Sunday, August 16, 2009
How on earth did i end up winning the thetford mtb summer series?
After three exciting races and only 10 crashes (i say only!) i managed to claim the overall junior prize for the thetford mtb summer series. As the round 1 was my first mtb race i was filled with intense anticipation and nerves. After winning this round i assumed it must have been a fluke or a very good day! Round 2 brought more crashes and a rather bloody knee but i eliminated my concerns that round 1 was a fluke. Finally after giving it everything at round 3 (in order to pay tim back for the 2up bungay 10) i claimed the overall junior series prize and beat tim by a comfortable 1.32. Unfortunately i am sure he will repay me again at next weeks bungay ten although he does have some 66m reynolds strykes which im sure make a hell of a difference. Anyway i would just like to thank Tim and streetlife for all the support they have given me this season and im looking forward to the d2d (if i can get a partner that is)!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
24hour to 23minutes
Its been some time since my last entry, and in that period a fair amounts has happened. Training has been up and down due to busy work and family loads, but I have been getting just enough of the right miles in. Missed the round 2 of the summer series due to illness (not a nice one either), but managed to recover in time for what is so far my favorite mtb event of the year, the Bontarger 24/12.
Previous Dusk till Dawn experience should have put me off riding big enduro races forever, however I have a bad memory and evidently forgot how hard they are. The setting for the race was Newnland Park in Plymouth, a private park open to riding exclusively for races. The course was great, really steep climb to start that tapered and climb for the first mile, in to some rooty tacky single track for the next 1.5 miles. Once through this it wandered its way through a super fast fireroad decent, and a nasty climb and bombhole run to a really fast rocky, narrow, root covered decent. Seconds after you thunder out of this decent it was about two thirds through, and you hit some gravel fire road that climbed steady for about 500yards (past a bunch of guys smoking reefer, chucking out ear melting drum and bass for the entire 24hrs). They were located at the foot of a soul destroying 25-30% climb about 300yards long, that made you get out of the saddle and grind your way to the top, which turn a sharp right into a succession of root cover smaller, shorter sigletrack climbs. Putting these behind you and it was pretty much home free for the last 2 miles, after the climbs came the biggest, fastest XC decent I've ever done. The track was bumpy and got pretty slick as the hours went by, it also had a nasty gully running it's entire length off to the left which if drawn into it you were more than in danger of dropping off it's near vertical 100ft edge. Through the river crossing after the decent and all that was left was a tricky climb through a considerable amount of roots, which spat everyone off at some point. Quickly this brought you to the last section of fire road that led you down a lovely quick grassy decent, under a bridge, weaved you through the campsite back to the handover.
All I can really say is that all the guys riding for both Streetlife and Extreme Sport Therapy put in an amazing effort, all completing their full complement of laps. Not one person bailed out (although I was close at 5am), and we had some a great set of results. Jason, Darren, Andy and myself grabbed 5th in the 24hour men's, Neil, Giles, Kevin and Ian got 22nd, and Alex, Howard Olly and Stef managed 25th. All in all a massive surprise to all us 24hour first timers.
My next event although tiny in comparison was last night Bungay 2up 10mile TT, that I rode with Simon Millard, a regular riding companion and powerhouse. A good start by us both was spoilt a little by my suffering of a massive stitch just after the 5mile point, which lost us about 30secs, and left Simon on the front for the majority of the final leg home. Still a P.B. for me of 22.58, and more importantly, we beat Josh (23.10). Making a point of signing on straight after us, and calling me his "carrot" just meant that I had to rode myself stupid just to make sure he wouldn't catch me.
