Prequel: “Happy Birthday Marit, for
your birthday present I will sign us up for an ultra, 100km trail run/walk,”
meet my friend Emma. After some negotiations, I managed to get the distance
down to 50km and we were good to go! Fast forward a few months, and some very
good long hikes in the Surrey hills, we went from planning to run/walk to
walking the whole 50km.
How it started: Purchased parking in advance so it was super easy to just park up, register, get a coffee and wait for my friends to turn up. After a few jumping jacks and some other warmup routines, we were off for a long day of waking.
During: The course was well marked and with our plan to walk the whole route we had plenty of time to take in the beautiful North Downs Way. First feed station on top of Newlands Corner came fairly quickly and with the sun shining, everyone was in good spirits. Next stop, the halfway mark.
By the time we got to 25km, we were
overtaking some other walkers and being overtaken by other runners and walkers
but our group was still smiling. After a picnic, 15/20min break to eat and
refill water bottles, we were off again.
The next 15km were going to be tough and as I had the most endurance training under my belt, I took on the role of a DJ and village idiot, playing music while trying to keep motivation and energy levels up. My rendition of “I would walk five hundred miles” didn’t go down that well but I did find some other tune we all sang along to.
The last feed station was 45km, we
stocked up on pick ’n’ mix and with sore feet, we knew the last 10km was going
to be tough but stopping was never an option.
How it finished: Walking together
and singing to Ellie Goulding’s ‘Burn’ as we walked under the finish banner.
With a medal around my neck, a cup of Prosecco in my hand and tucking into some
food, I just couldn’t stop thinking, I would like to try run/walk a 50km.
To sum it up, well organised event by Action Challenge and it was an enjoyable/challenging day out with friends!
On what was a bright morning, Sheena and I set off to Southbourne, Bournemouth for the Salty Sea Dog 2.5km swim. As our car headed south west, the weather became less sunny and the wind picked up!
Upon arrival, we were buffeted by the wind as we marched to the beach to view the course and were immediately confronted with 100 foot waves (alright maybe they were only a couple of feet high, but they seemed big).
Due to the increase in the wind, the course was altered, so rather than swimming two 1.25 km rectangular loops along the coast, we were to swim four square loops, each corner of the route being marked by a large orange buoy.
As the wind increased further, we waded into the water and our epic adventure began. Getting out past the waves turned into a marathon, not a sprint, and that was just to the first marker.
The waves kept coming and the thought that it would be easier once we’d turned the first corner and were swimming along the shore turned out to be incorrect.
It wasn’t possible to get into a rhythm and taking each breath was a battle not to drink a gallon of salt water that was pushed into our faces.
Turning the third corner and swimming with the wind behind us created its own challenges as tow floats were hitting people and getting tangled in arms.
The final stretch back to the first buoy, being buffered by the wind whilst being pushed towards the shore didn’t provide any reprieve. For me, one lap was enough. I did not fancy dying that day or even being fished out by a safety boat, so I called it quits.
But Sheena (the Herculean goddess), ploughed on, battling the elements and even winning a fight with the third buoy which was blown ashore due to the mighty winds, to complete all four laps of the course.
A satisfying day out, if not the sunny swim envisioned when we signed up. As a reward for our endeavours, we were given a glass of coke to drink as apparently “it kills everything”!
“Gary & I have entered the Dorney Evening Tri on 7th August… would be nice to have some more Pinkies join us” posted Clint on the VTC Team App. Why not, I thought, and so signed up for my first (Sprint) triathlon.
About a dozen other Pinks answered Clint’s
rallying call, so there were plenty of friendly and familiar faces at the
starting line come the day of the race. The 18:30 start provided a good excuse
to knock-off work early and, even better, the late start time and reasonable
weather meant there was some massively appreciated vocal support from the sides
cheering the Pinks on. So, having negotiated the first challenge (squeezing
into the unforgiving tri suit), it was time for the race…
The Swim – There’s plenty of advice about
pacing yourself from the start on the swim, but it’s easier said than done when
the adrenaline is pumping and everybody else goes off at a fair pace. Having
got to the first buoy and been disillusioned to realise that it was the first
turning point on the 400m course rather than the 750m course we were on, I
focused on steadying my breathing and heart rate, and it felt as though I got
into a more sustainable rhythm. With only a few bumps at the turns, the leg that
most triathletes enjoy the least was soon over. It was much more fun than I
expected.
