This Xmas has been excellent and as part of the celebrations I've not exactly been backwards in coming forwards with the old food which meant that I felt bloated but also rather glad to be able to get out of the house and do some exercise today - the exercise coming in the shape of the annual Wheelers Boxing Day TT.
Last year I did this event as my very first time trial and managed a time of 21.41 - this year I wanted to go faster than that so I was taking this event seriously - so seriously in fact that I was taking my bottle holder off the bike at 8am this morning to make the bike like 'all aero' !!
Met up with mates from Wheelers and from the Tri Club, then we rode out to the start which was a layby in the middle of nowhere. I was competitor no.10 which meant that I had to wait ten minutes as riders were set off at minute intervals by the starter. My time came around and before I knew it I was thundering up the road.
I rode the first third of the course steadily trying not to peak to soon ! By the time I turned the first left towards Laughterton (and into the wind) I felt reasonably OK but still fancied keeping a little back for a monster push on a wind assisted back straight where I was sure that I would be topping speeds of 27mph.
Bugger ! I turned onto the last section expected a back wind and got a cross wind again which was neither use nor ornament. I buried myself though and picked the average speed up to cross the line in 20.13 and good enough for a fortuitous 3rd place on the day ! I'll be back on New Years Day for a second go and on todays evidence should be looking at sneaking under 20 minutes !
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