs, skipping fourth to rest before the big one

7 5 6 5,10 8 9 2,5 9 8 7 7 6 5

Arrivée149Autumn2020

Solution for No.1

We had a really surprisingly large response to our first crossword and we are pleased to send a prize voucher to: Ashley Warman Auk member H1998

CONTACTS

Arrivée is the magazine of Audax United Kingdom, the long distance cyclists’ association which represents Les Randonneurs Mondiaux in the UK. AUK membership is open to any person, regardless of club or other affiliation, who is imbued with the spirit of long-distance cycling. MEMBERSHIP Enquiries: Caroline Fenton (AUK Membership Secretary), 56 Lockesfield Place, London E14 3AJ membership@audax.uk One and five year membership available – for full details and fees see https://audax.uk/join-us/ ARRIVÉE Extra Arrivée copies, if available,

£3(UK), £4(EEC), £5(non-EEC) from Caroline Fenton (address above)

ISSUE 150 AUTUMN EDITION CONTRIBUTIONS

TO ADVERTISE Rates per issue: ¼ page £75, pro rata to £300 per page. Payment in advance. We rely on good faith and Arrivée cannot be held responsible for advertisers’ misrepresentations or failure to supply goods or services. Members’ Private Sales, Wants, Event Adverts: free. Views expressed in Arrivée are not necessarily those of the Club. Designed and produced for AUK by: gedesign, Bagpath, Gloucestershire. Printed by: Gemini, Bristol Distribution data from: Caroline Fenton and the AUK Membership Team.

Please send DIRECTLY to the managing editor by Monday 26 October 2020 gedlennox@me.com NOTES TO CONTRIBUTORS ● Send your text in a word-processed format and your pictures as separate files (i.e. not embedded in the word document). ● Pictures must be as big as possible, anything below 1Mb jpeg is not useable ● It is essential that your photographs are captioned, preferably in a separate document, cross referenced to your images. ● INCLUDE YOUR FULL CONTACT DETAILS – including your AUK number – we cannot publish your story otherwise ● Package your entire content into a single compressed .zip file. ● If it is too large (i.e. more than 10Mb) please use WeTransfer or MailBigFile ● Please do not use the Mediafire gateway as it is no longer functional

Our web site: www.audax.uk AUDAX UK LONG-DISTANCE CYCLISTS’ ASSOCIATION Company No. 05920055 (England & Wales) Reg Office: Whitelands, Terling Road, Hatfield Peverel, Essex CM3 2AG © Arrivée 2020

Board and delegates Individual email addresses are listed for Board members and delegates, where relevant. For general enquiries or if you are not sure who to contact, please use secretary@ audax.uk. Please bear in mind that all Board members and delegates are volunteers and so may not always be able to respond immediately. Chair and LRM/ACP representative Chris Crossland 14 Stanley Street West, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, HX6 1EF chair@audax.uk 01422 832 853 Systems managers www.aukweb.net Website Delegate: Francis Cooke Systems administrator: Terry Kay www.audax.uk Web content manager Dave Allison webcontent@audax.uk IT refresh manager Kevin Lake it@audax.uk IT refresh project board co-opted members Dan Campbell Neil Goldsmith Otto Reinders Dan Smith Mileater secretary Paul Worthington, 213 Greenhill Road, Liverpool L18 9ST paulworthington53@hotmail.com FWC (Fixed Wheel Challenge) and Super Fixed Wheel Richard Phipps, 77 West Farm Avenue, Ashtead, Surrey KT21 2JZ. richard@richardphipps.co.uk

General secretary Graeme Provan Whitelands, Terling Road, Hatfield Peverel, Essex CM3 2AG secretary@audax.uk Registrar Les Hereward, 20 Webster Close, Oxshott, Surrey, KT22 0SF Annual reunion organiser Paul Rainbow, 49 Quarrington Road, Horfield, Bristol, Avon BS7 9PJ paul@audaxclubbristol.co.uk Annual awards secretary Russell Kelsey russellkesley@hotmail.co.uk Finance director Nigel Armstrong 13 Upper Bank End Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD9 1ES 01484 687587 fd@audax.uk Directors without portfolio John Sabine 107 Victoria Way, London SE7 7NU john@sabine.org.uk Martin Stefan mdstefan@me.com Director and membership secretary Caroline Fenton 56 Lockesfield Place, London E14 3AJ membership@audax.uk Membership admininistration Mike Wigley (Admin) Enrolments Peter Davis Howard Knight Renewals Peter Gawthorne Findlay Watt

Communications director Rob McIvor communications@audax.uk Arrivée managing editor Ged Lennox gedlennox@me.com Badge and medal shop secretary Allan Taylor www.audaxmedals.southportcc. co.uk Director and calendar events secretary Ian Hennessey 10 High Street, Honiton, EX14 1PU events@audax.uk Regional events delegates Scotland & Northern England: Andy Uttley Midlands & Eastern England: Lucy McTaggart South East England: Pat Hurt South West England & Wales: Vacant, temporarily covered by Ian Hennessey pending appointment AUK forum administrator Martin Foley Assistants: Peter Lewis, Les Hereward (Moderators) UAF delegate Dave Minter Director and permanents secretary John Ward 34 Avenue Road, Lymington SO41 9GJ permanents@audax.uk 01590 671205 DIY regional representatives North-East: Joe Applegarth Northern England: Andy Clarkson North-West: Julian Dyson Scotland: Martin Foley

South-West England and South Wales: Tony Hull Midlands, North and Mid-Wales: Mike Kelly South-East: Paul Stewart ECE delegate Martin Malins Malinseastg@tiscali.co.uk OCD delegate Rod Dalitz 136 Muir Wood Road, Edinburgh EH14 5HF rod.dalitz@me.com Event services director & recorder Dan Smith 95 Regents Court Kingston upon Thames KT2 5AQ services@audax.uk 07596 248528 Validation secretary Cathy Brown 76 Victoria St, Kirkwall KW15 1DQ validations@audax.uk RRTY award secretary Grant Huggins 76 Bryony Close, Witham, Essex CM8 2XF rrty@audax.uk AAA secretary Ivan Cornell aaa@audax.uk Brevet card production secretary Oliver Iles 49 Upper Belmont Rd, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 9DG brevetcards@audax.uk Production of permanent cards is handled by: John Ward 34 Avenue Road, Lymington SO41 9GJ permanents@audax.uk

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Arrivée 149 Autumn 2020

Articles inside

Prize crossword

RRtY awards

There and back again a ride to remember… or forget

The Baking Biker

Pride and Joy

Corsican climbs and scary chasms

Biking bounty – a pheasant plucker’s tale

The dark corners of a cyclist’s soul

Slaying the Welsh dragon

Rising to the challenge of Monstrous mountains

Accepting with serenity the things that cannot be changed

Cycling shorts

The night has a thousand eyes

Just a Sec

INSIDE ISSUE 149