Saturday Sept 10th: Wiggle Cyclosportive, 65 miles required (middle distance). Diet up-date, pretty crap (14 st 5 lbs); training up-date, last minute cramming, Weather forecast, strong winds with rain around lunchtime, outlook, bloody worrying.
So, with some trepidation I got up at 6 am to meet the boys from Over Bike Club (aka The Badgers Nadgers) before 7. We were at the start well in time for the first off's but by the time we joined the queue and got away it was 08:15. There were about ten in our group and it had been suggested to me that it would split into a faster and steadier splinters. That happened after about three miles I think when we were five -Tom Ashworth and Dave Corbett (both around my age), and Rich and Rob who must have about ten years of youth over us. For quite a while we were a group, dropping off, shooting up the front and then all coming together again, but by the time of the first food stop (20 miles) it seemed to be Tom and myself. The others had not arrived before the end of our short break. After that we spent a while in big group and made good progress, which was handy as the wind was quite brutal. Hitting a short sharp hill I went to the front and having got to the top and turned the corner into the wind - crunch - the chain comes off. It took me a couple of attempts to get it back on and then there is a long hard chase on my own. Eventually, I catch them, we spend a while together and then a couple of guys from Covenry Racing Club come by going just a mile or two per hour faster. I'm onto their back wheel in a shot and manage to stay with them for maybe five miles before I tire a little and drop off. I reach the second food stop (@ 40 miles) alone, and basically unhinge my jaw and suck the whole contents of the table into my enormous mouth. I've been there a while and Tom comes in. He digs out last night Chow Mein from his pocket - classy! I hang around for him but then just I start writing a text he nips off saying "you'll catch me up in no time!". I finish the text and chase him but he's got into a group and is moving quickly, it takes a while before we come together again. About ten miles later we turn north and that strong wind is behind us, for a while we blast along but then turn back into it. Approaching a small incline I've been struggling for a few miles and really feel like it's "the wall" time. As I struggle to the top of a small-ish hill a few miles from home I look over my shoulder and Tom's dropped off. That's it, the adrenaline surges through me knowing that this is the time to really go for broke. I ride the last few miles all out, even after 60-ish miles I'm doing around 20 miles per hour and grimacing non-stop. I cross the line alone, the first from the club, the guy hands a medal to me "is that gold" I remark, feeling confident I've beaten the time the lads said would qualify, "no, they are all the same!!" He replies. Tom' rolls in only 43 seconds later according to the offical timings :-) We both get GOLD !!!!! The younger lads are about fifteen or twenty minutes after.
Two cups of the worst coffee ever, a Red Bull and a Hot Cross Bun later and I'm on my way round to the house of my dream woman, to continue a truly wonderful weekend.
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