Alex Menarry's blog, "thoughts from a 89 year old athlete"

Please forgive me for returning to The Basic Question. I’ve had a revelation and a revolution on the Road to Darlington. It was quite a shock to have bum problems on the last three days of LEJoG. Never had serious problems before but 17 days in the saddle probed my weaknesses. This is despite riding Dover to Durness and France North to South earlier this year before LEJoG. The puzzle was “why and how to change things to improve matters?”. After long thinks and talks to my son-in-law, John Booker, I have stopped using the mountain bike shorts as first layer, threw them out, and adopted the “buy good shorts, with a well-designed pad, and wear only them next to the skin” approach. So I bought a new pair each of Endura, Chris Boardman and Castelli shorts and threw all the well-used ones out. This has worked so far on uninterrupted 50km rides but has yet to be tested on 100-120 km, all day, routes. On the basis of experience so far, confidence is rising that the new regime will work.

It may be that all you guys and gals out there knew this all along but I have the feeling everyone has to come to their own conclusions, based on one’s own anatomical set-up. In any case, it may be a necessary route to perfect comfort to do a bit of deep thought and experimentation. I’m reading Mark Beaumont’s book on his 80-day epic round the world. Yes, my little rides can’t compare to his 240-miles-per-day. However, he does mention this area of discomfort from time to time. Does everyone have discomfort on long rides and just accept it or has someone found the perfect comfort zone? Maybe it is very personal and there is no single solution for everyone. Intriguing – but can’t find any evidence on this. If anyone has found a serious study, with statistics, please let me know.

And . . . . the subject of draughting keeps running round in my head. After lots of searching the internet, I can’t find a serious scientific study giving the assistance benefit from a rider in front versus speed and distance from said rider. You Tube has lots of trials with power meters and somewhat confusing tests, which I have not found to be entirely satisfactory. And never the graph I am looking for. Again, any assistance in this area welcome.

We (The Royal We) have now submitted The Application to Guinness World Records – a lot of work for grandson Rob, thanks a zillion, Rob – and in his words “now we wait”. The standard time for a response is 12 weeks, unless the applicant opts for a rapid, 5 day, response at some cost of which I didn’t enquire. Whether Donald Wells, the 87 year old compleater, has put in an Application we don’t know. However, the current recorder holder on the GWR web site is still Tony Rathbone, of Keswick, at 81 years young. I looked at the 2019 Guinness Book of Records the other day but this particular record I couldn’t find in the the “Oldest” section. Very understandable, I think. The complexity of the Guinness Record system is byzantine – a bit like the application evidence document! – so to include everything would need a very large book.

So, stand by, all my readers and supporters. All will be revealed as soon as we know. A word about all those who have contacted us so far and contributed to the Facebook page. Many thanks for all the support. Some very thoughtful words received with pleasure. One motive for all this stuff, as I intimated in the beginning pompous philosophy section, was to flush out some of those anonymous 60, 70, 80, even 90 (?) year olds on their bikes week in and week out, doing amazing things and just getting on with it, without thinking about publicity, fame and ego, unlike me. Chris Ellison, the CTC LEJoG Tour leader, told me that when he did the tour using hostels, years ago, there were lots of old geezers doing LEJoG. Maybe just retired or recently bereaved and inspired to do something with a challenge. On the led tours I have done this year alone, I have met some inspiring 70++ year olds, turning in amazing performances going from France North to South and Dover to Durness. In Darlington Cycling Club there are some extremely fit 70++ year olds, burning the rubber up the climbs. One of our 70 year old members, the Amazing Mal, this year cycled across North America, 4,000+ miles, two months in the saddle! Nil Illigitimus Carborundum, guys and girls. We can do it!

The Bike

My Ribble Sportive 365 performed very well, with minimal attention. Didn’t pump the tyres (Schwalbe marathon extras) up once in the 18 days. Put some oil on the chain every few days. Didn’t wash it once! The mountain bike gearing (see the website) was just right for me and most changes were impeccable. Shipped the chain going on to the small ring a couple of times but that was my incompetence, I think.

The Bum

No problems until the last two or three days, when a painful spot developed near a pelvic bone. Luckily, it was kept under control with nappy rash treatment, lots of lubrication and standing up frequently. This is a show-stopper, of course, if a bad pressure sore develops. I guess these things are the same as “bed-sores”, which sometimes hit hospital patients. I thought the Spain week (which followed on with a three-day break) would be a beach holiday but in fact the lubrication treatment and Castelli shorts saved the day. All ok now.

The Body

This ancient frame managed 60 and 70 mile days remarkably well. Cardio-vascular capacity was equal to all the demands made of it. Walked twice on steep hills, surprisingly in Derbyshire, not Scotland. Hips, knees and ankles were no problem. Careful attention to lip-salve kept that area in good condition, despite wind, sun and rain. No skin problems of any kind, whether in shorts and short sleeves or full bad weather gear.