The Cycle – The closed roads around the lake make Eton Dorney an ideal location, especially for novices like myself. I was soon clipped in and rolling, and Alan gave me some friendly words of encouragement as he cruised past me on lap 1. Making sure that I didn’t forget to count my laps, I’d soon completed the cycle leg, and was through T2 and onto the run.
The Run – Up and down a single track on the
side of the lake makes for a slightly congested run, but has the benefit of
providing plenty of opportunity see how you’re getting on and share
encouragement with fellow Pinks.
Results – All the Pinks participating put in
impressive performances. But some special shout outs must go to Hayley who took
the win in her first ever triathlon race in the Super Sprint, Jesper who almost
got taken out right at the end but still ran to second place in the Super
Sprint, and Lucy is definitely back from injury with a fantastic 2nd place in
the Sprint. And a big thank you again to all the Pinks supporters who
definitely lifted our performances.
To conclude, I enjoyed it so much that I’ve signed up for another in September. Hope to see you in Reading on the 8th.
Event: European Sprint Qualifier Race (Eton Dorney) | Artic One Events Date: 13th July 2024
Eton Dorney Qualifiers seem to me to attract more apprehension than other qualifying events. This is my third qualifier there and the feeling was the same.
My first
qualifier event ever was at Eton Dorney and I remember being so incredibly
nervous, and needless to say, I finished quite a few places outside of
qualifying placings.
Following my
second attempt, I was confident I’d get a roll-down place, and I did despite a
particularly unpleasant swim.
This time I
wasn’t sure as I was trying to qualify into the age group above me due to
moving up an age category next year, but I was also keen to do well in my
current category.
Having read
the pre-race briefing blurb, the route was different from previous races for
the bike and T2, so this didn’t help pre-race nerves before I’d even gotten
there! However, the weather forecast was good – light cloud cover and not too
much wind (there’s always wind at Eton Dorney even on a still day!!).
The tension
amongst competitors on arrival was evident – much nervous polite chit-chat and
bike scanning in the registration queue. Who had TT bikes and who didn’t, who
was wearing a GB tri suit and who wasn’t… I tend to feel that this race
attracts the ‘Big Guns’ – the fast and furious competitors at the sharp end of
age group racing. And sure enough, they were present and correct again on this
occasion!
While
registering and racking it started to rain much to everyone’s surprise and
frustration. I bumped into Sam (Holloway) warming up and he and I passed words
about the rain, and it not being in the forecast. Anyway, the men were in the
water first in the rain while the women watched and waited. A poor male
competitor’s wheel slipped and he came off his bike on a turn into a new lap –
too painful for him to continue. So inevitably this caused more nervous
chattering amongst the women about the bike course being wet and slippery on
corners.
On with the
swim – usual 750m swim and exit on a concrete ramp. My swim went well – I
surprised myself when I saw who I came out with.
My T1 was ok
– usual stamping on wetsuit to get it off!
The 20km (I
think it was a bit less than 20km) bike loop for me wasn’t too bad despite the
light rain. The loop involved going from the Boat House end up over the bridge,
up the middle with the lake on the right, then turning left at the top and
coming back down to the Boat House alongside the hedges and trees.
T2 was a
scramble to spot trainers, rack and run. By this time the rain had stopped. I
wasn’t entirely sure where I was in my age group at this point – I was more
focused on not falling off my bike for the last 20km!
Into the
single lap run to the end of the lake and back – the end that always looks
FOREVER away when you head out! By this point I knew women were catching me up
– my run isn’t great. It’s not bad but there are some fast runners. The usual
voices in the head saying this is just horrendous, why am I doing it…. to more
positive self-chat…. just move forward and relax your shoulders away from your
ears. I took a gel at halfway – actually slopped a gel half down my tri suit
trying to gasp for air and swallow it. Sure enough, a lady got past me at
halfway. There were a couple of younger competitors roughly half my age who
came past which I couldn’t care less about by that point!
A short
sprint as fast as I could across the line – phew all done! I was thrilled to
see I’d come in ahead of two women who beat me a few weeks earlier at Southport
World Qualifiers. I finished 4th in my age group and qualified 4th in the age
group above.
