so i kind of had it in my head that seeing as relentless was happening later this year we'd maybe just leave it until saturday morning to head north. but oh no, i get excited at the campingness so off we leave on friday. which is fine, initially as we get the tent up, the awning up and all is restful. yes, that is all fine. but then the weather starts.
we knew the tent could take it, it having been in worse before, tho not when it was anchored with rocks. the awning tho, was another matter and surely would've been in the trees had i not secured it to the van. didn't mean i wasn't up every couple of hours checking it tho. and the rain, well it was just comedy rain. ideal preparation for a 24hr race is not two hours sleep, no it is not.
even then it's not an excuse. not that, nor t's assertion that my diet wasn't right. the course was perfect, not least because they'd taken all the bits i don't like out. perfect but, it has to be said, a bit boring. i don't know who's done the fastest time but i think around 35 minutes for a fast team round. faster if you're a loon.
as it was my first lap was about 48minutes but i'd stopped for two crashes so i wasn't too bothered. my second tho was closer to an hour which i thought was a bit odd. i felt a bit cold and a bit stiff when i came in but put it down to just warming into it. the problems started (and finished) on lap three. no power in my legs, grannying the climbs, and lots, oh yes lots, of pain. no go at all. when i got back i crawled into my sleeping bag and passed out, waking up to lots of nausea and thumping head. even tho i wanted to i couldn't go back out.
i'm very, very disappointed, even ashamed. this was the best course i've raced in a couple of years and i should've bombered my way thru it. but nothing, nothing at all. i can't explain it. i don't feel viral and i know i'm fit enough. it's easy to say it's just one day bu the reality is it's just frustrating and depressing.
we packed the van, assisted in the speed of our task by a truly depressing soundtrack courtesy of nofuss, on loop tape throughout the afternoon. just how often could t put up with some dire remix of sweet home alabama? temper was showing after three! honestly, you come out to the forest to race and chill out, not feel as if you're in some dire club without hope of escape. i didn;t have to put up with it as long as t but even after a short period i was wanting to kick the speakers into scrap. leo sayer!
anyway, the future. short of getting into a team situation, which i'm not fussed for as it's bad enough having a disaster when you're soloing, i'm unsure if i'm going to keep on with the enduros. certainly i can't say i've enjoyed any of them this year with the possible exception of tenundertheben even if it was just another way to get cooked. in the short term i think it'll be cyclocross, longer term who knows? maybe even tt!
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4 comments:
well it certainly doesn't sound like a barrel of laughs but seems to me like you did pretty good and it's obviously something you do for the love of it so I don't think you'll be hanging up your (cycling) hat anytime soon!
i'm uncertain if i do it for fun! but it is interesting. i was speaking to a bloke on the way round - he was in a team - and he was asking what it was like to solo.
i think, especially when you're racing thru the night, it asks you all sorts of questions, gets into those fears and insecurities that during the day you ignore or cover up
for me, this weekend, it was about the fragility of the body, about my fear of aging and not being able to do the things i do at the level i've been used to. i know in my head this is inevitable but the reality if it is different. in that sense this weekend was a great success even if it was hard medicine to take!
i came home, i slept a lot, i nagged t into making things, i occupied myself with the stuff i've got at hand for just such an occasion!
know thyself! it still hangs just as true even when you don't want it to! lol
Sounds like you had too much to endure even before the race! I have become a very slow cyclist these days - the aggression of car drivers in London (driving too close while they text!) and the poor quality of cycle paths with endless obstacles have made cycling a challenge. The best time to cycle in London is at 3am.
it's all part of the joy!
i did my time as an aggressive city cyclist in new york. brains definitely in the toolbox! definitely more sedate now
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