Day 7 - Northallerton to Lincoln

I messed up on this one before I had even started. Firstly I hadn't managed to sort out getting the battery extender charged up so last night I had the choice between the Garmin navigation device or the iPhone, and well, being selfish I'm afraid the satnav had to take priority, hence the lack of blog updates and no live tracking. Normal service should be resumed tomorrow.

The second thing that went wrong was that I knew this was a nice flat route but I also thought it was about 100miles long. a quick check this morning though reminded me that it was actually 116 miles and therefore the later start time I had prepared for was now questionable about whether I could finish in the light. Not much I could do at that point except to get my things together and head off.

As seems to be the norm at the moment the first 15-20 miles were incredibly tough due to knee pains and a general lack of energy. Even small rises would bring me to a stop to recover. After that though things seem to fall into place, the knee eases off and some serous progress can be made. Strange really, it's almost as if it takes some time for your body to start producing a form of natural anaesthetic. If anyone knows I'd genuinely like to know what causes this.

The ride off the Yorkshire moors from the campsite was mostly downhill so that went ok then the long flat slog south began. It's weird riding on the flat as it's a complete different style of riding compared to very hilly regions. For those it's about explosive uphill climbs and normally coasting down the other side to recover. Flat cycling is less intense but it's relentless in that you cannot stop pedalling at all otherwise you stop. There is no opportunity for recovery except to physically stop and accept the loss of time. I don't think that one is necessarily harder than the other but they are definitely different.

The route headed South from Northallerton and through the centre of York where I grabbed some lunch. It then carried on south via Selby, Thorne and Gainsborough before heading south east to Lincoln.

For some reason it didn't seem as quick as I was expecting this leg to be, I guess partly because I was once again up again the possibility of seeing in the dark but looking at the stats afterwards my times were actually pretty quick. If only I'd set off a bit earlier. Whilst it did rain heavily in parts it was mostly bright and sunny so for the first time in this challenge I could ride without a wind or waterproof jacket on. So much better. The only real downside is that whilst my right knee seems to be improving, I managed to slip on the pedals earlier and twisted the left one! A stupid accident nothing more.
Whilst painful at the time it soon wore off after a few mins until I'd stop then it would hurt again. Now I've stopped it's still painful so I hope this is just one of those stupid things that will sort itself out overnight and will be gone by the morning. If not it's going to be a ridiculously long 20miles first thing.

Tomorrow is the longest leg of the challenge but as its flat again I'm hoping I can finish it at a reasonable hour. 135miles is still a long way no matter how you look at it though!!

I will let you know how I get on.

Rich

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Lincoln