Previous Dusk till Dawn experience should have put me off riding big enduro races forever, however I have a bad memory and evidently forgot how hard they are. The setting for the race was Newnland Park in Plymouth, a private park open to riding exclusively for races. The course was great, really steep climb to start that tapered and climb for the first mile, in to some rooty tacky single track for the next 1.5 miles. Once through this it wandered its way through a super fast fireroad decent, and a nasty climb and bombhole run to a really fast rocky, narrow, root covered decent. Seconds after you thunder out of this decent it was about two thirds through, and you hit some gravel fire road that climbed steady for about 500yards (past a bunch of guys smoking reefer, chucking out ear melting drum and bass for the entire 24hrs). They were located at the foot of a soul destroying 25-30% climb about 300yards long, that made you get out of the saddle and grind your way to the top, which turn a sharp right into a succession of root cover smaller, shorter sigletrack climbs. Putting these behind you and it was pretty much home free for the last 2 miles, after the climbs came the biggest, fastest XC decent I've ever done. The track was bumpy and got pretty slick as the hours went by, it also had a nasty gully running it's entire length off to the left which if drawn into it you were more than in danger of dropping off it's near vertical 100ft edge. Through the river crossing after the decent and all that was left was a tricky climb through a considerable amount of roots, which spat everyone off at some point. Quickly this brought you to the last section of fire road that led you down a lovely quick grassy decent, under a bridge, weaved you through the campsite back to the handover.
All I can really say is that all the guys riding for both Streetlife and Extreme Sport Therapy put in an amazing effort, all completing their full complement of laps. Not one person bailed out (although I was close at 5am), and we had some a great set of results. Jason, Darren, Andy and myself grabbed 5th in the 24hour men's, Neil, Giles, Kevin and Ian got 22nd, and Alex, Howard Olly and Stef managed 25th. All in all a massive surprise to all us 24hour first timers.
My next event although tiny in comparison was last night Bungay 2up 10mile TT, that I rode with Simon Millard, a regular riding companion and powerhouse. A good start by us both was spoilt a little by my suffering of a massive stitch just after the 5mile point, which lost us about 30secs, and left Simon on the front for the majority of the final leg home. Still a P.B. for me of 22.58, and more importantly, we beat Josh (23.10). Making a point of signing on straight after us, and calling me his "carrot" just meant that I had to rode myself stupid just to make sure he wouldn't catch me.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Lotus cycle race league 2009
How did i end up winning the Lotus league? I never set out to win it, the 3 mile pan flat wind exposed circuit hardly suits a rider weighing less than 10 stone, the corners on the circuit were hardly technical either so bike handling and power to weight ratio didn't count like it has in probably all my other wins, i knew i could do well but not win it.
I was consistant,7 races in the top 5, experiance helped and my sprinting improved thanks to my sl2 frame along with being able to cope bumping off Dan Zagni a few times, luck played it's part too in the 2 races i missed through holiday's none of my closest rivals scored big points.
It wasn't just me doing well, Ben lead the league early on after winning round 4 but he wasn't so lucky when he was on holiday, with me winning both races with ipswich rider zagni 2nd in both, Chris was unlucky too, missing early rounds, then just as he was about to start his campaign his wife Jill broke her hand, still taking a 1st and 2nd in the last 2 rounds.
Tim Bonnett scored his first ever British Cycling points placing in the top 10 in 2 rounds.
Special thanks to Glenn Stanford who when he turned up paid his £7.50 and rode for Ben, Chris and myself to get a result, certainly one of my wins was thanks to him.
Josh won the Youth league too, domination by the extreme sports therapy team.
I was consistant,7 races in the top 5, experiance helped and my sprinting improved thanks to my sl2 frame along with being able to cope bumping off Dan Zagni a few times, luck played it's part too in the 2 races i missed through holiday's none of my closest rivals scored big points.
It wasn't just me doing well, Ben lead the league early on after winning round 4 but he wasn't so lucky when he was on holiday, with me winning both races with ipswich rider zagni 2nd in both, Chris was unlucky too, missing early rounds, then just as he was about to start his campaign his wife Jill broke her hand, still taking a 1st and 2nd in the last 2 rounds.
Tim Bonnett scored his first ever British Cycling points placing in the top 10 in 2 rounds.
Special thanks to Glenn Stanford who when he turned up paid his £7.50 and rode for Ben, Chris and myself to get a result, certainly one of my wins was thanks to him.