Well done to
Sam who also qualified 😊
European
Champs are in Istanbul next year.
All in all, a good day in the office, although the photo may not look like it.
On July 28th I took part in the T100 Olympic Distance!
It was a hectic start to the event on Saturday, as that’s
when everyone had to drop off their equipment at the ExCeL near Docklands. On
my way to the expo centre, I ended up joining the T100 pro women’s race for a
few moments (mostly due to clueless marshals) but luckily a man shouted out and
made sure I got off the course!
Besides the hectic drop-off on Saturday, Sunday was off to
an early start. I was up at 6am and in the water at 7:40am.
I would rate the swim course 6/10 given the water in Victoria docks is not surprisingly, murky…
The bike course 9/10 given it was one large lap towards Big Ben rather than multiple smaller laps which the T100 participants undertook.
Finally, I’d give the run course 8/10 since the sun was out and the run was next to the docks with plenty of aid stations to get everyone to the finish line in one piece.
Overall, a great event with loads of participants and free swag. I managed to finish up in under 2hr30 which was a personal goal!
This is a lovely Half Ironman distance triathlon, in the
beautiful Cotswolds countryside. It’s perfect for beginners as it’s super
friendly and not very hilly. They actively encourage first-time entrants and
those who want to complete the distance in a more relaxed environment, without
the stress of cut-off times. It’s also great for the super speedy Half Ironman
competitors chasing a PB, racing (as always) at the front of the pack.
I remember the conversation vividly. About a year earlier, I
was speaking to Marit at Shepperton Lake. She had just completed a Half Ironman
and I was in awe. ‘You can do it Alison,’ she said. ‘No chance Marit, I still
struggle up the hills.’ ‘100% you can do it,’ said Marit. I had been through a
bit of a tough time recently and the thought of being able to call myself a
(Half) Ironman sounded amazing. The training would give me something very
positive to focus on. But mainly the belief that someone else thought I could
do it was the biggest driver. So thank
you Marit xx
The very same day I booked the early bird offer (£175) and I
was in!! eek!
I then calculated my current times and scaled them up to the
Half Ironman distances. Oh my goodness – it will probably be dark when I
finish. What on earth have I done???????? But the website said ‘As long as you
don’t stop for a pub lunch, we will wait for you to finish.’ And I couldn’t get
a refund. So I thought I’d better put my big girl pants on and just start the
training…
My biggest area to improve was swimming. I struggled to swim
half a pool length of front crawl without panicking. So over the winter I did
weekly group pool lessons with Lee from Fullstream (excellent). It gave me a
good base, and I hope to do more lessons this winter.
The race organisers do a ‘try the course’ about 6 weeks
before the competition, which is great. They take your round 1 lap of the cycle
and run, so you can see the inclines, surface conditions, and where the food
stations and toilets will be etc. This certainly calmed my nerves. You also get a chance to meet some of the
other competitors which was lovely. Lots of women of my age, first-timers,
fantastic people. Myself and another
lady made a pact that whatever happened, we would drag each other over the finish
line. Sorted 😊. (post edit – she finished fine).
Anne (Renshaw) and Richard were also booked in, so we stayed
at the same hotel and had dinner together the night before (steak, chips, beer
– carb loading).
The morning of the race started with a 4.30am breakfast.
Heading into transition, a marshall spotted that one of my handlebar ends had
fallen off. But cool as a cucumber he just taped it up for me. Not sure other Half Ironmans would be so
calm.
You can pre-choose start waves for the swim. I chose to
start at the back of the mass start, as it started one hour before the last
wave. I knew I would be slow on the
swim, so at least I would finish the swim part way through the pack and not be
right at the back. This was a good
choice. As I didn’t want to be swum over by the subsequent waves, I also swam
to the side.
The organisers offer a ‘nervous’ swimmer hat which is green.
They only issue about 15 of them. Great idea. I took one. The safety canoes
were lovely and kept checking I was ok.
I wanted to do the swim 50% front crawl and 50%
breaststroke. But I still felt quite
panicky under race conditions, so I did about 10% front crawl and 90%
breaststroke. No problem – that’s my target to improve next time.
