Just came across this from Charlie (bikemonger) - https://singletrackworld.com/2018/12/si ... and-heist/ - and thought of myself for the past few days.
So thought I'd ask the question, any stories of how 'shot' you've been that spring to mind?? Feel free to share if you would be so kind. Pretty sure there's some interesting points from the HT550 or the BB events as well as many others in between that spring to mind...
How shafted have you been?
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redefined_cycles
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- Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:19 am
- Location: Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
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redefined_cycles
- Posts: 9372
- Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:19 am
- Location: Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Re: How shafted have you been?
Mine, that springs to mind are 2 (or 3).
(1) On my/our first ever charity bike challenge on which me and the siblings and friends (about 8 of us) decided its a good call to ride the Liverpool to Leeds canal towpath over 2 days. Twas when I bought my first piece of bikepacking equipment (but didn't yet know it) in the form of my trusty Alpkit Airlok 11L drybag. Around 10 years and still going strong. Shout out also to Osprey who lovingly donated us some of their demo bags of which are still going nicely AFAIK.
Anyway it was for McMillan Cancer Support - blasts from past here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/shafiq-hussain and here https://liverpool2leeds.wordpress.com/ - and I suppose an induction into lifetime fundraising by riding lovely bikes on gruesome rides. Last of which culminated in the BB200 (for Cage) and this weeks Winter300 (for orphans).
Anyway, I digress, and am sorry (please don't report me to the politically correct police). So on said ride, the first 60ish miles went swimmingly after which we had a nice night at some posh hotel who kindly undercharged us and put up with us bunch of beardos (beards weren't in, in them days for the average bloke). I think it was the next day when my elder bro (the mollycoddled spoonFed one) started having tantrums (maybe not that bad but I like to have a dig whenever the opportunity arises). I, being the nice younger brother I am, kindly offered to carry all/most of his kit so lugged much weight into my backpack.
For the next 30 or 40 miles he had a swimming time whilst I tried to keep up, both with the extra weight and a cheap carbon post which - in the days I hadn't heard of carbon paste had overlubed with standard grease - kept slipping slowly. Eventually I did ask the team to stop and wait whilst I sorted the post issue and gave a good clean... I also eventually gave away all the extra weight from my back but the damage had been done. them last 10 miles felt torturous whilst he -said sibling- rode comfortably to the end and post ride for around 6 months I couldn't go near the bike cos of crippling back issues!. Still it was well worth it though as AFAIR we managed to raise over £4k for the lovely folk at McMillan (who for the record don't really get any govt funding and are reliant on kind donations from us...
(2) On this years BB200 which I still cannot believe I completed and of which I had flashbacks of 'how on earth am I gonna endure that again for 2020' on this weeks long weekender... The actual ride wasn't that bad as I had Jase and Mark (sorry if I get name wrong) and what I believe to have been TrepidExplorer (sorry I never did ask your name) to push me on with kind words and company. Anyway, after being told by Jase that he was gonna ask Stu to come pick us up (lol.. that was a right joke but got me i to gear for fear that Jase might really text such a thing and Stu would just laff and never allow me in ever again) I did pluck up the energy to make them last 30 miles. All went swimmingly but...
It was what happened on the way home that really sticks in my head. I think it was every 10 to 15 minute increments that I had to urgently find a layby as I started feeling tired again. Having a good snooze and refreshed enough to drive... But each time the refreshment didn't last very long and I think by the end I was down to only needing to stop every half hour or 45 minutes. Obviously I only drove safely (dont report me please sir... I'm not a dangerous driver and do take my life aswell as that of other road users very very seriously. For the record and the NMC I only ever drove whilst I was safe to do so. Thanks very much!!
Anyway, what took me about 2 to 3 hours to get to Wales, ended up taking me around 6 to 7 hours on the return trip!
(3) This weeks trip where I thought it would be good fun to try and ride to Birmingham and back on a 300 miler round trip. Decided that going around the Peaks might be too easy and if RichPips could attempt HT550 in winter and ice I could safely try a nice road ride through the Peaks. Generally I had to carry my food and especially since it was xmas day there'd be no shops to fill up on ater nor food...
