Here it is, the nice big monkey that had been sitting comfortably on my back for the past 12 months. Last year I attampted my first 12 hour time trial which ended with a DNF when wet and tired, I decided to quit and make my way back to Lincoln !
Wind on the clock one year, and I'm back on the start line on the same course and on the same weekend. This year is different, I have support in the shape of my wife Heidi, and I've done some longer rides over the past six weeks in preparation. So I'm hoping for a finish !
I'm away at 6.44
am and the forecast for the day is a strong SSW wind starting at 12mph and peaking at 15mph. It is dry though which means I've dodged one as the BBC had been saying all week that there would be rain on the day. My LRRA competition comes in the shape of a Sleaford Wheeler who is starting 5 minutes behind me. If I was him I tell Heidi, I'd want to catch me as soon as possible !
Pretty quickly the clock reaches 6.44am and I am sent on my way. The course is a single carriageway affair on a weird double loop initially of 40 miles. There's not much in the way of climb with only an undulating upward ripple of note at the rear end of the course. I decide to ride the first loop at about 70% of perceived maximum effort and hold an average of 20.5mph. At the end of each lap there is an out and back around a roundabout and it is only at this point that I was able to see how much progress the guy from Sleaford was making........and its not great news... he's within 2 minutes !!
Response ? Head down, don't panic but increase the effort slightly for the next 40 miles. I knew I'd already stopped ahead of that two minute gap and that he would be stopping after, I also figured that he would have started too quickly in an attempt to catch up with me. That second loop felt really good, I was past last years quitting point and I'd had a pork pie as a little treat ! My rolling average popped above 21mph too as I tried to distance myself from my persuer for the day ! I did a F1 style pit stop at the car and got on my way very quickly trying not to lose too much time. Great husband me ! Heidi sits in the car for two hours and then I spend less than 20 seconds with her before disappearing again !
This time the two minutes pass on the out and back and I don't see him. It is 15 minutes later when I pass by HQ and he looks to be handing his number in - it transpires later that he was pushed off by some random brain donor in a 4x4 and whilst luckily not hurt, it has messed him up. 80 miles in and a major motivating factor has gone.
I'm away at 6.44
am and the forecast for the day is a strong SSW wind starting at 12mph and peaking at 15mph. It is dry though which means I've dodged one as the BBC had been saying all week that there would be rain on the day. My LRRA competition comes in the shape of a Sleaford Wheeler who is starting 5 minutes behind me. If I was him I tell Heidi, I'd want to catch me as soon as possible !
Pretty quickly the clock reaches 6.44am and I am sent on my way. The course is a single carriageway affair on a weird double loop initially of 40 miles. There's not much in the way of climb with only an undulating upward ripple of note at the rear end of the course. I decide to ride the first loop at about 70% of perceived maximum effort and hold an average of 20.5mph. At the end of each lap there is an out and back around a roundabout and it is only at this point that I was able to see how much progress the guy from Sleaford was making........and its not great news... he's within 2 minutes !!
Response ? Head down, don't panic but increase the effort slightly for the next 40 miles. I knew I'd already stopped ahead of that two minute gap and that he would be stopping after, I also figured that he would have started too quickly in an attempt to catch up with me. That second loop felt really good, I was past last years quitting point and I'd had a pork pie as a little treat ! My rolling average popped above 21mph too as I tried to distance myself from my persuer for the day ! I did a F1 style pit stop at the car and got on my way very quickly trying not to lose too much time. Great husband me ! Heidi sits in the car for two hours and then I spend less than 20 seconds with her before disappearing again !This time the two minutes pass on the out and back and I don't see him. It is 15 minutes later when I pass by HQ and he looks to be handing his number in - it transpires later that he was pushed off by some random brain donor in a 4x4 and whilst luckily not hurt, it has messed him up. 80 miles in and a major motivating factor has gone.
The third lap was all about getting the hundred in which popped up at 4hrs & 50mins and then the Iron Distance 112 miles – completed in approx 5hrs & 27 mins – a personal best for that distance.
No rough patches so far……. So guess what ? Lap four threw up the toughest lap of the day ! Miles 120-160 proved to be the hardest of the whole ride – the sun was out and it was really hot, on the backside of the course the wind was up to its strongest, and within half a lap I had used most of my water and there was a real Jelly Belly shortage ! I kept telling myself that it would pass and had to grimace my way up the mild undulations that I talked about earlier – I now jokingly referred to these as the ‘devils staircase’! I was so pleased to see Heidi at 160 miles and took two water bottles this time and a shed load of Jellies – I wasn’t about to be caught out again !
At this point we were directed onto the finishing circuit, which was in reality was the top half of the course and measured just over fourteen miles. It would include the ‘devils staircase’, all of the headwind, but also a really fast four mile stretch down past the finish which was at least something to look forward to.
My average speed was dropping slightly with each lap and each Heidi stop, and whilst never plummeting, I was disappointed to see the average speed drop below 20mph at the 185 mile point. I found myself clock watching as I waited for the 200 miles to pass, and then the next target became the 224 mile target which was double Iron distance.
On to the last lap and it was a case of getting past each of the finishing timekeepers and making sure they had my number. I passed HQ to complete my 5thfinishing lap with 8 minutes to go and had the next two timekeepers to aim for – I pushed as hard as I could and passed the first with 6 minutes to spare, but just failed to get to the second in time. Total mileage 235.97 and 24th in the National Championships !
Things I learnt….
- The 12hr distance needs to be respected especially in the first couple of hours which should be ridden at 60-70% of effort
- Anyone can do this, I managed to complete on a handful of long rides ridden at a dawdle – its time in the saddle that counts
- Go supported – it will save you time and you will have a friendly face to look forward too
- Jelly Babies are the acceptable middle ground between solid food and gels !
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