ECCA 100

5.06am is an insanely early time to be pulling up to a start line for a time trial, but there I was none the less, having a crack at my second only 100 mile time trial.

For ease of my brain, I had decided to again break down  again into smaller 25 mile chunks and targeted last years average speed per 25 of 22.8 /21.8/22.4/23.1.

This year, I put them in descending order and set my targets accordingly :
23.1mph
22.8mph
22.4 mph
21.8mph
- I took 2 x 750ml bottles of high 5 zero, 3 flapjacks and 2 gels.

Easy peasy then - what could go wrong ?
Well initially nothing. The first 15 miles are single carriagway going North, and I managed to negotiate this well, catching the folks that started 4 & 5 minutes in front of me. I even had time to go round a roundabout when I made an error.
When I got onto the A11 my average was tapping 22.8 and at as the first 25 mile section ended this had improved to 23.2mph - job done then for the first quarter and ahead of the game !  Miles 23 to 50 had a target average of 22.8mph then, and being dual carriageway albeit quiet, this was achievable and so it proved with 23.3mph achieved.

At the start of the third section I had to stop and fish a fresh bottle out of the grass verge that I had secreted the night before ! So with 5 minutes gone my average had nosedived. With more traffic on the road however, this soon improved and despite the stop, miles 50 - 75 proved to be the fastest of the day at 23.4mph against the target of 22.4mph.

So, what could go wrong ! Miles 75 - 100 to negotiate, and initially all was well, I managed the first 15 miles of this at an average of 24mph - and then the wheels fell off ! We turned back onto the single carriageway due South for the last 10 miles and I had nothing left. Small climbs were taking an age, and any power in the legs had gone !  Every mile hurt, and I fould myself counting down and hoping for a short course. Eventually I saw the finish and whooped for joy as I crossed with a final quarter average of 22.2mph.

Still a nine minute personal best but it could have been so much better :0(