Anne didn’t race as her back was really bad. So Maria and Anne were there to cheer me on – and what a sterling job they did!! I knew Maria had purchased a cowbell for the occasion (long story – ask either of us to explain 😊) and as I was finishing the swim I could hear the cowbell and their cheering. I was laughing in the water. What a brilliant end to the swim. Ladies – you are both legends!! xx
The bike was great and I felt strong. Two laps of rolling
Cotswolds countryside, slightly hilly but not overly. Highlights were hearing
the screams of Maria and Anne on each circuit (brilliant – completely made me
laugh again each time) and cycling past a beautiful field of lavender (twice).
The weather was perfect. Cool (about 19 degrees), overcast but no rain.
Perfect. I averaged 24.3kmh on the cycle which is very fast for me.
My cross bar bag was full of food (cheese sandwiches, salted nuts, gels, jelly babies, salt tablets etc etc etc). I made sure I ate and drank (isotonics) every 5 km (without stopping) which kept me nice and fuelled. With a good stretch and loo break half way round, and with the cheers of Anne and Maria and the cowbell, I felt the bike section had gone really well.
Mentally I felt I had now finished the Half Ironman. Oh gosh
– just the half marathon left… and the weather was now heating up.
The run was 3 laps around lakes and road. I knew there was a food station halfway round with ginger cake, so that was my focus. I have to say the run was tough. It felt like childbirth. You knew you had to do it, there was no way out except getting to the end. It was going to be painful, knackering and hideous. But there was no gas and air, or epidural (thank goodness) to help you along. Only ginger cake…
It was tough. Another friend Jenny drove from London to
support me too, so Maria, Jenny and the cowbell got me through the run part
(Anne had to leave). They were once again amazing.
The toughest bit was finishing each lap. You then passed two
shutes. The right shute had a red carpet and led to the finish arch. Yippie!
The left shute took you around another 4.36 mile lap. Arrhh. That was tough.
On the first lap I was devasted to go left, but cracked on with it. On the second lap, I burst into tears going left. It was beginning to get a bit too much by now.
Along the run, I chatted to my fellow competitors to see
what lap they were on. When they were on lap 3 and I was on lap 1, that was
tough. But with the Viceroys motto ‘never show weakness’, I knew I couldn’t
give up. I had heard it’s good to walk/run the run. But by this point, it all
needed to be over and done with as quickly as humanly possible, so I made
myself run all of it.
One foot in front of the other. That’s all you have to do.
And that’s what I did.
Taking the right shute after my 3rd lap was brilliant. Maria, Jenny and the cowbell were cheering me on, and the commentator shouted my name. All I had to focus on now was my photo over the finish line. DONE!! I’M A HALF IRON(WO)MAN!!!
My friends hugged me and I burst into tears again. I felt
very emotional. Particularly how far I had come (emotionally and physically)
over the past year. I was incredibly proud of myself and very happy. Jenny bought a lovely bottle of Moet, which
we all joyfully quaffed down post-race.
So my advice to anyone. Even if you think you can’t ever do a Half Ironman, you definitely can. Just do it. I’m going to sign up to the same one next year, 13th July 2025 (113 events) so hopefully see you there.
It was always going to be a tough start to the season, but a good one with the VTC Club Champs, which were held at Thorpe Park for this year’s edition.
Swim – With the Viceroys having our very own start wave, the competitiveness was on show from the gun! The four-turn swim course, which for me (and a few others) accidentally turned into a three-turn swim, resulted in me coming out of the water slightly further back than I had planned.
Bike – Jumping onto the bike, I had a lot of ground to make up to get my race back on track. For my first race of the season, in somewhat less than ideal conditions with the rain starting to fall, I was happy overall with my bike split. Along the course, the other Lucy and I had a race within the race, which helped spur me on top and hopefully finish strong on the run, which has been a large struggle over last year.
Run – Setting off for the run, I was just pleased to be running! With my ongoing foot injury causing my running not to be where I would like it to be, I was hesitant to set off too fast. Thankfully after the first kilometre, I settled into a nice comfortable rhythm, despite there being a severe lack of clarity around the amount of run laps and total distance to complete. After some negotiation with various marshals, I finished the 3.8km run in a time I can be proud of with all the setbacks and lack of running I’ve experienced over the last year.
