Enduroman bike report. first rough draft (so much to add but wanted to get it out there ASAP) Now fully changed into bike kit, I mounted the bike realising instantly there was no connection between my front wheel and cycle computer. Uh oh. First mechanical. Only took a minute to gain a connection. It probably got knocked when we took it out the car. Took a glance back down over the cliff towards Bournemouth and could see the swim start. Had I just swam that? My dad was in charge of hydration. I had two bottles on the bike. One always had a glucose, isotonic mixture. The other water. Between the aero bars I had a third bottle, which I alternated with different drinks. I had a few energy bars and flapjacks in my pockets. And a bag of maynards sports mixture. My legs felt smooth and I kept in a low gear and high cadence as I left southbourne heading north. Just warming up and finding a rhythm. I took the wrong turn a mile in. Only took a minute to get back on track and continued with my dad and Eddie leapfrogging me on the bike and waiting in convenient places till I passed. I was building speed all the time. The roads were very clear and the morning chill had dissappeared. Unfortunately the wind hadnt. Full in the face as I struggled to stay relaxed. First wee stop. Just jumped off the bike, leant it against the car. In full glory of the passers by and just went.... Ahhhh. Relief. An hour done now. So 12 oclock was my first big stop. Banana, hard boiled egg and cold pizza. I hadnt really stopped eating over the first 2 hours but still felt hungry. Plenty of fluid on board aswell. It was actually quite warm now so I took off my band around my ears and left it hanging round my neck. I continued north to Salisbury then took a left turn. The wind wasnt in my face anymore. Woo hoo. This part was a lot more undulating and made it more interesting. Spent some downhill sections on the aerobars and flying down the hills. I now averaged 18mph. I was constantly monitoring my fluid intake and snacking all the time. Time went so fast. So did the miles My leggings had come off but soon went back on with my waterproof as it started to rain. Another wrong turn at a roundabout took me 2-3 miles off route. As it was downhill it took that long for the support car to get me. Bike in the back of the car with me crouched next to it.. Quite illegally I might add. Back to the roundabout. Took the moment to pee. AGAIN. Little bit more grub and started the final section of the first loop. As we hit rush hour, I started to get stressed as the support car couldnt keep up with me. Constantly stopping and phoning through to get directions became tedious. After a slow period We arrived back at the swim start. Hi viz went on. Checked the lights And made my way through Bournemouth on the A35. 125 miles down. I didnt see the support car for 30 minutes or so. But knew where I had to meet. Luckily I know these roads really well. Hit the bypass and thought what the hell. Lets tear it up a bit. 26-27-28mph. Felt fantastic. Now on the road to Swanage where I would eventually be 24 hours later. Getting dark and finding it difficult to maintain my pace. Mentally. All was good. Cant recall many things that I thought about. I was assessing my physical condition quite a lot. This would change on the run section. Which I will detail later. I was looking forward to meeting my brother in Wool, who was taking over the driving from my Dad. I stopped again in Swanage knowing I had a little over 70-80 miles to go. Phoned Kerry to see how they were getting on with their journey to Weymouth to meet me at the bike finish. The next 10 miles was cycling at its hardest. I was in the lulworth ranges. Narrow roads. Extreme 15% gradients and low visibility. My legs became a little fatigued. I was pushing too hard. I dropped the chain on one hill. Those who cycle know this is totally frustrating. Into the petrol station at wool. Gave my brother a big smile and he hugged me like only a brother can. Not going into too much detail I used the staff toilet while kit was transferred from my dads car to my brothers. I said goodbye to my dad. I continued on the last quarter of the route. My brother maintained behind me so I could see more of the road with the car headlights. Only leapfrogging ahead when there was a junction close by. The next few hours passed by. Had a really nice 20 minutes on an old roman road and spotted a deer right next to me as I whizzed past. Dorchester was ever closer. I could smell the sea air. Through the town centre,I jumped a red light only to realise there was a police car right behind me. They must have felt kind. Up over ridgeway. Time to let rip I clocked 50mph on the way down into Weymouth. I felt adrenaline like I hadnt had for the last few hours. All the roads were so familiar now. I grew up in Weymouth and it was nice to be back. Briefly. The last few miles took me to ferry bridge car park. I dismounted the bike. A police van pulled up behind me and the support car. Out popped Neil fitch. A friend of mine. I truly felt alive and physically quite good, even after 17 and a half hours. Kerry and Lauren pulled up in the car 2 minutes later. Kerry flew out the car and ran to me nearly knocking me over. It felt amazing to have her there. I loved her more than ever. To have Lauren their comforted me too. Kerry knew the value of her friendship from that moment. As things were about to go downhill and get really tough. A much needed coffee. Bike over. Time to get changed and have some hot food.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 10:48:19 +0000
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