Sunday 5.30am
I woke up a bit squished in my tent, I'm a bit of a stretcher and I my feet were wedged to the end of the tent. Breakfast was served from 6.30 each morning, so I had some time before I was due to get up to sort out my kit for the day. I wasn't sure what the weather was doing, but I was suspecting it might be raining. I stuck my head out into the Welsh air and to my joy it was dry out.
I got out of my tent, had a stretch, and went with Rob and Ryan into the catering tent, the generators had been going from around 5am to keep the tent inflated. We had a couple of cups of coffees whilst we waited for breakfast to be served. which was a really decent selection of crumpets, eggs, bacon, porridge, cereals. I had a crumpet, an egg and some really unpleasant porridge (gruel) - I decided to have weetabix tomorrow! The piss taking continued over breakfast, Rob and Ryan's quick wit combined with my sharp tongue was causing much amusement.
With plenty of time before we were due to have a race briefing at 8.45 for a 9am start, which gave me plenty of time to take down my tent, pack up my stuff and load it on to the lorry leaving me plenty of time to fettle with my bike.
The race briefing went over things we already knew - distance (75k)/ascent(2100m)/descent (2100m) and the cut off time which was a generous 6.5 hours. Today there was also a special stage of an approx 1.5k technical climb about 9km into the ride.
We were set off prompt at 9am to music blasting through the PA system and started the long day out in the hills. before I knew it we were climbing, my legs hadn't warmed up yet, my heart rate was high, (which, along with the climbing was the order of the day)
The route took us onto a off camber sheep track for a while, undulating all the time,about 5k in, just in front of me, the route made a funny fork with an awkward camber, the guy in front took a left on it, whilst everyone else had gone right.
I was blinkered and followed him left down into what looked like it could be an alternative route, he yelled something back when I asked if it was passable - given he'd ridden through I carried on. After about 200m of riding through ferns and nettles I had to dismount and push. The guy had disappeared just like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Up to my left about 15ft I could see the rest of the field passing me by... shit!
I didnt want to turn back so I kept on pushing through the sort of track which was there, to my right there was a sort of path up onto the track everyone else was on, I powered on past - there must be a way out, that guy came this way! I was getting lower down and the other riders were getting higher, I eventually after about 500m deceided I'd just have to turn back, I was pissed off with myself for following the white rabbit. I eventually came back to the fork covered entirely with stinging nettle rash and fern whip, and thoroughly pissed off and right near the back of the group now! Grrrr!
I got back on the sheep track and picked my way past some of the other rider. We still seemed to be climbing, now on loose quarry type rocks, big boulders, and loose gravel. The Time trial would be ahead of us soon and my legs were already feeling the gradient - what the fuck was I doing here!?
After a couple of awkward descents and equally awkward climbs back out the Timed section was in front of me. I rode over the timing mat, and tried to put the hammer down, I felt drained already! I motored past as many people as I could catch - still annoyed with myself for taking a wrong turn so early in the day! The climb was testing, steep and lung burning. Big slabs of rock interspersed with dirt track. It took a right turn with an even larger slab of rock. I past people already walking, the hill swung left and almost threatened to flatten out slightly before allowing me to flip it into the middle ring and power up the last stretch over the timing mat and past the heaving riders at the feed station just after. I grabbed a banana and carried on riding. I wanted to flush out my legs of the lactic that was threatening to screw me over.
The climbing didnt seem to stop all day - I know this isn't true as we took back all the ascent we'd gained, not that my legs knew it. About 30k in we hit a monstrous climb which seemed to go on forever... and ever... suddenly we flew down a massive descent - weeeeee! Just at the bottom of here, we were faced with the front riders coming back towards us.... we'd all missed an arrow and gone the wrong way. The reward..? To get back up the lovely descent we'd come down. People were muttering and moaning.
The rest of the day was lots of climing, sheep tracks, double tracks, open moorland, beautiful scenery some deep rutty bridalways where you had to pick a gulley and stick to it - easier said than done!
We were rewarded with a fast fireroad descent into lunch for sandwiches and biscuits before continuing the route into Knighton which once more took us across testing gradient and some of the most beautiful scenery I'd ever seen.... at least for now.
The last few kilometers were on tarmac and we rolled into Knighton Football pitch over the finish, first things first, clean bike, then recovery drink/snack, deal with tent, shower etc.
After a shower I was hankering for a beer like never before. The sun was shining, the music was blaring, it was like being at a festival. So I walked into the town to collect some beers for me, rob and ryan - it was still hours til dinner so we might as well right?
So we sat in the sun, drank some beer, I changed my front tire for something with more grip as I was told that it would be a bit wetter where we were riding tomorrow in the woods.
6pm dinner was served, we chatted to some new people we'd met during the day, the piss taking stepped up another notch.
there was a tv in the corner showing pics on repeat of photos taken throughout the day, so we had a look at that after dinner, had a mooch about. At 8pm was the presentation for the first stage Time Trial. Each category was awarded prizes 1st - 3rd. After this the times were all posted on the notice board - I was pleased to have gotten 4th place!
I put my compression tights on and thought about bed, we turned in about 10pm. I laid there for half an hour, realising my legs were impossibly itchy. I had to take off the tights, they were making the nettle rash worse.
I tried sudocream on them but that didnt work. For the entire night, i scratched my legs raw, it was excruitiating. The more i scratched the itchier it got. I must have had about an hours sleep. I got up the next morning feeling rotten !
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