Friday 15 June 2012

They say you shouldn't run before you can walk...

...but what if you're not allowed to run and they say there is a Le Mans start!

As I lined up for the 4hr enduro at Bristol Bikefest last Sunday with fellow Mountain Trax team mate Tyrone and friends Anth and Matt from AQR, this dilemma was foremost on my mind. It has been recommended by the various physios I've seen in the last 11 months that to preserve the longevity of my hip joint I shouldn't do any running, so the prospect of a 1/3 mile jog up a gravelly fireroad to collect my bike at the start of the race wasn't high on my to do list.

So I walked.

AQR Race Team Manager and friend James Dymond was looking after our bikes, but the boys were long gone by the time I was even nearing my bike so James walked down to hand it over and save me some time. I was already the last person up the hill.

As much as this meant I had quite a lot of traffic to endure for the first couple of laps of the race I was enjoying myself on the bike. After waking up on the Friday morning with the beginnings of a cold and still feeling run down from racing at Erlestoke the fortnight before I wasn't sure how my head or legs would feel during the race. But the all-weather track at Ashton Court is great fun - swoopy singletrack with fun berms, sneaky rock gardens and a few short climbs thrown in for good measure.



 
Footage from Bristol Bikefest 2012 (Cycling Bristol on YouTube)

I'd been able to fit in a practise lap on Friday evening so was happy with the course and Ian Potter (AQR Coaching) had looked at my bike set up again to help with the hand pain I had suffered at Erlestoke. I was able to keep up a good pace, and for once didn't feel too slow on the climbs and was keeping my laps consistent.

Knowing I had lost a lot of time by walking the start I wasn't too fussed about where I was position-wise, just enjoyed the singletrack and the fact that it wasn't raining given the forecast! It was as I came through after my 5th (and penultimate lap) that AQR chum Kirsty let me know I was only 2 minutes away from the 3rd placed solo girl and that if I pushed I would catch up and make the podium.

Talk about lighting the touch paper!

With shouts of encouragement behind me from the AQR pit crew, I got back into the big ring and gave it everything. Within 2 miles I had gained 45 seconds on my previous lap and kept the pressure up on the next climb, finally glimpsing what I thought was my competition as I approached the main climb halfway round the course.

So I was sneaky, caught her on the climb and sat behind in the next section of singletrack, gauging how she might be feeling, how she rode the singletrack, looking for where I might have the advantage. This also gave me the chance to catch my breath after pushing hard for the first half of the lap.

The singletrack was quite pedally on that section, so when after few minutes another rider asked to pass, I followed suit and went in front, double checking she was in my category. With cycling helmet and kit on it's not always easy to be sure of a rider's gender in a race. Add in my short hair and there have been plenty of times I get asked 'can I come past, mate' during a race to then hear the surprised 'oh, sorry, you're a girl' when I say yes! But it can prove useful and sometimes I have been able to get away with a sneaky manoeuvre in this way. Not this time!

She had clocked my overtake and as we headed into the quarry section of the course she had kicked it up a gear to try and stay with me and I was pushing hard to try and get a gap through the fast, bermed singletrack whilst also trying to stay within my self-imposed 'safety and comfort limits'.

We exited the section close together onto the short sandy climb that followed. Granny ring engaged I kept it easy and concentrated on getting to the top, glancing back to see I had a small gap. As we hit the flat section at the top I got back into the big ring and did a short sprint to gain some more distance, putting a couple of riders in between before entering the last, rocky section of singletrack.

I knew she wasn't far behind but kept pushing, concentrating on smooth corners, carrying my speed and then relaxing down the rock gardens and steps in the final section. There was probably less than half a mile to go as I got to the last hill, up the field. I still had a gap - maybe 200 yards - which I knew should be enough. When I reached the flat section before the finish I took a last look back to check I still had a gap and then started sprinting, leaving nothing to chance.

Heart rate was through the roof, lungs sounded like a smoker but I'd gained a 30 second advantage, got onto the podium and was only 2 mins down on 2nd place. Much more than I'd expected given the disadvantage of the Le Mans tart. Big grins all round. It was a successful day for the Mountain Trax team with a 2nd in the 4hr Vets Solo for Tyrone and 3rd for me in the 4hr Womens Solo.

Women's 4 hr Solo      Photo: Tyrone Fletcher
Thanks to the AQR pit crew for their support and encouragement over the weekend; to Kate and Ian Potter for coaching and advice; to my sponsors Mountain Trax for their ongoing support and also to my friend Hannah who put me up in a comfy bed and fed me for two nights so I didn't have to camp!

I've been recovering this week - my cold turned unpleasant so I needed 2 days off work to recharge the batteries. Back into gentle training over the next week as it's only 3 weeks to go until the big one - 12 hour solo at Bontrager 24:12!

My 12hr solo at Bontrager is essentially on the 1 year anniversary of my accident. To honour this and how far I've come in that time, I'll be raising money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance who airlifted me to Salisbury post-accident (I'm still in the video on their home page!). Without the support of the public, they wouldn't be able to keep the helicopter in the air to help people, like me, who need to get to hospital in an emergency.

I'm aiming to raise £1917 by the end of the year - this amount is enough to keep the helicopter in the air for just 1 day. If you'd like to offer your support for this worthwhile cause, please visit my JustGiving page and give whatever you can. Thank you!