Aborted Attempt

[Gonzalez]

On Monday 11th I set off from Penzance Station for Land's End. My destination was John O'Groats on
28th August.

I made a good start in perfect cycling weather - camping in various locations along the way. I was a
full day ahead of my schedule by the time I got to Ludlow. All was going well to Kendal, and the
following morning I climbed Shap Summit without a problem. The A74 between Carlisle and Gretna was a
nightmare - but I coped.

After putting up my tent and showering at the "Braids" campsite in Gretna I had a nap - and it was
after I awoke that I realised something was wrong. My hands were cold and all feeling had gone from
them. Even though I didn't want to eat, I forced myself to get up and went to the local hotel -
there I had soup followed by lamb casserole
- throughout the meal I was shivering, even though I wore my warmest clothes. However, the feeling
and the warmth did return to my fingers.

After dinner, I went to bed early still dressed in my warmest clothes. I had a restless night.
Shivering one minute, sweating profusely the next and always tossing and turning.

In the morning I brewed myself a coffee and forced a bowel of museli down - even though I still
didn't want to eat. I packed up my tent, loaded my panniers and went on my way.

The ride was dull. Relentlessly following the M74, sometimes with the motorway on the right,
sometimes with it on the left. And it was easy, being an almost totally flat ride. Nevertheless, I
was slow. Often riding at just 6 mph, not having the energy to push. And still I stopped, every two
or three miles or so. Eventually I reached the town of Lockerbie. The sign to the station was an
irresistible draw, and it was to there I went.

30 minutes later I was on the train back home.

There's always next year!
--
remove remove to reply

 

[Ian]

Gonzalez must be edykated coz e writed:

> On Monday 11th I set off from Penzance Station for Land's End. My destination was John O'Groats on
> 28th August.
>
> I made a good start in perfect cycling weather - camping in various locations along the way. I was
> a full day ahead of my schedule by the time I got to Ludlow. All was going well to Kendal, and the
> following morning I climbed Shap Summit without a problem. The A74 between Carlisle and Gretna was
> a nightmare - but I coped.
>
> After putting up my tent and showering at the "Braids" campsite in Gretna I had a nap - and it was
> after I awoke that I realised something was wrong. My hands were cold and all feeling had gone
> from them. Even though I didn't want to eat, I forced myself to get up and went to the local hotel
> - there I had soup followed by lamb casserole
> - throughout the meal I was shivering, even though I wore my warmest clothes. However, the feeling
> and the warmth did return to my fingers.
>
> After dinner, I went to bed early still dressed in my warmest clothes. I had a restless night.
> Shivering one minute, sweating profusely the next and always tossing and turning.
>
> In the morning I brewed myself a coffee and forced a bowel of museli down - even though I still
> didn't want to eat. I packed up my tent, loaded my panniers and went on my way.
>
> The ride was dull. Relentlessly following the M74, sometimes with the motorway on the right,
> sometimes with it on the left. And it was easy, being an almost totally flat ride. Nevertheless, I
> was slow. Often riding at just 6 mph, not having the energy to push. And still I stopped, every
> two or three miles or so. Eventually I reached the town of Lockerbie. The sign to the station was
> an irresistible draw, and it was to there I went.
>
> 30 minutes later I was on the train back home.
>
> There's always next year!
> --
> remove remove to reply
Sounds like you were suffering from exposure.

--
Ian

http://www.catrike.co.uk

 

[Simon Mason]

"Gonzalez" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> 30 minutes later I was on the train back home.
>
> There's always next year!

At least you were brave enough to try. Give it a go next year. Simon

 

[Drclean]

"Gonzalez" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Monday 11th I set off from Penzance Station for Land's End. My

<snip>forced a bowel of museli down - even though I still didn't want to eat. </snip>

A bowel of museli will do it every time - I normally stick to bowls.

Next year try the crockery.
--
DrClean www.DrClean.co.uk The Best Fabric Cleaning Resource on the Web

 

[Andy Dingley]

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 10:55:45 +0100, Gonzalez <[email protected]> wrote:

Cyclist rides from Cornwall to Scotland !

Sounds like a pretty major triumph, IMHO. Congratulations.

 

[Gonzalez]

Ian wrote:

>Sounds like you were suffering from exposure.