Josh won the Youth league too, domination by the extreme sports therapy team.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thetford Summer round 2 at Brandon
Having been dominant in the 2hr race in rd 1 at Tunstall Forest we knew we would be up there at the front in rd 2, i turned up with slicks front and rear but with Glenn's course knowledge and recent rain i decided to change the front tyre after signing on, with no gridding that also meant no warm up what so ever as riders started forming on the start line over half an hour before the 2hr start, as it was i still had to push my way through to the 2nd row where i joined Shane, Glenn turned up another 10 mins later and no one wanted to let him near the front, being a good teammate i let him squeeze in next to me (one favour returned for him riding his heart out for me at Lotus)
As usual the start was quick, Shane and Glenn soon made their way through to the front whilst i did my best to get over the shock of a completely cold start, once into the single track Glenn was gone with Jeff Sharp in tow, Shane was chasing and i was getting my breath back whilst being held up by slower riders i failed to get past before the singletrack.
I finally got back to Shane near the end of lap 2 and then dropped him on the plumb buster climb, Glenn dropped Jeff Sharp on the 3rd lap and then kept the pace high knoking out 6 laps for a convincing win, towards the end i was taking 30 secs a lap out of Jeff Sharp but his lead was too great, like Glenn i went through the finish after 5 laps before 2hrs was up and continued to make it 6, Shane was spared the extra lap by just 20secs and was 1st into the massage tent, a 1,3,4 for Extreme sports therapy with Glenn and myself now 1st and 3rd in the overall with the last round to come.
Josh made it 2 wins from 2 starts in the junior catergory, whilst Jason knocked out a massive 10 laps of the 6.2 mile course in the 4hr race and took 3rd place.
As usual the start was quick, Shane and Glenn soon made their way through to the front whilst i did my best to get over the shock of a completely cold start, once into the single track Glenn was gone with Jeff Sharp in tow, Shane was chasing and i was getting my breath back whilst being held up by slower riders i failed to get past before the singletrack.
I finally got back to Shane near the end of lap 2 and then dropped him on the plumb buster climb, Glenn dropped Jeff Sharp on the 3rd lap and then kept the pace high knoking out 6 laps for a convincing win, towards the end i was taking 30 secs a lap out of Jeff Sharp but his lead was too great, like Glenn i went through the finish after 5 laps before 2hrs was up and continued to make it 6, Shane was spared the extra lap by just 20secs and was 1st into the massage tent, a 1,3,4 for Extreme sports therapy with Glenn and myself now 1st and 3rd in the overall with the last round to come.
Josh made it 2 wins from 2 starts in the junior catergory, whilst Jason knocked out a massive 10 laps of the 6.2 mile course in the 4hr race and took 3rd place.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Bungay tt.
Bungay 10 july 28. I arrived feeling good and after a short warm up i was ready to go. It was extremely windy on the way and out and it turns out a disc rear wheel was probably a bad choice. Nevertheless i set a superb time considering the conditions 23.19, second only to Liam Gentry. Considering i am only 14 i think that it was a fairly decent time. I am very pleased now and am going to regret giving Andy his tt bike back. Con
Josh
Josh
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Great day had by all
Friday, June 19, 2009
The Dragon Ride...
Cheers Tim for giving my access to the Blog...
Here's my Dragon Ride review..
Well the 'B Team' were out at The Dragon Ride on Sunday, what an event.The largest sportive in the UK, 118 miles and 3000 m of climbing as one of my mates reminded me, that's like climbing Ben Nevis 3 times! Bigboss, Tim and I drove down on the Saturday afternoon, pre ride preperation consisted of a meal in the Beefeater, a trip to Tesco for last minute supplies and to admire the local talent! The day dawned sunny with a cloudless blue sky, a perfect day for riding.
We drove to the start and met up with Big Simon (resplendent in full GB kit) & Jonesy who'd opted for a 5 mile ride in to 'warm up' Simon had reckoned they were staying only 1 mile from the start, well according to his 'map' it wasn't that far!!
