Flirting with Madness

Sometimes, when I get bored at my PC I begin to randomly search for shit that just pops into my head.

My most recent internet rabbit hole started with an innocuous search for local cycling events. Races, sportives, gravel events + news. That type of thing. I use a few sites but this time I ended up on sportive.com where you can search based on your postcode. Within this search, which gradually got wider, I stumbled upon an event called Borderland500. Hmmmmmm. What is this?

Clicking on it revealed an Ultracycling event. A 150 mile, 250 mile or 500 mile route that started and finished in between Shrewsbury and Oswestry. However the hook was the Teaser Video. I know that place!

That is Marine Drive, a one way (toll road for cars, free for cyclists) 4.5 mile road around the Great Orme. So I clicked on it and within the first 30 secs there were images of Llandudno sea front and I was in. It’s where my parents live so I know the roads WELL.

It planted a seed and then I started thinking about riding 500 miles. Why not? I did 200 to Weston-super-Mare and back without too much bother. What an achievement that would be?

Another attraction to the event was it pitching itself as an ‘Introduction’ to Ultra-cycling. They would help with kit lists of what to take, training tips etc. Hmmmm, this could give me something to aim for later in the year.

I was up for it. The entry fee wasn’t exhorbitant either and then the doubts set in. Would my back hold up? Would my head go when I was tired and cold? Where would I sleep FFS? Do I sleep at all?

After getting a bit over-excited I dialled my aspirations back a bit and spent some time thinking about the distance and it being my first event. OK, maybe 250 miles then or 150 miles?

Then I asked myself why and told myself I must be fucking mad.

The moral of this story is don’t waste your life on the internet looking at shit.

Adios

PS. The idea has actually got under my skin a bit. I might revisit the idea soon!