I now have the squits! Dehydration has also been suggested - and that makes sense. For the first few
days I was drinking up to 6 litres of water. On the 19th I drank about 3 litres, and on the morning
of the 20th hardly any.
--
remove remove to reply

 

[Gonzalez]

Andy Dingley wrote:

>On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 10:55:45 +0100, Gonzalez <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>Cyclist rides from Cornwall to Scotland !
>
>Sounds like a pretty major triumph, IMHO. Congratulations.

Thank you. I really did enjoy the ride - especially the scenic route I took over Exmoor, the Brendon
Hills, the Quantocks and the Mendips. I camped on Exmoor - near Exford, and bathed that evening in
the River Exe.

Ludlow was gorgeous. The campsite was on a hillside overlooking the town and in the evening I saw
hot air balloons rising from below me.
--
remove remove to reply

 

[Ian]

Gonzalez must be edykated coz e writed:

> Ian wrote:
>
>> Sounds like you were suffering from exposure.
>
> I now have the squits! Dehydration has also been suggested - and that makes sense. For the first
> few days I was drinking up to 6 litres of water. On the 19th I drank about 3 litres, and on the
> morning of the 20th hardly any.
> --
> remove remove to reply
If you had exposure and from what you describe, you did, then the fact you managed to ride at all
with it is pretty amazing, I'm sure when you go back to it you will sail it, *tip get some maxi
muscle cyclone bars to eat as a snack bar, they are the best I've found and the belgian chocolate on
them keep your sugar levels up.

--
Ian

http://www.catrike.co.uk

 

[Tony W]

"Gonzalez" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> 30 minutes later I was on the train back home.

Gory details snipped.

Commiserations. Your symptoms sound horribly like the severe case of Delhi Belly that struck me when
cycling in India. Turned out to be a bad case of food poisoning and left me always within about 10
ft of the bog for 10 days+

There is no fighting it. Get to the quack (after eating a packet of imodium).

There is always next year.

T

 

[Cicero]

"Gonzalez" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ian wrote:
>
> >Sounds like you were suffering from exposure.
>
> I now have the squits! Dehydration has also been suggested - and that makes sense. For the first
> few days I was drinking up to 6 litres of water. On the 19th I drank about 3 litres, and on the
> morning of the 20th hardly any.
> --
============
You might have been drinking too much water. Have a look at the discussion on this subject in an
earlier post ('Hot today', 09/08/03, 16:48).

Cic.

 

[Gonzalez]

Cicero wrote:

>You might have been drinking too much water. Have a look at the discussion on this subject in an
>earlier post ('Hot today', 09/08/03, 16:48).

I remember that discussion well, and the arguments about drinking too much water. I think that it's
very hard to drink too much water when the daytime temperature is up to 38 and you are engaging in
constant physical exercise for up to eight hours a day.

Dehydration is far more likely. Exposure a possibility, and "Delhi Belly" a maybe. However, I think
the diarrhoea I'm now suffering is a consequence of dehydration or exposure.
--
remove remove to reply

 

[Gonzalez]

Ian wrote:

>Gonzalez must be edykated coz e writed:
>
>> Ian wrote:
>>
>>> Sounds like you were suffering from exposure.
>>
>> I now have the squits! Dehydration has also been suggested - and that makes sense. For the first
>> few days I was drinking up to 6 litres of water. On the 19th I drank about 3 litres, and on the
>> morning of the 20th hardly any.
>> --
>> remove remove to reply
>If you had exposure and from what you describe, you did, then the fact you managed to ride at all
>with it is pretty amazing, I'm sure when you go back to it you will sail it, *tip get some maxi
>muscle cyclone bars to eat as a snack bar, they are the best I've found and the belgian chocolate
>on them keep your sugar levels up.

I wonder if weight loss has anything to do with it. I've just got on the scales and find myself over
a stone lighter than ten days ago. I'm still a fatty though...
--
remove remove to reply

 

[Mouseorgan]

On 21/8/03 11:33 am, in article [email protected], "Simon Mason"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
> "Gonzalez" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> 30 minutes later I was on the train back home.
>>
>> There's always next year!
>
> At least you were brave enough to try. Give it a go next year. Simon
>
>
That's more than just a "try". I'd say well done for getting that far - you might not have made
the final destination but that's a pretty long distance in not too long a time. Better luck next
year though.
------------------------------

Delete mouseorgan. To reply

 

[Doesnotcompute]

Gonzalez wrote:
> On Monday 11th I set off from Penzance Station for Land's End. My destination was John O'Groats on
> 28th August.

