Day 23: The Big Match

45.79 miles (Total: 1085.81) Avg Speed: 10.7mph Max Speed: 33.5mph

I woke at 6:30 knowing today I had about a 50/50 chance of watching the England game. Everywhere around was dry meaning no bars to go watch the game, the church had a huge TV that would have the game on but it wouldn’t finish till 4pm in the afternoon leaving me with around 50 miles to cover afterwards. Alternatively I had decided getting to Cave in Rock, Illinois and getting a motel room would be the best bet, although time was tight. I couldn’t wake any earlier because I had to sleep after yesterday plus I hadn’t called home for a while so did that. Terry & Cooper weren’t ready but Joe agreed to ride with me to try catch the game in time.

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Lets do it

As soon as we stepped outside we knew it was going to be tough, hot and humid again. We pushed through the first 30 miles stopping only briefly for a snack and fuel but the time kept flying. 10am, 11am why can’t we pedal faster, why are these hills here! My average speed dropped from 12.8 to about 10.5. I thought about all the people back home filling the fridge with beer or casually walking to the pub, I thought about how my friends had probably organised to get together for it and planned a nice Saturday for themselves. Here I was pedalling with every last drop of energy just to try and make it into a town for kick off not even knowing if I can watch the game. Because we crossed into a new time zone yesterday kick off would be 1.30pm.

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There were some long rolling climbs into the town of Marion at which point I had ran out of water, luckily Joe had a spare bottle. We were now 12 miles from Cave In Rock and an hour before kick off, seemed doable. But then the plan was dealt a blow, we were informed a Harley Davidson biker weekend had packed out the motel in Cave in Rock and there were no bars in town. As my head dropped we decided the only option was to look around town, Joe spots a cafe grill and we poke our hands in to see a TV at the back, “Are you showing the game?” I asked. “We sure are” replies the woman. I thanked her a thousand times before sitting down to order food and ice water. I can’t believe I’m getting to watch the game! Jeff from the ACA group also turns up follwed by Cooper and Terry who find us in town.

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Not in HD but its on!

So the game was a disaster and I’m left furious with the England team after putting myself through so much stress this morning for them to let me down like the always do. Lampard up to his usual tricks for England shooting miles over everytime he gets the ball, Heskey laying about on the floor mid attack and Green doing his best to get Calamity James back in the team. I had predicted a draw before kick off, it always seems to be the case with the first group game but still disappointing. To finish the day we had to find a place to stay so went to a nice B&B before heading out to Dairy Queen for a Grill & Chill Dinner followed by a Chocolate Extreme Blizzard. It eases the bad mood, I just wish we didn’t have to wait a week for the Algeria game.

I woke at half six with maybe even odds of actually watching the England game. Everywhere around us was dry — no bars, obviously — and though the church had a television big enough to do the job, the match wouldn’t wrap until four in the afternoon, which would leave me chasing fifty miles afterward in the heat of the day. Cave in Rock, Illinois, and a motel with a television felt like the better bet, if the timing worked out at all. I couldn’t have set off any earlier even if I’d wanted to — yesterday had taken its toll, and I still owed a phone call home. Terry and Cooper weren’t ready to move, but Joe agreed to ride hard with me and try to make kickoff.

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Lets do it

We knew from the first step outside that it was going to be another hot, sticky slog. We pushed through the first thirty miles with barely a pause for fuel, and still the clock kept beating us — ten o’clock, eleven, every hill an insult, my average dragged down from 12.8 to something closer to 10.5. I spent those miles picturing everyone back home stocking the fridge or strolling to the pub for a Saturday that had clearly been planned around this match, while I put everything I had left into just reaching a town in time — not even knowing yet whether I’d get to watch it. We’d crossed a time zone the day before, which put kickoff at half past one.

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Long rolling climbs carried us into Marion, where I ran dry on water and Joe bailed me out with his spare bottle. Twelve miles from Cave in Rock with an hour to spare, it looked doable — until we heard the motel there was fully booked out by a Harley Davidson weekend, and the town had no bars to speak of anyway. All that was left was to look around and hope. Joe spotted a cafe grill and we stuck our heads in to see a television at the back. “Are you showing the game?” I asked. “We sure are,” came the answer, and I thanked that woman more times than was strictly necessary before sitting down to food and a very large glass of ice water. I still couldn’t quite believe it was actually going to happen. Jeff from the ACA group turned up not long after, and then Cooper and Terry, who’d tracked us down in town.

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Not in HD but its on!

The game itself was a disaster, and I was furious with England for putting me through the whole morning’s stress only to let me down in the way they always seem to manage — Lampard sending shots into orbit every time the ball found him, Heskey doing his best impression of a man lying down mid-attack, and Green single-handedly reviving memories of Calamity James in goal. I’d called a draw before kickoff, which is somehow always how the first group game goes, and still it stung. We rounded off the day at a nice B&B before heading to Dairy Queen for a Grill & Chill dinner and a Chocolate Extreme Blizzard, which did more than anything else to talk me down off the ledge. Now I just have to survive a week of waiting for the Algeria game.

4 comments from 2010

Ben16 June 2010

Come on England x

Amy Anderson (non football fan)16 June 2010

Ryan.... You were left in a bad mood after the game... imagine me, someone who finds football the most boring sport on earth, made the effort to get into the spirit of things, as yes, like you said most people were filling fridges with beers, heading to the pub and cranking up the bbq, there are also England flags everwhere btw, cars, rooftops, hanging from windows, people have even fully decorated houses with red and white balloons, the neighbour even came round Saturday morning to lend dads ladder to hang their flag, im sure it wasnt like this last world cup! Anyway, i agreed to watch the game, total rubbish and 90 mins of my life I will never get back! I was more than furious lol x

Keith17 June 2010

Hiya ry,Got to totally agree with ya bout game, hope we do better tomorrow night.Heard today 1st prem game Man u v newcastle.Take care.

EVFD27 June 2010

Dont be dissin heskey

73 days, one line across the country

4 comments from 2010