First day went nicely except for the fact i was (as always) super slow and instesd of the planned 130 miles, my host for the night made me cut short to only 110 miles. Weather stayed respectable and fuelled on smoothies, cold pasties, tuna sarnies and much more I finally made it to Birmingham. By this time I either had lactose ibtolerance issues going on or food poisoning.
Next day I really got my moneys worth out of my catScoop shovel thing. Leave no trace utilised to the umpteenth degree and the amount of deep holes i dug being almost 5 with 2 poops at my hosts in the morning.
That was day2 with the temperature being milder on record but feeling much colder (12c as oppose to 6c on first day via the Peaks) and I had to use all my clothing to stay warm. Still I remained in high spirits (I think) and eventually made it to Derby with a shortcut to avoid deep fog and around 80ish miles in my legs. At hosts house I really made use of that bog (about4 or 5 times) and in the morning I was off.
Day 3 and within the first 30 miles I contemplated 'the train' aswell as 'bb200'. Could I really attempt another go at it (bb200) if an easy-ish road ride was killing me this badly. After I managed to get within 40 miles of my house and chucking away all my food, as everything I ate needed to come out the other end. I had finally realised that, 'maybe my lactose intolerance wasn't to be taken lightly afterall'. Got home fuelled on nothing much more than 1 boost and a 30p double decker and an Alpkit bottle filled wih Pepsi Max. Day 3 night (at home) and day 4 (yesterday) spent getting acquainted with the latrine walls at home I finally realised that maybe, just maybe, eating loads of cold cheese and onion pasties* on a 3 day trip wasn't such a good idea afterall... Had I suffered food poisoning on top of the lactose intolerance ** issues
Thanks for watching and hopefully mine wasnt too much a bore...
*well they did say 'eat hot or cold and the shops didnt have much other vakery foods left
** we normally have raw unpasteurised milk at home which doesn't go straight through like the standard pasteurised stuff... But obviously at my hosts I had what was available as its not good etiquette putting people out (is it)
(1) On my/our first ever charity bike challenge on which me and the siblings and friends (about 8 of us) decided its a good call to ride the Liverpool to Leeds canal towpath over 2 days. Twas when I bought my first piece of bikepacking equipment (but didn't yet know it) in the form of my trusty Alpkit Airlok 11L drybag. Around 10 years and still going strong. Shout out also to Osprey who lovingly donated us some of their demo bags of which are still going nicely AFAIK.
Anyway it was for McMillan Cancer Support - blasts from past here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/shafiq-hussain and here https://liverpool2leeds.wordpress.com/ - and I suppose an induction into lifetime fundraising by riding lovely bikes on gruesome rides. Last of which culminated in the BB200 (for Cage) and this weeks Winter300 (for orphans).
Anyway, I digress, and am sorry (please don't report me to the politically correct police). So on said ride, the first 60ish miles went swimmingly after which we had a nice night at some posh hotel who kindly undercharged us and put up with us bunch of beardos (beards weren't in, in them days for the average bloke). I think it was the next day when my elder bro (the mollycoddled spoonFed one) started having tantrums (maybe not that bad but I like to have a dig whenever the opportunity arises). I, being the nice younger brother I am, kindly offered to carry all/most of his kit so lugged much weight into my backpack.
For the next 30 or 40 miles he had a swimming time whilst I tried to keep up, both with the extra weight and a cheap carbon post which - in the days I hadn't heard of carbon paste had overlubed with standard grease - kept slipping slowly. Eventually I did ask the team to stop and wait whilst I sorted the post issue and gave a good clean... I also eventually gave away all the extra weight from my back but the damage had been done. them last 10 miles felt torturous whilst he -said sibling- rode comfortably to the end and post ride for around 6 months I couldn't go near the bike cos of crippling back issues!. Still it was well worth it though as AFAIR we managed to raise over £4k for the lovely folk at McMillan (who for the record don't really get any govt funding and are reliant on kind donations from us...
