Long-distance dilemmas

One of the main stumbling blocks faced by long-distance riders is pace. When to rest? When to push on? When to eat? For Darren Franks, working out how to avoid the wind and tough riding conditions resulted in complex scenario that may have cost him his attempt at record pace. Here’s his update from the early hours of this morning:

“Second bonk. Frittered away 90 minutes waiting for the group I’d been riding with at Tinteniac. Had to abandon them in the end as it didn’t look like they’d ever wake up from their ’15 minute’ nap. Died a thousand deaths between there and Fougeres, solo in bitter conditions. Now eating for two in the restaurant at the checkpoint. It’ll take a while to process that so I may also grab a 12 minute nap. The sun will be up when I wake up, but 48 hours is sadly now out of reach.”