Look at him! He has no idea what's coming......
First Problem. To get an audax ride validated, you need proof of start time and location. Lands End is effectively shut at 6 a.m. on a Monday morning. Even the Car Park Ticket Machine refused to play ball. We wasted a little time on pictures and general faffing, and were about to leave when our solution arrived.
Him neither......
Entry Mr Jeremy Cartwright, resident of Sennen Cove, resplendent in foul weather gear, and out for his morning constitutional. He had a chat, signed our cards, agreed to verify our being there and, at 6:12, we were on our way. Thank you , sir!
Initial enthusiasm stormed us back to Penzance on traffickless main roads, past Penzance railway station where the days 'real trains' were getting up heads of steam. On to Marazion and St Michael's Mount in perfect early morning light. By now, however, you can already see the big problem with a sub-5 day trip. There is no time to stop for virtually anything, especially photos.
By the time 2 hours had passed, we were passing Stithians Reservoir at the highest point of the first section, and already 44km in despite the lumpiness. Throughout the ride, we were to average just about 21.5kmh moving, despite the terrain, well in excess of our expected rate of progress. Unfortunately, we also underestimated the necessity for rest stops, which would become longer and more frequent the hotter it got.
Rattling down unfeasibly narrow lanes (thankfully wholly without cars) we arrived at King Harry Ferry, 60km down, at 8:58. Bang on time for getting straight onto the ferry, and 15 minutes up on time despite being 12 minutes late from Lands End. One brief chain ferry crossing later, and we were hauling ourselves up away from the water and onto one of the hardest route sections of the entire journey.
We already knew about the 1755 metres of climbing on the road to Launceston, but we didn't make it easy for ourselves. There's only one thing worse than riding up a 16% hill, and that's riding up the WRONG 16% hill and having to come down and start again. Still, whats a gratuitous 150 feet extra climbing between friends? That was, thankfully, the only navigational faux pas of day one.
But Day One was now getting very, very hot. Monday was close to being the hottest day of the year in Cornwall, and at its height we were out on top of the moors with nowhere to hide. By the time we reached East Taphouse after 112km, it was all we could do to collapse into the shade of a tiny garage shop to hide from the sun and cool off. Refilling the bidons was a regular job, and even I, who drinks far too little while riding, quaffed 11 750cl bottles that day, plus extras at each and every stop. It really was that hot, and potential heat exhaustion weather.
Launceston arrived at 14:28 a whole minute ahead of schedule, our early gains having been wiped out by struggling in the heat. By now, though, we had done the worst of the climbing, with 'only' 1000 metres to do in the 68km to Exeter. Whilst the first stretch to Okehampton undulated, and lost us more ground, by the time we had replenished yet more empty bidons at the top of the town, some cloud cover had arrived, and the net downhill on the old A30 to Exeter beckoned.
I recall little of this section except overtaking a tractor and baler on a downhill stretch, and then having to cane it to stay ahead as the road inched upwards again. At least that 10km went quickly. Over the last sharp climb into Exeter and the GPS easily delivered us, knackered, to Exeter St David's Railway Station for another proof of passage. 20 minutes early over the 202km to this point we were pleased but very tired.
Worse still, inside there was a train back to Tamworth at 9p.m. If we were to get on it we would be back in our own beds before midnight. Tempting. Very tempting.
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