randonnee 200 to tea and biscuits by friendly organiser Tom. Everyone looked very well prepared compared to us and I looked at my first Brevet card and thought: all I have to do is fill in all the boxes! Easy huh?! Before I knew it we were on the road and I was soon getting used to the view of Stevie’s back and trying to remember not to steer! The first stretch was 60k out to Rosie’s and thanks to Stevie’s experience I knew to break the ride down in my head into sections. Hence we had a great ride to Rosie’s, with tailwinds and only heavy showers at the end. We dived into the warm café and promptly devoured bacon cobs, beans and eggs on toast and two cups of tea. Due to being slightly peckish I was eating with less decorum than normal and when a friendly man came to collect our plates it must have showed as he commented: 'Hungry boys?!' He probably couldn’t see my face from it being buried in my breakfast! We were soon ready to get back on the bikes and were lucky enough to catch a break in the showers as we set off. Just another 40k bike ride I told myself… The tailwind soon kicked in and we were soon speeding in the 20s alongside the river up to the Humber estuary and the Blacktoft sands bird reserve. We made it there in what seemed like no time and briefly admired the view across the marshlands. Two stickers down and all I need to do now is get back again I told myself… The next 24k were not so easy. Strong head and crosswinds left Stevie battling to keep the tandem in a straight line and out of traffic. We finally made it to the Tiny Teapot Café and I was rewarded with a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and we tucked into jacket potatoes. By this point the café was full of fellow randonneurs and there was a great friendly atmosphere. Everyone was feeling a bit battered by the wind but there was such a sense of determination, optimism and camaraderie I felt excited to be part of it all. We soon headed off in search of the name of a particular pub in Bawtry for our cards and although still present we were somewhat sheltered from the headwinds in the more built-up areas. I was tiring somewhat by this point and my arms were increasingly aching as I suspect my bars are a bit low. We made it though and after a brief pit stop we soldiered onto Shireoaks and our last info control. This was another 24k and I used the trick of breaking the ride down in sections again to motivate myself to keep going. It was dark by the time we reached Shireoaks but we were kitted out with lights and despite the nagging headwind I felt tired but confident and determined that I was going to make it round. Little did I know the worst was yet to come and
the last 31k would prove harder than the rest of the ride so far. As we left Shireoaks it became more rural and exposed and the winds picked up. A drizzle started and we lost a peg from our route sheet making navigation tricky, especially in the dark. The wind and rain picked up further to the point wheere I felt blasted by it on the back of the tandem and had the tricky choice of glasses on and reduced visibility or off and sleety rain and grit in my eyes! Stevie was bearing the brunt of this on the front and we had to pull over to figure out our next turn. As soon as we did the heavens opened in one of the heaviest rain showers I have experienced and we were instantly soaked – water poured down my neck under my jacket soaking my base layer. We were struggling to read road names through this when luckily another cyclist came flying past us – that must be the turn we thought, only another audaxer would be mad enough to be out in this!
Relentless rain and wind
As we continued to higher ground the rain and winds were relentless and we became more exposed. The county lanes narrowed as well and we had hit peak time for drivers speeding along to get to their takeaway dinners in front of the box. Poor visibility resulted in me almost landing in the hedge when we hit a pothole and we almost had a run in with a muck spreader we hadn’t realised was attached to the back of a rather aggressively driven tractor. The weather was making it hard to take on food and water as stopping for seconds meant getting colder and wetter and losing the clip on the route sheet meant Stevie was having to find increasingly novel ways to hold it and we resorted to memorising the next three directions and then stopping. Even with the lights on full it was impossible to read some of the signs in the rain and dark and as our energy levels were slowly sapped we knew a wrong turn at this point could be disastrous. These miles seemed to drag out forever but Stevie’s experience got us through. My heart sank though when we reached Hardwick Hall – I couldn’t believe we still had some distance to go. We met up with another rides at this point though and gained some encouragement and checked directions. Coming down through Hardwick Hall I tried not to dwell in how desperately hard this ride had become in the last 30k, just to get to the end and was reminded the last time I was here I had barely managed to limp to the pub on crutches following knee surgery. It had been humiliating to be so incapacitated and I felt proud I’d come so far since then and it gave me strength to go on. The ride got a bit more bumpy and it
‘Even with the lights on full it was impossible to read some of the signs in the rain and dark.’
was a struggle to keep turning the pedals to get us up the hills and to hold on with my now jelly-like arms descending. Every village we passed was a huge relief and I was delighted to see the last climb up to Alvaston. 'We could crawl back on our hands and knees from here,' I said! We finally rolled into the car park and stumbled into the final control which was and oasis of calm and warmth. Having seen my shaking hands I had to have help to complete my brevet card and Tom brought us the best cup of tea I have ever tasted. I couldn’t quite believe we’d done it, especially in such extreme conditions and felt relieved and dazed. Two more cups of tea and some dry clothes later we felt vaguely human and were able to venture out into the weather to load the tandem. Everyone organising had been so supportive and helpful and seemed impressed it was my first audax which made me feel very proud and we were reluctant to leave such a friendly group. It transpired only two-thirds of entries started, probably due to the forecast and we had come in with nine people behind us and an hour to spare, not dead last as I’d half expected. We were soon waiting to collect our celebratory curry when Stevie said he’d got something for me: A 200 audax medal! Maybe I should have grown out of such things but it meant a lot because I knew what had gone into earning it and I know it will always remind me of this first ride. So, after such a draining, extreme, painful and completely exhausting experience will I ever consider another audax again? Well the dates are on the calendar already and the days can only get better and the weather warmer … 300k can’t be that much further … it’s only another 50k to get to the turning point! N
www.audax.uk.net Arrivée Spring 2016 No. 132
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