Hopefully I can carry some of this momentum, and fix this nightmare of a foot, in time for the European and World Championships later on in the season. Nevertheless, I will still be super excited to rep the GB suit once again!
Event: Bewl Water Standard (Olympic) Distance Triathlon | First Stride Events Date: Sunday 26th May 2024
This is a lovely Olympic Distance Triathlon, with a 1.5km
lake swim, 45km bike and 10km run. All set in the rolling Kent countryside with
a picturesque reservoir swim.
I managed to get a free place (worth £105) as I had
marshalled for First Stride at Hampton Court Tri. I was training for a Half Ironman, so using
my free ‘Willy Wonka golden ticket’ on an Olympic distance seemed like a good
idea at the time…
Bewl Water has an attached campsite (£16 per night per
tent), which was fab as the local hotels were expensive and still quite far
away for a 6am start. The start line was a 10 minute walk from my tent door –
great for maximising my (well needed) beauty sleep time.
Trying to be Olympic style organised, I rocked up early
Saturday afternoon and pitched my tent. The campsite was busy with lots of nice
families, good loos and showers, and a fabulous homemade pizza van. I heard the
bike route ‘had a couple of bumps’ so I decided to drive it that night and
found a nasty climb near the start out of the 1st village. Eeekk. But
forewarned is forearmed, and all that.
Overnight, there was torrential rain, and the couple in the tent next to me were having loud and prolonged sex. Let’s just say, I don’t think the guy was doing an Olympic distance tri the next morning…
Sunday morning arrived, cold and drizzly, but Marit’s
friendly face at registration brought out the sunshine, as always 😊.
The swim was twice round the buoys with an Auzzie Beach exit
halfway, in a lovely lake. I’m very slow at front crawl swimming, but the
benefit of being last is that you are escorted around by the VIP safety canoe.
The canoeist was an old guy, very nice, and kept shouting welcomed words of
encouragement, as I spluttered my way round the course. My swim involved lots
of mental encouragement to myself too.. ‘you are doing great,’ ‘you’ve got
this,’ ‘the marshalls won’t be angry you are slow,’ etc etc. Well needed
positive thoughts to change my mindset.
T1 was slow as I decided the sun had come out and I now
needed suntan lotion. Plus I couldn’t find my cycle glasses (both items were in
my storage bag). I bet the Brownlee Brothers don’t have the same dilemma…
The bike course was through sweet villages and country
roads, well marshalled and fairly quiet. The cycle route was lovely and
undulating after the nasty hill at the beginning. I had packed cheese
sandwiches in my crossbar bag which worked a treat. Marit gave me a big wave as
I passed lap 1, and by the time I was finishing lap 2, I was being cheered
along by the lovely people on the sweep up motorbike and ambulance. Again the benefits of being last…
By now the weather was getting hotter, and the thought of a
10km run didn’t fill me with overriding joy. Four laps by the lake. UP a hill
and then down a hill. Mmmm. I hadn’t read ‘run hills’ on the memo. Again the
marshalls were great, especially at the water station. A nice benefit of a 4
lap run course, is that you can see who is still in the race. There were about
10 of us still competing. We cheered each other on as we passed, counting down
the laps with each other. The hot weather was starting to destroy us all
though.
We eventually got down to 3 remaining runners, a guy about
30, another lady (similar age to me (52)) and me. I had expected to finish the
tri about 30 to 45 minutes behind everyone, but I finished 10 mins behind the
lady so I was well pleased with that.
After chatting with her post race, it was nice to know that the lady had
finished her swim 30 mins before me, but I caught up with her on the bike and
run. So that was a big positive take away for me.
So the race was over and Marit was there to cheer me over the finish line and hand me my medal, which was great. I also love my finish photo 😊.
The sun was shining. It was definitely time for an ice cream and to reflect on my next race… my first ever Half Ironman, in just 6 weeks. Eeeekkk!!!
Back in 2010, I was
given a small book for my birthday called ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’ which
then sat on my bookshelf for over a decade. At some point in 2020, I decided
that it would be a good challenge to complete them all and a fantastic way to see
some of Great Britain. Somehow, I managed to rope Sylwia into this challenge!
