DAY 2 DIARY: LEEDS TO PARIS BIKE RIDE

Here is Day 2 of one of our latest Ride25 riders, Mike Donnellan’s personal account of his Ride25 Leeds to Paris bike ride which he completed last week.  To read Day 1 of Mike’s Diary, click here.

DAY 2: Ashby De La Zouch to Thame. Thursday 4th Sept, 2014

• Distance covered – 155 km
• Duration – 9 hours
• Ascent – 3,500 feet
• Calories consumed – 6,500
• Terrain – much flatter terrain big sting at the end
• Pace – stayed in the 2nd bunch today running at my usual pace of 30 km/hr
• Heart beat – 126 bpm average, 160 bpm peak

A really enjoyable day, albeit with 97 miles covered, the 1st time I have completed 2 back to back ton days! The route was flat and we meandered all morning through the fields and countryside of the Midlands. All 20 riders arrived at the 1st refeulling stop, a nice country pub around the same time. The banter was great, smiles were on everyone’s faces, even the support crew remarked that today was so different from the day before where pain and suffering was etched on the faces of everyone. This was a great day to be out on the bike.

The sun shone all day, the country villages of Leicestershire and then Oxfordshire were gorgeous and the ornate country village pub where we stopped for lunch was perfect. I just hoped it would now be like this all the way to Paris.

After the mid-afternoon stop we had one final, steep 15% plus climb into a village called Brill just before a terrific 5-mile fast descent into Thame. Later in the evening, we were to learn of Nathan, having battled his way to the top of the hill banging on the closed doors of the local hostelry like a mad man. Apparently, he had eaten something rather racy at lunch and the super-human effort had caused his bowels to spasmodistically release.

So funny.

Great camaraderie and I was recovering well this evening. Brilliant banter over dinner. However, a young Irishman named Dooley had failed to observe the golden rules of frequent nutrition and hydration throughout the day. He collapsed at the Spread Eagle Gastro pub where we were staying with ‘The Bonk’. Helen’s attempt to revive him had little effect and the sight of him wrapped in a space blanket did not bode well. An hour later an ambulance arrived to wisk him off to hospital for specialist care and attention. He did off course return to the hotel around mid-night non the worse for wear but he now carried the noteriety of ‘Nil by Mouth’, ‘Don’t Eat Dooley’ and other such tags much to the amusement of his mates. After a heart meal at the Spread Eagle in Thame I finally retired to my bed at 10.30pm.

Read Day 3 here