Wednesday 5 June 2013

Kernow & Southwest 600km June 1st 2013

Kernow & Southwest 600km June 1st 2013
AA8.25, 8'200 meters climbing

The Kernow & Southwest is a 600km Audax starting in Exeter and riding across towards Bude, down to Penzance via Looe, back up to Bude and looping around Exeter via Taunton Deane, Yeovil, Seaton then back to Exeter. 8,200meters climbing in total and the option of some sleep at the 370km mark for those quick enough to secure the time…

I’ve been a bit quiet in terms of Audax recently, having lost all motivation to do any long rides early year when a series of cold and miserable 200km perms seemed to only evoke a desire to cycle in warmer climes and change styles of riding from long slow Audax miles to faster shorter rides. But still, like the typical battered wife, I returned to the abuser and signed up to a couple of 600km’s that I rationalised to myself would allow me to experience all the best bits of Audax but would significantly cut down on the amount of time away riding.

I started the ride with none of the aspirations of last year, it had been a good 6 months since the last significant Audax event I had ridden, the dreaded Porkers 400km. I hadn’t even considered completing a Super Randonneur series this year, so this was a bit of a step into the unknown for me. What could possibly go wrong…

Anyway, it was 6am, I was half asleep, I was in Exeter and this could only mean one thing… I was about to ride the Kernow & Southwest 600km Audax, lets ride!

**I have realised since uploading the photos of the ride to my computer that I had managed to set the camera to it’s lowest resolution… so the photos are pretty terrible in quality… I’m pretty annoyed about that.

Stage 1: Exeter to Bude. 0 - 81km.
24 riders stared the event, which left from a church hall in the middle of Exeter. We were off, there was no turning back now...


As always I spent the first 80km with some kind of hypochondrial illness ricocheting around my body, this ’will I make it’ paranoia seems pretty common with long rides. First the knee threatened to seize up, then  a searing (ish) pain in my back moved slowly up and down, into my neck, shoulders, back down my back and then up again.

Myself and Justin ‘The Deer Hunter’ Jones exchanged plans of attack. Justin, on his 12th 600km had a reasonable idea of pace, scheduling and estimated finishing times. Justin was also keen on extending his palmares of animal victims on the road. I, on the other hand, was simply praying for survival…














The first section was fastish, we arrived at the Control on the seafront in Bude with plenty of time left and with a healthy buffer of weight watcher points in hand proceeded to eat as much as I could get my hands on…




Stage 2: Bude to Looe. 81 - 148km.
We encountered a number of ‘agricultural’ hindrances on this section, some bastard was out riding a horse and cart really slowly round the lanes...



and later two farmers were trying drive a herd of cattle and a car into a hedgerow. After being shouted at by the farmers (“honestly, we’re not from London…“) we managed to make it past them. At this point Justin had to be physically restrained from claiming another animal victim...



I found myself considering the lengths of these rides, typically when riding on my own or ‘training’ (whatever that is) I work in miles, and distances such as 30, 50, 100 miles take on a distinct significance in terms of distance. When riding Audax events, in KM’s I find myself throwing numbers around like they mean nothing “we’ve done 160km, just another 200km before the sleep stop”…

 Stage 3: Looe - Penzance. 148 - 243km.
I was aware that there was a ferry crossing on this section of the route, and the advice I had been given was to pick up some food quickly at a bakery in Looe then eat the food on the ferry - we were, after all, against the clock, and stopping twice in a short section of time would only cause problems later. I slipped a few Cornish pasties into my bib shorts and carried on to the ferry. A clever plan until I realised that actually the ferry was ten miles away, and over a massive hill which required me to adopt the classic standing climbing pose, which, it turns out, will send even the largest of pasties sliding dangerously towards your groin area. Still, at least it kept it warm.





 (Justin Jones: Last years Fixed Wheel Challenge champion on the right, and Henry Orna, also riding fixed to his left. )






 (Henry Orna)


  
Stage 4: Penzance to Bude. 243 - 368km.
Penzance to Bude was the night section, a few sections out of Penzance then a straightforward 35miles stretch of A road into Bude.