As technology has moved
on since the book was published, the climbs are now all on an App and you tick
one off every time you ride the correct route up a hill on Strava. (Early on in
the challenge we got a route wrong in Sheffield so yes, we had to drive back to
Sheffield again to complete it. We then put measures in place to ensure that
never happened again!!)
Diary of Challenge Progress
Extracts from social
media showing progress over the 4-years it took to complete.
5 Nov 2020 – A new
challenge started to complete the 100 greatest climbs.
29 Nov 2020 – Ticking
off 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge no24 Streatley Hill and no25 Combe
Gibbet.
Apparently, great views
of the Thames Valley at the top of Combe Gibbet, but not today. Thick fog
instead.
25 Apr 2021 – A great
ride to complete our 26th 100 Greatest Cycling Climb. An added bonus that my
rubbing brake got fixed. Free watts!! Made it back in time for first Covid
vaccine.
30 Apr 2021 – Back to
the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. No32 Riber had truly “insanely
steep” 25% gravel hairpins. It’s “impossibly rough, tough and
steep”… but we did it. A nice introduction to what the Peak District has
to offer.
1 May 2021 – Last night
I read about the first climb of today, no36 Mow Cop. It’s described as the
Killer Mile hitting 25% gradient in a straight line like a wall in front of
you. Cyclists toppling over and so on… After I read it I decided l’d rather not
know what’s awaiting me today. It was a tough day of 127km and 2,300m of
climbing. Once the Mow Cop was out of the way, we got hit by a hailstorm and
rain. This was not forecasted, and I was not prepared for this. My feet were so
bad that the only thing that could help was to take the soaked socks off and
cycle with wet shoes for another 3 hours.
The next climb was no71
Swiss Hill which was steep, with wet cobbles.
Sylwia decided it was impossible to ride up on the road bike in these
conditions. But I whizzed up it like a mountain goat on EPO.
The most enjoyable was
the famous Cat and Fiddle; 11km gentle slog broken up with a coffee stop.
Terrain here is undulating, up or down, never flat!
2 May 2021 – The legs
are starting to feel the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge of the Peaks.
The Winnats Pass was very picturesque but strong headwind and lots of cars made
it particularly tough. We came back after the ride to walk it, which gave us a
chance to take in the views and enjoy pork pies on the top of Mam Tor.
3 May 2021 – Today’s
ride was ‘character building’ with high winds, cold temp and rain. We couldn’t
feel our hands for most of the ride, Sylwia was blown off her bike, but we got
our targeted 3 hills done. Brutal! (Lowest speed ever for a road ride – 17kmph
average!!).
4 May 2021 – Over the
Bank Holiday weekend, we completed 13 of 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge
(62 remaining) plus hiked up Mam Tor. 300km covered with 6,000m of climbing. A
great trip!!
5 Jun 2021 – Lowest km
month this year due to back injury, (helping Myla with hockey socks!) but got
to 40% of 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge and all new Zwift badges.
Unfortunately, Sylwia took a tumble and broke her collar bone so our challenge is
on pause for at least 12 weeks.
28 Dec 2021 – Back to continue the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. Wet and windy with 50mph gusts but a great route (112km and 1,310m) to tick off no12 Salcombe Hill.
29 Dec 2021 – Day 2 continuing the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. Even wetter and windier than yesterday but another great route (114km and 1,781m) to tick off no9 Haytor Vale and no10 Widecombe. Sylwia didn’t get blown off her bike – bonus!!
30 Dec 2021 – Last day
in Devon climbing hills No8 (Dartmeet) and No11 (Rundelstone) in Dartmoor
National Park. Some great views (when fog lifted) including the wild ponies.
Another windy and very wet day. We were here in May originally when we planned
to do the climbs, but Sylwia was in her sling with a broken collarbone. It was
an unusually hot and sunny weekend. How different today, but we did it. Wales
next.
31 Dec 2021 – Last ride
of the year completing Rapha Festive 500 with 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs
Challenge no96 – Bryn Du and no99 – The Bwlch. Hike a bike down a stream due to
navigation issues didn’t make it any easier on our wettest ride this week!
