RAB 2010
A few weeks ago I finished the 2010 Deloitte RAB. A 1,000 mile ride from John O’Groats in Scotland to Land’s End, done over 9 days, taking in some stunning scenery, some significant climbs and, according to the organisers, over 73,000 feet of climbing. Around 600 people were signed up do take part and something like 550 finished. Just over 500 made the finish line although many had missed one or more stages due to illness or mechanical issues. Just over 300 completed every stage, and I was one of them.
Overall, it was an epic experience, huge fun and I’d recommend it to anyone that is in the slightest bit tempted.
This was the first year that the event took place – it was organised by Threshold Sports – motto, ‘More is in you!’. I have to take my hat off to them – they organised the event fantastically and responded to all suggestions, requests, criticisms and questions promptly and effectively, displaying wonderful attitude and commitment.
In short – I managed the 1,007 miles in 59 hours 4 minutes ride (moving) time, and about 64 hours road time including pit stops to refuel, use loos etc. Good for a 17.1 mph average over the 9 days. As was emphasised to us repeatedly, it was a ride and not a race…you believe what you will! I finished 8th! That is, 8th out of the just over 300 that completed all 9 stages. Just over 500 got to the finish line though – some missed a stage or two due to illness or mechanical issues. Only found that out a few weeks after the finish once I got hold of the data and analysed the results. Knowing it at the time might well have influenced behaviour and changed the dynamics slightly but probably not by much on my part.
It was interesting to observe how I and others coped with the mileage over the week and how our bodies stood up to the challenge.
Some ‘stats’ for what they are worth. Male, age 40, 6’2”. 96 Kg at start of week, 91 Kg at the end.
Average HR per ride stayed fairly steady over the week but there was a gradual downward trend – and day 1 was noticeably higher. My ability to achieve a higher HR reduced over the week, as did my ability to recover from an ‘effort’ – for instance, if I allowed the HR to get too high on a climb then it took much longer to recover at the end of the week than it did at the beginning. If I kept a lid on the HR on a climb then recovery was very quick.
Nutrition was also an eye opener. In am IM I would normally monitor fluid and calories intake, and use isotonic sports drink, gels and salt tabs. Typically 2 bottles per hour minimum and 3 gels per hour on the bike - in a hot race like Lanzarote. In every IM I’ve done I’ve eventually experienced GI issues on either the bike or run.
Here, re-fuelling was limited to pit stops at 35 miles (ish) and 70 miles (ish). I typically consumed one bottle of self-mixed isotonic drink per stage plus a couple of items of real food – tuna wrap, egg sandwich, flapjack or chocolate brownie. In addition I had one bar per day. On hot days I might have an additional bottle or two of fluids. After the ride I had a bottle of recovery drink and then cups of water, tea or coffee. So much less scientific, generally avoiding sports specific food items and I had no GI issues. Also, no energy issues from day to day. Oh yes, total gel intake over the 9 days was 3 gels.
Lots of people did get GI issues – significant numbers got D&V, resulting in some missing out individual days and others dropping out completely. Some of these cases were believed to be due to consuming too much gel etc rather than due to getting ill.
The ride itself was a real challenge. Shortest days were just under 100 miles and the longest (back to back) were both 130 miles. The official details were:
Day distance, miles climbing, feet
1 104 6,518
2 100 8,537
3 130 10,691
4 130 8,154
5 114 7,139
6 103 6,370
7 110 8,617
8 116 9,926
9 95 7,235
A total of 1,000 miles and 73,000 feet of climbing.
What follows are just some observations and comments along the way.
Start line, the day before hand.
We had to make our own way to John O’Groats (the most Northerly point in the mainland UK). I flew to Wick airport, a tiny, local airfield about 20 miles from JOG. We were met by a bus that transported us to the camp site at the start line – did I mention that we stayed in tents, at campsites throughout?
After a few days of glorious weather, conditions deteriorated on the day and we were met by driving rain and high winds (40 mph plus). Several people bailed out at this point – apparently realising that there might be a degree of hard work and discomfort involved! That night several tents blew down. This did not bode well for the week ahead. I realised that I had not taken the ‘camping’ side of things seriously enough and was mentally berating myself for what I should have brought along and had not.
As with everyone else though, I simply wanted to get started. Start time was 7am the next morning. We sat through a race briefing, and learned all about what would be our schedule for the week ahead. Basically, start window was 7am until 8am. Finish window was dusk – once you needed lights then the route closed.
Breakfast would be 5.30am and there would be wake up music from 5am – instead of an alarm clock.
Riders were self-seeded and you chose who you rode with. I had hooked up with another chap from my work, Chris, who had also done a couple of IM races and posted similar bike times – I figured that was a good starting point on ability to ride together.
A main point of discussion on that first evening was what to wear on day one – combined with uncertainty about the ability to dry kit out later in the week. So, did I wear my preferred shoes on day one and run the risk that they would get wet and stay wet all week?
