I've
not raced an MTB event of this length solo before, in fact I've not
raced my MTB at all since February and have very much favoured the road
bike throughout the summer. In addition to this, various other events
and a severe bout of DIY in the run up to the race had kept me from the
level of training I'd have liked.
The
race was at Shouldham Warren, a surprisingly hilly venue just south of
Kings Lynn. I'd decided I'd ride as hard as I could for lap 1 to build
up a reasonable position in the pack and then back off for the remainder
of the event; subsequent advice and experience tells me that this isn't
the best strategy...
Essentially a lack of experience and preparedness was building up to a perfect storm of how not to do an event!
Essentially a lack of experience and preparedness was building up to a perfect storm of how not to do an event!
The course was approximately 6 miles long; lap 1 went well with minimal hold ups and I was feeling strong. Lap 2 also went well although I realised I wasn't pacing myself as much as I should be... I backed off quite a bit for laps 3 and 4 but by the end of lap 4 my thighs were starting to cramp - with over 4 hours still remaining, this wasn't good! I backed off further for lap 5 and attempted to hydrate (carbs and electrolyte) as much as possible but the cramp had well and truly taken hold at this point and much of my head-start was trickling away.
The
course which had seemed challenging-yet-fun to begin with had become
hard work and gruelling, with some of the climbs definitely much steeper
than they were to begin with!
At
the end of lap 6, a little under 2/3rds of the way through, I stopped
for a few minutes to ditch my CamelBak and to refuel. I was surprised
to find the CamelBak was still about 1/3rd full; I definitely hadn't
been hydrating enough! D'oh...
From
that point on, "each lap was definitely going to be my last", "there was
no way I was going to carry on", "this was a stupid way to be spending a
Sunday" - my bottom lip was sticking out so far it was affecting my
aerodynamics! But I did manage to slog on until the end, eventually
completing 9 laps (1 short of my original target). I even managed a
sprint finish to overtake another rider who I'd swapped places with
quite a few times throughout the race!
I
finished in a slightly disappointing 20th place (of 38 soloists) but
given my lack of experience and preparation I can't complain.
All
in all, the event was excellent; the course was challenging, varied and
and kept you interested. The organisation was great with a good
atmosphere in the arena and out on the course and it was good to try
something new. However, next time (which is something I swore at the
time there wouldn't be) I'll definitely pace myself better from the off,
and make sure I'm hydrating as much as possible!
PS: If anyone tells you East Anglia is flat, they should try spending 6hrs MTBing around Shouldham Warren!
PS: If anyone tells you East Anglia is flat, they should try spending 6hrs MTBing around Shouldham Warren!
