Well i have been working in the garden- cleaning bikes
- since i got home ,so here is my tale....
At least it wasn't raining, i might get to go out on a bike without it lashing down on me for once.
The alarm was set for 5- but i dont need it- been awake since 4.30, so i have only had about 5 hours restless sleep. Which is probably more than the ACC'ers Kieran and Adrian had, as they had to cycle down from Sarf london. Many thanks to the pushers off.
On arrival at HQ i saw quite a few fellow members, snoop was aboard the "black pearl"- a turbo trainer flying the jolly roger.
Dominic was there, so were Mr PVT and George in the "snatch wagon"
Signed on whilst eyeing up the cakes
I had a quick chat with Andrew and Rich V and off for the warm up.
How hot do you need to be for a 25? It was my first so i was clueless- you need to be fairly warm for a 10, so gas mark 5 it was.
Pootling up to the start i became aware of the headwind, hmmmmm- its 5 miles or so to the turn- so the bit back to tollgate hill should be good.
Kieran gave me a good shove and i coasted to the first RAB- not the only time i coasted as well
.
I went out a bit too hard at the start- novice error- 350w seems easy when you're fresh and ready, and the price was paid going up the drag to Moorhead.
Straight on onto the wind- lucky to get up to 35k on the downhill bits.
#30 comes streaming past.......
My minute man is in sight- he should be, he is 25 years older than me
Ahhh ,the joy of the turn- suddenley its all roses, 40kmh no prob, 's'easy this TT lark. Left turn to tollgate hill, gawd this is difficult, my 2 min man is now i my sights- luckily i am using my triple ring so i spin up nice and easy.
Coming down the hill i seem to have an advantage! My 2 min man is eating my dust as i go by at 55kmh, a nice tailwind all the way back to moorhead, right turn and its a bit more downhill - i'm lovin' it!
I get caught freewheelin' by PVT as i approach the RAB, i was just picking my line to miss the pot holed drain cover, oh and the 2 cars on the RAB as well- still the push he gave me was welcome.
A fairly flatish section followed and it was great bowling alongat 45kmh+, this however went slightly t!ts up when ever the road went up as well. By now i was fairly tired, there was not a single place on my saddle that felt comfortable- i am standing writing this!
My favourite piece of the ride came next, slightly downhill, tailwind, smell of home- 53x12, 45-50kmh for what seemed like ages, i knew after the turn it would be hell because i could see the other riders gurning into the headwind.
Now i was paying the price, it's a long drag- pretty much straight and i really thought it would never end, forever changing down, never getting closer to that concrete footbridge, i'm off the tr-ibars now- wheezing like a pair of old bellows...... whoosh "thighs" from last week (posts passim) comes by no problem at all- so it is just me then?
At last i reach that feckin bridge, downhill and a bit of flat and i'm there- but whats this ? Oh no its the gurning headwind...... whoosh there goes George.........
Is that the sign for the finish? I am seriously cooked and i really feel like giving up, even George and "thighs" are slowing, those 300m were so hard, then its over!
I felt really great straight away- big grin- well it is cake time! Endorphin release- tick!
It seems everyone feels the same, it did feel tough in the wind - but i guess it was 50-50 for and against.
The next time i wont start so fast, and hopefully i will not be coming off the back of a cold, i thought i would go about 1.10 so i was pleased to get under that for my first attempt.
Dr Toks, you were bang on the money ( number crunching time folks) 261w avg, i guess the "under hr" boys were nearer 300w.
Avg hr 172
35.8kmh
10 mins 292
20 mins 278
30 mins 272
60 mins 261
legs fecked!
Sorry to hear of your woes Orv, it was probably me and Andrew who were suffering crampy/twitchy legs.
You should not worry about your times at all as your excuses were brilliant, these alone will see your time under the hour in the very near future- you only have to see my post from last weeks phoenix 10 thread (boy i filled half an A4 sheet with them) to see how much i improved since then.
Well done all the ACCers who got round.
luckilly the chap at 73 (I think) was DNS so I slotted in and set off.
. Over the top passed 21 and went hard down to the final turn aware that I would be finishing into a headwind. And so it was crawl up back to Hop Oast ? and down the other side. Did the same as last week and pushed hard and had nothing left with 300 yards to go. I even had to change down gear because of the wind. I passed no 7 before the line and was within 20 seconds of no 18 when I crossed. Felt pretty spent by the end.
.