The weather forecast said rain would last through day one and two and improve thereafter. For those of you from the US, you should appreciate that in the UK we have a maritime climate that is very changeable – not a stable continental climate where you can predict with some certainty what the weather will be doing several days ahead...
The second most over-heard discussion was about what training you had done, whether you had followed the plan, and so on. As I only got my slot late in the day I had missed the official kick off meetings in September 2009 and joined in from mid January. I chose to read the ‘plan’ and tweak my own schedule accordingly. This was basically my ironman program with running removed and extra cycling added.
This meant that I swam 3 times per week with the tri club and that I rode at least 4 times per week. As ever, mainly turbo, but this time I got in a grand total of around 300 miles on the road too. I managed a few big weeks where I rode 7 or 8 days on the trot, for a minimum of around 2 hours. Biggest individual week was about 16 hours.
Looking back, I think that the key thing was consistency – this year and across several years previously. Lots of riders appeared, again with hind sight, to have been inconsistent and simply not done enough.
The third most common discussion, that I heard anyway, was about not pushing too hard on day one and then paying for it later in the week!
Day one – John O’Groats to Kyle of Sutherland. 104 miles, 6518 feet of climbing
After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bagel and coffee – and long queues for the port-a-loos – I joined the start line queue! The weather was still awful – strong winds, driving rain, minimal visibility. I opted for second choice shoes combined with overshoes. There was no choice on leggings – all I had with me were bib shorts. I had one long sleeved cycling top, with wind-stopper fabric, and I wore this with a short sleeved top underneath. I also had a light weight wind proof gillet that I put over the top. Meant that I was cold whilst standing still but fine once I got moving.
Ignoring the weather, day one was probably the easiest of the week. Our start time meant that there were probably 250 riders on the road ahead of us. Made for lots of over-taking, which is not something I am used to on the bike stages of an IM. I enjoyed it! I typically swim around 50 minutes for IM but am an average cyclist so my experience is of being overtaken rather than of doing the overtaking...
Through the day there were a few stints where we hooked up with another rider or two and got to draft – another first for me. Nothing organised and lots of searching around for people of similar ability.
No really memorable other points on that day – it was a straight-forward route that did what it said on the tin. From A to B via a couple of small climbs to around 500 feet and a bigger one up to 1000 feet.
We got our first experience of pit stops too – in theory at around 35 miles and 70 miles ‘on average’. Day 1 was pretty much on the money here. Much less science than when fuelling for an IM. Drink was either sachets of sports drink that you mixed yourself with the water provided or water. This meant that you were limited to carrying a couple of bottles and maybe drinking an extra one at a pit stop. Food was presented as ‘help your-self to 3 items from the table’. There were various bins with things like filled rolls, pasties, filled wraps, flapjack, chocolate brownie, bananas, gels, jelly babies and chocolate bars. By the end of the week some people were getting bothered by the monotony – I just got into the habit of picking up brownies, flapjack and maybe a wrap – discovered that rolls were just too much like hard work to eat.
At the end of the ride we arrived to find the camp-site already set up and got on with the important business of getting a massage, a hot shower and some food.
This rapidly became the pattern for the week.
Day two – Kyle of Sutherland to Fort William. 100 miles, 8,537 feet of climbing
My first ever back to back century rides!
Plus, I got my first experience of pulling along a group and having a motorbike leading me! Huge fun. Discovered that I was pretty strong, relatively, on the flat and enjoyed a magnificent ride to Fort William. Also got to spin past loads of people on the first big climb of the day. Fun! Another day of riding with no particular group and of riding in foul weather.
A high point came as I was pulling out of the second pit-stop of the day and found myself riding next to James Cracknell – a multi Olympic Gold medal winning rower, a Director of Threshold Sports (the organisers) and one of the most competitive people that you could ever hope to meet. I threw caution to the wind and cycled next to him for around 15 miles, as we went up the climb that you can see. Had a great chat and got the chance to ask him all sorts of stuff about his experiences and what it was like to continue competing as he was getting older. He is 38 now and planning to do an Ironman once he is 40 with the plan of qualifying for and going to Kona. FWIW he is huge – 6’4 or 6’5 at a guess, 220lb? (again a guess) but has run a sub 3 marathon already and finished the 2010 Marathon des Sables in 12th position – amongst many other things. That gave me time for my head to re-engage and tell my ego to back off – the pace was too high. So, we let him go….
Chatting to him later in the week I heard all about his next challenge – a ‘race’ across America, being filmed for the Discovery Channel. Next thing I heard, on July 20 he was knocked off his bike and fractured his skull somewhere in Arizona – he is on the long road to recovery now. Fingers crossed for him and his family and that we see him fully recovered, racing and competing again some time soon.
