I know I don`t often do write ups and this is a little belated, but I did the Westerley 25 on the Marlow course bank holiday weekend. I `ve only ridden it twice before. I went there looking for a sub hour, having only ridden a handful of 25s this year since i`ve been focusing on the distance events
Got to the HQ with what I thought was plenty of time, but forgot about the long climb up to the start, with that and what felt like a slight headwind i got there with a few minutes to spare. Rolled up to the line to find the pusher had gone walkabout to have a chat on the phone. Not a problem I thought, until the timekeeper said 30 seconds, at which I point I yelled out like a petulant school boy, where`s my pusher offer? The response came in the form of the time keepers husband MIck Fountain grabbing my seat post to hold me in position, to which I uttered thanks then I was off. Haring down the hill as fast as my legs would carry me, and realising I wasn`t registering any speed. Bugger, hadn`t noticed that in my rush to get to the line, I couldn`t even use the half way mark as an indication as to how i was going as the course description only gives the 20 mile point . So it was eyes out all the way, managing to avoid the mistake I made the last time I road the course when I went up a slip road too early, straight through the roundabouts I needed to, which caught a number of other riders out who turned too early, and then straight back. I knew roughly where the finish was, but not exactly. I could see the time time ticking by as I was giving it everything, just wanting the line to appear, then I saw the finish, or should I say I saw a man in yellow in the undergrowth, looking rather furtive, it was only as I passed I saw the checkered board on the fence, not facing the riders. Got back to find I had a time of 1:01:35, my best for this year and only 35 seconds slower than last years best. It was my last one befor my vet standard increased. Just three remaining events out of five to break the hour, last year being the first time I`ve failed to break it. Fastest was Jerome Walters 51.52