Results from today: https://www.sportident.co.uk/results...ChapelfellTop/
Results from today: https://www.sportident.co.uk/results...ChapelfellTop/
41st vet today.... missed out on a champs point by a single place, and 11 seconds.
Despite that, was my best English Champs performance of the year by a long way, in terms of position.
Stuck to my pre-race plan of not gunning it on the uphill until i reached the open fell.... this seemed to work well as i felt very comfortable, and still went past John Hunt (who is a good marker for me that i'm climbing well) about 10mins in, whilst still on the long track up to the fell.
Pushed on once on the fell, and found myself pulling level with ba-ba (this didn't last long as he was much quicker than me once we hit the tussocks and groughs higher up).... it was generally hard to really push going up the fell as it was so poor underfoot... the above-mentioned tussocks, peat groughs, and the non-stop rain had made things very soft.
Had a decent descent by my standards, "only" losing 7 places.... unfortunately 5 or 6 of those places were to fellow vets... pushed hard where possible and only fell once... although descending was still comparatively poor compared to my climb.... compare to ba-ba who reached the summit less than a minute in front of me but reached the finish 4 minutes ahead.
Under pressure from behind all the way down the long track back to the village, negotiated the broken wall crossing, into the final field and held on to my position.
Hello to Charmian, ba-ba and GeoffB.
Pete
Well done Travs, nice write up and unlucky to miss out on points. I decided to give it a miss today. Had a cold all week and the thought of 5 hours travelling and a very wet race as well didn't appeal. Hopefully make the next one.
11 seconds - ouch! Well done in those horrible conditions.
Was made all the more disappointing as when I checked the results shortly after the race, I'd made 40th position and a solitary point.
So jogged back off up the fell to watch the women's race with a spring in my step....
Got back down an hour later, re-checked the results and it had changed....
Typical start of the summer holidays weather, added a bit more interest to proceedings. Looks like a blanket finish in the men's, have seen a picture of the front 4 all lined out in the finish field, separated by less then 10 seconds. Billy in 5th makes the Championships a bit moree interesting going into Sedbergh and Shelf Moor.
Not long ago there'd be about 4 V40s in the top 10 and maybe an U23 in the top 20. 5 U23s in before the first vet in 18th place - good to see Joe Hudson (14:02 5000m/29:16 10000m over in the US this year) enjoying some of his summer holiday in Weardale, and the Sheffield/Dark Peak creche paying dividends, with Grant, Sharrock, Corden, Williams, Pannone.
The going was a bit heavier for the women after 170 men had churned the course up, but I think think Phil Williams was pleased that there was a line on the ground to follow! She had a fair gap at the fell gate, but Nic had closed this by the summit. From what I overheard Nic closed with the more direct line on the descent.
Spotted Dan Haworth trying to sneak into the finish field, jacket on and hood pulled up, having not found the summit checkpoint after pulling out a descent gap as the leaders ascended into the mist.
Nic Barber. Downhill Dandy
Nice report.Originally Posted by ba-ba
"...as dry as the Atacama desert".
Dan Haworth who I spotted reccying the course on Saturday
Don't be too hard on yourself, Travs - ba-ba is not a good comparator for downhill speed - he's at the pointy end of the curve.
Poor bloke. It must be hard at the front with no people or studmarks to guide you, and needing to make decisions faster than the rest of us.Dan Haworth who I spotted reccying the course on Saturday
Yes it was bleak on the race day.... i didn't have the confidence to take my reccied line out on my own, and didn't head in that direction until i saw one or two others heading that way first.
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