The drama continued to unfold over the weekend, Team Cooper Gareth surviving a horrid torrential storm on the 300km route causing 8 riders to abandon at about 230km mark. Cooper Gareth on the other hand is continuing his ride where he has now entered the very ancient, regal and proud country they call Scotland. A dried off team Cooper are here now to talk us through the weekend riding by the fearless young lad.
Super Domestique Callan (the Flunky with a chip on both shoulders ;-)
Fearless?? As we have seen from his updates, Cooper is already having to come to the terms with getting over the hills - unassisted. This will indeed be a new experience for him.....with no willing Flunky to sacrifice himself on the slopes for The Man, and no possibility for a "sticky bottle" to help the momentum ;-).
We heard from Soigneur Kragelund last week, that Cooper fitted a triple chainset at the last minute. Actually, such is his confidence in his own invincibility, it was not easy to convince him to do that. What is NOT so well known is that he also had a 28T "dinner plate" fitted to his cassette. This is a snippet of gearing news which The Boss prefers to keep secret - but I believe that his loyal followers have the right to know. And, even with practically a 1:1 ratio, we can see from his reports that he is having "fun" on the hills. Hope you are enjoying the experience Boss.
Soigneur Kragelund:
Too true, Peter! His gear ratio range is worthy of any RSL bingo caller. There is everything on his bike from Legs Eleven, Baker’s Dozen and the Duck and a Crutch to Droopy Drawers, Snakes Alive and two Fat Ladies. I was on a Kranji ride a few weeks ago with Cooper G when all of a sudden I heard him yell out “Clickety Clicks”. I knew instantly that his front chainring was in the 42 and his rear was in 17. It is such attention to detail and perfection that has me believing Mr Gareth will pull through with flying colours.
Talking Gear, I just wish to point out the most unusual feature of his bike. I hope Denise can supply us with the photo here. He’s riding with a large… no let me rephrase that, GINORMOUS rear rack. Fully loaded this veritable Beast of Burden actually prevents Mr G from starting his rides in anything BUT the high gear ratios, as a low ratio such as the Legs Eleven or Two Little Duckies would see him pop spectacular wheelies.
As he’s now north of the Scottish Border, he’s on the home stretch. Legs would be toned and there would be a slight stubble on his rosy cheeks. I’ve heard that Scottish Highland Lassies can find that combo very irresistible? My only hope is that he’s got a Zefal ZX4 frame mounted pump, as it extends to a full metre and as such can give a good whack over the snout of any canine that dares to prevent our young adventurer form completing this epic undertaking.
Manager Silk
Well speaking of Gareth's rack, it is a beauty. But with the rain clouds looming let's see how impressive it is and whether it manages to keep his gear dry!! The reports in have been a bit sketchy in terms of his distance, but we are estimating he has done about 925km to date. He's covered the flat terrain like a man on mission, the hills are now calling and so is the stirring sounds of the bagpipes as he transcends the hills of Scotland. But should any form of tartan appear as kit on route, that would be a style infringement level 5, with a yellow bike, clearly a big NO-NO. We can only hope he also remember to pack a razor and isn't starting to look like something out of braveheart, otherwise we fear panniers may be next. Long distance riding is one thing, but you still need to look good out there.
And so the battle continues with the hills insight and the clouds opening up, there appears nothing that will stop this fella from pushing through. Stay tuned for more End to End coverage.
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