So single speed Dave and I set off to Winchcombe early sunday morning (left mine at 5.30am) in good spirits, as you might expect the traffic was dead and we made it in good time arriving in plenty of time for breakfast and prep time. But as usual with these events, you stand around and chat rather than warm up and check things over with your kit and bike.
9am and off we went feeling a darn sight better than last years hangovered weekend, i didnt look at the route at all but i knew it would be fairly hilly....... what a shocker the first 5-8 miles was mostly up hill and i need at least 9 miles to warm up! so the first hour was a struggle. By the time we hit the first checkpoint at ten miles i was having second thoughts about the 100 km, but as soon as we got there it was decision time, left 100km or right 50km...... and if i'm honest i was starting to feel better.
100km it is and the route was hilly and cloggy and hard going and i was starting to get into the grove nicely and looking forward to cake stop.
Weather at this point was good, warm ,sunny and a bit of a breeze, so on to cake stop, coffee and bread pudding and a banana, top up of the camelbac and off for the final push.
It was at this point that i noticed Dave was starting to struggle a bit, particularly on the steep granny climbs, i had to get up them, i said to myself, if i've got any chance of getting through transwales! but he kept plugging away until the 45m point and a sign to Winchcombe with only 7 miles and not the 17miles to complete the day................. that sign was too much for Dave and promptly said lets cut it short!!! i'm b.llocksed.
As i'd ridden it last year i wasn't that bothered about finishing and we had still ridden 52miles in total. Also because of the slight detour we headed down the same downhill bit as last year just before the end, wicked! 40mph and no punctures all day.......... superlight is really good all day and my only gripe is the annoying squeak(not dave) from, i think the pivot bearings.
We were dead lucky with the weather, we had 2 really light showers and was mostly sunny all day. The bikes were caked though so when the heavens opened on the way home i hoped the downpour at 70mph would clean them at least a bit.......... doh no such luck.
Roll on starwars day and the dyfi