There was the usual nervous banter on the start with lots of 'I'm not getting sucked in to a race' type of talk, then bigboss had to pump up his latex tubed front tyre with about 30 seconds to go...
And we were off, starting in groups of 100 we had plenty of company from the word go, after about 5 miles of rolling roads we turned uphill, thats when it really started! The first climb was pretty short but gave you a taste of what to expect, however nothing can prepare you for the Bwlch, what a climb, it just went on and on, coming off the top was a great feeling, passing other riders all the way down, through another couple of towns and onto the Rhigos at nearly 6 miles of climbing this was hard work, well it was for me... I was riding with Tim, Bigboss and Jonesy had gone with Big Simon (who had MTFU'd on a double chainset) close on their heels.
The first feedstation came at the top of Rhigos, High 5 on tap, jam tarts, fairy cakes and more bananas that I've ever seen. The downhill was fast and long and long, all this and we hadn't even got past 40 miles. At the bottom we hit the route split for the short or long route then off out into the Breacon Beacons, the route became more rolling, out in the wilds with the sheep and the horses, the neutral service car came past, funny how the sight of a yellow Skoda estate with Mavic down the side and spare wheels and bikes on the top can transport you to somewhere else... there I was riding in the peleton on a continental grand tour, sun on my face the rumbling sound of carbon rims filling my ears and then the strange feeling of ....... oh bollocks flat front!! So Tim and I pull over to fix it, the Mavic car dissappearing in the distance. Flat fixed off we go again, working our way up from group to group, we come off the moor road and onto a main road, finally the diesel engine in Tim kicks in and I manage to find some rhythm and we are starting to put some good effort in and make real progress along the side of a resevoir then we come off the top onto a very long downhill, we pass a lay-by full of motor bikes and Tim celebrates by unclipping and waving his legs at them, then realises that waving your legs around at 40 mph affects stability The route takes a sharp left and starts to go uphill again, not too long more like lots of shorter climbs, we're still making decent progress and pass some loud Aussies! as we approch a short downhill Tim notices a sign pointing out that the 18% downhill coming up I get on the drops and get tucked in, I manage to see 55mph on the speedo and pass everyone on the decent but my face is hurting from laughing so much.All too soon it over and we're back heading up hill again, all the riders I've just passed come back past commenting on my downhill prowess and my physique, skinny freaks.. after a few more uphill drags the second feedstation comes into sight.
We refuel and head off again for about 100 meters or so till I realise that my front tyre is going flat again... We get it fixed with my second and final tube and cartridge! We're off again and heading into a bit of a headwind then we start to drop off the top and into another long downhill, we start to accelerate off the top and get passed by a bloke who's really trying hard! he's built like a climber, small and skinny I'm up resting on the tops and sitting on his back wheel, he's going for it big time, in the big ring and at the bottom of the block, I'm just sitting up and laughing at Tim who's pedaling to keep up. Sometimes there is an advantage to being a big lad. We drop down through some small villages then turn left up we go again, a dead straight drag that just seems to go on and on, the road begins to flatten off and the Mavic bike goes by, my front tyre then seems to flatten off too aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh F*CK not again, we stop, Tim checks my tyre and finds a small flint in the sidewall, probably from last weeks Norwich 100, we use Tim's tube and pump the tyre up, with my mini pump!! this takes some time, then Tim suggests we swap wheels to try and prevent any more punctures. We're off again by this time Tim is berrating me and my choice of tyres, needless to say he's not a Vittoria fan!! We get back into the groove and keep up a reasonable pace, the roads swoop down and onto the valley floor, we manage to pass most of the riders ahead of us as we head for Neath, we ride through the town dodging traffic, which provides a change of focus! Then the road turns up hill and it's a steep one this time, this is painfull, we see our first walker of the day, this is a tough one as I head up Tim drops me and I just get my head down and concentrate of turning the pedals, as I approch the top I see the third and final feedsation, thank the lord.
