24 hours, - but not quite the same...

[BigH]

Wahaay! I'm off to our favourite place for the weekend, and I suppose I better be a good boy, - no beer or barbies!

http://www.24heuresvelo.fr/en/24-HOURS-CYCLING-RACE-7.htm

I'm number 222, riding for the world famous 'Sudocrem Cycling Club'. Ok, it doesn't exist, but I had to make something up on the spur of the moment...

I understand that once things kick off at 3:00 on Saturday, the lap times and standings are shown on http://www.ris-timin.../2013/index.htm if anyone can be arsed.

Got to say, I'm not really sure what to expect, - I think the first lap or two will be fantastic, and then it's going to be a head job for the next 23.5 hours. As well as an arse job.

Better start pumping my tyres.

H

[Stu]

No saddle and a thrupenny bit for the back wheel apparently (so I've heard) makes the distance a lot easier.

[BigH]

IIRC there was talk about a bridge or road being closed in Ruoen for a few months. How did this pan out, - what's the best route through at the moment? I'll be hitting it early afternoon tomorrow, so I know it could be trying...
H

[Lorry]

A lorry caught fire on the main bridge over the Seine and its closed till next spring.

I don't think its caused many problems as there are several other bridges and a well marked detour.  Just avoid Rouen at rush hour

[Rhino]

Best of luck H. Will keep an eye on your times.
How on earth are you going to get home, you won't be able to sit down for months.

[Canada Phil]

Good luck with that BigH. I trust you have some team mates to help pedal that  bike.
Pictures of you in your Sudocrem sponsored Shirt please.
Phil

[Fran]

Well done BigH.   A very respectable result!

I bet you never want to see the place again after 168 laps.... 

[BigH]

Holy saddle sores, that was a day out!

It was all a bit bizarre seeing the place with empty campsites and no cars, but just fantastic to get to ride round the Bugatti. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but it was obviously taken very, very seriously by everyone, and there was no mistaking that this was a big race for the French, with a lot of Pro teams, ex Pros, a few riders from last years TDF and even a past TDF winner. The pits were full of team paraphernalia, turbo trainers, masseurs etc, - our Milletts camp bed in the corner of pit 41 looked a bit on the sad side. I can confirm that a pit garage at 3 in the morning, is pretty f-freezing, and frankly, missing a little bit of soft furnishings and soft lighting. we were a team of two (well, someone has to apply the Sudocrem...), and rode 1 hour stints, hoping that this would give us an hours rest between stints, but it turned out at more like 45 minutes or less, and it wasn't exactly quality rest. Anyway, we managed 437 miles in 24 hours, so we were pretty pleased with that. I won the toss and got to do the first stint and the start.

The start was quite an experience, with the flag girls, national anthems, Thus Spake Zarathustra and then the "run" across the track to the bike. I had a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat by the time I got my $rse on the saddle!

H

[oldtimer]

The start was quite an experience, with the flag girls, national anthems, Thus Spake Zarathustra and then the "run" across the track to the bike. I had a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat by the time I got my $rse on the saddle!

I dare say you had a tear in your eye at the end too, though I imagine the lump would be in your ars* by then!

Hats off to you. There is no way I could have taken on something like that.

[gatordad]

BigH= Big Hemorrhoid for now...congrats...I think!

[Lawnmower Man]

Well done H.

[Lazy B'stard]

Well done H. Pretty impressive distance you covered. I did the Great North Bike Ride on Sunday (my first ever road ride in 30 years of cycling!), just 66 miles in 3hr30min58s which was pretty hard work. Not sure I'd want to do 400+ miles. I can imagine the Craic would be quite good at LM though. Maybe a team of four to allow some proper rest and Leffe time would be better though?

[BigH]

Thanks guys, and gal.

Yep, I think 4 would be a good option, you'd have time for a decent break, - I think there were more 4's and 6's than any other category, - 6 or 8 would definitely give you time for a Leffe/tartiflette/complete skinfull and a lap dance, if you felt the urge. According to my computer I burnt over 10,000 calories, and with the short breaks you don't get a chance to replace them, which is probably why I felt like Albert Steptoe the next day.

There were a couple of teams running adapted MTB's, but I'm not sure what their pace was like, I just spotted them in the pits, but didn't see them on the course. Mind you, the run up to the Dunlop Bridge felt like it needed an MTB, I'm sure the cars don't notice it much, but it was a real nuisance pedalling up it. The reward was the run down the other side and the huge right hander onto the Bugatti, it was impossible to take it too quickly! There's a big double apex corner (Le Garage Vert?) a little further on which could be hit at about 40mph, and was tricky to get right, but was stonking when you did.

Not feeling too bad now, - my arse has stepped down from DEFCON 3...

H

[Fran]

I can almost smell that pit garage from here......

[Barry]

Respect H