Training, Planning and Running the DW Race

The weekend was spent on two wheels.

After a lazy morning of doing absolutely nothing on Saturday I got my kit together for the afternoon and went out for a ride. It started out as a short 6 miler but I was enjoying my time on the road so I took a diversion and ended up clocking a little over 18 miles. I was out for an hour and a half and felt pretty good. A bit tired, but generally fine.

Saturday’s expedition encouraged me to go further a field. So I set my sights on Telford approximately 20 miles away. Sunday morning at about 10am I departed. I took the back route and headed into Ironbridge. It was hard work but nothing had prepared me for Buildwas Bank. 1.7 miles of increasingly steep road. It nearly was too much for me, I had run out of low gears, I was standing cycling until my legs were on fire so would then sit and pedal for a bit until I the speed was nearly washed off, and then have to stand again. I nearly quit and turned round about half way up but I somehow managed to keep going.

I made it to my parents house after 1 hour and 37 minutes covering 20.44 miles averaging 12.6mph. Two sweet cups of tea and a bacon sandwich later I turned the bike around and headed home. I was now completely bushed and hills that would have been easy before were tortuously steep. The return down Buildwas Bank was something I was looking forward to though.
Getting to the top I accelerated myself up to full pelt before tucking myself into the most aerodynamic shape I could come up with, then hurtled. I chickened out at just under forty miles an hour at 38.2mph. Hanging on at that speed for nearly two miles was surprisingly hard work on my upper body and I had also cricked my neck with the position I had adopted but it was fantastic fun.

I limped home just going as quickly as I could, which was not so fast now, I got overtaken by someone on a racing bike who breezed past me and there was nothing I could do to keep up. Once I got back into town there was this flock of elderly cyclists who were joining the main road I was headed down. I was so thankful when they didn’t go the same way as me because they would have overtaken me with ease. I finally staggered into the house, my legs like jelly and I was so happy to be off the saddle and on the sofa.

The total numbers from the cycle computer.
I covered 40.1 miles in 3 hours and 10 minutes with an overall average speed of 12.6mph hitting a top speed (down the Ironbridge byass) of 38.2mph.

Some things I learned. Smooth A roads are not that smooth when you have 1cm of rubber and no suspension to absorb the bumps. Cycle paths are more trouble than they are worth. Road cyclists wave to other road cyclists. And my saddle is not comfortable.