2 x 100 = ~

Easy as 123 - Getting ready for the worst of it

Things go from bad to well not worse but lets say underwhelming, last week I had the National Championship '100' on the A168 on my favourite course from Dishforth up onto the North Yorkshire Moors at Northallerton X 3 circuits, an afternoon (going into evening) event so no getting up early for riders and helpers (Fi likes this one as well) we have all day to get ready and get up there for my 3 O'clock start time.

At the Southern end sunshine, in the distance rainstorms

My back is playing up but it does not seem to affect my riding so some gentle stretching in the morning on top of a moderate week pointed to a good race for me and the other 150 riders in the Team Swift promotion, it is a bit breezy but the curved course along its 17 mile length can be deceptive and as we have a downwind start it's all to play for, I have 'Mr Chainring' Nik Bowdler (Farnborough & Camberley) two minutes behind so my 21:45 first 10 miles looks OK but my legs not so fluid and when I start the ascent up to the turn Nik catches me and my legs do not feel like they want to pick up the challenge. Turning into the wind always a bit of a shock but you have to meet it head on with a bit more concentrate effort and of course suffering, strangely my legs feel better making more effort but progress is hard won and the time taken is making me doubt my ability. 24:18 is not a good return for all that investment and the balance of certainty that there will be a profitable outcome, doubt creeps in like a serpent, silent and deadly, you put all thoughts to the back of your mind and continue for 24:18 but coming directly into the wind at the home turn and my speed is blunted still by the creep up the slip road where we are met by 850 riders in the Ripon Triathlon all going around the same roundabout from the other direction, it's a right old kerfuffle, luckily most know the way to go. I have another chance at the downwind section to halfway but my legs are like iron (and not in a good way) after the hard pull and it seems speed has been the casualty of my overexposure to the cost of the race 24:28 its not enough to sustain such an investment and over the next few miles my race plan goes the way of the wind and the rain that has been lashing the far turn, when I get up the top its strangely calm as it often is after a storm with huge puddles in the road although I have seen none of it and barely a drop of water has fallen on me. Fiona is there is the roadside and having passed the 50 mile point in 1:59:40 I pull up and stop DNF its not many times I have had to utter that and it sounds as bad as it feels but the though of going on is worse, there are always times in a long race when you could stop but you don't let it become a reality because you know that dealing with the consequences is tougher and less certain.

Derek Parkinson fills his bottle on the move

 We go and cheer the riders for the remains of the event in the sun at the other end of the course, struggling to take bottles on the slip road into the wind (feeding only allowed off the main road), eventual 6th Derek Parkinson (Cleverly RC) even fills his 'onboard' bottle as he goes along in a bizarre act of It's a Knockout proportion. Kevin Tye nearly coming to grief as he almost comes to a standstill and making a meal of his ride as well. Michael Hutchinson (In gear) runs out the Champion for the sixth time 3:24:45 even though he went off course because he missed the turn in the rain and had to run back up the slip road, he matches Kevin Dawson (Sportscover) for wins but Dawson 3:35:43 after winning the team RAAM in a near record time a few weeks back only good enough for 4th the Utag pair of BBAR champion Julian Jenkinson and Stephen Whitwick 3:32:41 and 3:33:28 respectively


A week later and I have the North Middlesex & Herts CA '100' on the F1/100 on the A1 at Tempsford, a pre race '25' on the Saturday was a wash out cancelled before a rider had gone to the line with constant rain all morning so I had the opportunity to watch the Tour stage in the afternoon at my 'digs' for the weekend in Bedford. I went for a ride around part of the 'New' course I won this event a couple of seasons ago and the course has had numerous incarnations over the years of this one of the most famous courses but the event has to be off the Main A1 by 9 O'clock which presents a problem for a '100' and we always have to use the side roads for the finale.

Come the morning 6.15 start windy but thankfully no rain, we trek up and down between Buckden and Biggleswade six times and then off along the new dual carriageway A421 and back along the lanes through Gt Barford to the Black Cat roundabout, this part was directly into the wind and we did it twice and my sagging legs were overcooked by now. All hope of a sub four hour ride went out the window after a distinctly average 1:58:19 at half way but after being in the same position last week I have to dig deep to avoid the same outcome, I don't want to become a serial stopper I do stop at 80 miles a stop to pick up a bottle which did not help my cause but when you are un-supported it's necessary,  I was annoyed to see that another rider (presumably) had helped himself to half my spare bottle, this has only happened once before when they took the whole lot! I know riders get desperate for a drink in a race but this is beyond the pale as it does not take any effort to leave a spare bottle on the roadside (protected from the traffic spray) especially in multi lap courses like this one, I left another on the finishing circuit but had no need of it as it was not hot and I barely got through 2L and a gel every 25m

With 10m to go the eventual winner Jeff Jones (Chippenham & Dist) came flying past (as he had done through the whole field) like a hot knife through butter, his eventual 3:39:43 amazing for the day and almost 20 minutes faster than the next man Paul Gamlin (Avonlea RT) 3:58:11 with Dave Johnson (VC 10) 3:58:29 only just behind, I came in 5th 4:03:15 after a race long battle with Tim Davis (Icknield) my 2 minute man. SWRC had another rider in the event Matthew Eckford but I only saw this at the result board, so his 4:30:37 (2:13:27) commendable on this difficult day, I must have caught him at some point, I hope I gave him a shout.

Un-assisted in the NM&H '100' (Pic - David Jones)