PBP Recap #3

Did I mention the rain?  From about 11am on Day 1, it rained lightly but consistently for about 6 or 7 hours.  I stayed relatively dry and warm, but somehow it got to me.  I got out of bed at 1:30am on Day 2 with a scratchy throat, a harbinger of the day to come.  That combined with the fact that neither Colin or I got any actual sleep, and we were not off to a good start.  As is so often the case, the first night's rest, or lack of, can determine the whole outcome of the ride.

We set out a little afer 2am, and joined a throng of red lights making their way west.  It's hard to tell at night, but it seemed that Loudeac to Carhaix was very hilly.  Good time to Carhaix, where we found Fred and Julie by the blinking red glow-lights they attached to the flag pole.  Throat did not feel good, but the body was holding up, so I still had hope.

There was no rain, but soon after Carhaix, climbing the coastal hills toward Brest, we encountered a mist/fog so thick and persistent it soaked us as well as any rain would.  That may have been the last straw, as I started to feel pretty poorly with the cold coming on and the lack of sleep.  About 17 miles from Brest, we stopped to call Julie and let her know we'd probably be needing 20 or 30 mins of sleep in the van.  Despite how we were feeling, we made Brest is good time, a cumulative 29hr20mins, pretty much right on track to break 60 hours.

Support van in Brest - don't know if we're coming or going

Well, they didn't have the van ready for sleep, so we decided we'd do that at Carhaix.  I was really not feeling well at this point, and Colin went on ahead in order to sleep more at the next stop.  It was very hilly getting back over the coastal hills, and my average speed suffered along with my morale.  30 minutes of sleep in Carhaix was very welcome, but didn't do much for my cold.  There was nothing to do but press on.

At this point, I could not stomach much food or liquid on the bike, and that's simply a death spiral for endurance riding.  I would eat and drink as much as I could at the support points, and force down small quantities on the road, but it's a loosing caloric battle.  Caught back up with Colin at Loudeac, and as well as support food, we had some pasta and soup provided at the official control.  At this point, Colin was recovering well from the lack of sleep, but my cold was getting worse.  Luckily, many of the villages we passed through set up big tents and sold all kinds of local foods to the riders, so I was able to stop a couple times for nutrition.

At Tinteneac, I made the decision to call it a day.  We had a hotel at Fougeres for the night, but I decided I needed some real sleep to kick the cold - so Colin rode to Fougeres while I took the van.  Hopefully I would sleep well and wake up refreshed, go back to Tinteneac, then pick up Colin in Fougeres, and we'd be off.  But in trying to take my electrolytes and other supplements, the gag reflex kicked in, and suddenly I was emptying what was left in my stomach in the hotel sink.  It was going to be a long final 3rd of PBP.