Day three – big miles. Fort William via Glencoe to Glasgow. 130 miles, 10,691 feet of climbing.
The day started out rolling along as part of a group of some 30 riders, travelling along fast ‘A’ roads from Fort William towards a climb to Glencoe. Enjoyed the experience of the free speed from being in a group but not the being stuck in a group – I was far happier on the front, or at the back –where my lack of real world bike handling skills felt less of a liability.
The latter part of the day, the last 50 miles or so, found us working as part of a small pace line. 4 of us sharing the work and another 5 or 6 free-riding off the back and refusing to join in. Really enjoyed putting in some effort to drop them! The last few miles of the day introduced us to the concept of Garmin versus real miles and to distance for the sake of it!
We rode through the city of Glasgow and over the Erskine bridge before re-entering country side for the last 20 or so miles. Suddenly, we were not travelling in a straight line from A to B. Lots of twists and turns, apparently travelling along 3 sides of a square – and going up and down several steep hills – instead of taking the shortest route. This was tough mentally as it made it difficult to prepare for what was next – required that we re-adjust our focus to being prepared for whatever came around the next bend. A useful skill to have. This type of in-direct route, particularly towards the end of a day, and of taking the more scenic and much hillier route became the norm over the rest of the week. More later…
Day four – we joined a train, and the fun really started.
Glasgow to Ullswater. 130 miles, 8,154 feet of climbing
This was the second 130 mile day and would take us to an elapsed 465 miles in four days. We were definitely starting to feel the fatigue by now – legs feeling not quite so fresh, knees getting a bit sore. Also, I was worrying about whether I would get saddle sores – in fact, these and getting ill were my biggest fears as there seemed to be so little I could do to prevent either. Be careful, yes, but ultimately they would happen or not. By day four, the act of sitting down onto the saddle, first thing in the morning, was a little uncomfortable. Once I was sitting down it was fine, but the first few moments each morning…
Heading out of Glasgow, Chris and I spotted a group of riders ahead of us going at a good pace – Chris shouted to me to try and catch them (we recognised one and knew that he was a pretty good rider). So we put in some effort and bridged the gap. It was a group of three at that point and we asked them if we could join – we got a very clear and direct answer. Yes we could, and we are all taking turns doing 2 minute pulls! There began our experience of riding as part of a fairly stable group – and it was a fantastic experience.
During the first 20 or so miles together we made several mistakes, and learned from them too. I assumed that everyone was faster and stronger than me – so when it was my turn to pull I made sure that I put in some effort. I think that a few of us were doing this! At the pit stop a quick chat sorted out the details and from then on the pacing was much smoother and more enjoyable, not to mention easier!
As a group we rolled together for the rest of the week, picking up another couple of riders along the way.
This really made a difference for me – I learned loads from riding with these guys. So thank you all – Nigel, Davey, Chris, Chris, Riaori and (from time to time) Charles and Les. Over the week, as my confidence and bike handling improved, the gaps that I left between my wheel and the guy ahead shrank…
In the middle of the day we had some wonderful riding along rolling country roads – smooth surfaces, minimal climbing, fast, warm and fun. The day ended with us entering the Lake District and being re-introduced to some short, sharp climbs. A taste of what was to come on day 5…
The group broke up in the last 20 miles as we entered the Lake District – our first really steep hill, 20% or so, a couple of miles long and straight was responsible. Nigel and Davey dropped us like a bad habit. We next saw them while we waited for our daily massage!
Day 5 – it started with a climb!
Ullswater, via Kirkstone Pass, to Manchester. 114 miles and 7,139 feet of climbing
We left the start gate as a group but the first two miles was Kirkstone Pass. 1000 feet of climbing, starting gently and hitting some pretty steep sections. The group dropped me on the climb but – thankfully – we regrouped a few miles further on at the base of the descent.
I found the climb really tough – down in my lowest gear and only just turning the pedals and keeping moving. That is the downside of what 90 plus kilos does…
I learned that with nearly 500 miles in my legs, it would take a while to recover from the climb. Much later in the day in fact.
The rest of the day I spent riding with the group but not feeling very zippy.
Day 6 – it ended with the mother of all climbs!
Manchester to Ludlow, via Long Mynd. 103 miles and 6,370 feet of climbing
This day was dominated by thoughts of the Long Mynd. Apparently, to those in the know, this is a climb of repute. I’d never heard of it! As the profile shows, the rest of the day was a pretty easy affair. We rolled along as a group and odd bits of discussion were about what lay ahead.
Coming out of the second pit stop we had a warm up climb. It was a solid affair that required a good effort. Our group broke up on this climb, but were to re-group later. It turns out that the warm up climb was used for the national hill climb championships a few weeks earlier – it was no easy thing.
On the descent I reeled the others back in – not fully, but nearly, so that as we hit the base of Long Mynd they were a couple of hundred metres ahead of me.
