On day 4 it gets more difficult to get out of bed when you've ridden 100 miles plus each day and I was imagining what it might be like on the morning of day 10???
Each day we get up at 6.30 am and have a team breakfast in a rather cramped hotel room and we're on the road for 8.00 am. Although some of the team can ride a 6 or 6 1/2 hour 100 mile sportive event,this riding is different, with loo stops, occassional wrong turns, food stops and mechanical problems we could some days be in the saddle for 8,9 or 10 hours. Getting in as late as 6.00 pm with a few hours for shower, food and sleep to do it all over again the next day!
Most of the time the scenery and team mate chat passes the time but we were introduced to a new 'game' by experienced cyclist Andy Timothy which really helped keep morale high - The passing of the peg!
Very simply, between the departure and the arrival a peg can be secretly passed from rider to rider and the last one with it has to buy a round of coffees or cakes at the next day's stop for all the riders. It results in bluffing that you don't know where it is, distracting others whilst a team mate pegs someone else and very careful following others up hills trying to reach out with one arm to get the peg on without being found out. If you're caught 'pegging' you have to take it back and if everyone knows then they'll keep their distance until they forget. Great fun but I now find I'm automatically checking my jersey pockets every half hour without even thinking why!
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