Way Too Far! 220 Miles in 19 Hours
220 miles in the saddle almost turned out to be more of an adventure than the three crusaders from Fort Halsted could handle.
Nick (Madmax) Mullett, Ben (Hardman) Harlow and Phil (Machine) Martin, battled through the hottest day of the year to complete a 222 mile charity ride for SSAFA from Fort Halstead to Porton Down and back.
The first few hours were dimly lit as the ride started just as it ended… in a turbulent thunderstorm. Despite the biblical start at 4:45am on 18th July, the group was all laughs and high spirits. A welcome café stop at Midhurst 3.5 hours into the ride provided coffee and bacon sandwiches, 60 miles had past and everyone was still feeling strong. With freshly filled water bottles and full bellies the ride moved on picking up the pace. The planned midday arrival at Porton was looking unlikely, the ride had started 45 minutes late and the café stop was a bit too long. The next few hours quickly disappeared, another quick stop at Stockbridge allowed water bottles to be refilled again before the final push towards Porton.
Arriving only 15 minutes later than planned the guys had made up most of the time lost. Met my their by support vehicle driver Christine Dimech and a very positive Richard Knowles, there was a chance to discuss cycling culture at Dstl and how it fits in with the Dstl estates plan. An enjoyable escape and a much-needed lunch away from the evil saddles waiting outside.
As the tyres hit tarmac the aches quickly returned and the second grind began. The open rolling hills of Wiltshire were subtle compared to the aggressive peaks of Kent that were awaiting.
A well deserved pint after the first 130 miles!
Teamwork became vital, as each one hit the wall and could only bounce back via sugar based products. It should be said however the most critical team member turned out to be Christine who re-energized the “heroes” at regular intervals with a happy demeanor and boot full of cola and flapjacks.
The support stops were more regular on the return journey with the remaining miles broken into 30 mile segments. As the miles racked up fatigue was setting in, the time spent at each stop became increasingly longer. Christine later revealed her fears about the noticeably falling joviality towards the end.
What was predicted as a 16-hour ride turned into 19 hours, fuelled by the setting sun, thunderstorms providing added tribulation and Nick’s right hip dramatically giving up. The future looked bleak for the last 10 miles, in which Nick stubbornly fought his own body to the finish line and a take away pizza provided by the Florence Nightingale of Dstl, Christine.
Phil went for a long recovery ride on Saturday and is now planning a 24hr ride to Paris. Ben revealed that he cycled close to 1000 Km this week but will relax next week by cycling his usual 500km. There was no lasting damage to Nick’s hip, he took a rest day on Saturday but was seen instructing a spin class on Sunday.
The trio would very much like to thank everyone who supported the cause, SSAFA, and the page is still open to donations.