11 Feb 2022 – Lots of
apprehension and doubt before cycling up 25% wet cobbles in Yorkshire in winter
on a road bike! Sometimes it’s not a good idea to read about what’s awaiting
you especially when it says you’re going to ride up “deteriorating cobbles
with gaps just big enough to swallow a bike tyre!!”
12 Feb 2022 – We finally got halfway through the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge on an extremely windy day in North Yorkshire!
14 Feb 2022 – Better
luck with the weather today! It stopped raining after climbing Trough of
Bowland and the sun came out on the way to Cross of Greet climb. This marks 55
hills ridden.
20 Feb 2022 – Flooded roads and high winds navigated to complete no38 Jiggers Bank and no39 The Burway. Wet weather kit well and truly tested ahead of the hills to come!!
2 May 2022 – Continuing
our journey by riding no29 Terrace Hill and no28 Michaelgate. Unexpectedly kind
weather and not much climbing! Who’d have thought the cobbled climb,
Michaelgate, in the heart of Lincoln, which is featured in the annual Lincoln
Grand Prix (one of the country’s greatest cycle races), would be short and
easy! A welcome break from some tough hills and conditions we’ve endured so
far.
31 May 2022 – Another 12 completed. 30% climbs, a broken bike, horrendous midges and heavy rain hasn’t taken us away from our schedule!
4 Jun 2022 – Another 12
completed taking us to 24 for the week.
5 Jun 2022 – Rosedale Chimney’s 33% gradients done to complete all the climbs in England.
23 Jul 2022 – 2 more
completed in a wet and windy Wales – 14 to go…
30 Jul 2022 – 9+ hours
on the bikes with 3,250m of elevation gain got us 5 climbs closer to completing
our 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. Was Wales wet? Of course!!
31 Jul 2022 – One more
ticked off before a snapped gear cable and a 30km limp home. Another trip to
Wales was needed to do the last one…
23 May 2023 – Our journey continues. Really nice to have some chill time after our Ironman training camp and racing The Gralloch, Gravel World Champs Qualifier!!
30 Aug 2023 – A fantastic weekend in Scotland to continue our journey to complete the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge.
13 July 2024 – 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge App completed! After 4-years of ticking off the climbs, we ended in Wales on the steepest one! No92 Ffordd Penllech – 40% gradient and the wrong way up a one-way street!!
If anyone is looking
for a challenge closer to home, why not try the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs App
– SE edition!
With the Triathlon season well in flight, it was time for
the first 70.3 of the 2024 season – my preferred race distance. Having searched for new places to visit that
wouldn’t require a flight and little interest in going to Bolton! I settled on
Ironman Luxembourg which is a ~4.5hr drive from Calais after a Channel Tunnel
train ride – meaning no hassle of packing bikes into boxes, the risk of things
not arriving and the tension of putting it all together the day before the
race… and of course being able to take as much equipment/tools as you want!
A couple of triathlon buddies were also keen, so we made a weekend adventure of it!
I have tried plenty of race brands over the years, but there
is something that always draws me back to Ironman events. They are not the cheapest, and they know how
to milk you for every last £ – and god forbid you need to ask them for any
flexibility – but this aside, when you get to one of their races, you know a
big show is in town and it starts from the event village all across the course
and even how they engage the local community!
The guaranteed closed roads also make the rides far more competitive and
safer for all.
As to the race, Luxembourg 70.3 is a good balance of
challenge vs speed – a river swim (in the Moselle), a rolling bike with ~800m
of climbing and a very flat run course along the river bank – out and back –
all hosted in the town of Remich which is the wine region of Luxembourg and on
the border with Germany (the river being the border). The race also offers the unusual experience
of racing in 3 countries in 1 event! And
is a super beautiful place. The roads in
Luxembourg are fantastic and the place is super clean!
The day before showtime was registration and bike racking.
Transition was in a field, which seemed to have been recently mown/prepared,
and was pretty bumpy, thankfully carpeted, but the chances of twisting an ankle
were very high, especially in bike shoes! With 2500 racers starting, it was
also huge, so it was certainly going to be interesting. The sun was shining for this part, but all
weather reports were aligned – heavy rain, thunder and lightning were coming…with
heavy rain scheduled overnight and for race morning and the risk of more
thunder… We all went to bed apprehensive, as we knew lightning/thunder would
cause the swim to be shortened/cancelled. In the middle of the night, we heard
some of the loudest thunder ever and awoke to a monsoon first thing!