We refuel again and head off on the final assault, the last 30 miles! Over the climb and back down to the valley floor, I trundle along with nothing left in my legs, my front mech has started to play up (I've since discovered that my frons shifter is broke) and won't keep the chain in the big ring, I'm past caring and just keep trundling along, wishing I hadn't buried myself on the climb out of Neath. I know what's coming, and start to feel the dread creeping in, I know that sometime and it will be soon, that the road will start to point skyward and we'll head up Bwlch for the second time. The afternoon sun is beating down on my back, it's just over my right shoulder, and I can feel it starting to burn the back of my right arm, I curse bigboss and his choice of jersey colour!
Then it starts, I look up and see Tim ahead the road is cut into the right side of the valley and it trails off into the distance through a row of cottages, Tim's already there about half a mile ahead, I put my head down, flick the right lever and start to spin, I don't look up until I'm aware that I've reached the villiage, then I glance up and my heart sinks, I see the road winding it's way up the valley side......... for miles! I'm spent and empty but just try to keep my leaden legs turning, I reach for the right lever and select a bigger cog.I daren't look up, I just keep ploughing on and it feels like I am pulling a plough, I glance up and see the road turn right, head down I ride until the turn, look up and see the road continue ribbon like winding it's way up the hill in to the distance. That's it I pull over and climb off, stopping for a drink. I climb back on but I've got no more to give, I get 100m further up the road and climb off again. I just need to rest, so I'm sitting there head in hands considering my options, broom wagon, walk, sit, ride, broom wagon, walk, sit ride, broom wagon, walk , sit, ride. I want to be at home on the sofa, not getting sunburnt on a Welsh mountainside. These thoughts continue as I just sit there considering my options over and over, riders pass by and ask if I'm OK, I just nod or mumble. I check my phone and see a missed call from Bigboss, I've got no signal, I text him instead, something along the lines of being completly ducked and that my legs have gone. The Aussies ride by, 'you OK mate?' I nod, 'head up only 4 k to the top' F*cking Aussies, 'cheers mate' I shout after them. I struggle to eat a bit of energy bar and drink some more High 5. After sitting for about 15 mins or maybe 20 I've made up my mind....... ride it is, I climb on select bottom gear and drag my big ass onward and upward, my new tactic is staring at the road about a metre in front of my front wheel. I pass a photographer and manage to maintain my 'I completly knackered' expression I pass another photographer who informs me that I have one bend to go, I daren't look up, I keep staring at the ground. Suddenly the pressure eases through the pedals, I drop a gear and keep pedaling, drop a gear and keep going, I look up and round the corner I see Tim sat at the top, what a guy, I can't believe he waited for me. To say I'm chuffed to see him is an understatement, I manage to get a bit of energy bar down me and more High 5 and then we head for home, Tim's been on the phone to bigboss who has already finished, Jonesy has beaten him and Big Simon has just finished. Heading of Bwlch is awesome, so fast, like a rollercoaster, there's a photographer on the way down, this time we're grinning from ear to ear.We ride the last stretch at a decent pace, I don't know where I'm getting the energy from but it keeps coming, we cruise back over the final short climb across a couple of roundabouts and arrive at the finish (we were getting faster down the home straight but I remember I can't sprint finish as I cant get into the big ring) to be met by bigboss, the commentator giver Streetlife a name check!!
I can't believe we made it. What a ride, long hills, fantastic decents, great countryside, Team Streetlife putting in some great rides, Jonesy just over an hour behind the Cervelo pro Dan Llyod.
The Dragon Ride, MTFU and get on with it.
The Deathstar
Here's my Dragon Ride review..
Well the 'B Team' were out at The Dragon Ride on Sunday, what an event.The largest sportive in the UK, 118 miles and 3000 m of climbing as one of my mates reminded me, that's like climbing Ben Nevis 3 times! Bigboss, Tim and I drove down on the Saturday afternoon, pre ride preperation consisted of a meal in the Beefeater, a trip to Tesco for last minute supplies and to admire the local talent! The day dawned sunny with a cloudless blue sky, a perfect day for riding.
