Todays commute started at 0330 though I should have departed by 0300. 84.6 miles to cover and needed to be at Scarborough hospital for my life basic/intermediate ('immediate' actually) life support study day. I've had this planned for a few weeks and many different methods of 'making it work' had gone through my head. But the fact that hotels are now over £60 and closer to £100, meant I just needed to do it 'raw'.
Driving wasn't really an option, as I refuse to pay for parking and sitting in a car for almost 2 hours isn't exactly exciting or sensible (in my/your books). Eid was over and I prepared the bike. Takes some preparing doesn't it.
Half frame bag on and bottle cage-moving adaptors applied during the day. Rear tyre pumped solid as that's what the mtb pump would allow as the road pump was broken. Route loaded, 'the day I saw a Kestrel' as I'd last ridden this commute a few years ago when Bob kindly pointed out that it was probably a Buzzard and not a kestrel I'd seen on the final leg. Then came the jitters...
Stomach went all funny (the night before the ride) and so I asked the missus if she'd warm me up some of the chickpeas curry at 10 o clock at night. Then whilst she wasn't looking I also gobbled a couple of weetabix and some ready-brek... with sugar!
Alarm set for 0245, if I was gonna be on time by a mile or two. Then another set for 0327 if I was gonna maybe ride most of it and cheat with the trains. Finally another at 0516 which would mean I caught my morning prayers just in time and then like a lazy beggar went by car or train!
Looks like I awoke at 0200 which probably the nerves and then again when the alarm went off. I didn't wanna do it... how stupid I thought and went to the loo and counted up my hours. Barely 4 hours of sleep under my belt so I planned on just hitting the bed again. But Alhamdulillah (all praise God) - sorry, don't be offended... you know who you are - after washing my face I seemed to spring up to life. Morning prayers said and departed just before 0330. 0325 to be precise according to what I know now from my Strava data.
If you're atill with me, then you're doing well as it all sounds so boring and tedious when put in writing. But I was excited as anything. 4 Turkish Delights and a tube of cliff energy blocks. A spicy chicken sarnie wrap for lunch and a 750ml bottle of dilute Vimto juice. Another 750ml bottle of water along with a few blocks of 85% dark chocolate. A couple of choc-chip Belvita bars and my down jacket. I ate them all - except the down jacket but I probably would have if I could have - but had to ration then final couple of Clif energy blocks and half the water got spent washing myself and the hands as I quickly tried to make a quick getaway from a farmers field whilst he mowed his other over the road!
Now this report was suposed to be a seperate thread titled, 'the pros and cons of an 84.6 mile commute'. But aside from feeling groggy, sickly and down the night before, I couldn't think of any actual cons. I walked for around 0.4 miles at the 33 mile mark as thw feet were frozen with my summer shoes and thing merino socks. But it definitely wasn't a 'con'.
The 'pros'... well, I did some proper 'zero emission' commuting. Not like them 30k stupid electric cars that they'll have us believe are good for the whales and elephants and global warming. No, mine is the steel bike (for life, inshaAllah - sorry again) and it's probably in its third or 4th hands with me. Hopefully our commutes will inpsire the others and get more bikes on roads for work!
The wildlife was amazing though I only saw the one owl. I did see about 5 hares, one of which didn't realise that I couldn't chase him in the farmers field and then ran atraight across me path as the road bent right. Up close and personal I got with a teenage deer and then saw a couple of baby ones. Seen about 10 baby horses and this olive coloured robin type bird. Lots of various types of finches and some beautiful trees. Seen the sun come up from the horizon as it looked blazing and stopped off at the milk vending machine (though, once again I didn't purchaee any due to cargo capacity issues).
That half hour I set off late by... well, I got into the study day by exactly half hour late too but thankfully thwy let me stay and later they realised I'd cycled in. Burnt just short of 2500 calories and managed to get my moving time and total time to within 15 minutes of each other. Thanks for reading and here's the pics
One bottlw borrowed from my daughter and the other from my mate Zubair. I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to eat and drink on a ride. Ain't that (Custom Merit - thanks again Jon) bag gorgeous.
So beautiful when you know that the 1.5 hours of night riding is coming to an end. I think this was taken at 0459...
If thwre was just one scene that summarised the ride, it was this lovely tree. Just really made my day and soon will be fully fledged and green I suppose.
Ain't that sun gorgoeus.
This is the bit where my feet were frozen solid and painful. So I walked over Cawood bridge and kept on going until life had returned to em... Thanks again Jon (Lazarus).
I said to myself on departure that I'll only take the one pic at midpoint. I always take a midpoint pic! Tgis was shot at 42.3 exactly... Took some remembering.
Elvington village IIRC.
The hills of North Yorkshire. So beautiful in real life!
Then after the training day I went down to Scarborough beachside and did my afternoon prayers here. Always imagined Scarborough to be a bit bland and 'chavvy'... but how ever so gorgeous it is...
THE END (for now)
).
and how I've managed to hold onto the cycle-commuting way...
. And your 80 miler was monster. All that rubbish on the other thread about not being able to keep up 
riding through seems easier though... lol
thanks Phil. No, that might have been overdoing it.. maybe one day 
No way. Did I include that. Yes, TPT it should be 