Getting ready to race in the rain is always a different and more stressful process than a nice mild summer morning – wresting a wetsuit on a wet body isn’t easy! But we were all at the start on time after a limited amount of faffing and drama!
I lined up at the back of the 30-35min swim group – aiming
for a 35-38min swim time. It was a rolling start so seeding is important and
there is no need to believe I would turn into a dolphin overnight. Swimming is my weakest event and something to
endure and not waste lots of energy on – there will be plenty of time later in
the day to push things along.
2500 people lining up to start is always an impressive
sight, especially with so many having brought their supporters along – it makes
you feel like a superstar! With the gun fired the early racers were off… 10min
in and we saw the first person pulled out of the water – it was scary to see
someone look like they couldn’t swim go in so early. The emergency crews were
slow to react and two people waiting to race jumped in to help the person. This
elevated the heart rate more than one would want when adrenaline is already
flowing. The bleeps gone – I dived in.
As normal, I set off too fast and 100m in I realised I was pushing
myself too hard, with my breathing all over the place. In my early days of tri
this would have caused a panic, but I’ve learnt to slow everything down, focus
on the next few strokes and forget everyone around you.
The swim was a bit of a bundle as it was ~500m downstream, a
full 180° around buoy and 1000m against
the current, followed by another 180° and 400m
back. This caused the buoy turns to be very congested and both shorter legs
were proper bundles of people swimming over each other and bumping together. I
got a kick to the face and an elbow for my trouble. I know they have to get a
lot of people onto the course, but it seemed the gaps between entry were too
close and a rectangular course with only 90°
turns could have solved the issues.
I was out the water in 37mins, so about where I expected to
be on an average swim. It was a long transition (6mins), across the bumpy, and
now muddy, transition carpets and out onto the bike course.
I knew from my research that the first bit of the ride was
going to be super fast – 35km flat as a pancake out and back along the river –
and Luxembourg roads in general are great – so it was time to go full TT and
put the power down. Even though the rain was falling, it was still a reasonable
17°C so good overall conditions with a low wind. The danger would come on the
technical descents and sharp slippery corners.
The climbing all came over 25km after the first flat
section, so it was all about watching the power. Unfortunately, someone had
stolen my Garmin bike computer in transition (I should know better than leaving
it in my bento box), so I only had my watch and feel. Hills done, it was
rolling back down into France for a bit and then back along the river to T2. I
was pleased to be getting off the bike in 2hrs 30mins. Good speed and didn’t
feel I had burnt my matches!
Another long transition ~4mins this time!
And out onto the run. 3 x laps. The first thing I noticed
was the size of the crowds. It really is an international race – with big
attendances from Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and France, plus a decent
contingent wearing the Union flag on their numbers and many other countries!
Lots of fantastic support especially through the main town. It had finally stopped raining and the sun
was breaking through and the temperature was rising.
The run was flat and as always in a 3 loop race it’s all
about pacing and not letting the laps play on your mind. The first few kms flew
by and I felt great, but experience told me not to fall into the trap of
running a fantastic 10km only to struggle in the last half and throw all the
good early work away – so I backed off the pace a little, stuck to my nutrition
plan and drinking a cup of water at every aide station. 2 laps in and I knew I
was on for a great half marathon and still feeling strong – coming home in 1hr
34mins.
My final time was 4hrs 52mins, which is only 6mins slower than my fastest ever 70.3 (which was on an incredibly flat bike/run course with tiny transitions). I was 15th in my age group (of 215) and 222nd overall from 2500. It was a competitive field! I qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Taupo New Zealand (Dec 24) at Weymouth in September 23 on a similar bike/run course and ran/biked much faster in Luxembourg but finished further down my age group!
I noted at the finish my bloody trainer! Hadn’t noticed in the race, but I had badly cut my foot in the swim. A trip to the St Johns Ambulance (Lux equivalent) required some Steri-Strips and strapping – plus some tissues for my tears about my beautiful (and expensive) carbon On running shoes. Then back to our Airbnb and out to the pub to watch England put Slovenia to the sword (sort of) in the Euro last 16… and of course, a few celebratory beers!