To add insult to injury, to get to the base of the climb involved a 90 degree turn across a cattle grid that lived in the shade – read greasy surface. This meant that you came to a virtual standstill before the hard grind started. The gradient hit 20% almost immediately, going up to 25% in places. The really steep stuff lasted about a mile. I’d been thinking about this one lots in advance – Kirkstone Pass had taught me about how long recovery might take. I had decided that, once it got too hard, I would not grind my way up. I would walk instead. This point came after only a couple of hundred metres – and was helped by seeing my ‘team mates’ already doing the same. Even walking was difficult though. Once the gradient eased up it was time to re-mount. We re-grouped at the top for a photo before hitting the descent. Even this was tough – I was on the brakes the whole way and was worried about actually being able to stop – we were flying. The fact that the road was single track, with no barriers at the side, and was open to traffic in both directions did nothing to help the nerves – and we did meet cars driving in the other direction, on the climb and descent! The only place to go was onto the grass.
Discussions that evening identified that only a handful (less than 20) made the climb without walking. A couple of really strong climbers who weighed next to nothing and a few people with triples on the front. Talking to locals, they were amazed that we took the route we did – it is more normal to ride it in the other direction.
The campsite that evening was at Ludlow race course and so the last mile or so was through the very flat grounds – having re-grouped again, after the descent, this seemed an ideal opportunity for a bit of a sprint finish. Fun!
Day 7 – we are getting used to finishing with a climb by now.
Ludlow to Cheddar. 110 miles and 8,617 feet of climbing, plus a bit more from the detour.
What sticks in my mind about the route on day 7 was that a de-tour was put into the route at the last minute. You can see it from the profile – which shows the route that we should have ridden. After climbing and descending to the first pit stop, we were sent back along the same road to re-do the descent and climb the other way around – meant that we got to see the looks on other peoples faces, which was fun in a sadistic way!
Somewhere during day 7 we rode through Bristol and over the Severn Bridge. Got some fantastic views.
Coming out of the second pit stop I got dropped by the group as we hit the climbs. So I got to climb Cheddar Gorge on my own. It was a lovely climb – not too steep, just solid work through some stunning scenery.
Day 8 – the last big day!
Cheddar to Launceston. 116 miles and 9,926 feet of climbing.
The group got separated early today into a couple of splinter groups. The road from the start was quite congested and we had to keep slowing down before passing people – after that we rode in a smaller group of 3 or 4. Again, as ever, there were lots of hills!
Somewhere or other we missed a sign post and so did an extra climb and descent before coming to a junction with no signage (somewhere near to Lake Wimbleball, home of the UK IM 70.3 course). We had to phone race HQ to work out where we were and so which road signs to follow. Resulted in a few extra miles and having to re-pass a few riders that we had passed an hour or two before!
Some time after the second pit stop Sarah Storey (Team GB cyclist as well as Paralympic team cyclist) caught us at a set of traffic lights. We were on a long climb so Chris rode off with her while I just spun. Apparently he hung on her wheel for a few miles before he blew up! For the first time in the week, I switched on the Ipod (one ear only!). I had 30 or so miles ahead of me with little wind, hot weather and hills. Time to just enjoy being out there. In the last few miles I was a film crew came past me and kept setting up to film as I went past. Thought that I would be on camera but it turns out they were filming whoever was a bit behind me and just using me to set up the shots! On one longer climb I caught sight of the rider behind me and that gave me the incentive to put in a bit more effort to drop him. By the finish line he was several minutes down – very pleasing.
Day 9 – one last climb, or three!
Launceston to Land’s End. 95 miles 7,235 feet of climbing.
Less than 100 miles for the first time – mentally it felt like a short day. Today, the group did not set out together. Most of the group rode with people from their cycling clubs. Chris and I rode together again and planned to just enjoy the day. No pushing the pace, just take in the scenery, enjoy the experience and celebrate the week.
The start broke things up a lot. The road out of the camp site was narrow – 6 feet – and had a few steep stretches. There were more than 500 riders on the road, all starting within minutes of each other. Once one person stopped, it was game over. Nowhere to go and so everyone else had to stop. Didn’t last long though.
There were a few sections where we caught up other groups, rode with them for a bit, and then took off again. At the first pit stop some of our ‘group’ rode in and out without stopping – they were on a mission to finish first!
The day was, while short, still solid work. Cornwall may not have mountains, but it has steep hills. We met many of them.
In typical RAB style, the day ended with a climb! After descending into Penzance, the route ignored the direct signs to Land’s End and instead took us towards a 1 mile, 20% climb from the coast up to the cliff tops. We then had a very rolling few miles to the finish.
And that was it. 1,000 miles, 8 century rides. 10 nights in a tent. Lots of friends. A fantastic experience. 8th!
I learned lots about riding, what my body could cope with, riding through highs and lows. I would recommend it to anyone.
