You are reading a single comment by @amey and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
amey
Yup, can't quite believe it given how crap I'd felt in the 3 weeks prior (felt like covid). Only really felt better a couple days before the start. Guess that just meant I was well rested?!
I think I got my fueling right for once. Only drank water with occasional hydration tablets and dioralyte, no sugary drinks, but for just one coke, two iced teas and a couple of strategic espressos. Had a huge variety of about 2kg of bars and snacks, and from supermarkets ate soft fruit, mainly delicious perfectly ripe peaches, nectarines, plums, bananas and blueberries with baguettes and hummous. And crisps for salt. Ate control food twice I think. And on the last evening had an excellent Indian takeaway which lasted 2 meals.
Least sleep I've ever had over that kind of period, but got by just fine on cat naps and and a few longer ones of just over an hour. Never had to be woken up by an alarm or wake up call.
Fixed was fine one the whole, but full disclosure, I started unclipping for descents after 500km. Was just doing too much damage hurtling down those hills for so long and needed to care for increasing bad achilles and shin splints. Walked about 400m of the uphills as gradients didn't get crazy anywhere really. But my god there were a lot of hills. Just so much hills.
And another confession, I failed to get my brevet stamped at Tinteniac on the return. I got to Fougeres and realised I'd missed it. Remembered I'd been so focused on getting sleep at Tinteniac I'd not gone to the control upon arrival and when I woke at dawn it was absolute chaos and didn't even think of getting my card stamped. Lucky the chip worked and recorded my passage, but it was a stressful couple minutes when I'd realised what I'd done.
Kudos to El Gonzo for pressing on for so long while not feeling great, absolutely massive effort.