We drove to the start and met up with Big Simon (resplendent in full GB kit) & Jonesy who'd opted for a 5 mile ride in to 'warm up' Simon had reckoned they were staying only 1 mile from the start, well according to his 'map' it wasn't that far!!
There was the usual nervous banter on the start with lots of 'I'm not getting sucked in to a race' type of talk, then bigboss had to pump up his latex tubed front tyre with about 30 seconds to go...
And we were off, starting in groups of 100 we had plenty of company from the word go, after about 5 miles of rolling roads we turned uphill, thats when it really started! The first climb was pretty short but gave you a taste of what to expect, however nothing can prepare you for the Bwlch, what a climb, it just went on and on, coming off the top was a great feeling, passing other riders all the way down, through another couple of towns and onto the Rhigos at nearly 6 miles of climbing this was hard work, well it was for me... I was riding with Tim, Bigboss and Jonesy had gone with Big Simon (who had MTFU'd on a double chainset) close on their heels.
The first feedstation came at the top of Rhigos, High 5 on tap, jam tarts, fairy cakes and more bananas that I've ever seen. The downhill was fast and long and long, all this and we hadn't even got past 40 miles. At the bottom we hit the route split for the short or long route then off out into the Breacon Beacons, the route became more rolling, out in the wilds with the sheep and the horses, the neutral service car came past, funny how the sight of a yellow Skoda estate with Mavic down the side and spare wheels and bikes on the top can transport you to somewhere else... there I was riding in the peleton on a continental grand tour, sun on my face the rumbling sound of carbon rims filling my ears and then the strange feeling of ....... oh bollocks flat front!! So Tim and I pull over to fix it, the Mavic car dissappearing in the distance. Flat fixed off we go again, working our way up from group to group, we come off the moor road and onto a main road, finally the diesel engine in Tim kicks in and I manage to find some rhythm and we are starting to put some good effort in and make real progress along the side of a resevoir then we come off the top onto a very long downhill, we pass a lay-by full of motor bikes and Tim celebrates by unclipping and waving his legs at them, then realises that waving your legs around at 40 mph affects stability The route takes a sharp left and starts to go uphill again, not too long more like lots of shorter climbs, we're still making decent progress and pass some loud Aussies! as we approch a short downhill Tim notices a sign pointing out that the 18% downhill coming up I get on the drops and get tucked in, I manage to see 55mph on the speedo and pass everyone on the decent but my face is hurting from laughing so much.All too soon it over and we're back heading up hill again, all the riders I've just passed come back past commenting on my downhill prowess and my physique, skinny freaks.. after a few more uphill drags the second feedstation comes into sight.
We refuel and head off again for about 100 meters or so till I realise that my front tyre is going flat again... We get it fixed with my second and final tube and cartridge! We're off again and heading into a bit of a headwind then we start to drop off the top and into another long downhill, we start to accelerate off the top and get passed by a bloke who's really trying hard! he's built like a climber, small and skinny I'm up resting on the tops and sitting on his back wheel, he's going for it big time, in the big ring and at the bottom of the block, I'm just sitting up and laughing at Tim who's pedaling to keep up. Sometimes there is an advantage to being a big lad. We drop down through some small villages then turn left up we go again, a dead straight drag that just seems to go on and on, the road begins to flatten off and the Mavic bike goes by, my front tyre then seems to flatten off too aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh F*CK not again, we stop, Tim checks my tyre and finds a small flint in the sidewall, probably from last weeks Norwich 100, we use Tim's tube and pump the tyre up, with my mini pump!! this takes some time, then Tim suggests we swap wheels to try and prevent any more punctures. We're off again by this time Tim is berrating me and my choice of tyres, needless to say he's not a Vittoria fan!! We get back into the groove and keep up a reasonable pace, the roads swoop down and onto the valley floor, we manage to pass most of the riders ahead of us as we head for Neath, we ride through the town dodging traffic, which provides a change of focus! Then the road turns up hill and it's a steep one this time, this is painfull, we see our first walker of the day, this is a tough one as I head up Tim drops me and I just get my head down and concentrate of turning the pedals, as I approch the top I see the third and final feedsation, thank the lord.
