Ever tried to cycle 300 miles in 24 hours? No? Thought never crossed your mind? Me neither. Then at NAB this year I heard word of a charity ride of, yep, you guessed it, 300 miles in 24 hours from IBC’s offices in central London to the RAI in Amsterdam, the weekend before IBC. So, with trepidation – and a good chat with ride leader Ciaran Doran of Harris – I was on board. The sharp-witted among you will deduce from the fact that I have written this after that self-same weekend that we made it! Tired, very, very sore but elated to have been able to raise money for the Vision Charity. So what’s it like to ride 300 miles in 24 hours?
Well, let me be honest, while the on-the-bike time was 18.5 hours, due to some logistical glitches and the inaugural nature of the event the overall time was closer to 27 hours. 300 miles on a bike is a long, long way, whichever way you look at it. We set off from London around 15:00 in good spirits with a full support team and technology supplied free – including live streaming via 3G – to allow people to follow us, post-ride editing and bike lights (thanks LiveU, Garland Partners, MediaFreedom, ProBand, Media Kinnon Productions and Exposure). The rain came as we approached Dover some 75 miles later along with a severe bout of cramp for one rider, later sorted with some careful nutritional intake. While on the ferry the heavens opened so on with the wet weather gear and grim faces.
But no, the rain eased, the temperature held up, our bike lights were great and off we went into the night. The best piece of news – a tailwind! We had this confirmed via one or two U-turns. The night riding on smooth, open roads allowed great progress, the mini-peloton regularly hitting 20mph and averaging not much less. Then the tiredness hit, the punctures started and Darren Whitehead of IBC fame crashed his handcrafted, blacksmith-built 1932 steel “racer” into the curb. The bike was fine, Darren somewhat sore. Then the rain came down again, the temperature dropped as dawn rose and lack of sleep became a real factor. But a bowl of steaming pasta, a swift(ish) change of clothes and off we went for the final jaunt of, er, 105 miles.
Despite having to use the Netherland’s well intended, but not always logical, bike paths, a quick (enforced) ferry ride and some very odd, tiredness-fuelled conversations, the team rolled in to Amsterdam in the early evening and immediately threw their bikes to the ground. We’d done it! Rarely has a beer tasted so good. And as for our backsides…
There was also a three-person ride that split the journey into three and they must be heartily congratulated too. Those teams in full: Ciaran Doran – Harris Corporation, Joss Armitage – Jump PR, Chris Blakeston – Audio Network, Darren Whitehead – IBC, Karl Stone – PieroFC, Simon Tillyer – TV Bay, Matt Robbins – TV Bay, Matt Upton – Arris, Anthony Harrison – Calrec Audio Ltd and Mark Hallinger, TV Technology Europe/Asia. For the split ride it is: Jonathan Cooper – NEC Display Solutions, Clare Bell – ASP, Nick Pannaman – JCA TV.
Lastly, and by no means least, a huge thanks to the support team without which none of this would have been possible.