TA Mids 50

A very first ride on the super fast Etwall course as this Trike event was being run in conjunction with the BDCA 50 event. HQ was easy to find and the whole trip from Lincoln was about an hour and forty, I hadn't realised that the course was so close to me.

Once signed on, I met with the rest of the Trikies, and then made my way to the start on the outskirts of Etwall.

Bad start ! One set off, I failed to follow the left turn sign at the first roundabout and within 100 metres I had gone the wrong way ! One circle of said roundabout later and I was down in the bars and going for it down the A516. After a mile or so, I was on the fabled A50, but with a headwind of c.10mph, I couldn't see what the fuss had been about. I was cranking along at an average of 22 something but it didn't feel special. First roundabout negotiated, and then after 12 miles or so, the road becomes draggy as you start the slog up concrete mountain. I always felt that I was on the lower slope as I expected to see a wall of concrete that I never saw, and smiled when I realised I was already up the top and ready to make the turn home. My ave. was 21.6 ish.

 

Woooosh ! It was super fast all the way down and I literally span out ! My average climbed and I was very comfortable holding 26/27mph. Halfway through the return leg, there is a seven mile intermission, where you get sent up a SC to Rochester, and apart from having to sit up behind a tractor for a mile, this was still reasonably quick and when I got back on the A50, my average was already 22.6mph.

It was a case of just hammering the final 12 miles or so, staying hydrated, chewing jelly babies. Who says I can't multi-task. I loved the second half of that course and can now see why its a favourite, 

2.09.19, a new PB and a Lincoln Wheelers club record. I also trousered the Handicap on the day :) 

Next up is the 100 in South Wales next week.