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Can't see Dom's photos - I'm at work - but it was good to see you & thanks for the support. Also many thanks to the gorgeous female who gave me a cheer at the top of the last peak - whichever one it was - I was feeling pretty gubbed at the time & you cheered me up.
Those women by the gate on pyg were great weren't they? Tough day out there though. I had a storming descent of Whernside followed by cramp at the bottom. All those places I'd got just went sauntering past while I tried to stretch out. Went pretty well on the hills, you know for where I was in the field, but lacked a bit of basic pace on the road. More fitness required! It was a battlefield
well done to you all
great performances in a brutal event.
Well, my race didn't go exactly according to plan...
Started off well on the road, then a bottleneck to get off road slowed us all down going towards Simon's Fell. My new technique (and training) paid off on Simons fell as I slowly but securely walked up without needing the fence to haul myself up and keep myself upright, so I made a lot of places on the ascent, even though I faceplanted into the hill. Mind, it was so steep in that section, I was still standing upright, just kissing the bog ;)
Slipped over Rawnsleys Leap, just as well I know how to skate! And eager to start riding towards the summit in anticipation of a great fast descent to Coldcotes... When it all went horribly wrong! Wind, rain and thick fog made my glasses steam up on the inside and I had water on the outside. As a result I could not see. Literally, could not see anything but the inside of my lenses. My eyesight is pretty bad, but had to resort to taking my glasses off, hold them on one hand, bike in the other and try and get accross as quickly and safely as possible without being able to see more than 15 cms in front of me :w00t: So scary that I almost packed in when I got to the CP on the summit, but decided Coldcotes was a better place to pack in, as Dom was there with the car... So I struggled on and eventually dipped under the clouds, was able to whipe my lenses clean and see again!!! By this time I had lost about 60 places :(
I had also bumped, literally, into Idler by then. We stayed together on the roadsection to Whernside where I took advantage of his gentlemanness [sic] and sat on his wheel for a bit recovering from the shock of havng had to go over Ingleborough more or less blind! I did do a little bit on the front too though ;) but lost him over Whernside, only for him to overtake me as I was dealing with the casualty and for me to overtake him again as I was shooting off to find Mountain rescue, while he was stretching out his cramping calves!
Found Mountain Rescue near the viaduct... they had just come off Whernside, so I debriefed them and sent them back up!!! I continued my race, however I had lost so many places yet again that I got disheartened (and worried about the woman being ok, after all I had left her on her own to fetch proper help) so I just finished... But still managed a pb by 10 minutes, which considering the conditions in the beginning and the casualty that needed attending to wasn't such a bad thing!
Obviously, I now need to do it again next year :)
Saw Antisocial securing his place by marshalling, and loads of other forumites. Didn't see Stolly on Ingleborough... Not sure if you were around somewhere, but whatever happened, I could not see you anyway. I did accuse a bloke in an orange jacket of being you though, as I spotted an orange blob somewhere but he insisted he wasn't you!
Wow Richpips! That was some adventure! Why on earth was your chain misbehaving like that???
I know what you mean about making up places and dropping back down... I had it a few times too... once because of my blindness, then because of the injured lady... then because of debriefing mountain rescue about the casualty... and I had made up so many places going up Simon's Fell :(
Ah well, next year!
I am sure you will beat that fixed record easily! :)
Chainrings rarely run truly round. I think the mud and other cack was assisting in dislodging it when it was in its slack phase.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
With the 3 peaks there's always next year. :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wharfee...7627755990288/
http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/8...lox2011507.jpg
Some riders seem to get attached to their bikes!
a whole bunch more to be added...watch this space!
BRILLIANT pics Wharfee :) Waiting for the rest now, see if you snapped me somewhere...
Cracking write up Rich - you should post it on the Pennine blog. Well done for finishing with no chain I bet most people would have given up at that point. I might join you next year if I can sort myself out a steed.Quote:
Originally Posted by richpips