I might have been feeling a bit green around the gills, but
at least the weather had been kind. There was a chill to the air as we
gathered at the start line, but the trees sheltered us from the breeze and
there was blue sky overhead.
From the start we were almost immediately into the singletrack. This normally would have been excellent news, but with the large number riders suddenly compressed into a snaking crocodile we were forced to proceed at the pace of the slowest. It felt like I was just coasting along lightly turning the pedals. Of course whenever there was an open section everyone sprinted in an attempt to make up ground, at one point we were 5 abreast all elbows out, it was crazy for the start of a 4 hour race! This lead to stressed riders, raised voices and some shouting which was all totally unnecessary. Yes, it was frustrating but we were all in the same boat. I suppose it was therefore no surprise to hear the crash of a massive pile-up half way around the first lap as people jostled for position. Much later in the race I caught and passed the chap who had been most vocal and causing much of the trouble. I wish I had been able to think of a witty comment as I sailed past, but I guess the results say it all.
From the start we were almost immediately into the singletrack. This normally would have been excellent news, but with the large number riders suddenly compressed into a snaking crocodile we were forced to proceed at the pace of the slowest. It felt like I was just coasting along lightly turning the pedals. Of course whenever there was an open section everyone sprinted in an attempt to make up ground, at one point we were 5 abreast all elbows out, it was crazy for the start of a 4 hour race! This lead to stressed riders, raised voices and some shouting which was all totally unnecessary. Yes, it was frustrating but we were all in the same boat. I suppose it was therefore no surprise to hear the crash of a massive pile-up half way around the first lap as people jostled for position. Much later in the race I caught and passed the chap who had been most vocal and causing much of the trouble. I wish I had been able to think of a witty comment as I sailed past, but I guess the results say it all.
Gaps finally started to open and the race was beginning to split
into smaller groups as we began the second lap. No chance to stretch the legs just yet though as we immediately caught the
stragglers at the back of the 2 hour race, and had to begin painfully picking our way past
the back markers. To be honest I didn’t greatly enjoy the first few laps, but
eventually things thinned out.
I found myself in a group with 4 others and we worked well together, finally increasing the pace as we approached the end of the second lap. On the final couple of climbs of the lap I pushed to the front and stretched my legs trying to drop the others. Now I learnt how useful it is to have friends, family or teammates to lend a hand. Having stretched a slight lead we swung into the pit area. I skidded up to my bag, tore open the lid, pulled out a fresh full bottle and an energy bar. I slotted the bottle into my frame and poked the bar into my jersey pocket as quickly as I could. I looked up to see the other 4 riders were already around the first few bends and disappearing into the trees. They unlike me had all had a helper to pass them a bottle as they sped past without stopping. While they now sat up able to enjoy their fresh drinks I was sprinting like mad trying to get back on the wheels. In fact I never saw a couple of the group again as they split away.
An hour later we reached half race distance. The 2 hour race had now ended and with no more backmarkers I was suddenly all alone! I concentrated to maintain focus and at least all the earlier holdups and steady start meant I was now feeling nicely warmed-up and able to press on.
I found myself in a group with 4 others and we worked well together, finally increasing the pace as we approached the end of the second lap. On the final couple of climbs of the lap I pushed to the front and stretched my legs trying to drop the others. Now I learnt how useful it is to have friends, family or teammates to lend a hand. Having stretched a slight lead we swung into the pit area. I skidded up to my bag, tore open the lid, pulled out a fresh full bottle and an energy bar. I slotted the bottle into my frame and poked the bar into my jersey pocket as quickly as I could. I looked up to see the other 4 riders were already around the first few bends and disappearing into the trees. They unlike me had all had a helper to pass them a bottle as they sped past without stopping. While they now sat up able to enjoy their fresh drinks I was sprinting like mad trying to get back on the wheels. In fact I never saw a couple of the group again as they split away.
An hour later we reached half race distance. The 2 hour race had now ended and with no more backmarkers I was suddenly all alone! I concentrated to maintain focus and at least all the earlier holdups and steady start meant I was now feeling nicely warmed-up and able to press on.
I was chalking up 33 -35 minute laps which meant it was
marginal for me to complete a 7th lap within the 4 hour cut-off. My 5th lap was 35 minutes flat. which meant despite having 3 hours of racing in the legs the next two laps would need to be almost as fast. I know form previous years it is always worth squeezing in the extra lap. With an hour and 10 minutes riding to go I had to maximise every corner, every decent and push on every climb. The heart was pounding the legs burning, fully focused I rolled across the line in a lap time of 36 minutes with 37 left until the time cut-off. It was going to be very tight!
I dug deep. The only company I had on that lap was the leaders coming through to lap me. It was slightly depressing that I was 4 miles behind, but these are national champions, and it was eye opening to see the state they were in. They were rocking and rolling, struggling with fatigue and cramp, to such an extent that towards the end of the lap as I chased the clock I closed back in on them. I was digging very deep indeed and constantly glancing at the time on my Garmin.
I followed the leaders sprinting across the line with a little over a minute in hand before the course closed. I was the last man to cross the line!
13th might not be a stella headline result. Once again a side effect of getting older is that the competition is tougher. I'd have been 7th in the under 40's! However, I am really pleased with my race and how I was able to push hard in that final hour when others were slowing and falling back. Maybe even slightly surprising since I haven't ridden off-road for 4 hours since August!
I dug deep. The only company I had on that lap was the leaders coming through to lap me. It was slightly depressing that I was 4 miles behind, but these are national champions, and it was eye opening to see the state they were in. They were rocking and rolling, struggling with fatigue and cramp, to such an extent that towards the end of the lap as I chased the clock I closed back in on them. I was digging very deep indeed and constantly glancing at the time on my Garmin.
I followed the leaders sprinting across the line with a little over a minute in hand before the course closed. I was the last man to cross the line!
13th might not be a stella headline result. Once again a side effect of getting older is that the competition is tougher. I'd have been 7th in the under 40's! However, I am really pleased with my race and how I was able to push hard in that final hour when others were slowing and falling back. Maybe even slightly surprising since I haven't ridden off-road for 4 hours since August!