A few weeks ago I finished the 2010 Deloitte RAB. A 1,000 mile ride from John O’Groats in Scotland to Land’s End, done over 9 days, taking in some stunning scenery, some significant climbs and, according to the organisers, over 73,000 feet of climbing. Around 600 people were signed up do take part and something like 550 finished. Just over 500 made the finish line although many had missed one or more stages due to illness or mechanical issues. Just over 300 completed every stage, and I was one of them.
Overall, it was an epic experience, huge fun and I’d recommend it to anyone that is in the slightest bit tempted.
This was the first year that the event took place – it was organised by Threshold Sports – motto, ‘More is in you!’. I have to take my hat off to them – they organised the event fantastically and responded to all suggestions, requests, criticisms and questions promptly and effectively, displaying wonderful attitude and commitment.
In short – I managed the 1,007 miles in 59 hours 4 minutes ride (moving) time, and about 64 hours road time including pit stops to refuel, use loos etc. Good for a 17.1 mph average over the 9 days. As was emphasised to us repeatedly, it was a ride and not a race…you believe what you will! I finished 8th! That is, 8th out of the just over 300 that completed all 9 stages. Just over 500 got to the finish line though – some missed a stage or two due to illness or mechanical issues. Only found that out a few weeks after the finish once I got hold of the data and analysed the results. Knowing it at the time might well have influenced behaviour and changed the dynamics slightly but probably not by much on my part.
It was interesting to observe how I and others coped with the mileage over the week and how our bodies stood up to the challenge.
Some ‘stats’ for what they are worth. Male, age 40, 6’2”. 96 Kg at start of week, 91 Kg at the end.
Average HR per ride stayed fairly steady over the week but there was a gradual downward trend – and day 1 was noticeably higher. My ability to achieve a higher HR reduced over the week, as did my ability to recover from an ‘effort’ – for instance, if I allowed the HR to get too high on a climb then it took much longer to recover at the end of the week than it did at the beginning. If I kept a lid on the HR on a climb then recovery was very quick.
Nutrition was also an eye opener. In am IM I would normally monitor fluid and calories intake, and use isotonic sports drink, gels and salt tabs. Typically 2 bottles per hour minimum and 3 gels per hour on the bike - in a hot race like Lanzarote. In every IM I’ve done I’ve eventually experienced GI issues on either the bike or run.
Here, re-fuelling was limited to pit stops at 35 miles (ish) and 70 miles (ish). I typically consumed one bottle of self-mixed isotonic drink per stage plus a couple of items of real food – tuna wrap, egg sandwich, flapjack or chocolate brownie. In addition I had one bar per day. On hot days I might have an additional bottle or two of fluids. After the ride I had a bottle of recovery drink and then cups of water, tea or coffee. So much less scientific, generally avoiding sports specific food items and I had no GI issues. Also, no energy issues from day to day. Oh yes, total gel intake over the 9 days was 3 gels.
Lots of people did get GI issues – significant numbers got D&V, resulting in some missing out individual days and others dropping out completely. Some of these cases were believed to be due to consuming too much gel etc rather than due to getting ill.
The ride itself was a real challenge. Shortest days were just under 100 miles and the longest (back to back) were both 130 miles. The official details were:
Day distance, miles climbing, feet
1 104 6,518
2 100 8,537
3 130 10,691
4 130 8,154
5 114 7,139
6 103 6,370
7 110 8,617
8 116 9,926
9 95 7,235
A total of 1,000 miles and 73,000 feet of climbing.
What follows are just some observations and comments along the way.
Start line, the day before hand.
We had to make our own way to John O’Groats (the most Northerly point in the mainland UK). I flew to Wick airport, a tiny, local airfield about 20 miles from JOG. We were met by a bus that transported us to the camp site at the start line – did I mention that we stayed in tents, at campsites throughout?
After a few days of glorious weather, conditions deteriorated on the day and we were met by driving rain and high winds (40 mph plus). Several people bailed out at this point – apparently realising that there might be a degree of hard work and discomfort involved! That night several tents blew down. This did not bode well for the week ahead. I realised that I had not taken the ‘camping’ side of things seriously enough and was mentally berating myself for what I should have brought along and had not.
As with everyone else though, I simply wanted to get started. Start time was 7am the next morning. We sat through a race briefing, and learned all about what would be our schedule for the week ahead. Basically, start window was 7am until 8am. Finish window was dusk – once you needed lights then the route closed.
Breakfast would be 5.30am and there would be wake up music from 5am – instead of an alarm clock.
Riders were self-seeded and you chose who you rode with. I had hooked up with another chap from my work, Chris, who had also done a couple of IM races and posted similar bike times – I figured that was a good starting point on ability to ride together.
A main point of discussion on that first evening was what to wear on day one – combined with uncertainty about the ability to dry kit out later in the week. So, did I wear my preferred shoes on day one and run the risk that they would get wet and stay wet all week?