(2) On this years BB200 which I still cannot believe I completed and of which I had flashbacks of 'how on earth am I gonna endure that again for 2020' on this weeks long weekender... The actual ride wasn't that bad as I had Jase and Mark (sorry if I get name wrong) and what I believe to have been TrepidExplorer (sorry I never did ask your name) to push me on with kind words and company. Anyway, after being told by Jase that he was gonna ask Stu to come pick us up (lol.. that was a right joke but got me i to gear for fear that Jase might really text such a thing and Stu would just laff and never allow me in ever again) I did pluck up the energy to make them last 30 miles. All went swimmingly but...
It was what happened on the way home that really sticks in my head. I think it was every 10 to 15 minute increments that I had to urgently find a layby as I started feeling tired again. Having a good snooze and refreshed enough to drive... But each time the refreshment didn't last very long and I think by the end I was down to only needing to stop every half hour or 45 minutes. Obviously I only drove safely (dont report me please sir... I'm not a dangerous driver and do take my life aswell as that of other road users very very seriously. For the record and the NMC I only ever drove whilst I was safe to do so. Thanks very much!!
Anyway, what took me about 2 to 3 hours to get to Wales, ended up taking me around 6 to 7 hours on the return trip!
(3) This weeks trip where I thought it would be good fun to try and ride to Birmingham and back on a 300 miler round trip. Decided that going around the Peaks might be too easy and if RichPips could attempt HT550 in winter and ice I could safely try a nice road ride through the Peaks. Generally I had to carry my food and especially since it was xmas day there'd be no shops to fill up on ater nor food...
First day went nicely except for the fact i was (as always) super slow and instesd of the planned 130 miles, my host for the night made me cut short to only 110 miles. Weather stayed respectable and fuelled on smoothies, cold pasties, tuna sarnies and much more I finally made it to Birmingham. By this time I either had lactose ibtolerance issues going on or food poisoning.
Next day I really got my moneys worth out of my catScoop shovel thing. Leave no trace utilised to the umpteenth degree and the amount of deep holes i dug being almost 5 with 2 poops at my hosts in the morning.
That was day2 with the temperature being milder on record but feeling much colder (12c as oppose to 6c on first day via the Peaks) and I had to use all my clothing to stay warm. Still I remained in high spirits (I think) and eventually made it to Derby with a shortcut to avoid deep fog and around 80ish miles in my legs. At hosts house I really made use of that bog (about4 or 5 times) and in the morning I was off.
Day 3 and within the first 30 miles I contemplated 'the train' aswell as 'bb200'. Could I really attempt another go at it (bb200) if an easy-ish road ride was killing me this badly. After I managed to get within 40 miles of my house and chucking away all my food, as everything I ate needed to come out the other end. I had finally realised that, 'maybe my lactose intolerance wasn't to be taken lightly afterall'. Got home fuelled on nothing much more than 1 boost and a 30p double decker and an Alpkit bottle filled wih Pepsi Max. Day 3 night (at home) and day 4 (yesterday) spent getting acquainted with the latrine walls at home I finally realised that maybe, just maybe, eating loads of cold cheese and onion pasties* on a 3 day trip wasn't such a good idea afterall... Had I suffered food poisoning on top of the lactose intolerance ** issues
Thanks for watching and hopefully mine wasnt too much a bore...
*well they did say 'eat hot or cold and the shops didnt have much other vakery foods left
** we normally have raw unpasteurised milk at home which doesn't go straight through like the standard pasteurised stuff... But obviously at my hosts I had what was available as its not good etiquette putting people out (is it)
-
redefined_cycles
- Posts: 9372
- Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:19 am
- Location: Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Re: How shafted have you been?
*oops... slight ammendment. Just went through our blogpost of old. Twas actually £9000 total we managed to raise... so the 6 months of back pain and cripple effect wss even more well earned and worth it