A new course for me, E11/25 which is west of Chelmsford on a country lane and the single carriageway A414. No massive hills; fairly rolling but all big ring stuff.
I was feeling quite tired after a week away on a triathlon training camp, and with the weather as it was I was tempted to stay in bed. But I need all the points I can grab in the last few events to bag the Spoco SE handicap competition. So actually, bad weather is good as it means more people DNS.
So, got soaked within the first few miles, and had to remove my cycling glasses as they were less than useless (rain on the outside, steam on the inside) - good job our club skinsuits have pockets. Apart from that fairly uneventful until the finish where I failed to spot the timekeepers. As I didn't know the course I kept going, knowing that some courses are a bit longer than the stated distance. When I got to 27 miles I stopped as I'd just gone past the turning to the HQ. Turns out I wasn't the only one, as there wasn't a chequered flag.
1:08:40 got me 21st place out of a small field of 29, but improved on my placing compared to one of my other events. I reckon I'm in the lead in the handicap comp now