The weather forecast said rain would last through day one and two and improve thereafter. For those of you from the US, you should appreciate that in the UK we have a maritime climate that is very changeable – not a stable continental climate where you can predict with some certainty what the weather will be doing several days ahead...
The second most over-heard discussion was about what training you had done, whether you had followed the plan, and so on. As I only got my slot late in the day I had missed the official kick off meetings in September 2009 and joined in from mid January. I chose to read the ‘plan’ and tweak my own schedule accordingly. This was basically my ironman program with running removed and extra cycling added.
This meant that I swam 3 times per week with the tri club and that I rode at least 4 times per week. As ever, mainly turbo, but this time I got in a grand total of around 300 miles on the road too. I managed a few big weeks where I rode 7 or 8 days on the trot, for a minimum of around 2 hours. Biggest individual week was about 16 hours.
Looking back, I think that the key thing was consistency – this year and across several years previously. Lots of riders appeared, again with hind sight, to have been inconsistent and simply not done enough.
The third most common discussion, that I heard anyway, was about not pushing too hard on day one and then paying for it later in the week!
Day one – John O’Groats to Kyle of Sutherland. 104 miles, 6518 feet of climbing
After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bagel and coffee – and long queues for the port-a-loos – I joined the start line queue! The weather was still awful – strong winds, driving rain, minimal visibility. I opted for second choice shoes combined with overshoes. There was no choice on leggings – all I had with me were bib shorts. I had one long sleeved cycling top, with wind-stopper fabric, and I wore this with a short sleeved top underneath. I also had a light weight wind proof gillet that I put over the top. Meant that I was cold whilst standing still but fine once I got moving.
Ignoring the weather, day one was probably the easiest of the week. Our start time meant that there were probably 250 riders on the road ahead of us. Made for lots of over-taking, which is not something I am used to on the bike stages of an IM. I enjoyed it! I typically swim around 50 minutes for IM but am an average cyclist so my experience is of being overtaken rather than of doing the overtaking...
Through the day there were a few stints where we hooked up with another rider or two and got to draft – another first for me. Nothing organised and lots of searching around for people of similar ability.
No really memorable other points on that day – it was a straight-forward route that did what it said on the tin. From A to B via a couple of small climbs to around 500 feet and a bigger one up to 1000 feet.
We got our first experience of pit stops too – in theory at around 35 miles and 70 miles ‘on average’. Day 1 was pretty much on the money here. Much less science than when fuelling for an IM. Drink was either sachets of sports drink that you mixed yourself with the water provided or water. This meant that you were limited to carrying a couple of bottles and maybe drinking an extra one at a pit stop. Food was presented as ‘help your-self to 3 items from the table’. There were various bins with things like filled rolls, pasties, filled wraps, flapjack, chocolate brownie, bananas, gels, jelly babies and chocolate bars. By the end of the week some people were getting bothered by the monotony – I just got into the habit of picking up brownies, flapjack and maybe a wrap – discovered that rolls were just too much like hard work to eat.
At the end of the ride we arrived to find the camp-site already set up and got on with the important business of getting a massage, a hot shower and some food.
This rapidly became the pattern for the week.
Day two – Kyle of Sutherland to Fort William. 100 miles, 8,537 feet of climbing
My first ever back to back century rides!
Plus, I got my first experience of pulling along a group and having a motorbike leading me! Huge fun. Discovered that I was pretty strong, relatively, on the flat and enjoyed a magnificent ride to Fort William. Also got to spin past loads of people on the first big climb of the day. Fun! Another day of riding with no particular group and of riding in foul weather.
A high point came as I was pulling out of the second pit-stop of the day and found myself riding next to James Cracknell – a multi Olympic Gold medal winning rower, a Director of Threshold Sports (the organisers) and one of the most competitive people that you could ever hope to meet. I threw caution to the wind and cycled next to him for around 15 miles, as we went up the climb that you can see. Had a great chat and got the chance to ask him all sorts of stuff about his experiences and what it was like to continue competing as he was getting older. He is 38 now and planning to do an Ironman once he is 40 with the plan of qualifying for and going to Kona. FWIW he is huge – 6’4 or 6’5 at a guess, 220lb? (again a guess) but has run a sub 3 marathon already and finished the 2010 Marathon des Sables in 12th position – amongst many other things. That gave me time for my head to re-engage and tell my ego to back off – the pace was too high. So, we let him go….
Chatting to him later in the week I heard all about his next challenge – a ‘race’ across America, being filmed for the Discovery Channel. Next thing I heard, on July 20 he was knocked off his bike and fractured his skull somewhere in Arizona – he is on the long road to recovery now. Fingers crossed for him and his family and that we see him fully recovered, racing and competing again some time soon.