As I’d imagined, fatigue was beginning to make itself known…Every time I stopped and allowed the light on the front of my bike cast its beam onto the side of the road I found the circle of light started to contain at first a mildly pulsating scene, much like the opening stage of a trip on magic mushrooms, then later I found myself staring at a cylindrical magic eye which seemed to start revealing hidden messages that all indicated one thing… go to sleep.

We made it to Bude at some ungodly hour arriving to an empty village hall, a quick plate of beans on toast and I was prepared to sleep anywhere.

Stage 5: Bude to Taunton Deane. 368 - 484km.
We set off at 7am, freshly rested from a decent nights sleep. Hang on, no I didn’t, I’d had about 30mins sleep on a slowly deflating airbed and had been kicked awake at 6am by The Deer Hunter who, having been made aware it was now legal to kill badgers, was after another days hunting.

Having made it through the night, and now becoming increasingly laissez faire with distances I’d left in the frame of mind that 240km was essentially ‘nothing’, and that it would literally fly by. The prospect of a 116km morning leg didn’t phase my in the slightest.






That feeling lasted for about 20 minutes, as the sun became increasingly hot, and temperatures rose I realised that exhaustion was likely to be a killer, and simply drinking through it would likely not be enough. I sought respite from the sun using whatever resources I had on me…



Despite being now known at Rapha Araffat this outfit seemed to just about paper over the cracks enough for me to carry on.

By the time I reached Taunton Deane services though I was done, exhausted, I felt like my face was melting and to make it worse, the two people servicing the food looked like extras from a David Lynch film - one guy appeared to have been closely related to mr potato head, which was most disconcerting seeing as I was ordering a jacket potato and his younger colleague, left irresponsibly in charge of the till seemed to need to punctuate every keystroke with an awkward silence, then inform me that he, in fact, could not find jacket potato on the keyboard. I CAN FUCKING SEE IT... IT IS THERE YOU BASTARD… RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU… I ONLY HAVE TEN FUCKING MINUTES… jesus.

Anyway, I pulled it together using only peer pressure “you’re not going soft are you…” and we carried on. Nearly over. I was nearly over…

Stage 6: Taunton Deane to Yeovil. 484 - 530km.
I literally counted down the KM’s on this section, which is really not a good way to ride.





Stage 7: Yeovil to Seaton. 530 - 576km.
Things started to pick up significantly on this section, the temperature dropped, the scenery changed, we were climbing steadily towards Seaton knowing that as the section was short we would likely be rewarded with a lengthy decent to the sea.



It was on this section I really started to loose my mind… “what’s it called when you do a Super Randonneur series using only 600’s I asked”… “I think I’ll try that this year”. I’d clearly gone insane.

Stage 8: Seaton to Exeter.576 - 608km.
The last stage was excellent, the stage was short and the sense of achievement began to sink in, the sun began to set and it was apparent that were going to make it... alive... thank god.





9pm, Arivee! Naturally we made a quick stop at the local off license for some post ride recovery drinks prior to crossing the line...

I don’t understand Audaxing, I seem to find that I always fluctuate between really enjoying myself, to absolute despair, to enjoying myself again. I imagine that the state I finish In would be the state I would take away from the ride, so presumably DNF’ing would be especially negative, though finishing, which is always done on a high, leaves you with a strong desire to get back out there and ride another ball breaking event.

Next up in the Pendle 600km...

2 comments:

  1. Hey nice write up. I should have stuck with you and Justin after ice-cream stop, might have stayed awake and got round a bit quicker. Anyway was a fine outing all round. Good luck on the Pendle, Henry

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  2. Heavily involved in Long Distance walking challenges - the mood swings are just the same. That strange OMG what have I done everything aches - that first 3 miles was the hardest I've done. 45 miles later, can it get any better! Getting to the last check point knowing the finish is next is magic. I feel I can go round again! but that great feeling knowing that you are superhuman.......... at least that's what you feel. What you look like is something else!

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