We refuel again and head off on the final assault, the last 30 miles! Over the climb and back down to the valley floor, I trundle along with nothing left in my legs, my front mech has started to play up (I've since discovered that my frons shifter is broke) and won't keep the chain in the big ring, I'm past caring and just keep trundling along, wishing I hadn't buried myself on the climb out of Neath. I know what's coming, and start to feel the dread creeping in, I know that sometime and it will be soon, that the road will start to point skyward and we'll head up Bwlch for the second time. The afternoon sun is beating down on my back, it's just over my right shoulder, and I can feel it starting to burn the back of my right arm, I curse bigboss and his choice of jersey colour!
Then it starts, I look up and see Tim ahead the road is cut into the right side of the valley and it trails off into the distance through a row of cottages, Tim's already there about half a mile ahead, I put my head down, flick the right lever and start to spin, I don't look up until I'm aware that I've reached the villiage, then I glance up and my heart sinks, I see the road winding it's way up the valley side......... for miles! I'm spent and empty but just try to keep my leaden legs turning, I reach for the right lever and select a bigger cog.I daren't look up, I just keep ploughing on and it feels like I am pulling a plough, I glance up and see the road turn right, head down I ride until the turn, look up and see the road continue ribbon like winding it's way up the hill in to the distance. That's it I pull over and climb off, stopping for a drink. I climb back on but I've got no more to give, I get 100m further up the road and climb off again. I just need to rest, so I'm sitting there head in hands considering my options, broom wagon, walk, sit, ride, broom wagon, walk, sit ride, broom wagon, walk , sit, ride. I want to be at home on the sofa, not getting sunburnt on a Welsh mountainside. These thoughts continue as I just sit there considering my options over and over, riders pass by and ask if I'm OK, I just nod or mumble. I check my phone and see a missed call from Bigboss, I've got no signal, I text him instead, something along the lines of being completly ducked and that my legs have gone. The Aussies ride by, 'you OK mate?' I nod, 'head up only 4 k to the top' F*cking Aussies, 'cheers mate' I shout after them. I struggle to eat a bit of energy bar and drink some more High 5. After sitting for about 15 mins or maybe 20 I've made up my mind....... ride it is, I climb on select bottom gear and drag my big ass onward and upward, my new tactic is staring at the road about a metre in front of my front wheel. I pass a photographer and manage to maintain my 'I completly knackered' expression I pass another photographer who informs me that I have one bend to go, I daren't look up, I keep staring at the ground. Suddenly the pressure eases through the pedals, I drop a gear and keep pedaling, drop a gear and keep going, I look up and round the corner I see Tim sat at the top, what a guy, I can't believe he waited for me. To say I'm chuffed to see him is an understatement, I manage to get a bit of energy bar down me and more High 5 and then we head for home, Tim's been on the phone to bigboss who has already finished, Jonesy has beaten him and Big Simon has just finished. Heading of Bwlch is awesome, so fast, like a rollercoaster, there's a photographer on the way down, this time we're grinning from ear to ear.We ride the last stretch at a decent pace, I don't know where I'm getting the energy from but it keeps coming, we cruise back over the final short climb across a couple of roundabouts and arrive at the finish (we were getting faster down the home straight but I remember I can't sprint finish as I cant get into the big ring) to be met by bigboss, the commentator giver Streetlife a name check!!
I can't believe we made it. What a ride, long hills, fantastic decents, great countryside, Team Streetlife putting in some great rides, Jonesy just over an hour behind the Cervelo pro Dan Llyod.
The Dragon Ride, MTFU and get on with it.
The Deathstar
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