Day three – big miles. Fort William via Glencoe to Glasgow. 130 miles, 10,691 feet of climbing.
The day started out rolling along as part of a group of some 30 riders, travelling along fast ‘A’ roads from Fort William towards a climb to Glencoe. Enjoyed the experience of the free speed from being in a group but not the being stuck in a group – I was far happier on the front, or at the back –where my lack of real world bike handling skills felt less of a liability.
The latter part of the day, the last 50 miles or so, found us working as part of a small pace line. 4 of us sharing the work and another 5 or 6 free-riding off the back and refusing to join in. Really enjoyed putting in some effort to drop them! The last few miles of the day introduced us to the concept of Garmin versus real miles and to distance for the sake of it!
We rode through the city of Glasgow and over the Erskine bridge before re-entering country side for the last 20 or so miles. Suddenly, we were not travelling in a straight line from A to B. Lots of twists and turns, apparently travelling along 3 sides of a square – and going up and down several steep hills – instead of taking the shortest route. This was tough mentally as it made it difficult to prepare for what was next – required that we re-adjust our focus to being prepared for whatever came around the next bend. A useful skill to have. This type of in-direct route, particularly towards the end of a day, and of taking the more scenic and much hillier route became the norm over the rest of the week. More later…
Day four – we joined a train, and the fun really started.
Glasgow to Ullswater. 130 miles, 8,154 feet of climbing
This was the second 130 mile day and would take us to an elapsed 465 miles in four days. We were definitely starting to feel the fatigue by now – legs feeling not quite so fresh, knees getting a bit sore. Also, I was worrying about whether I would get saddle sores – in fact, these and getting ill were my biggest fears as there seemed to be so little I could do to prevent either. Be careful, yes, but ultimately they would happen or not. By day four, the act of sitting down onto the saddle, first thing in the morning, was a little uncomfortable. Once I was sitting down it was fine, but the first few moments each morning…
Heading out of Glasgow, Chris and I spotted a group of riders ahead of us going at a good pace – Chris shouted to me to try and catch them (we recognised one and knew that he was a pretty good rider). So we put in some effort and bridged the gap. It was a group of three at that point and we asked them if we could join – we got a very clear and direct answer. Yes we could, and we are all taking turns doing 2 minute pulls! There began our experience of riding as part of a fairly stable group – and it was a fantastic experience.
During the first 20 or so miles together we made several mistakes, and learned from them too. I assumed that everyone was faster and stronger than me – so when it was my turn to pull I made sure that I put in some effort. I think that a few of us were doing this! At the pit stop a quick chat sorted out the details and from then on the pacing was much smoother and more enjoyable, not to mention easier!
As a group we rolled together for the rest of the week, picking up another couple of riders along the way.
This really made a difference for me – I learned loads from riding with these guys. So thank you all – Nigel, Davey, Chris, Chris, Riaori and (from time to time) Charles and Les. Over the week, as my confidence and bike handling improved, the gaps that I left between my wheel and the guy ahead shrank…
In the middle of the day we had some wonderful riding along rolling country roads – smooth surfaces, minimal climbing, fast, warm and fun. The day ended with us entering the Lake District and being re-introduced to some short, sharp climbs. A taste of what was to come on day 5…
The group broke up in the last 20 miles as we entered the Lake District – our first really steep hill, 20% or so, a couple of miles long and straight was responsible. Nigel and Davey dropped us like a bad habit. We next saw them while we waited for our daily massage!
Day 5 – it started with a climb!
Ullswater, via Kirkstone Pass, to Manchester. 114 miles and 7,139 feet of climbing
We left the start gate as a group but the first two miles was Kirkstone Pass. 1000 feet of climbing, starting gently and hitting some pretty steep sections. The group dropped me on the climb but – thankfully – we regrouped a few miles further on at the base of the descent.
I found the climb really tough – down in my lowest gear and only just turning the pedals and keeping moving. That is the downside of what 90 plus kilos does…
I learned that with nearly 500 miles in my legs, it would take a while to recover from the climb. Much later in the day in fact.
The rest of the day I spent riding with the group but not feeling very zippy.
Day 6 – it ended with the mother of all climbs!
Manchester to Ludlow, via Long Mynd. 103 miles and 6,370 feet of climbing
This day was dominated by thoughts of the Long Mynd. Apparently, to those in the know, this is a climb of repute. I’d never heard of it! As the profile shows, the rest of the day was a pretty easy affair. We rolled along as a group and odd bits of discussion were about what lay ahead.
Coming out of the second pit stop we had a warm up climb. It was a solid affair that required a good effort. Our group broke up on this climb, but were to re-group later. It turns out that the warm up climb was used for the national hill climb championships a few weeks earlier – it was no easy thing.
On the descent I reeled the others back in – not fully, but nearly, so that as we hit the base of Long Mynd they were a couple of hundred metres ahead of me.
