Being as I’d got a week off work, and despite good intention to save my
efforts for marathon training rather than riding round the country, I’d
pencilled in a 200k Audax Perm for Tuesday. After all surely 200k on
the bike outbids 4 mile easy running in the cross training stakes!

Looking at the forecast Monday evening it looked damp in the morning but
pleasant, not too hot, in the afternoon. After listening to the
overnight deluge I hastily refitted my mudguards at 7:15am Tuesday.
Set off towards Hungerford in light drizzle, not enough to warrant
donning the rain jacket. The air was good and clean to breathe after
it’s wash and I enjoyed the lanes south towards the Berkshire Downs.
Any rain had stopped and the birds were loving the puddles in the lanes,
a couple of hares in a gateway looked at me then loped of leisurely.

A quite deep bit of flooding blocked the road at the foot of Hackpen
Hill, I opted to push along the raised grass verge and spare my feet a
wetting. Up the hill, down to Lambourn (just did all this on the
Anthony Maynard). Up the hill out of Eastbury and through the lanes to
descend to Hungerford, the first control, just gone 10am now and light
rain was falling. By the time I reached Marlborough the rain was no
longer light, I was warm enough though and didn’t want to put my jacket
on at the start of a long climb. Marlborough Downs were beautifully
grim, the now heavy rain meant all views tapered to murky shadows, the
top stayed hidden to exaggerate the climb, the descents at the end was
scary.

A very quick stop at Wootton Bassett but I did put the jacket on here.
Onwards to Cirencester where I took 5 minutes in St John’s Hospital, one
of those old market place type historic buildings, to down a couple of
ibuprofen and a Lyme Regis bar, then over to Bibury where the ducks were
having a fine time but the coach loads of tourists looked a bit miffed.
My bike had never looked so clean, even the wet road muck has washed
off, my socks felt like soggy lumps of cloth balled up in my shoes.

It was getting bit stressful at times finding my line between the
puddles which could easily conceal dangerous potholes. Being
‘philosophical’ about my choice of day was also taking it’s toll. The
time limit for this ride is 14hrs but I’d vaguely hoped for 10, I
decided to sacrifice this and control at Lechlade Garden Centre where I
could sit down with coffee and crisps. The coffee was boring but they
had vegan apple cake which was a definite bonus, customers looked
suspiciously at me as I puddled on the floor but the staff just smiled.

Back out in the deluge, couldn’t get any wetter and only 60k to go. Up
through Charlbury and on to Woodstock. The ride is called The
Marlborough Connection because it links Woodstock and Marlborough.
Cycle track then hairy main road at rush hour into Oxford. As I got my
final cash point receipt on the Cowley Road I noticed the rain
lessening, I saw my first glimpse of the sun on the 3k back home and,
crawling out the bath 30 mins later, the sun was shining. 209k in 10hr
18m overall time.

Eight hours of non-stop rain, the wettest ride I’ve had since PBP 2007!