Going the distance...

I have made a shocking and rather unpleasant discovery over the last couple of days. Whilst reading some of the many reports on the sabotaged Etape Caledonia I have discovered that the race did not cover the complete distance. Apparaently, due to the potential danger caused by the tacks and due to the difficulty in clearing them from such a large area, the organisers decided to omit a small (about seven miles) section at the bottom of the climb. Here is an image of the route but due to my poor grasp of geography, I am not sure which bit it is?

Now, you would be forgiven for thinking that I should have noticed this before...and I kind of did. I remember thinking as we were passing the distance markers on the run in that they did not tally up with my cycling computer but to be honest, you are kind of busy with other things at the time! The other variable was that I had ridden from the campsite to the start, so my computer wasn't starting at zero (incase you are wondering, two reasons for this. I was going to set a personal best for distance, so wanted to know how far I had gone in total. Secondly, I had half an eye on doing 100 miles, a cycling landmark).

So, here is the real rub. I feel I have raised money for charity (GTF) during this project, with the objective being that I would ride the 81 mile Etape Caledonia. Now, depending on how you look at it, I have or haven't done this. I rode the whole event (as it was on the day). It looks as though I have ridden 81 miles too (73 or so in the event and another 8 going to and from the campsite) Here is a picture of my computer to confirm the distances I travelled. They are not 100% accurate, so rounding to the nearest whole number, 81 miles.

However, if anyone who has donated feels short changed in any way, you most certainly have the option of letting me know. I will not be confirming a final total raised for a few days, so there is plenty of opportunity to get in touch. I promise that if there had been the opportunity to ride the extra distance, I would have done it. The whole thing is a bit unsavoury and leaves a bad taste in the mouth but I guess that's life. I entered into the event in good faith, it is just a shame some circumstances beyond my control affected the day. I guess I will just have to do it again next year...

All the best,

Col.