What a nightmare! The Thetford rain gods were making up for lost time as to date every DTD race has been dry as a bone... The rain started at 6pm and didn't let up until about 1:00am so pretty for pretty much the whole race it was tipping it down...
the official report is here but suffice to say it was very muddy (like grinding paste) and for my first Solo effort felt like an initiation from hell..
After a fast rolling start and a few laps of trying to force myself to ride at under 130bpm my HR monitor finally stopped bleeping... Had it broken? no, but I had somehow got my heart rate out of the aerobic zone. Then the long slog began. riders were dropping out thick and fast but I managed to do my planned 4 laps (about 4 hours!) before stopping for top up food and bottles. Was Duncan about to pass me? thats all I could think, even as killer flew past as part of his pairing with Niki and told me I was in the top 20...
Perhaps Duncan was saving himself for the last few laps? I need more of a gap so got to keep on pressing on - this was all I could think (apart from the godawful song in my head that niki had been singing on the trip up - I kissed a girl and I liked it... ARGHHH!!!)
after 6 laps I was starting to feel awfully tired - my legs were fine but my mind was wandering and keeping up speed was more of a challenge. Suddenly the bleeping returned! but this time it was cos I was going to slow! then, crash! ouch that hurt! better take some painlkillers... (are they allowed?) By lap 7 I was struggling to keep awake and my reserves of caffine gels were running low. It one point I had one of those "microsleeps" and that was enough to scare me into waking up a bit. One more quick stop for food - who is that in the tent?? Its Duncan and he looks knackered.
now its the final lap and suddenly I feel like my legs are fresh again, its getting light and I am on a final charge for positions I get around the course with the clock showing 1 minute to go before the 12 hours are up. Circling in the finish straight I'm not sure whether to cross the line - I don't want to do another lap! Everyone is shouting for me to cross and telling me that I wont have to do another lap if I don't want to but I don't believe them! lol seems crazy but I wait until the next rider is coming down the finish straight before crossing the line in 11th out of 170 starting solo riders. That's enough of this solo malarky for now...
Duncan finished well up the placings in 25th place out of 170 solo riders
Niki and Killer were a respectable 8th out of 14 in the mixed teams especially when you consider Killer wasn't well
Ivor and Mark were 55th/83 in the mens pairs
full results
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