Race report...
Start time of 7:21 meant a lie in compared to last week!!
Rolled up to the start having done at least 1/2 mile warm up, off slip road, onto A1 North. Steady, not too fast. Ok. Caught minute (wo)man after 5 miles, HR up to 155, cruising - 23mph up the long drag. Turn 10.24m in 24 minutes....and then realised why
it was a lot harder heading South. Still, not too bad and holding good speed and 155 HR, went through 25 in 1:3, then turn and do it all again. Same as before and 50 in 2:7, then 5 miles South - into the wind - with no return leg
, down a tiny lane for 15 miles, then up and down the Shefford By-Pass with 7 roundabouts in each of the 4 8 mile legs, with roadworks on 2 of them and the turn almost impossible to get round without stopping. All was well with the world, holding reasonable pace at 72 miles, then 86, then 94 and off to the finish - bugger a long drag uphill and right leg beginning to feel a bit tight with onset of cramp when pushing hard - no option but to change down, slipping back to 21mph, but over the top and back up to 24. Hope that those people ahead are the finish - NO, bugger, just mashals on a roundabout - another mile to go, 4:20 slipped by, still push on to the finish and 4:24:54 to collapse on the grass. Luckily Mrs T was there to pick me up and I didn't have to ride the 5 miles back to the HQ.
Bring on the 12, and another (my fastest ever?) BBAR certificate