2014's cycling challenge to help the Royal British Legion and Cancer Research UK: 1000 miles solo & unsupported from Blackpool to Mont Ventoux in 8 days, and then up & down Ventoux six times in 24 hours...more climbing than the height of Mount Everest. La Bicinglette, I hope!
Listen, it's my blog and we're not having Ultravox on here! Instead it's Mr Lee Dorsey's work of genius...chosen because a) I love it, and b) you want to have seen the colour of the water in the shower just now...
Away from Dijon a bit later again despite knowing that this would be an extraordinary day, both in terms of time and temperature. The hotel receptionist raised an eyebrow when I said that I was off to Lyon and beyond: "But the temperatures will be worse than yesterday- the hottest day of the year so far!".
To be fair to the harbinger of doom, he was practical in that he filled m'bidons and put them in the freezer until the very last minute, which I appreciated. I just wish that I could have climbed in there too...
Bet this guy doesn't do two loaves for £1.30 a la Tesco.
Would I want to swap places with the pickers? Nah...
As much as there is ever a plan, the idea today was to ride for 90 minutes max., then break. Rinse & repeat. Plan worked fine although the time was drifting away almost as fast as the water that I was going through. Once I saw 36c, I started wishing for the equivalent of 100f, hah-hah! We never quite got there...
Must. Go. Straight. On.
If they're made by Selex then you've little risk of being apprehended. Office gag...
And I set the art back a few years, hah-hah!
The water was lashing out of me...temp read 34.7c. Still had a couple to go...
Must. Go. Straight. On. (pt. 2)
Just wanted to do a Moon and drive straight in, hah-hah!
As the day drifted away from me I did seriously wonder if the smart thing would be to get to Lyon and then stop. This would mean no rest day on Saturday (albeit a shortish leg) but I decided to press on, not least because I'd be able to claim my longest (both in time and distance) day on a bike. Not really smart reasoning and I was also aware that I didn't need to banjax myself and put the rest of the ride in any sort of jeopardy either.
This made my day! The TdF chaps were dismantling stuff and I got in on the act. Excellent!
Sunflowers. Loving your slow-time work! Much like myself.
Usually it would be a Sprite, but when in France...
Things were still fine until Lyon: what possessed me to think that it would be a good idea to cut through it on a Thursday evening, though? It was a nightmare and the continual stop-start pretty much did for me, engine-wise.
Lyon. Big mistake to try to go through. How sad. Never mind.
Still, you live and (rarely) learn so it was then just the 15 or so hollow miles to the hotel. Which is where? More stop-start, more time lost, blah-blah-blah...
Post-Lyon and the plug has been pulled. #toast
One more fantastic descent prior to trying to find the f**king hotel, hah-hah!
When I do find the establishment, the receptionist has cleared-off for the evening: it's very DIY and please yourself. The massive bonus was that the nice hotel around the corner had their welcoming restaurant ready for my use. It now lies in ruins, hah-hah!
An insane day but let's see what happens tomorrow...it isn't a gimme. Speaking of which, what's happened in The Open?
While we're here, and I know that I say this quite a bit, but a massive thank you to you generous types who have donated to these causes. Good on you. You know that I'm busting my balls out there at times, so it's really appreciated.
I will give £10 for every £50 that you do. Aside from that, there is one other thing that would help, if you can do it...please share this blog and/or the JG links with your pals/acquaintances/enemies.
