Suffering is the origin of consciousness - Dostoyevsky

It was a long week before the Builth Wells Merida 100 for me then I rode at the track in the heat the day before. I never hydrated enough all week. This meant I had cramps before the event even started.
Also I filled up my Camelbak from a tap in Newport. I'd forgotten that this has the most chlorinated and disgusting tasting tap water I know. Not good if I wanted to try to rehydrate whilst riding.

Anyway, the race set off in hot but completely overcast weather. I was nearer the end rather than my usual start near the front. I rode past a lot of people on the initial road section despite leg cramps and felt quite good considering.
The course was all brand new with little resemblance to previous year's routes. This was good but unfortunately I got caught in a couple of bottlenecks as I wasn't near the front. Also I was behind riders who got off and walked in technical woods or steep descents. But the singletrack through the woods was still excellent and disturbingly dark. I could hardly see anything with my sunglasses on so rode along with them on the end of my nose looking like some fusty old librarian until I had a chance to put them in the back pocket.
We rode around trees, raced along ditches and with tyres at 43psi I bounced off tree roots frequently. Sometimes sliding off one root to bounce off another.
At the first feed station I changed water in my Camelbak which greatly improved the quality of my ride.
At the second feed station I was quite surprised to find I'd drunk most of it as well as four bottles of Hi5. Maybe that was why I wasn't feeling too good now. But it was a great ride and I was enjoying the route. But I really wasn't feeling good.
Then four and a quarter hours from the start I went off pop. And I don't mean I stopped liking lemonade. I'm sure there was an audible pop as I blew and hit a wall.
I actually stopped, got off and sat down to eat a bar. Even then I only managed half of it as I was feeling nauseous. With a sigh and a heavy exhale of breath I carried on.

It was now hot and we were on open moorland. I put my sunglasses on and wished there was suntan cream in my bag. The sun was starting to burn. On the steeper parts of climbs I had to get off and walk. I was feeling exhausted.
Then I met a guy who'd just gone the wrong way down a valley road, just as I was about to go down it. He'd ridden back up and was now out of water. He'd saved me riding down the valley so I gave him the contents of my bottle. In return he told me his watch thermometer read 45°C. In Wales. Repeat that again. Yes, 45°C in Wales. Centigrade.
That's Wales spelt G - r - e - e - c - e. Later on someone else would spontaneously tell me their watch too had read 45°C.
How hot in the shade? I don't know there wasn't any shade now. Well not if you were taller than 20cm and couldn't fit under a fern bush. The sun was just relentless.
Somehow I felt better that 45°C was a major reason for my discomfort.

Finally I arrived at the last feed station. Just about to run out of water, many people had. The briefing had put the finish where the feed station was and put the feed station much earlier. I sat down and drank two bottles of Hi5 and managed to eat a banana.
Then the last grind home. Here I rode down a great bit of steep singletrack to the bottom of a valley. It took me 25 minutes to walk back up it when I realised I'd missed an arrow and gone the wrong way. I timed that walk.
It is possible to swear continuously for 25 minutes. Admittedly repeating myself.

But finally I reached the end in a grand total of eight and a quarter hours after I'd started. A record for me. Unfortunately it was the slowest I've ever ridden an endurance event. But now I could lie on the grass and eat three mouthfuls of pasta. That was all my stomach could 'stomach'.

But a great course and I look forward to seeing what time I can do it in if it's the same route next year.

45°C in Wales. Well done to those who finished before me.
The Builth Wells Merida 100 in 2006 is one to say you did. I can also say it did me. In.