It was pretty hot, mid twenties at the start. I didn't feel too good today, a bit tired from the travelling and a bit drained from the excitement of going on holiday :) So I didn't really feel like racing at all :(
We lined up for the traditional once around the perimeter of el campo de futbol. The start was fast and furious into the bends of the fake grass running track, in fact so fast that we caught the back of the group! lol
Onto the tarmac hill in the main street of Sant Josep and I just don't feel good. I shouldn't be moaning, I love this race and racing in Ibiza. So I sit up and wait for Jane to come through. She comes through very fast and I'm having trouble hanging on to her wheel. On the downhill sections I'm ok, but she comes past on the flats and ups :) So I decide to hang on in case I start to feel better.
At about 10km we hit the first climb, this was a very steep section of just over 1km long and 15 mins hike-a-bike. I felt ok doing this, I'd had a lot of practice in Italy a few weeks ago :) A fast steep gravel fire road followed before we hit the next climb of Serra Grossa. A grind of 3.5 km . Jane likes this climb and we pass a few people on this one. A nice rocky technical descent took us to the climb of Sa Capalleta a 4km grind with the checkpoint I grabbed three big cups of coke here and Jane set of almost immediately. I had to chase hard to catch her on the descent. Just as I caught her the trail turned sharp left with a tricky drop in on rocks,on of the marshals here started shouting 'Hey Raymond and Jane' and the others joined in. I couldn't work out who it was. Meanwhile Jane had ridden the drop and was getting away. (last year she walked this section) I was now beginning to feel quite perky from the coke and the next long rocky twisting descent was fabulous.
On a flat section of singletrack one of the older guys from Kandani came hurtling through. I started to think that I want to chase. I said to Jane that if he was still in sight on the next climb I would attack, because I knew he was in my category. The next check point is at Es Cubells and is the lowest point of the race. We have to sign in on this one. The next 10km is full of short sharp ups before we hit the Puig den Serra. This is the hill that everyone fears and has been the topic of conversation on FB for ages :)
It's a concrete wall it's 22/32 all the way. Jane started to feel the heat on this climb and began to suffer a bit. I strangely enough had started to feel much better, the coke at the check point had done wonders. We passed the guy from Kandani here and he chased(if it's possible to chase at 3kmh), but blew spectacularly and had to walk. No one else was riding except me and Jane. Jane was reeling a bit, the mountain was in full sun and the heat being reflected back from the ground was incredible. I had picked up a bottle of plain water for this part of the course and poured some down my back and passed it to Jane. At the top I said to Jane that I would push on to put some time into Antonio. I remember this descent from last year, it's superb. Over the next few kms I pass a lot of very tired people. At the bottom of the last climb I grab a couple of glasses of coke and put a bidon of aqualia in my back pocket. Not because I needed it,but because I wanted the bidon as a souvenir :) I wasn't thinking straight because I should have emptied it first.....doh! I set off up the final climb which was good middle ring fire road spin.On the second hairpin I could see Jane was approaching the check point. Near the top I pass a guy in red and white kit that I'd been admiring it at the start. I said hi as I passed him and set off into the very technical descent. This route off Sa Talia had been used for a downhill race the previous Sunday and was cut up, loose and an covered dust. I dropped into the very steep entry point sliding all over the place on the loose marbles of rock, scattering people who were sensibly walking this section. At one point I had to dismount to climb down a two metre step and then it was super fast big ring - chain all the way to the right - tarmac into the campo de futbol.
I was second master vet and twelfth vet. Jane was first veteran lady and third overall. The guy who is third in the picture turned out to be the guy in red and white who I'd passed at the top.