The Route

Chris Ellison has spent a long time honing the route details, to keep main roads to a minimum and pass along lovely, leafy lanes, through wonderful scenery. I enoyed the route very much. The gpx files and Garmin navigation worked well – didn’t get lost once, which is a record for me. The Garmin Edge 800 I used runs out of battery on long days, so I had a top-up battery in the cross-bar bag to keep it going. I am told the 1000 and later models have bigger capacity batteries; must buy one.

The Accommodation

Chris had arranged the hotels so that we all stayed at the same place each night. This contributes to the cohesion of the group and the enjoyment of the whole thing. For me, the comfort of a hot shower, good meals and a comfortable bed are essential ingredients. How the hard men and women do it camping or sleeping rough, I will never know – because I’m not going to try it!

The Weather

Detailed memories of the weather tend to fade away, I find. My recollection is of good weather in the first week and then cold and wet in the second. The big event was Storm Ali, of course. We were in Abington on that Thursday, which should have been a ride to Stirling, then a rest day. I opted to take the rest day on the extreme-weather Thursday, staying with my son in Kirkpatrick Durham. He then took me back to Abington and supported me and my grandson, Jamie, on the route to Stirling. From then the memory is of cold weather with full bad weather gear deployed on most days. The winds were largely from the south-west, with some periods of north, ie head-on, winds. Anyhow, the bad weather gear worked very well.

The Challenge of 60+ miles per day

There were seventeen days in the saddle and one rest day. The average mileage on riding days was 63. We covered 1060 miles, I’m told – I haven’t totted it up yet – and 10,000 metres of climb. I thought before the trip that this would be hard to maintain but not so. With coffee and lunch stops and plenty of time to reach the hotel before shower and dinner, it all worked out well. Leaving at 0900ish in the morning and arriving at 1700ish in the evening was a comfortable 10mph average, overall.

The Clothes

As alluded to above, the bad weather gear proved to be adequate for the conditions. I had vest, short-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved shirt, cycling shorts, windproof, good waterproof, arm warmers, leg warmers, over-trousers and overshoes. One spare set of cycling gear, clothes for the evening and toilet bag and creams and stuff were in the suitcase in the van. There was also a lap-top, chargers for all the electronics, log books, witness books, uncle tom cobley and all. All proved to be adequate and not too much in the weather conditions which prevailed.

The Companions

Most of the time there were seven of us on the road and at the hotels. This made for a very compact group, who were able to get to know one another. Bigger groups make it difficult to become familiar with everyone and remember all the names. Dinner conversation was very inclusive and entertaining. I felt I knew everyone by the middle of the trip. As usual on these tours, one meets like-minded, and very likeable, people. My room-mate, John, and I got on very well. Sometimes we stayed together on the road and sometimes we were strung out or within sight of one another.

The Leader

I can’t praise Chris Ellison’s planning and support enough. On the road the van was always in the right place to help with tricky turns or café stops. His pep-talks in the evening gave us full confidence we could do the next day. The support when the mechanicals and bike problems arose were essential and tour-saving. How the tragic accident could have been dealt with, without his experience, I don’t know.

The Aftermath

When I reached home, I had two days turnaround to prepare for a cycling holiday in Calpe, on the Costa Blanca, Spain. That all went well and we had a great time in perfect weather. The ancient body performed well and kept going. I have lost 2.5 kgm in body weight. Having reached home, I now feel very tired. I guess that, once one stops doing these things, the body goes “flop” and shouts for attention. Early nights and late lies are the order of the day for a little while. Then there’s gardening to do and bike maintenance and so on. Grandson Robbie has all the evidence I collected and he recorded and stored on the website for Guinness World Records and the application will go in soon. Then we wait . . . . . . . .

And so we said goodbye to a very windy John o’ Groats and to our companions of the 17 days spent riding northwards, ever northwards. The return journey south is an awful long way – two days driving. First along the east coast on the A9 to Inverness, where the road then more or less followed, or was near to, the route we had cycled. Lots of cries of “we were there” and “remember the rain squall on the Kessock Bridge” and such like. A stop in Newtonmore at Jenny’s car (all safe) and on to Falkirk, with the Oil Refinery and the Kelpies. On, ever south, Glasgow, Carlisle, Penrith, A66, the wind becoming slightly less but not much. Plenty of sunshine now, though and strange lenticular clouds, denoting high winds at high altitude. Darlington by 1700 hours today, more than 12 hours driving equates to 17 days cycling!

Down to domestic reality with a bump – washing all the gear, oh crumbs look at the lawn must cut tomorrow, think of something for evening meal (freezer and microwave save the day). Gather together all the stuff for The Guiness World Record Application – witness book with signatures for individual places along the way and a section for the whole journey, written log book, maps, route descriptions, official-looking pro formas (?? my Latin isn’t good enough for the correct words!) signed up by my companions (thanks guys) at JoG verifying my bona fides (more rubbish Latin). I guess this web site, representing so much work and support from grandson Robbie, will form part of the application evidence, too. If you look at the section on the Rules and the list of evidence required, you will see what I mean.

