Erm, Mirror mirror on the wall . Not sure that bow he's holding will be easy to cock (*) at all though.

(*) sorry that's for crossbows in't it. No idea what I'm on about as usual.

Sorry to be a pain (suffering etc) with this one, but if you're partaking of a bit of T2F or even T3F, then deep down surely you're enjoying that too? (Again, I'm drawing the line at accidental serious bodily damage here). If you're not why are you carrying on doing it? As mentioned earlier the choice is yours. You don't have to carry on in T3 mode - push your bike to the nearest Travelodge and have a beer and bed. Even the remotest place in Wales is only 3 miles from a road (I really must bivi there soon).

This is the 2nd Worzul Gummidge alagy I’ve seen in two days. In the 1st the young lady resipient had to google the name to see how big an insult it was

My own take on this is it depends on where your heads at when you set out. I started last years BB200 thinking I was unprepared and unfit. It was far too easy to bail when my primary light failed. When even as I did, I knew that if I wanted it, I’d have found a way to carry on.

Yep what Ian said. This riding a bike ala bikepacking is a luxury. You are on holiday.

Outside online recently published an piece along the lines of it's only riding a bike, which at first I thought rude, but in fact is very true.

Reg Gummidge or Regweazel?

SIGH!

I once had a key moment up a steep climb with very little ice and dodgy conditions.
A snow storm had arrived, we couldn't find protected belays, so the thin and brittle (due to very low temperature) ice from the sharp end of the rope would come howling down towards the belayer.
As we got higher (less risky than abseiling with the little gear we had) the pitches steepened and our energy deepleted quick.
At one point, after the second sketchiest pitch of the whole route, I arrived at the belay with a smile.
My mate couldn't understand what was making me laugh. More like "wtf is so funning now?".

"When we get out of this, we will be laughing about it later. Why not laugh about it now?"

All about keeping the cup half full than half empty isn't it... I've been th8nking about this and yesterday went to explore it in my own way by riding towards one of the toughest climbs (in road bike terms) that I know and making the route come back along the tops from Burnley...

The climb is called Doghouse Hill and its tucked away nicely behind Hedben Bridge train station and once you start its inadvisable to stop: its a single track road with sections of 20 percent gradient and over. If you got off I imagine one would have to slip back down the road on foot as its too (anyway, I digress)...




So the reason why I like to endure (or persevere as I know it as) is, for example, this abovementioned ride was a training ride for the charity ride to raise for 10 orphans (going up Doghouse was more the mental conditioning side of things as the 230 miler has some hairy-but not this hairy - climbs at the 200plus marker) and thats why currently am enduring.

Before that and most of the rides that I ever pay money to join are only when they have an element of fundraising for a needy cause. First proper one many years ago was one me and the lads organised: Liverpool to Leeds canal towpath over 2 days for McMillan Cancer Support. For 6 months after I couldn't ride a bike cos of my back (was being nice and offered to csrry someone elses baggage on my back as well as my own and couple with that my seatpost kept slipping which I endured for many miles before finally asking the team to stop and wait whilst I sorted it good and proper *...

Fundraising for me helps the 'enduring' side of things as this current one, when I'm enduring, I remember the suffering of the children that my riding will InshaAllah (GodWilling) bring help and ease to...

*but it was well worth it cos if I remember correctly we managed to raise over £9000 for McMillan (just found an article we made at the time)
https://liverpool2leeds.wordpress.com

Anothrr thing I contemplated/remembered on yesterdays enduring ride was a report from the BBC radio whatever at the start of the war/displacements in Syria starting. Makes you realise that some people might be enduring/persevering whilst others in the same situation (or the onlooker might see them as) would be suffering.

The report was from a consultant surgeon who had gone to volunteer in the hospitals and whrn asked what sturck hin the most of his time there and treating people. He mentioned a young boy (or was it a girl) who had been brought to the hospital with shrapnel in his chest/heart. The boy needed chest surgery and should (in theory) be suffering. But this surgeon recalled how the child seemed to be content and actually smiling (similar in some ways to what Alpinum describes above possibly)... Hence the kid obviously didnt feel he was suffering (right!?!l...

Anyway... Being part of the excellent company on here does help me to endure betterer when am out there and I (kindof) look forward to the forthcoming BAMs...