One weekend in August 2014 visiting friends in Church Stretton I was discussing my thoughts with Chris on preparing for my first diagonale attempt. Although I had ridden a lot prior to this, I was totally naive when it came to the distances involved and the fatigue hardening that I would need to develop to be able to complete a diagonale.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but a chance picking up of Church Stretton’s local magazine (Stretton Focus) at Chris’s house would lead me to make contact with Jim Churton. Reading in the magazine Jim had just completed his 3rd Diagonale and would be holding a talk on it within the next couple of months.
Somehow we found out where Jim lived within Church Stretton and we went walking to his address to see if I could chat with him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there, but Chris agreed to pop over another time to see him and ask if he would be happy to chat to me.
A week later Chris had made contact and had gotten hold of Jim’s email address, explaining the reasons why I wanted it. I wasted no time and penned my email to Jim, asking all sorts of questions about undertaking a Diagonale, and within a few hours Jim had sent me a great response and had offered to help if I needed more advice or assistance. I think reading through some of Jim’s early mails was my first deepening of understanding in what I would need to be able to do…
“These are physically and mentally demanding undertakings, Before you start you’ll need no less than 6000 miles in your legs and experience of riding through the night. The mental strain can be enormous……..ie: a headwind for 600km (it happened to me)? You need to overcome such things. 2 days of continual rain (this happened too)?”
First email from Jim Churton – August 2014
This initial contact was the beginning of a friendship with Jim that is still going strong several years later. In December 2014 we were again in Church Stretton visiting our friends and this time myself and Chris met up with Jim for a few pints. It was great to meet him finally and we spent a very nice evening all together. We had been talking a lot about training and the sufficient base required and Jim had desribed a tough 300Km ride that if I was able to complete in decent shape, would serve me well in my diagonale preparations.
“There’s a very tough 300 in April called the Elenith which starts just 17 miles from CS. Note, it’s extremely demanding but excellent preparation even in April. It exposes all weaknesses. I’ve ridden it 14 or 15 times I think, maybe more and yes, I always suffer at one point or another.“
Invitation to ride with Jim on Yr Elenydd 2015
April 2015 came round quickly, and off the back of a holiday in Japan, I was off to Church Stretton after work on a Friday night to stay with Jim and his wife Rose, ahead of taking on the Yr Elenydd with Jim, and another one of his friends; Kevin Paynton from Stourbridge.
Taking on my first 300K Audax
Controls: Upton Magna, Shobdon Airfield, Abergesewyn, Tregaron, Rhayader, Little Brampton, Upton Magna.
We were up very early in the morning, 4am-ish, we had to get bikes loaded into the car and ourselves over to the start town of Upton Magna. I had the feeling that I was being assessed during this day, assessed for my suitability for a diagnoale attempt? In any case, I was very excited to get going and the pre-event nerves were buzzing around. I was fortunate to be doing this ride with such experienced riders.
Assembling at the start it was all rather unceremonious (as audax rides are), and as this was a Paris Brest Paris 2015 qualification ride there were a lot of riders taking part, and at this time I hadn’t at all appreciated what was needed to undertake a PBP attempt. It started off pretty quickly, and I was just making sure I stuck close to Jim and Kevin. Several riders lights and bits of kit had flown off their bikes whilst going down hills and bumps in the roads. We had to avoid the debris, and I was pleased that all was secure on my bike. It wasn’t long until we were at Shobdon Airfield, the first control.
We didn’t stop long here at all, just got our cards stamped before heading onwards towards Builth Wells for a food stop. We had covered around 100Km before we got to Builth Wells and I was looking forward to a sit down and some food. I was surprised at the speed that we were riding at across the terrain, it was pretty hilly and these guys were not taking it easy. I just had to concentrate on not burning all my matches. We had picked up another rider at Shobdon, A guy called Chris Asher, from Derbyshire. Jim knew Chris pretty well and Chris was the kind of no nonsense hard rider that you meet every so often in audax rides. He didn’t say too much and he was very strong on the bike.
The next stop was Abergesewyn, the second control with volunteers manning burco boilers and providing sandwiches. The hills were getting bigger and the countryside more remote as we headed into the Elan valley and over the Devils Staircase. We had lost Chris at the last control and we pressed on at speed together. Other riders were around us and some were tucking onto the back of the train Jim, Kev and I had formed. At the third control, Tregaron we had more food, this time a jacket potato and beans along with a coffee. Chris Asher had caught up with us at the control and had a pint of bitter with his food! Upon re-mounting the bikes Jim had set the stall out with one of the riders who had tagged along with us up to the control. He told the guy from Derby Mercury that he is welcome to ride with us, but he must do his turn on the front!
Leaving Tregaron we were straightaway going uphill and the food along with the gradient had slowed us down considerably. This was something that I was to have to get used to on Audax rides, riding on the bike straight after eating a decent pile of food – its not easy, sometimes it wants to come up again, and on longer rides you reach the point where it becomes a chore to eat – but you know you must.
Heading up to Rhayader for the next control, I was riding with Kev quite a bit, chatting and just concentrating on the seemingly continuous gradients. I recall getting through a bad patch on the way to Rhayader and once we got into the control town we amassed on a café for yet more food. I had some spicy tomato soup with something sweet afterwards and it went down very well.
I cant remember too well the next section up to Little Brampton, other than I knew the distance was certainly making itself known. We were still all riding together and I was feeling that althoiugh tough, I could manage to finish the ride. The control was at The Old Wheelwrights Tea Room & Workshop in Little Brampton, a lovely little stop. It was especially memorable as I had a proper audax dish given to me by the volunteers at the control – Rice Pudding & Peaches. It went down so, so well. It was life giving.
The last section seemed to take an age, we had descended off some pretty steep and hairy hills around Shrewsbury and my homing beacon had come on. Now that we were on flatter sections there were several riders lined out all willing themselves to get back to the control as quickly as their tired legs would take them. We arrived back around 22:30, I was really chuffed to have completed my first 300, especially a tough one like Yr Elenydd, I was also absolutely shattered. How would I be able to ride this distance again the next day, and the next day…? This was another experience which deepened my understanding for a Diagonale attempt.
On the way back we chatted and Jim informed me that the Federal Delegate of the Diagonales de France organisation had heard that another Englishman was interested in attempting a Diagonale. He’d asked Jim if this person was known to him, and of course, now I was. Jim had been asked to provide an assessment to Monsieur Hehn of my suitability to undertake a Diagonale! It is up to the Federal Delegate if he accepts your application or not, so Jim’s feedback would prove to be important. When we got back to Jim’s we got cleaned up and then shared a couple of beers before getting our heads down for a well earned rest. The ride had been a great success.
Assessment Passed
“My opinion, for what it’s worth, says you are of the correct mental and physical calibre to undertake M – D or indeed any other diag’. However, I cannot comment how you’d be under extreme pressure such as adverse weather and ‘other’ issues…..we all react differently. I tend to react with immediate despair but then settle down, assess, re-focus and get on. I have confidence in your ability having now seen you cycle. There’s little more I can do for you from now on I think? It’s all down to you from now on. I’ve tried to impart many years of experience to you in 6 months of correspondence and meeting up just twice. I’ve done my best.”
Extract from one of Jim’s emails to me after Yr Elenydd April 2015
I did do my best for you Andy with the main reasons being; your gentle, kind and determined nature which l liked. You listened attentively and learned from my own experiences and knowledge. I rarely impart this to anyone, but l saw in you a fellow of integrity and a love of the bike and cycling. I wasn’t wrong. You’ve done well and l am proud to call you my friend.
Jim.