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andyp
I felt like testing out my fixed gear endurance again so booked a last minute ferry to France. I left at midnight from London to catch an 8:15 ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. I basically rode the A3 dual carriageway the entire way. It was fabulous until a huge rain front came in and I got absolutely drenched with about 3 hours to go on the 136km ride. Oh well, it kept me moving and I arrived with 2 hours to spare.
I was hoping to get some good sleep and to dry off on the 6-hour boat trip but the air conditioning made it seem like a hellish impossibility. I found some reclining seats and zoned out. Before I knew it, I could see France and my clothes had wicked dry (ish). Straight off the boat, I met a friend and we did a 100km loop along the coast before finally getting some proper sleep. I spent the next day just dillydallying around Caen and eating lots of food in preparation for an actual long ride attempt from Caen to Dunkirk (~400km) starting the next day.
Starting at midday, I left Caen with an epic tailwind and lovely roads. Things got weird at the massive bridge (Pont de Normandie) to Le Havre. First of all, crossing the bridge was petrifying. High winds, a tiny 'bike lane' and motorway-speed trucks coming by. Secondly, I was a bit strange in wanting to stick to the coastline so turned back into the wind westward. This area was also industrial and had tons of trucks. It wasn’t fun. I wasted an amazing amount of time and energy... and then I got a puncture from an awful pothole! I was carrying two spare tubes and to my horror the first one I tried to use was already punctured too. It must have been damaged from transport somehow. After swinging by a Decathlon which was conveniently 1km away from where I punctured, I got back to the beautiful fast roads again and I was into the flow state once more.
However, as I got to Dieppe I got caught in a downpour. I got drenched through. It was almost 10pm and I was 195km in. I found a McDonald’s and hung out there for an hour or so to ‘dry’ and drink Coke. My phone was also stressing me out because it wouldn't consistently charge. This also meant I didn't take many photos or videos and was stuck listening to the same few playlists I had synced offline. I actually could have caught a ferry back to England from here and was in time to get the last one of the day but I had already told myself I was going to do 400km and I didn't want to take the easy way out. I was kinda worrying at this point about the night being too cold and that by starting it soaking wet I'd be asking for trouble. I had already been shivering in the Maccas. As people walked past me, the wind they generated felt like it pierced into my soul with ice. I was carrying an emergency foil blanket so would probably survive.
Once I layered up and got rolling into the dark again, I felt unstoppable. For the first 2 hours after Dieppe, I averaged ~30kmh! I then strategically dodged another heavy rain shower in a bus shelter that popped into my reality just in time. However, by 3am, tiredness and the cold was hitting me. My speed dropped and I found myself stopping more (bad). I also almost fell asleep riding a few times too. I was happy when I finally saw glimmers of the Sun rising on the horizon.
Coming into Calais, I found an open shop and bought more cola, plus a baguette and vegan butter - which I also used the remainder of as chain lube. Almost there, but of course with a wrong turn at the last junction adding ~5km on top! It's never as simple as you think it will be. I was 5.5 hours early for my booked ferry and roughly 22 hours had elapsed since starting the ride, I took a well-deserved nap on some concrete outside the ticket office. It felt like a king mattress after that ordeal.
Upon arriving in Dover, after a short 2 hour crossing and a pretty uncomfortable nap, I began a cheeky 120km ride back home to London. I followed the A2 and then whatever was the straightest road home. It felt endless but I got there eventually.
The big one: http://strava.com/activities/2686523786
Follow along on adventures: http://instagram.com/josephxkendrick
Sometimes I make videos of rides: http://youtube.com/josephxkendrick