And so the challenge continues. Day 2 brought its own difficulties, but by the end we were well over halfway to Paris
Distance: 136km
Average speed: 18.6kph
Maximum speed: 49.9kph
Elevation gain: 1,159m
Biggest climb: 205m
Time: 7hrs 19 mins
Following a substantial breakfast and the morning’s briefing we set out. In many ways this was the hardest ride for me, both physically and psychologically. It was the first time I’ve ever had to get back on the bike after a long, challenging ride the previous day. I’ve done longer rides in a single stretch, but always had the next day off. On this occasion I had the prospect of another long challenging ride ahead of me.
It was also quite a big distance with a significant amount of climbing – though less than the route down to Dover. What’s more, the landscape we were riding through was less than inspiring. We were in agricultural country – big flat fields stretching from horizon to horizon with little in the way of hedgerows or copses to break up the monotony. Add to this a head wind that was so strong at times that I wasn’t picking up any speed on declines and all in all this was to be a difficult day.
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| The flat, agricultural landscape was less than inspiring and didn't distract from the head wind at all. |
Quite early on I developed a pain in my left inner thigh. Well, more of a niggle than a pain, but I could feel it on every down stroke with my left leg. I suspect it was mostly caused by tensing up the previous day due to feeling somewhat stressed. The fact is that while I do love cycling and taking part in these challenges, I get very nervous about the task in hand and about meeting lots of new people, which tends to stress me out. It’s just the way I am and I accept it. I won’t let it stop me doing the things I want to.
This was the hardest ride for me, both physically and psychologicallyLunch was at Westrehem, and I’d like to take this opportunity to say how impressed I was with the lunches provided. The food was pretty carb-tastic (not a criticism!), with lots of pasta and potato salad. But there was also greenery and tomatoes, cold meats and veggie quiche. For afters there was cake and fruit, plus snacks in the form of energy bars and packets of crisps. There was even tea, coffee and hot chocolate. I often find that veggie choices are lacking on events like this (and even in London restaurants at times), but that really wasn’t the case here. And all of this was served from the back of a van!
We arrived at the hotel with time for a shower and a rest before having dinner as a group. This was our first opportunity to properly get to know some of the other people on the challenge. This isn’t my strong point, so I let Biking Buddy Claire do the talking. Everyone we met was lovely, though, so it wasn’t too hard for me.
After a celebratory glass of wine, I headed off to bed for an early night in preparation for the next day.
