The Dartmoor Devil
And devilish it started. It was bucketing it down. So much so that we even considered giving up on the whole stupid idea. For even without the rain cycling 60 miles across Dartmoor taking in as many of the steepest hills (2,220 metres of climbing) as possible is a arguably not for sane people. I loved it.
As so often happens, once we were committed, it actually stopped raining, and it turned out to be a very nice day indeed. The hills were steep and plentiful, and good fun (often described accurately at the bottom by a sign saying ‘20%’). The vistas were amazing, autumn is a beautiful time of year.
We thought the routesheet could have been summarized much further. There are basically four categories of direction:
- straight on and climb up hill
- go left and climb up hill
- go right and climb up hill
- straight on and climb up series of hills
The route could then be described by a series of numbers.
Punctures were plentiful. Carrying a spare tyre is once and for all confirmed as a Good Idea. I needed it. Carrying spare tubes that are not punctured already is also a Good Idea. I would hereby like to say sorry to the ladies we were trying to help by offering my Pre-Holed™ spare tube. Tip of the day: make sure your tube is not punctured before sticking it in the tyre and on the wheel. Or even better, before you take it on a ride as a spare.
There was a bit of a breeze. The low point of the ride was definitely between the second and third control. Only 13 miles, but on the high moor (direction from second control: “Go left, climb up series of hills to high moor”, leaves little room for imagination), and into the wind. That wind they forecasted as gale force.
The food at the controls was spot on: cake at the first, soup and baps at the second, and a veritable cyclists menu at the third. Beans on toast, ricepudding with apricot, and a pie made us forget about the wind very quickly. A coffee got the banter going again.
Organisers thank you, and see you next year. If you want to do it, enter early because it is a popular event.