So many people to thank. Chris Ellison the CTC Tour Leader, who had planned the whole route and hotel bookings, gave very close support on the road, kept the show together when the mechanicals came thick and fast and provided evening pep talks describing what tomorrow would bring. All my companions on the Tour, who gave so much moral support and good conversation; there were seven of us, which made dinner conversations very inclusive. John, my room-mate, ensured we started the day on time – we got on so well and I will remember him as a true gentleman.

In a week or so’s time, when I’ve had a chance to review things from a greater distance, I may attempt a bit of pompous Philosophy, similar to the first entry in this Blog. For now, goodnight (it’s 2359 hours) to all my readers. I’m told I was wrong about the “if any” – there are quite a lot. Thank you all for your moral support.

Nethy Bridge to Tain, 120 km, 1,113 m climb. A day of many layers – vest, shirt with arm warmers, long sleeved shirt, windproof and waterproof, leg warmers and big gloves. Starting off at 0845, the temperature was 3C and the average for the day was 8C. The pass to get over today was Slochd to Inverness for lunch. Jen and I found the lunch stop, Velocity Cafe, after difficult navigation through the centre of Inverness. We arrived about 1300, had a good lunch, and off for the second leg to Dingwall and the Courtyard Cafe. Found it ok and arrived at 1500 as the others were leaving for Tain. Weather so far was cold, with little wind but short sharp showers. The final leg east to Tain was much more enjoyable than the first two, with more sunshine, blue skies, a following wind and very few showers. Views of the oil rigs in the firth were spectacular. Saw a wnderful double rainbow but avoided the shower associated with it. We arrived at the Royal Hotel in the middle of Tain at about 1700.

Tomorrow another big day to Bettyhill.

Pitlochry to Nethy Bridge, 114.6 km, 970 m climb. A day of two halves, this time. am: to Drumochter, passing through territory familiar to me – Killiecrankie, Soldiers Leap, Aldclune and The Old SchoolHouse – to Drumochter Pass. This 1400 ft + pass is approached by a remarkably gentle climb. However (there is always a however) a serious head wind made this climb very, very hard.

Luckily the wind miraculously ameliorated on the way down, There is a cycle path alongside the A9, which varies in quality from smooth tarmac to old road to gravel track with little bridges and mini cattle grids. Not for the faint-hearted. Or even someone like me, who who gets the heebie-jeebies on gravel and thinks cattle grids are going to grab him. It may be that this was what I needed ie loads of practice and experience of these hazards. Anyway, I survived without a nervous breakdown apart from one mistook. Approached a small grid at the wrong angle, panicked, grabbed for the gate post and was stuck, suspended, with sloping bike. But for the guys behind me, I would still be there. The whizz down to Dalwhinnie made up for it all and the cafe there was much improved on previous visits. This part of the world is so nostalgic for me, taking me back to Munro-bagging days, supported by my wife, Nita. The Boar of Badenoch and the Sow of Atholl are also worth climbing, although they are not Munros. At Newtonmore, Jen joined me and we went seamlessly into the second half of the day. A few short, sharp showers but a most enjoyable ride, without head-wind, along quiet lanes to Nethy Bridge. Nearly ran over a red squirrel but he/she escaped after several figure-of-eights around my front wheel. There was a strange phenomenon as we approached NB – the Garmin kept belly-aching we were off route, when clearly we were not. No choice. so we pressed on. Jen suggested it was due to pylons parallel to the road, which is the probable explanation.

We hear the weather in the soft south is causing havoc. We are looking forward to a day of showers, a slightly north of west but not strong wind but low temperatures.

Stirling to Pitlochry, 98 km, 1,420 m of climb. Most of the climb was up on to Sherrifmuir. My friend Keith Burns joined the group at the bottom of the climb and accompanied us to Pitlochry. Great to see Keith and on a solo bike, for a change. Weather coolish, which brought out the leg warmers and big gloves. Wind north of west but no bother in the morning. A day of three halves (!!!). Morning, just a nice ride for a third of the total distance, from Stirling to the first cafe stop at Crieff. Lunch to coffee stop at Aberfeldy somewhat more challenging. Northish wind funnelled through the Sma’ Glen, making life hard. Didn’t actually lie down on the grass and cry but thought about it. Made my bum hurt for some reason – psychosomatic?? Fabulous whizz down to Aberfeldy. The Rhino Cafe has shut down, so we coffeed and caked at the Cinema Cafe. Third section just wonderful, with blue skies and sunny, dry roads. Keith, Rick and I kept together as a mini-group, discussing the route etc. Stopped at a lovely bridge over the Tay, with white water rapids. Three interests i) a very skilfull canoist honing his skills in the white water ii) an Archimedes Screw hydro generator to admire and discuss, iii) good photo opportunity. There followed a heated discussion on the route to follow. Rick and I were adamant that we were on Chris’s gpx route, Keith, knowing the area well, saying it was all wrong. We stuck to the gpx and it gradually made sense to Keith and would be in plenty of time for his train back to his car. All ended well – a super ride on a sustrans route avoiding the A9. Arrived Fisher’s Hotel 16.45. Bikes and bags to room, shower, and now about to go for a beer before dinner. Goodnight to all my readers (if any).