With the Bruges trip and Dunwich Dynamo we'd got enough miles in the legs - I knew we would be okay with the distance, however we had a couple of new accomplices this year - Barry the Bell and Dave the Damp. Barry has done quite a few challenges of his own - not least Lands End to John O Groats and being a retired 'man of leisure', has the time to spend training. Dave the Damp is fairly new to this though. He only started riding about a year ago and this will be his first properly long ride.
Barry the Bell, Dave the Damp?? - who are these people, what do the nicknames mean?
Barry is a bellringer - we know him from way back, and he's a regular on the Wednesday night beer rides. Dave has a building business, specialising in damp proofing (amongst other things) - he's been featured on Grand Designs and has worked for some famous clients, including Roman Abramovitch. He's a Villa supporter so he must be a decent chap?
We set off for London on Saturday morning, planning to detour to the ExCel Centre on the way to pick up our numbers and rider details. Traffic was okay and we found ourselves in a side street close to the ExCel with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately we had parked on the 'wrong side', we had to cross the railway and then traverse the ExCel Centre from one side to the other - Dave had been involved in building this place - but he had no clue when it came to finding the bit we needed. To make matters worse there was a conference taking place, 'Imagine Jesus', apparently something associated with Jehovah's Witnesses - the place was jammed and it took us a while to pick our way through the crowds. Once we'd found the registration section it was plain sailing, we were through quite quickly and then back on the road to our hotel in Ilford. Barry the Bell was in a separate hotel, but only a mile or so further along the road - we all met up for an evening meal, last minute carb-loading and a few beers to settle the nerves. The rooms were okay - at least this year they had the foresight to leave a couple of fans to keep us cool overnight.
The organisation and logistical management at the Olympic Park is impressive - from every direction there is a constant flow of cyclists, all herded to a specific 'wave' start point, colour co-ordinated and timed to ensure that over 25,000 cyclists can arrive and depart in a totally controlled fashion. Every two minutes another 200 or so cyclists begin the 100 mile journey to the finish on the Mall.
After a couple of miles I hear a shout and see Gary, Baz and Dave on the other side of the dual carriageway - they clamber over the barrier and we're together as a group. We enjoy the steady, if pacey ride through central London, spotting the 'sites' as we go. With an event like this the roads are inevitably smothered with cyclists, all travelling at different speeds, some riding alone, some in groups that cover the width of the road. The trick is to be aware of what's in front and also what might be coming up behind - some people shout a warning as they approach from behind, 'On your right'....'Coming through'..... others simply whizz past. Any sudden change of direction to avoid someone in front has an equal and sometimes unfortunate consequence for those travelling behind. Soon there is evidence of people 'coming together' - cyclists sprawled out on the road with others avoiding them and causing further mayhem. There are a few people covered in blankets with ambulance crew in attendance, a bit worrying but thankfully we avoided all of that and made fast progress along fairly flat and smooth roads.
It was sunny and hot, so much different to the floods of last year - as we pass through Richmond Park I remembered the spot where, last year, the drain covers had been blown out and there was a fountain of sewage spurting a yard into the air. We stop at one of the regular hubs along the route, top up our bidons and grab a few bananas. Then we're off again heading towards the mid-section - the hills.
Last year the two biggest climbs, Leith Hill and Box Hill were closed due to the weather conditions - so we were looking forward to becoming aquainted. The first challenge was Newlands Corner a longish rise but with a fairly easy incline for the most part - but kicking up sharply for the last half mile or so - there were plenty of people walking up the last part. On the way up there was an accident just in front of me, I saw a girl catapulted from here bike and landing awkwardly on the verge - she was unconscious lying face down but with a number of riders gathered around - I stopped at the first steward and informed him - he knew already and help was on its way - hope she was ok. At the top we managed to get split up - I carried on not realising that the other three had stopped at the hub. Before I realised what had happened I was a few miles down the road. I spoke to Gary on the phone and told him I'd wait at the next water stop. Before long I was there and I pulled in and filled my bidon. I stood around for 40 minutes and still no sign of them - I tried calling and texting but couldn't get through to Gaz - by now I could feel my muscles were stiffening up, getting cooler - I decided to press on - Leith Hill was next and I figured I'd just take it easy and let them catch up. When we got close to the Hill we were stopped by stewards, apparently there'd been an accident on Leith Hill and the route was closed - we had to make a detour and then rejoin the main route before Box Hill. This took 8 miles out of the course. But before long we were on the climb up Box Hill - I'd read about this, one of the most iconic cycle climbs in the UK - but not, as it turned out, particularly difficult. Still plenty of people walking up though and I saw someone throwing up at the roadside. Reaching the summit there's a café and exhibition, it's a National Trust site; there were hundreds of cyclists stopped and taking a rest, I paused for ten minutes or so but still no sign of the others and I couldn't contact Gary.
I carried on down the other side and up another short hill before a long, fast descent - there was a bad crash here and we were brought to a standing halt again - ambulances were in attendance and I saw two men both unconscious at the roadside. Scary stuff. We got going again, the worst of the ride is now over - its the fast roads back to the city now. I stopped at a hub in Esher and managed to get through to Gary - thankfully they weren't too far behind and within about 15 minutes we were joined again - about 20 miles to go to the finish.The crowds were fantastic all day - every town we went through had enthusiastic people beating the barriers and shouting encouragement. It really was the closest experience to actually taking part in a big race. Soon we were back in the City - through Trafalgar Square and onto the Mall - there was the finish line at the end - we joined arms and crossed the line together, giving a final punch into the air at the last second. We had done it.
There is some bad news though - I just read that someone died on Leith Hill, that's what caused it to be closed just before we due to go up. Very sad.
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