24 Hours - Me, Myself and a road going north
Endurance isn't about glory. It's about the journey. It's about where you started, where you're at and where you want to be. With grit, determination and the strength to go further, where will you end up?
The concept of cycling for 24 hours has always been an idea in the back of my head. I've always wondered "How far could I go?"
With last year being a big year for me on a personal level, with the completion of Lands end to John o groats and also the solo everesting, I started the year with so many ideas of what would be next. Those ideas will be shared later on.
But with my job now becoming part time, and a change in home circumstances, 2023 would be the year to focus on me, be the person I want to be not the person I dream to be. It was time to once again put my mind and body on the line for 24 hours, no sleep, no stopping (apart from for food, drink and the toilet) and as per previous years and challenges, all in the name of charity.
ELF - Exeter Leukaemia Fund - Are a Devon based charity at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. They are my charity of choice to support in 2023. Since joining Castle Grove in April 2022 - I have come across the story and history of the home and the inspiring names above the door - Isabelle and Ray Kenny. The couple purchased the retirement home in 1984 and to this day is still family run. They developed the building and its facilities, adding shelter housing and becoming "a hotel with nurses".
Ray, born in Dublin in 1944, trained as a chef at the Dorchester in London and various hotels across Switzerland. A man who gave a lot of time to charity and various local organisations such as East Devon college. For their 30th wedding anniversary, Ray and Isabelle walked 500 miles in Spain to help fund the re-wiring of a local church. Bonkers!!
Exeter college, still being part of Rays legacy - Isabelle founded and set up a bursary called the Ray Kenny Bursary, giving young chefs and students the opportunity to compete in a cooking competition using the best products the south west has to offer to win a placement with Michelin star chef Hywel Jones at Lucknam Park, near Bath.
Sadly, on 28th July 2007, Ray lost his fight with leukaemia and his name will forever be in memory at Castle Grove. The memory of what he stood for, the standard he held and maintained and the love and care he gave to every residents, staff member and visitor will never be forgotten or lost. Elf supported Isabelle through every stage of Rays fight, from refreshments during treatment waiting, counselling and support and just being that shoulder that anyone going through something like this would need.
In loving memory of Ray Kenny
So whereas I have previously chosen a charity for the year and fundraised for them and then change it the next year. I have made the decision that ELF will be the sole charity that I will fundraise for the foreseeable future. Then work Andy and all the team do is second to none and to hear first hand how they helped support someone I know, it really hit home that these local charities are what local communities rely on.
So, the challenge was set, the purpose was chosen and on a personal level, I had a chance to answer something I've wondered for ages, How far can I cycle in 24 hours.
The route was a easy one for me. People I know who have attempted this sort of ride before all did a 100km or so loop, repeating that loop until time was up. But that would have played in my head seeing the same sights, the same roads and the same sheep and cows in the Devon fields. So I went North. Starting in Exeter at the grand Winslade manor, I was going as far North as I could. With a car with my food, spares, coffee and 2 friends willing to drive a car start and stop for 24 hours, I was off.
I was lucky enough to be joined by a few others from the Cycle Sanctuary club who ride on a Sunday at Winslade. And they stayed with me up to Castle Grove in Bampton, where they then headed back to Exeter. It was at this point that things were going to get tough and the personal focus on fuelling and pacing was going to be key. But first we soaked up the fact that a few of the residents had made banners and flags and had come out into the balcony over looking the gardens at Castle Grove, where we rolled through to clapping and cheering from them and a greeting from staff members.
3 Hours down and I started to tick off towns, villages and now a county. Crossing the border into Somerset and I was starting to settle into a rhythm, keeping the fluids going and eating little and often. 80g of carbs an hour was the goal, normally I look at 90g per hour from bottles plus a gel or a bar every half an hour, but due to the pure timescale of this, and the fact it was mostly zone 2, I opted to lower my carb intake to prevent any gut or stomach issues.
This is where it starts to get to the point of not many updates, basically I kept the pedals turning, and turning and turning. Mid afternoon, I was at the base of Cheddar Gorge - yes not the most sensible climb to include on a endurance ride - But this iconic climb was something that I wanted to include, just because its a stunning climb and I was lucky to have the sun shining. Shame it was this climb that started the twinging in my right knee that would stay with me for the rest of the journey, not what I needed with a good chunk of hours left to ride.
From here, things were becoming unknown. The roads were turning to roads that I didn't know off the back of my hand, the fuelling strategy was becoming more important and the Spotify playlist was becoming more random. But the pedals kept turning. With dinner time approaching, it was time for a stop with the car, being a chef it meant that I was saving money and time, with preparing meals and on bike snacks in advance, as well as bars and gels from Styrkr. Pasta pots with salmon or broccoli and some lamb hotpot should get me through the main food times of the ride.