To add insult to injury, to get to the base of the climb involved a 90 degree turn across a cattle grid that lived in the shade – read greasy surface. This meant that you came to a virtual standstill before the hard grind started. The gradient hit 20% almost immediately, going up to 25% in places. The really steep stuff lasted about a mile. I’d been thinking about this one lots in advance – Kirkstone Pass had taught me about how long recovery might take. I had decided that, once it got too hard, I would not grind my way up. I would walk instead. This point came after only a couple of hundred metres – and was helped by seeing my ‘team mates’ already doing the same. Even walking was difficult though. Once the gradient eased up it was time to re-mount. We re-grouped at the top for a photo before hitting the descent. Even this was tough – I was on the brakes the whole way and was worried about actually being able to stop – we were flying. The fact that the road was single track, with no barriers at the side, and was open to traffic in both directions did nothing to help the nerves – and we did meet cars driving in the other direction, on the climb and descent! The only place to go was onto the grass.
Discussions that evening identified that only a handful (less than 20) made the climb without walking. A couple of really strong climbers who weighed next to nothing and a few people with triples on the front. Talking to locals, they were amazed that we took the route we did – it is more normal to ride it in the other direction.
The campsite that evening was at Ludlow race course and so the last mile or so was through the very flat grounds – having re-grouped again, after the descent, this seemed an ideal opportunity for a bit of a sprint finish. Fun!
Day 7 – we are getting used to finishing with a climb by now.
Ludlow to Cheddar. 110 miles and 8,617 feet of climbing, plus a bit more from the detour.
What sticks in my mind about the route on day 7 was that a de-tour was put into the route at the last minute. You can see it from the profile – which shows the route that we should have ridden. After climbing and descending to the first pit stop, we were sent back along the same road to re-do the descent and climb the other way around – meant that we got to see the looks on other peoples faces, which was fun in a sadistic way!
Somewhere during day 7 we rode through Bristol and over the Severn Bridge. Got some fantastic views.
Coming out of the second pit stop I got dropped by the group as we hit the climbs. So I got to climb Cheddar Gorge on my own. It was a lovely climb – not too steep, just solid work through some stunning scenery.
Day 8 – the last big day!
Cheddar to Launceston. 116 miles and 9,926 feet of climbing.
The group got separated early today into a couple of splinter groups. The road from the start was quite congested and we had to keep slowing down before passing people – after that we rode in a smaller group of 3 or 4. Again, as ever, there were lots of hills!
Somewhere or other we missed a sign post and so did an extra climb and descent before coming to a junction with no signage (somewhere near to Lake Wimbleball, home of the UK IM 70.3 course). We had to phone race HQ to work out where we were and so which road signs to follow. Resulted in a few extra miles and having to re-pass a few riders that we had passed an hour or two before!
Some time after the second pit stop Sarah Storey (Team GB cyclist as well as Paralympic team cyclist) caught us at a set of traffic lights. We were on a long climb so Chris rode off with her while I just spun. Apparently he hung on her wheel for a few miles before he blew up! For the first time in the week, I switched on the Ipod (one ear only!). I had 30 or so miles ahead of me with little wind, hot weather and hills. Time to just enjoy being out there. In the last few miles I was a film crew came past me and kept setting up to film as I went past. Thought that I would be on camera but it turns out they were filming whoever was a bit behind me and just using me to set up the shots! On one longer climb I caught sight of the rider behind me and that gave me the incentive to put in a bit more effort to drop him. By the finish line he was several minutes down – very pleasing.
Day 9 – one last climb, or three!
Launceston to Land’s End. 95 miles 7,235 feet of climbing.
Less than 100 miles for the first time – mentally it felt like a short day. Today, the group did not set out together. Most of the group rode with people from their cycling clubs. Chris and I rode together again and planned to just enjoy the day. No pushing the pace, just take in the scenery, enjoy the experience and celebrate the week.
The start broke things up a lot. The road out of the camp site was narrow – 6 feet – and had a few steep stretches. There were more than 500 riders on the road, all starting within minutes of each other. Once one person stopped, it was game over. Nowhere to go and so everyone else had to stop. Didn’t last long though.
There were a few sections where we caught up other groups, rode with them for a bit, and then took off again. At the first pit stop some of our ‘group’ rode in and out without stopping – they were on a mission to finish first!
The day was, while short, still solid work. Cornwall may not have mountains, but it has steep hills. We met many of them.
In typical RAB style, the day ended with a climb! After descending into Penzance, the route ignored the direct signs to Land’s End and instead took us towards a 1 mile, 20% climb from the coast up to the cliff tops. We then had a very rolling few miles to the finish.
And that was it. 1,000 miles, 8 century rides. 10 nights in a tent. Lots of friends. A fantastic experience. 8th!
I learned lots about riding, what my body could cope with, riding through highs and lows. I would recommend it to anyone.