Driving down and the rain fell, chucking it down while I was on the M25, oh joy. It stopped just as I got to the HQ, which was nice, I didn't fancy riding in the rain.
A chat with Rob and Lucy at HQ, and we tried to calm Lucy's nerves a bit which she understandably had for her first 50 and with only a couple of 25s in the bank.
I seemed to be on full faff this morning and didn't have a proper warm up, just a ride to the start and not much more, but only myself to blame. I started off and almost straight away had that horrible feeling that things aren't going to go to plan. I wanted a good ride and a PB to improve my entry time for the Nationals but in the first few miles I could tell my legs just weren't going to give it.
A gentle breeze in the face with a bit of cross on the out leg and marked myself against Rob at the first turn, he'd started 5 mins in front of me and we were holding station at this stage. Around the first turn and back which is a faster direction as it's less draggy. I managed to up the pace a bit and started to get in to a rhythm, found my legs at about 15 miles.
At the second turn I'd picked up a few seconds on Rob and took heart that the effort seemed to be either speeding me up a bit or at least not getting slower. Lucy went by on the other side of the road and looked to be going fine having settled in to the race.
On to lap two and my word the wind had picked up, was now a nasty head and cross wind for the whole of the out leg. Slogged in to it pushing hard with the knowledge that the trip back should be a bit of a flyer. Picked up a bit more time on Rob to the turn (he'll regret telling me about, and how to, mark your position at turns a couple of years ago
) and was very relieved to turn and get the wind behind me. Loved this return leg with the wind and could keep a good speed rolling. Passing Lucy in the opposite direction again and she didn't seem to be enjoying herself as much as before trying to bash along in to the wind.Around turn four and the final 14 miles. My legs were aching now and not in a good way, something didn't quite feel right but I kept pushing knowing the faster I went the sooner it would be over. The head wind was still nasty but turning at the mid point roundabout on this final lap meant that you avoided the worst of it which came just after that.
Shortly after the final turn and I was driving for home doing 31mph when top rider Adam Topham shot by like I was standing still! Got to the chequered flag and was glad to be done, not my best and I knew it wasn't very quick but good to get the first 50 of the year under the belt.
Chatting to Rob he had similar legs-not-playing-ball problems early on, and Lucy said she found it hard but then it was quite a hard day to make your 50 debut.
Addiscombe:
Andrew Green 2.07.46 - over 2 minutes slower than in the same event last year
.Robert Royle-Evatt 2.08.56
Lucy Ashdown-Parkes 2.28.58 - well done on beating evens in your first 50 on a tough morning.
Top 5:
Incredible times by the fast guys today with the top 5 all beating the old course record! They commented on the head wind being hard but it just doesn't seem to effect them.
1. Matt Bottrill 1:43:11 (course record)
2 Stephen Whitewick 1:43:37
3 Adam Topham 1:44:27
4. Richard Simmons 1:45:37
5 Gavin Atkins 1:46:04
So not the best of days for some of us, but elsewhere it was going fine and dandy for Addiscombe
.
With quite a few tears (and about as much pain as childbirth) I passed the flag.
A phone call to my darling husband confirmed that he hadn't wanted to tighten the saddle bolts too much 
(carbon, you know).
