by SteveD » Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:19 pm
Having been ill (bronchitis again) for the best part of three weeks I'd only been able to train properly for three days prior to one of my target events on the fast Usk (R25/7) course, and I wasn't expecting too much though the three days training had gone quite well. The conditions were very similar and probably slightly less breezy than the last time I rode the course but I was still surprised to finish with a very respectable 57:29, just 7 seconds slower than last time. Once again I bottled out on the fast downhill start but most of the course is lovely smooth dual carriageway (apart from a 2 mile section after the turn) which more than makes up for the start. It's so much nicer than the Surrey and Hampshire courses I usually ride.