I was invited to participate in the C2C in a day ride organised by opencycling. I wanted to try cycling hardknot and wrynose passes before the event so I knew what to expect. I chose this permanent 100km audax staring in Windermere, the minimum speed requirement is a generous 12km/hr but it is very hilly with 2300m ascent. I cycled over to Staveley on the Friday evening to see a few friends at a cycling film night. Pizza, a couple of beers and a late night, my plans for a 9am start didn't look promising. After a leisurely breakfast at the youth hostel I collected my first receipt from the garage just before 10am. I'd plotted the route myself the previous day on ridewithgps. I wasn't sure I'd got it 100% correct so I was still checking the route sheet occasionally. Wrynose and hardknott were tough climbs. The road is fairly narrow in places so particular care is needed when zigzagging up, to avoid falling off the edge of the tarmac. I was riding east to west so hardknott was easier and wrynose slightly harder than the other direction. Riding down the steeper side of hardknott was terrifying and I wondered how I would manage riding up it in a months time.
I reached hardknott cafe and sat in the garden waiting for my pot of tea and scones. A small child tried to engage me in conversation but I was rather preoccupied consulting my route sheet. The location of the first control was a little unclear. Had I ridden far enough? I carried on to Booth and stopped at the cafe there to top up water and buy a postcard. I was now 10 minutes behind and had some catching up to do. It was easy to think that the hard part was over but the hills continued. As I climbed the final ascent into Broughton in Furness I only had 4 minutes to get a receipt. I dived into the Kings head pub and ordered a lemonade. My receipt was 1 hour behind! I rushed out, abandoned my drink on a table and jumped back on my bike. Round the corner I stopped at a deli. Dumping my top tube bag and gloves on the top of the glass counter, my sunglasses fell into the chiller cabinet below. I looked around for something to buy while the shop assistant fished my sunglasses out from behind the display of cheeses. A bag of peanut butter and honey comb clusters would do. Yet again my receipt was out of time, by 30 minutes. Sprinting into the newsagent a few doors down I grabbed the first item in front of me, a Vimto fizzy rip roll. A completely irrelevant confectionery item that I had no intention of consuming. The lady behind the counter waved it across her bar code reader
"oh dear, it doesn't seem to want to scan. I'm not sure how much these are"
"its 40 pence" I said impatiently, although at that point I would happily have paid a fiver just for a receipt. Finally I had that all important piece of paper in my hands. I checked the time stamp, just 1 minute to spare! I slowly pedaled back to the kings head to finish my glass of lemonade.
Back on the road again I tried to up my pace to gain some time. Passing Old hall farm ice cream farm in Bouth I hesitated but resisted the temptation to stop, I didn't have time. Finding myself on the A590 I pulled over to check my route sheet. My suspicions were confirmed, I'd plotted the route incorrectly. I took the first available exit road and followed the river up to Newby Bridge. A few kilometers from Kendal I struggled up Underbarrow road. On the downhill stretch into town I stopped at the first pub I came to, The Rifleman's Arms, 3 minutes within the time limit. Back on my bike again for the final stretch to Windermere. The flattest section of the route I did increase my average speed here and finished 20 minutes early, collapsing on the garage forecourt to eat a bag of crisps. Returning to the youth hostel I chatted to some Fred Whitton riders who were peparing their bikes for the following day. I didn't envy them one bit.
I sat by the station eating my fish and chips, waiting for a rail replacement coach service back to Oxenholme. It didn't matter that the trains were disrupted. I'd finished the audax and all my receipts were in time. Just. This was probably the most difficult audax of all. Only 120km but I was always cutting it fine and never had the opportunity for a proper rest.
Glucose control: high overnight, managed to avoid over correcting in the morning. A little high still after breakfast but soon back in range, very good control for the rest of the day, spiked again in the evening post fish and chips.
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