in London before I crashed without the influence of a twat driver. Note to self: sleepy + speedy + slippery + lazy = pain. All good.

The new motivation / inspiration technique is working well, cheers for the idea wayne (and blonde lass)..

Original image found here:

Inspirational and motivational, no?

Thanks Grupettites for a nice ride to Windsor. Thanks Queenie and Prince Philip for not running us over. Thanks Mark for taking the photos. Does this mean the return to some serious training? Stayed tuned.

Well, I finally got some time away from work and managed to head out for the Circuit of Kent 140k sportive. I’ve done next to nothing for the last few months other than commuting so these longs rides now hurt a lot more. Forgetting my bidons and having to return home for them meant I missed my train and risked missing the start altogether. I did make it, but other than one guy repairing a puncture, I was the last rider to start. So, with grump levels high(er than usual) and weather top notch I decided “what the hell, smash it!”.

Down the street I’m instantly confused.. there’s loads of cyclists with numbers on and they’re heading the other way?! But they all have aerobars.. hmm.. okay?

It turns out it was a triathlon and I was heading the right way (for a change). There’s loads of volunteers waving flags on the course and I nod and thank most of them as I ride past.

The scenery is really nice, the sky is blue, I’m passing loads of people.. it doesn’t get much better 🙂

I take the turn off for the extra loop, setting me up for the longer 140k version. The course is basically two loops, which is kind of cool because you have the turnoff as a ‘marker’ for your distance and it makes it less mentally tough than one large loop. I stopped a couple of times at the feed stations for a bottle refill and some cake. I always feel guilty if I ride past since I’ve already paid for it.. it would cost me a Gold time.. muppet! 🙂

At one point I latched onto three De Ver Cycles riders. I’d never heard of the shop before and asked about it. The free ride only lasted 10 minutes since I started cramping going up the next hill. Damn my lack of riding! I did try to get back on – I could see them as we looped around a roundabout on bit of A-road but I just didn’t have the power to catch three reasonably fast guys alone, not without forcing myself off the bike to stretch out my spasming muscles!

The final challenge was that indeed.. One Tree Hill/Carters Hill might have been fine under other circumstances but since I had to climb out of the saddle to reduce my hamstring cramping and since it was at the end of a reasonably quick, untrained, 130k.. it hurt. What made it worse was the fact that I spotted Sam up the hill in front of me (I recognised his Motorola jersey). I tried to get up to him and really did give it all I had left but the bugger knew he was close to the finish and was also hammering.

I caught up to him after the line – “Sam, you bastard!” 🙂

4:17:57 Silver (Gold was 4:15) Doh! 🙂

Tony, Sam and I ate the (included) meal at the end and enjoyed the sun and a bit of banter before Sam had to bail. Tony led me back to the train and all was well in the world.

Thumbs up and all smiles here, but only for the cameras 🙂

Big thanks to all the organisers/volunteers and whoever organised the lovely weather!

www.kentcyclosportive.co.uk

Photos

Mal and I trained to Knighton from London on Saturday. We’d ended up with more changes but a quicker overall journey. Why trips listed on nationalrail.co.uk aren’t available when you try to book them at the station I do not know. Nevermind.

It turns out the Fleece House B&B I’d booked was run by a Polish woman. Mal had someone to talk to! 🙂

We dropped our stuff off and wandered around the small town of Knighton. Getting off the train, we’d actually met Christian, who I’d met at the previous Welsh sportive – the Devil Ride. He was staying just down the road and we met later for dinner and some beers (well, I had some beers, he was being much more disciplined and stuck to one :)).

drizzle

start, loads returning (dandy horse)

windy as hell!

steep descent

found sunglasses

DEEP water crossing

dried up whilst in the Elan Valley – beautiful dams

massive climb – smoked it 🙂

almost lost it

I love how it rains only during the ride.. Sat and Mon were blue skies.. 🙂

Le Poisson had a laugh on this ride – I decided not to worry about time again since my training has stopped and the conditions weren’t so nice to be risking fast descents. I saw about 20 people riding back. Later found out some of them had gone down on a slippery corner.

Lovely scenery. Horrid conditions until the Elan valley but the views were awesome. I stopped a few times to take photos of the dams (numb hands don’t help). The “creek crossing” reminded me of Day 3 of Tour of Wessex. This was definitely deeper though Wessex was wetter and windier. 🙂 I’d love to ride this course again in the dry but it does make it more of a challenge in the wet and I’m very glad I stuck with it.

Great stuff organisers and many thanks to the volunteers out on the course and at the finish. I had a fantastic long weekend in Knighton.

423 people doing the Long. 1000 entries total. 🙂

150th from 420.

Autumn Epic 2008 Gallery

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