RR:- A Mere 200 Perm DNF :-(

[Tony B]

OK, there - I've said it, straight off...
my first DNF. It's an empowering experience!

MSeries and his pal Andy turned up at my house this morning, around 8.30
and we all faffed about a bit prior to setting off on the perm version
of Mr Wigley's Mere 200. I was on fixed, as was MSeries and Andy was up
front on a fine looking Ribble audax bike. First issue at the end of my
street:

MSeries: Do you know where the start is?
TonyB: Yes, no worries. It's Cheadle Drill Hall.
MSeries: No it's not. It's in Woodford.
TonyB: Oh, right-oh, let's think..
<brain fires up, double clicks MentalMap.exe and suffer instant BSoD>
TonyB: Yeah, right.. this way!
<rather long distance ride to start of audax with several navigational
doubts here and there>

At last, the start!! So, 20km on the clock but none off the route. Hmm...

Whatever, the route across Cheshire was brilliant even if the weather
was a little too Mancunian. Andy up front did a sterling navigational
job and set a cracking pace (30kph+ for most of it) yet it was still
11.30 when we got to the first check at Delamere Station Cafe. Following
a rather splendid cheese and tomato toastie we set off again in moderate
rain, cold after the warmth of the cafe but soon warmed on the first
incline.

Cheshire passed by at a good lick, then I struggled up a longish incline
while the boys hared off up the road. Once I crested the rise I set
off in pursuit of my accomplices but they were nowhere to be seen, wow
how fast were those two going? Of course, after two or three miles it
was obvious I'd missed a turning. Bugger. I arrived at a large
roundabout (Broxton) and decided to have a drink and a think. As I was
not actually entered in the audax (never got round to sending off for a
brevet) I decided tht today was to be the Day; my DNF day. Of course,
this was a pretty easy decision as I had neither route, map or clue as
to where I was supposed to be. The man in the garage (Mickey Broxton,
top cafe BTW) was trying to be helpful:

MickeyB: You OK?
TonyB: Well, I'm a bit lost...
MickeyB: Ah, right - where are you heading?
TonyB: er, dunno really...
MickeyB: OK, well where have you been?
TonyB: er, to be honest I'm not too sure... yes, I know how this sounds...

oh well. The coffee was good though. So, head off home ASAP! Then the
heavens open and I lost the will to cycle. The pub looked really warm
and inviting, ohhh... OK so I caved in, sat in the pub for an hour,
drank two fine pints of Pedigree and welcomed Mrs B when she arrived en
auto to take me home. Yes, I know: I'm a lightweight - I'm fired!

Postscript: once home, I sat for a bit considering the liberating
empowerment DNF can provide when there was a face at the window: an
MSeries shaped face! How could this be? So soon? Well, it turns out they
both stacked too, but were man enough to ride back whereas I opted for
the coward's way out and called on the services of Mrs B's sag wagon.

[Tony B]

mb wrote:

> You neglected to mention how many kms you actually did. Or was that
> deliberate?

just over 100 today...

T

[vernon]

"Tony B" > wrote in message
...
> OK, there - I've said it, straight off...
> my first DNF. It's an empowering experience!

Join the club!

I managed four DNFs last year.

Not necessarily in chronological order:

Hartside 200km - the long and fast descent into Nateby was the beginning of
the end for me. As I was clinging on to the brakes for dear life trying
hard not to do much more than 40mph I was being overtaken by manic roadies
doing the Etape du Dales a couple of ominous pings from the front turned out
to be spokes snapping and I retired at Kirkby Stephen with the offer of a
lift back from the organiser saving me from having to soldier on against the
odds up Hartside and Yad Moss. If truth be known I was glad of the
mechanical.....

Round t'arn 100km - Birdwell Wheelers' beating of the bounds of Barnsley.
South Yorkshire is deceptively hilly and I found myself only just beating
the clock until 2/3 way round when I went into deficit. The rear wheel
re-configured itself as a a fixed wheel and once again a mechanical came to
my rescue. My wife was not to happy having to pick me up from Wolley Edge
and deposit me in Barnsley having already done one round trip to Sheffield
from Leeds to deposit my son at uni.

Dales Grimpeur 140km - now thare was an entry made in defiance of common
sense and gravity. Having failed to make the cut at the first and second
controls, I became a tourist and savoured fine ales in several hostelries
before making my way back to Pately Bridge. Having a 1:5 climb within 1/2
mile of the start is a cruel way to grind away one's resolve.

Mam Tor 100km - another triumph of insanity over common sense. I was not
destined for AAA rated rides last year though I was doing reasonably well at
the start of the ride. I was using the ride as a shake down for my newly
rebuilt Galaxy in a three day window between getting back from a family
holiday in Greece and setting of for a JOGLE ride. I packed at the top of
the climb to Mam Tor - over half way round and unable to stomach any more
climbing, I limped back along a less hilly route.

> MickeyB: You OK?
> TonyB: Well, I'm a bit lost...
> MickeyB: Ah, right - where are you heading?
> TonyB: er, dunno really...
> MickeyB: OK, well where have you been?
> TonyB: er, to be honest I'm not too sure... yes, I know how this sounds...

I manged to do this round best part of the Thorn 100 in February. I was
riding with group of riders from Huddersfield including Densie Evans on a
Brompton and had no need to navigate and spent my energies keeping up with
the group. The other month I was doing the Three Bridges Audax and had
several experiences of deja vu which left me feeling uneasy as I 'knew' that
I couldn't possibly have been in some of the places before
my riding partner told me that I'd been there in January - no recollection
at all of crossing the Trent weird....

> oh well. The coffee was good though. So, head off home ASAP! Then the
> heavens open and I lost the will to cycle. The pub looked really warm and
> inviting, ohhh... OK so I caved in, sat in the pub for an hour, drank two
> fine pints of Pedigree and welcomed Mrs B when she arrived en auto to take
> me home. Yes, I know: I'm a lightweight - I'm fired!
>
Nah...we've been spoiled by the unusually dry and mild weather. I've only
had to resort to wearing a water proof once for ten minutes in the eighteen
rides that I've completed since late December. Despite my abundance of
lard, I felt cold on Saturday's ride and had to put my riding jacket on at
five o'clock. I was so glad that I didn't have to do my 200 yesterday.

-=V=-