This is going to be a pretty tough one.
Month: March 2015
Göteborg 14/3
HisingensCK’s first brevet of the year. I think there were 19 of us who turned out and all finished successfully.
The wind was there again, but nowhere near as bad as it was in Trollhättan.
I did this ride solo too. That is more or less my plan. I don’t expect to have a riding partner during PBP, so I might as well get used to being on my own. I actually like it that way. I can keep a steady pulse, decide how long I stop at controls and generally not have to worry about anything else other than getting where I am supposed to, by the way I am supposed to.
It was nowhere near as tiring as the ride last week from Trollhättan. It was just as hilly, but the wind was not as bad.
I did make a mistake though. The first control was in Varberg and I thought it was too early to eat, so I just ate a roll and had some coffee. Only problem was that there was no place else along the route. It passed through nice peaceful country-side, with no shops.
The second control was unmanned in Källsjö. There is a dairy there with self-service all days except Friday afternoons. Christian hung up a plastic bottle with stickers that we put on our cards and noted the time. I went on in, put 15 kr in the self-service box and drank a Coke.
From Källsjö the route went through the backroads to Gunnarsjö to Kungsäter, where one of the few “central” churches (pulpit is in the center of the church) in Sweden can be found.
And something we’ve all longed for all winter, sun!
The next control was at Horred. I bought some coffee and a couple of fudge like clumps.
It was after this that my stinginess with food took its toll. I made it over to Fjärås, but across the flatland down below Fjärås, where the wind blows even on the quietest days, my legs turned to lead, pure lead.
I pulled over at a bus stop and squeezed in one of two gels I had with me. That got me to Lindome, 20 km further down the road. There I stopped at the bus stop right down from my house (refusing to look in that direction, of course) and squeezed in one more. That helped to get me the last 10 km to the goal.
Time was 10 hours and 23 minutes, give or take a minute. I don’t remember exactly and haven’t seen the results yet.
I must have managed to push a stop button om my bike computer. It stood still for about 10 km at the 175km mark. That was when I took the first gel.
Trollhättan 7/3
Finally, the first ride, well, ACP-ride.
We started at 7am from the hospital, NÄL. There was a bit of a mix-up for some, since they were given another starting place.
It was cold for the first couple of hours, below zero centigrade. The bunch started out full tilt, but I realized, as usual, that if I was going to get around, I’d need to back off the 90% pulse that I was up at. I had company with Ulrika up to the first control in Färgelanda. The bunch was still there and Ulrika continued with them. I did the rest solo.
The wind cannot be described. It was pretty close to being tangible enough to have a name. The upside was that it wasn’t gusty, just constant powerful wind straight in my face for 100km, down to Stenungsund at the 150km mark.
The wind sucks out energy and when I got to Varekil I decided to fill up a bit with a hotdog and some coffee. I had a feeling that even though there were only some 20 odd kilometers to Stenungsund, I would run into trouble. It would all be close to the coast where the wind was most powerful.
It was a good move and the rest went by fairly uneventful. Just slow. The temperature never got above 3 degrees. I have no idea what the wind chill factor was, but my feet never froze so bad that they hurt. Anything above zero is bearable.
No pictures. Pulled in to NÄL, got some poor patient on crutches to sign my card … 11 hours and 18 minutes.
2015 begins
