A bone dry course, there was even sand in places. It was on a sandy section that I lost contact with Nicky Craig and the four front runners. The guy in front of me lost traction in the sand and we lost their wheel. Admittedly they were in the process of lapping us but they did so on an open firetrack section and so we'd held their wheel for half a km. But then they were gone.
On the south side of the road the course took me to places I had not been before in Thetford forest. And this was no bad thing. A swoopy singletrack course. Even the singletrack through the forest that ascended swooped and could mainly be done in the big ring.
In fact the only thing slowing me down was going too quick into some of the tightest berms. This meant braking and losing momentum coming out of the bends. Perhaps I should have read a quote from Sam Hill before the race. Sometimes slow is quicker.
I even had some guy behind me at one point telling me I was taking good lines. Or maybe he was talking to himself.
I set off almost at the back. I cursed for not going to the start line earlier but the start was quick and there actually seemed to be no slackers so it was a good pace from the off. But without being at the front I didn't have to go hell for leather immediately and perhaps this is why I didn't blow up before the end. I did fade but I didn't die. Also I managed to sit in and behind two guys who went at exactly the right pace for me. One, a Chelmer Cycles rider faded after 5 laps but he was replaced by an RAF rider on a single speed. It was he who lost the front runners wheel in the sand, but without his wheel I wouldn't have been so quick anyway.
The 50k and 25k riders set off 2 hours after us so the course got busy for the penultimate lap as fresher faster riders came past. I managed to knock only one of them off. It wasn't deliberate honest. He just went past on a sharpish bend in the singletrack. But he seemed okay and set off again choosing not to go back for his dropped bottle. Young people these days, rush rush rush. And those that did pass seemed to be twenty years younger. Perhaps that's the effect of speed. If I ride faster I'll get younger. It's a relativity thing. And Einstein did ride a bicycle. Must ride faster.
I did wonder if they'd altered the course in the last half of the last lap as there seemed to be a steeper longer uphill section that I didn't remember. Well, I didn't remember it being so long and steep anyway. And that was all that I really suffered. I was glad to have finished, but even happier to have broken five hours. 4:53:22, I was 7th in the vets. Three minutes slower and I'd have been 10th. 6th place though was quarter of an hour in front so I timed that to perfection almost.
A great race and thanks to Chelmer Cycles rider and RAF singlespeeder for pace making.
On the south side of the road the course took me to places I had not been before in Thetford forest. And this was no bad thing. A swoopy singletrack course. Even the singletrack through the forest that ascended swooped and could mainly be done in the big ring.
In fact the only thing slowing me down was going too quick into some of the tightest berms. This meant braking and losing momentum coming out of the bends. Perhaps I should have read a quote from Sam Hill before the race. Sometimes slow is quicker.
I even had some guy behind me at one point telling me I was taking good lines. Or maybe he was talking to himself.
I set off almost at the back. I cursed for not going to the start line earlier but the start was quick and there actually seemed to be no slackers so it was a good pace from the off. But without being at the front I didn't have to go hell for leather immediately and perhaps this is why I didn't blow up before the end. I did fade but I didn't die. Also I managed to sit in and behind two guys who went at exactly the right pace for me. One, a Chelmer Cycles rider faded after 5 laps but he was replaced by an RAF rider on a single speed. It was he who lost the front runners wheel in the sand, but without his wheel I wouldn't have been so quick anyway.
The 50k and 25k riders set off 2 hours after us so the course got busy for the penultimate lap as fresher faster riders came past. I managed to knock only one of them off. It wasn't deliberate honest. He just went past on a sharpish bend in the singletrack. But he seemed okay and set off again choosing not to go back for his dropped bottle. Young people these days, rush rush rush. And those that did pass seemed to be twenty years younger. Perhaps that's the effect of speed. If I ride faster I'll get younger. It's a relativity thing. And Einstein did ride a bicycle. Must ride faster.
I did wonder if they'd altered the course in the last half of the last lap as there seemed to be a steeper longer uphill section that I didn't remember. Well, I didn't remember it being so long and steep anyway. And that was all that I really suffered. I was glad to have finished, but even happier to have broken five hours. 4:53:22, I was 7th in the vets. Three minutes slower and I'd have been 10th. 6th place though was quarter of an hour in front so I timed that to perfection almost.
A great race and thanks to Chelmer Cycles rider and RAF singlespeeder for pace making.
7 comments:
Under 6 hours for 100km, Excellent!!
Er, under 5 hours for 100km! smacks of drugs to me, what's in that cream the quack gave you?
oops! sorry five hours...even better:-)
quote: Perhaps that's the effect of speed. If I ride faster I'll get younger. It's a relativity thing. And Einstein did ride a bicycle. Must ride faster.
If you'd have ridden faster you may not have done so well...getting younger would take you out of the vets category;-)
mmm..in fact just to be sure that you don't finish in the younger cat, I would overtake only on the outside of bends too!
Goodness me, that Facer bloke is flying.
I suppose I ought to be inspired to get my bike out of the shed, dust off the cobwebs and do a couple of laps around the block before Mountain Mayhem. Don't want to let the side down.:(
Or, perhaps I could get a tube of that cream too..............?
mm
He is indeed flying at the moment.
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