ECCA 12 hour

[Jon H]

Brief results - might write some more when the pain's gone away.

Rob R-E, 245miles, 5th overall.
Rich V, 241 miles, 1st handicap.
Me, 229 miles, still alive.

The three of us won the team prize.

[tel]

Well done to all three of you-what a fantastic achievement. Would like to hear more about it when you have all recovered.

Terry

[Nick]

Well Done Team Addiscombe.

Great Individual results you must all be very pleased even though you are all probably very sore.

Great result.

What sort of terrain is it held over?

[Toks]

You Absolute Bunch Of Nutters! Why oh Why? There's not too many things I'd like to do continually for 12 hours apart from sleep maybe - thats about it. Fantastic effort guys, well done! We're truly not worthy

[Keith W]

Bet all of you are very pleased to have got the team as well as good distances - KEEP UP the good rides ( You will be flying again nexed W/E)
WELL DONE - Keith W

[Andrew G]

Fan-bloody-tastic. Amazing results, and I bet the weather wasn't overly friendly.

[Jon H]

The pain's faded a bit now, so here goes...

My first attempt at a 12 hour time trial was in 2003, and that ended after four and half hours and 90 odd miles after I aggravated an old knee injury. The 2004 and 2005 seasons ended early for me due to work and injury, so I had unfinished business to settle in 2006. So, Sunday 20th August has been looming large in my diary for months, the day for the ECCA 12 hour.

3 a.m. and my alarm went off after a restless nervous sleep. The car was already packed with my time trial bike, road bike, kitbag, food and drinks, so all I had to do was shovel some breakfast down, get dressed and go. By 4 a.m. I was on the M11 in pouring rain and wondering what the hell I?d let myself in for. At least when I got to the HQ it was dry and starting to get light. Final arrangements were made with our two support teams; spare bike goes on top of Richard?s car to be driven by Richard?s brother Nick and accompanied by son Rory, drinks, food and spare clothes go in the same car, and an emergency bottle goes in the other car with Linda and Joyce.

5:47 a.m. and I?m away. A few miles of minor roads, then it?s onto the A11/A14 dual carriageway for about a 20 mile out and back leg to be covered twice (circuit A). The schedule I?d devised was for 22 miles in the first hour, and I was cruising along easily at a 23mph average, thinking it was going very well. After forty minutes Richard came past me, having started four minutes behind and I started to wonder if I should be going faster. As I headed back down the slip-road after the turn I realised why it had felt so easy on the way out, I?d had a roaring tailwind which now of course was a headwind which we would battle with throughout the day. After another lap of that section of the course we were on to circuit B, a triangular circuit on rolling roads with some exposed windy sections. The 100 mile point came and went after four and three quarter hours and I was into new territory as this was the furthest I?d been in a time trial. After three laps of circuit B I was one of the first riders to be turned off onto the next section of the course after six hours or so, and after passing a couple of riders I realised that I was now the first rider on the road. This section turned out to be a real struggle into the headwind with no respite, but eventually I reached the next turn and started flying back at over 25mph towards circuit C, watching all the other riders struggling coming the other way which gave me a psychological lift. Circuit C turned out to be quite pleasant; a mixture of sheltered lanes, a short exposed section and a fast tailwind section back on the main road. As I had been the first one onto this circuit I think the marshals must have been using me as some kind of reference point for when to start sending people onto the next circuit, as third time around there was all sorts of confusion but eventually they sent me round again for a fourth circuit. I had to stop a couple of times around circuit C to stretch my back and shoulders as they were getting stiff from being down low on my time trial bike. I considered changing to my road bike, but decided that changing to a new riding position at this stage might do more harm than good. Nine and a half hours came and went and another milestone was reached; the furthest I?d ever ridden in a day, the previous being around 188 miles (in a 300k Audax). Sometime after 10 hours I really started to struggle and slow down; my legs hurt, my back hurt, my shoulders hurt, my big toes hurt, the blister that had developed on my left thumb hurt. It was all I could do to keep the pedals turning, but I knew all I had to do now was to keep riding around the finishing circuit until my time was up. Eventually I passed one of the timekeepers who shouted ?that?s it, you?ve finished?. Thankfully Nick and Rory were waiting by the road shortly afterwards to give me a lift back the HQ. After a welcome shower, cup of tea and bacon sandwich, the results were being posted on the results board and we found out our efforts had been rewarded with 5th place for Rob, 1st handicap for Rich, and team prize for the three of us. Immediately afterwards my thoughts were ?never again?, but my memory might not be so good next year, so we?ll see.

Thanks to Rob & Rich for persuading me to enter, Nick Rory Linda & Joyce for being our support team on the day, and encouragement at various times on the day from Colin Davies, Stan & Joan Brown, Paul Tunnell (hiding in McDonalds), & Robin Johnson (Brighton Mitre).

[Dan B]

Well done ACCers!

Anybody get that burning feeling from their elbow pads chafing? 112 miles for me was more than enough!

DB