WAG's View

Hi, I'm Mrs Paddy - Here's the WAGs View

I've been reading all of Paddy's blogs since Go Cumbria has been set up and I kept thinking, I bet I could write one of those - if Paddy can do, it can't be that hard? Right?

Well I've finally sat down to write it, a summary of the other side of Go Cumbria's adventures - mini boss is in bed, Paddy is playing with her lego (all for Bea's benefit I'm assured - he is adding an extension to the castle) and the tele isn't on so now seems a good time (although when I asked Paddy to top up my gin, he said no as he was too busy (with the aforementioned lego castle upgrades).

So hi, I'm Mrs Paddy (but Nicola will do). I've been supporting Paddy through this new venture and thought I could give you the WAG perspective of all this larking about. Specifically for this entry, supporting Paddy on the Fred.

After months of not talking to Paddy while he was out training, it seemed like the Fred was suddenly here and there was a mad dash to understand where the route was, what was expected of me, what I needed to have with me, where I needed to be. I was so worried about missing him we timed all the sections, Paddy put a beacon on his phone so I could track him during the day, and I had two maps. It was going to run like clockwork.

So the bongo bus had died (as Paddy mentioned in his post http://gocumbriaevents.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/lakeland-loop-final-pre-fred-ride.html) and that meant a night camping in Grasmere. To be honest, I was pretty happy about this as this meant no 4am wake up to drive him down there (and on a Sunday - my lie in day!). We got to Grasmere, tent pitched, spork purchased (we are now the family that own 3 sporks, the go to purchase when one forgets cutlery - rock and roll) and we left Paddy to it.

"I'll be setting off at 6, I'll be in Keswick at 8 - I need my ham sandwiches on brown bread in Keswick, 8 o'clock, Keswick, 2 hours to get there, 8 o'clock, by the car park, ham sandwiches, brown bread". Yep, Paddy was really looking forward to those sandwiches in Keswick (at 8 o'clock by the way). So we got up at 6, set off around 7:30 (did I mention my lie in day was Sunday), got to Keswick (minus sandwiches!) around 7:50 and the following message came through -  "Don't know why the beacon hasn't worked, I'm in Glenridding". Glenridding???!!! That's an hour away! There's bugger all to do in Keswick at 8am on a Sunday!! ARGH!! So I thought it would be a good idea to travel up and down the A66 (with those bloody traffic lights - seriously, hasn't it all been resurfaced yet! And don't get me started on the dual carriageway never having 2 lanes open at the same time!!) retrieve the all important sandwiches, get back to Keswick and see Paddy. Although by the time we got there, he'd already gone (minus his ham sandwiches). Turns out the signal ain't so good in Glenridding and the message had been sent further along the route. Not the best start.

Onwards to Whinlatter where as soon as cyclists started coming over, I made Bea sit by the side of the road and not move - there was no way we were missing him again. 

Happily, the sun was out, the atmosphere was amazing, we got talking to some of the other spectators, saw an old friend we hadn't seen in a while and an hour later, that yellow helmet came upwards and we met Paddy. I think he heard us before he saw us (for some reason I have a reputation for being loud - those of you who know me, know this is completely true). It was amazing seeing him come over, when you actually know one of the riders. He was in good spirits, felt fresh, refilled his water, had a quick snack and was off again. Although when he said he had beaten his previous best time over Honister by 10 minutes, I knew the advice regarding not setting off too quick had gone completely out of the window. Which was all too prevalent at the next stop.

A quick play in the park at Whinlatter (for us, not Paddy), down to the main road cautiously pipping the cyclists still on their way up, was a lovely ride to Calder Bridge. I was starting to feel like one of those support cars you see in the Tour de France - I felt like I should have had two spare bikes on the top of the car.

We parked up just as Paddy came to the feed station in Calder Bridge and oh my, what a difference a few hours makes in the Fred - his first words were "I'm very tired" (or words to that affect) and he looked it. He slumped in the chairs, forced down a Ham sandwich, cuddled with Bea, exchanged pleasantries with his dad, step-mum and grandad and after 20 minutes or so, reluctantly got back on the bike. I felt so sorry for him, he looked pretty knackered - but the thoughts of this started fading away as we all enjoyed a beverage in the sun kissed beer garden at the Stanley Arms :)

Back in the car, another trip up the A595, A66 and A591 (which I really hadn't seen enough of over the weekend) into Grasmere just in time to realise Paddy was nearly there (the beacon had started working and I had signal so I could actually track him). We managed to get to the finish line just to see him come in and he looked like a different person - big smile on his face, a bit sweaty but definitely less dead looking. I was so proud of him. I really didn't think he would make it around his target time but he pretty much did.

After letting him lie in his tent for 20 minutes, a gentle pestering to get the tent down and an ice cream later, we were driving back home.

What a great event - even though most of the supplies went untouched, even though we missed him at Keswick, mini boss and I had a brilliant time following Paddy round, supporting him, cheering him on. What a star! I would even do it all again (if he's mad enough to do it - and I'll even remember the ham sandwiches!).