Full of food and coffee, the night shift started. This was going to be the breaking point. The "Graveyard" shift is the one that pushes anyone to breaking point. And having only done around 7 Hours of night riding during the solo Everesting, I wasn't sure how I was going to manage. Lights on and completely unknown roads, I kept the pedals turning and kept the support car - Driven by Jeff and David - as close as I could to help light up the lanes around Gloucester and then Dudley. It was at this point in the night -around 10pm - I had some phone calls of support from family, friends and work colleagues. With many asking where I was, and me not actually having a clue, I relied heavily on the work group chat, as a few were posting updates of my location from my live track.
4am, its been raining since midnight and the cross wind had turned to a headwind and we spent about 45 minutes getting lost in Wolverhampton. The route I had made used the cycle paths through Black Country, but with it being dark and unknown, I opted to tackle the one way systems, bus lanes and tram lines across the outer edge of Wolverhampton. This even stitched the support car up, as I got home to a bus lane fine. Why even monitor them at 4am, there isn't any buses at that time. But we got through and opted to stop off at, the all of a sudden very appealing, McDonalds of Dudley. Closed. Bloody Closed!
After opting for changing in the car park, a Uber driver got out his car, yes uber at 4am, wondered into the other door of McDonalds and went in.....Not closed? David making the most of this and wanting some actually hot coffee, wondered over and just walked in. This was going to spark 1 of 2 reactions from the store. Luckily for us, they were kind enough to offer the use of the bathrooms and some coffee, as well as a few staff members donating to ELF. And this was not the reaction I was expecting from the store.
With the rain now stopped, coffee on board and dry clothes, it was time to head into the morning and carry on towards Staffordshire. 5am, 6am and then 6:30am. We found ourselves once again in another McDonalds, this time in Stafford. This was breaking point. Been awake for 24 hours at this point and on the bike for 20 Hours. Breakfast and more coffee, the doubt of what I could do was now sinking in. I had a aim at the start to get to 500km, this was now unrealistic. Greasy food consumed and getting back on the bike was the last thing I wanted to do. But its for charity at this point, that's that motivation to get me and my sore legs back on that bike. With this, an update that the fundraising page had just ticked over £300, and I was back in the saddle.
Heading up towards Uttoxeter, the tiredness was really hitting hard. The fact I've just ridden a 5km climb and don't remember it, the fact I was woken up by the cats eyes in the middle of the road, then the hedge on the left of the road, it hit me that this was now becoming unsafe. Pulling into a lay-by, it was a case of what to do. 22 Hours in, 380km in and everything was hurting.
Consuming two caffeine Gels from Styrkr, and a chat with the support car, I opted to finish at 400km, being about 23 Hours on the bike. Failing.
We binned off the route and just hugged the B road that I was on, until I saw the signs for Alton Towers. The fact my right knee was still causing issues from Cheddar Gorge and now my left knee was in agony, I changed the plan again and made the call to finish at Alton Towers, no matter the time or distance. The fact of finishing at somewhere that would be an iconic photo like Alton Towers rather than a random lay-by on a B road.
The climb up to Alton Towers was the longest 2km of my life. All out the saddle partly because I couldn't move my knee if I sat down, the pedals kept on turning, just very slowly. But as I came up over the hill, I saw the car. Ive never been so happy to see a car. This is where it hit hard. Not the pain, that had stopped, not the tiredness, that had been masked by caffeine. The emotion. The sense of achievement, even though deep down I knew I had "Failed".
Getting helped off the bike in Alton Towers car park at 8am on a Tuesday Morning is not what I normally have planned for my days off. But behind the tears, the sweat and the dryness of dehydration in my mouth, I had done it. All be it 30 Minutes short of the 24 hours but at that point it wasn't worth risking injury to continue. The raw emotion of this ride had not hit home yet, the fact of the fundraiser almost being at £500 was great news - It hit £550 on the way home - and the pure effort of everything was setting in. A huge thanks to Jeff and David for driving, preparing food to cut out wasted time and their encouragement through every tough time as well as some awesome photos.
Loaded up the car, and headed back for Devon. A few phone calls to mum and dad, Dave, Lucy and Sarah from work and my sister really helped to settle and re assure the pure size of this ride. The fact that I've cycled up past the Midlands in one ride and just how much it meant to the charity. But it was the voice note I received from Dave ( Cycle Sanctuary ). Now, I am a person who doesn't mind admitting to having a cry, and this did happen when I listened to this note. Being told that I should be proud, and proud of the fact that I stopped when I did and that I inspired people and should be proud of myself and the challenge I just completed - Telling me that I had completed and no one will doubt that or the effort that it was.
So that is that. 402km is what I can ride in 24 hours with 80% headwind and 5 hours of rain. Maybe one day I will try again and get that 500km mark, but in the meantime, I have more big challenges to tackle before I even think about another 24 hour ride. But looking back on it now, I am proud, of myself, the team and the support from over the phone and social media. But mainly I am so proud of ELF. The work they do, the people they help and the support they give. The hours of suffering I went through is nothing compared to the suffering that the people they help go through. And that is why I would do all that again to do something to help them change lives. Huge thanks to everyone who donated and the fundraising page is the same page for the years events so will continue to be open. See you at the next one.
