Amsterdam Tour - 4
HARWICH – BUCKINGHAM, July 25, 1994
Another difficult night with little sleep and I was landed in Harwich. At least I knew exactly how far I had to go and hopefully would know the route. By and large this proved to be the case. I made no really long stop and ate very little. It was a very hot day - much hotter than on my way out - and I knew that I would have to drink a lot, but that food would be difficult to digest.
I was rolling out of Harwich at just before eight in the morning and reached Halstead at 35 miles without incident. I proceeded after a short break of less than ten minutes. I planned to make a stop at Thaxted, but did not really see any place that looked promising, so I pressed on thinking I would stop in Newport. Again, I did not see a place immediately and so pressed on, finally stopping for another short break at Hare Street (70 miles), where I bought a banana and a bottle of Lucozade at a petrol station. Here the proprietress of the petrol station asked me where I had been during the "flash floods" and the "thunderstorms" of the previous day. I was glad to have missed them!
It was market day in Buntingford, but only two miles after my stop in Hare Street, I pressed on. I went on and again fell afoul of the road system in Hitchin. I ended up getting lost and missing the road to Barton-le-Clay and found myself in Ickleford, which is north rather than west. Computing an alternative route, I rode on, muttering nasty things about Hitchin under my breath.
While on this detour the clock showed me 100 miles and I was beginning to get both physically and mentally weary. I found that I had to encourage myself and keep telling myself that I could do it, even though there were certainly less than 30 miles to go. This was certainly the low point of the ride.
Riding into Woburn with 107 miles on clock, I began to feel encouraged, as I knew that I was only 2-3 miles from "home" roads. A brief stop for a drink and sure enough, I crossed the county line into Buckinghamshire and was on the A5 within 2 miles. The Fenny Stratford roundabout never looked so good and in Bletchley I saw a sign reading "Buckingham 9 miles" which I had never seen before.
As I emerged onto the A421, a racing cyclist on a Pinarello came by urging me to "Come on". I could only wave wearily and watch him disappear into the distance. The familiarity of the roads made things seem easier and my mental outlook improved markedly. If the Pinarello had overtaken me ten miles earlier when I was at my nadir, I would undoubtedly have cursed him.
As I rode into Buckingham, the clock turned over 125 miles. The ride was done.
EPILOGUE
Almost exactly 48 hours after my return, I rode out to a '10' and did it in 24:42. There was some lingering soreness, but I was almost completely recovered. I reckon it cost me only about 20-30 seconds.
It was hard and difficult and lonely at the time. Looking back was it all worth it? I don’t really know. I guess I proved to myself that I could do it. Except for one short period of 4 or 5 miles, I never doubted that I could do it. But knowing you can do something and actually doing it are two different things. I did find the solitude extremely monotonous. It was a very hard way to save a few pounds. That is all.
Statistics
OUTBOUND 20-21 July 1994
Buckingham – Harwich - 122 miles
Average Speed - 11.43 MPH (incl. stops)
TOTAL TIME - 10 Hours 40 min
Depart - 06:45
Stops - Brent Pelham - 52 miles 11:30 (20min)
Halstead - 85 miles 13:40 (35min)
Arrive - 17:25
Hoek van Holland – Amsterdam - 62 miles
Average Speed - 11.81 MPH
TOTAL TIME - 5 Hours 28 min
Depart - 07:47
Stops - None
Arrive - 13:15
INBOUND 25 July 1994
(Ride in the car with Suresh: Amsterdam – Hoek van Holland)
Harwich – Buckingham - 125 miles
Ave Speed - 12.29 MPH (incl stops)
TOTAL TIME - 10 Hours 11 min
Depart - 07:49
Stops - Halstead - 35 miles 10:40 (10min)
Hare Street - 70 miles 13:30 (10min)
Woburn - 107 miles 16:35 (10min)Arrive - 18:00
Another difficult night with little sleep and I was landed in Harwich. At least I knew exactly how far I had to go and hopefully would know the route. By and large this proved to be the case. I made no really long stop and ate very little. It was a very hot day - much hotter than on my way out - and I knew that I would have to drink a lot, but that food would be difficult to digest.
I was rolling out of Harwich at just before eight in the morning and reached Halstead at 35 miles without incident. I proceeded after a short break of less than ten minutes. I planned to make a stop at Thaxted, but did not really see any place that looked promising, so I pressed on thinking I would stop in Newport. Again, I did not see a place immediately and so pressed on, finally stopping for another short break at Hare Street (70 miles), where I bought a banana and a bottle of Lucozade at a petrol station. Here the proprietress of the petrol station asked me where I had been during the "flash floods" and the "thunderstorms" of the previous day. I was glad to have missed them!
It was market day in Buntingford, but only two miles after my stop in Hare Street, I pressed on. I went on and again fell afoul of the road system in Hitchin. I ended up getting lost and missing the road to Barton-le-Clay and found myself in Ickleford, which is north rather than west. Computing an alternative route, I rode on, muttering nasty things about Hitchin under my breath.
While on this detour the clock showed me 100 miles and I was beginning to get both physically and mentally weary. I found that I had to encourage myself and keep telling myself that I could do it, even though there were certainly less than 30 miles to go. This was certainly the low point of the ride.
Riding into Woburn with 107 miles on clock, I began to feel encouraged, as I knew that I was only 2-3 miles from "home" roads. A brief stop for a drink and sure enough, I crossed the county line into Buckinghamshire and was on the A5 within 2 miles. The Fenny Stratford roundabout never looked so good and in Bletchley I saw a sign reading "Buckingham 9 miles" which I had never seen before.
As I emerged onto the A421, a racing cyclist on a Pinarello came by urging me to "Come on". I could only wave wearily and watch him disappear into the distance. The familiarity of the roads made things seem easier and my mental outlook improved markedly. If the Pinarello had overtaken me ten miles earlier when I was at my nadir, I would undoubtedly have cursed him.
As I rode into Buckingham, the clock turned over 125 miles. The ride was done.
EPILOGUE
Almost exactly 48 hours after my return, I rode out to a '10' and did it in 24:42. There was some lingering soreness, but I was almost completely recovered. I reckon it cost me only about 20-30 seconds.
It was hard and difficult and lonely at the time. Looking back was it all worth it? I don’t really know. I guess I proved to myself that I could do it. Except for one short period of 4 or 5 miles, I never doubted that I could do it. But knowing you can do something and actually doing it are two different things. I did find the solitude extremely monotonous. It was a very hard way to save a few pounds. That is all.
Statistics
OUTBOUND 20-21 July 1994
Buckingham – Harwich - 122 miles
Average Speed - 11.43 MPH (incl. stops)
TOTAL TIME - 10 Hours 40 min
Depart - 06:45
Stops - Brent Pelham - 52 miles 11:30 (20min)
Halstead - 85 miles 13:40 (35min)
Arrive - 17:25
Hoek van Holland – Amsterdam - 62 miles
Average Speed - 11.81 MPH
TOTAL TIME - 5 Hours 28 min
Depart - 07:47
Stops - None
Arrive - 13:15
INBOUND 25 July 1994
(Ride in the car with Suresh: Amsterdam – Hoek van Holland)
Harwich – Buckingham - 125 miles
Ave Speed - 12.29 MPH (incl stops)
TOTAL TIME - 10 Hours 11 min
Depart - 07:49
Stops - Halstead - 35 miles 10:40 (10min)
Hare Street - 70 miles 13:30 (10min)
Woburn - 107 miles 16:35 (10min)Arrive - 18:00
posted by Ram at 6:12 PM
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