I'm glad you say "aborted" and not failed. Think of it as a test run, of justa bloody good ride -
you've only failed against your original challenge (end to end).

Did you cycle through Preston?

Hope you start to feel better sometime soon.

--
Dnc

 

[Doesnotcompute]

Gonzalez wrote:
> Doesnotcompute wrote:
>
>
>>Did you cycle through Preston?
>
>
> On 18th August at about 12.30 - it was the only place where my GPS let me down and I got lost. Why
> do you ask? Did you spot me?

No, but I'll bet you didn't wave to me, so how would I ? Was just curious as I've considered
cycling up to the lakes from here (Preston) and wondered what route you took and how it was.

>>Hope you start to feel better sometime soon.
>
>
> Thanks - I'm feeling much better now and may even go on a ride along the Thames Path to enjoy the
> evening light.

Nah - save it for the weekend - get yourself properly rested, otherwise you might well ruin a
long weekend.

--
Dnc

 

[Gonzalez]

Doesnotcompute wrote:

>Did you cycle through Preston?

On 18th August at about 12.30 - it was the only place where my GPS let me down and I got lost. Why
do you ask? Did you spot me?

>Hope you start to feel better sometime soon.

Thanks - I'm feeling much better now and may even go on a ride along the Thames Path to enjoy the
evening light.
--
remove remove to reply

 

[Gonzalez]

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 17:02:52 +0100, "Thomas Buck" <tom [at] greysheep [dot] co [dot] uk> wrote:

>Yes, the woman's made a mistake when driving, but surely prison should only be a last resort,

I agree completely. There's no indication that this driver set out to mow down a cyclist.

But driving is a privilege, and a difficult skill. If you clearly can't do it right, then you
should lose the first until you demonstrate the second. I'm quite happy with an automatic long ban
for anyone who kills another, following a conviction for negligent driving (even a relatively
minor offence)

A low fine is insulting. The "school run" defence is farcical.

 

[Gonzalez]

Doesnotcompute wrote:

>No, but I'll bet you didn't wave to me, so how would I ?

I waved at all sorts of people - so I may have.

>Was just curious as I've considered cycling up to the lakes from here (Preston) and wondered what
>route you took and how it was.

Cycling into Preston was horrid. I came in on the B5253 which was OK
- then the A582 which became duel carriageway.

I left Preston on the A6 which, after the M55, was a delight with well thought out cycle lanes.
The A590 into Kendal itself was not nice, but there is an alternate local road route which I could
have taken.

>Nah - save it for the weekend - get yourself properly rested, otherwise you might well ruin a
>long weekend.

I'm back to the lakes this weekend with my hillwalking club. I'm still on holiday for another
full week.
--
remove remove to reply

 

[Doesnotcompute]

Gonzalez wrote:
>>Was just curious as I've considered cycling up to the lakes from here (Preston) and wondered what
>>route you took and how it was.
>
>
> Cycling into Preston was horrid. I came in on the B5253 which was OK
> - then the A582 which became duel carriageway.

Yep I know that route - have done it many times - boring as hell and you missed a nice down hill had
you come down the A59, but that's just as boring mostly.

> I left Preston on the A6 which, after the M55,

Know it well - I live 3 miles to the west and work 1 mile to the east of that junction You should
have dropped in for a cuppa

> was a delight with well thought out cycle lanes.

It's okay innit - mined ewe, not many major junctions on the left help.

> The A590 into Kendal itself was not nice, but there is an alternate local road route which I
> could have taken.

Not been further than Lancaster on the A6, how did you find getting as far as Kendal?

>>Nah - save it for the weekend - get yourself properly rested, otherwise you might well ruin a long
>>weekend.
>
>
> I'm back to the lakes this weekend with my hillwalking club. I'm still on holiday for another
> full week.

Oh well, take care, and have fun!

--
Dnc

 

[Willowbeauty]

"Gonzalez" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> The GPS has a self calibrating barometric altimeter. If the air pressure drops while the unit is
> switched off it shows an elevation above that of the actual elevation, and if the air pressure
> rises it shows a lower elevation. It takes about 15 minutes after being switched on for the unit
> to accurately calibrate the altimeter, and then it's altimeter is accurate to about 3 meters.

Which GPS are you using? Seems pretty good to me!