A week later I felt sufficiently recovered to go for a ride on my beloved Cotic. Hearing a strange noise from the front end I stopped to discover in horror that my carbon fork was broken almost right through! It was only really the wheel holding it all together. The next day I tried to use the inner tubes I had carefully taped to my seatpost only to discover that my legs must have rubbed on them sufficiently to put holes in them both. That was OK though I thought because I could patch them with the puncture repair kit I had carried on the Brevet. On opening it I found that the spare chainlinks I had cleverly put in the kit for emergencies, had rattled around so much that the adhesive tube was pierced and all the glue had poured out. Next I had a close look at my chain which I had replaced just before the Brevet. One of the links was split almost right through!
Posting this carnage on Vorb Oli Brooke-White wrote 'The patron saint of bicycle adventurers must have been watching over you.' A thousand thanks to this mythic patron saint and all the great characters I got to know on the trip. It was a truly unique and special experience that I would do again in a flash. And yes I would probably do it all again on a rigid singlespeed.
Posting this carnage on Vorb Oli Brooke-White wrote 'The patron saint of bicycle adventurers must have been watching over you.' A thousand thanks to this mythic patron saint and all the great characters I got to know on the trip. It was a truly unique and special experience that I would do again in a flash. And yes I would probably do it all again on a rigid singlespeed.
What a great read! You've captured the experience of a nouveau-breveteer brilliantly!
ReplyDeleteyep, really enjoyed reading that all. SO awesome you did it so quickly on the Simple, utterly fantastic.
ReplyDeleteyou've inspired me.
Jasper, fantastic write-up. You managed to capture the spirits of the places we visited, which can be hard to find the words for. Well done, hope to see you at another KB soon.
ReplyDeletePhil, Ed and I finished in 6 days, 2 hours, having enjoyed a full nights sleep in a tent every night, three good meals a day, and limiting ourselves to only one Significant Obstacle per day. Big River-Waiuta really stretched us, but ultimately everything dispiriting added to the achievement.
- Joel from Australia
I just found your blog Jasper! A great read. I am looking forward to the next one. Jeff
ReplyDeleteGreat well written write-up.I really enjoyed reading it and it inspires me to do the Brevet!
ReplyDeleteDavid.