Blogs
Tue, 15 Jun 2010
Two epic stages: riding through saddle sore and 3 litres of Coke!
By Sarah Storey - Horizon Racing Fitness Team
By day three of the Deloitte Ride Across Britain, everyone was ready for some better weather, and we were not disappointed. Although, strange as it was to be woken at 3am by the daylight coming through the curtains, we were grateful for the blue skies as we set off on what would be the first of two epic stages to say the least. Back-to-back days of 130 miles (212 kms) was going to be a huge challenge, and long days were predicted for everyone.
For me, it was about starting more steadily and surviving what would be the longest distances I'd ever ridden, beating my previous longest of 175km by some margin. Looking at the route profile, it seemed as though 7 hours 30 minutes would be a good time, so when I averaged 34kph for the first hour it was something of a surprise.
For this first of the two long stages, I was riding solo; my Ironman buddy was planning a later start, so I had the opportunity to enjoy the company of my husband, who drafted me until his rear mech slipped into his rear wheel and there was a stop for mechanics for him. I carried on solo, passing groups of people as I went towards the first pit stop of the day, which was on the other side of the Glen Coe range.
It was a humbling ride to say the least; passing rider after rider, all heading out for the gruelling ride. I passed people with every kind of set up: mountain bikes, trainers and flat pedals, carrying panniers. It was such a motivating ride as I bid them all a good morning and felt lucky to be riding a full carbon set up and Zipp 404s.
The miles slipped by quite comfortably with a tailwind and the beautiful weather ,as well as breathtaking scenery which made for an easier first half. Before I knew it, I was turning to head down the west banks of Loch Lomond and towards the second pit stop. This is where it got quite frightening as the road was more like a motorway with HGVs, buses, and cars towing vans skimming past me with alarming proximity. I spotted a path that was following the lake shore, and after a quick nod from my support car, headed onto the path and away from the busy road.
Traversing the banks of the Loch was calm and tranquil, and the water looked like a mill pond. All too soon the path ended, and I had to rejoin the A82 for the final 5 miles into the second pit stop. With no-one else really there, I turned straight round and got back on with the route which took us through a built up area, a dual carriageway, and over the Erskine bridge via the bike path, thankfully. The views from the bridge were quite spectacular and with clear skies it was possible to see the planes on their approach to land.
Almost as quickly as we'd been thrust into the busy sections, I was back out in open countryside as we finished the stage with a loop to the south west of Glasgow, to come into the base camp based south of East Kilbride. This section was in fact more challenging than the climb through Glen Coe, as the road surface was in a dire state and the road either went straight up, or straight down, making it hard to maintain the 20 miles per hour I'd managed to that point. Great practice for the National Road Race Championships a week on Sunday though!
With the stage brief indicating we would cover 128 miles, I became rather alarmed that I'd missed the 5 miles to go sign when my power meter ticked over the 202km mark. When the lead motorbikle caught up with me, he also confirmed that he thought we'd now paseed inside the daily mileage, but then sure enough, instead of seeing a base camp, we saw the 5 miles to go! By this point I'd been drinking flat Coke to try and get some life into myself. After 190km on the front and mainly riding alone, I'd started to swing big time, and my saddle was very uncomfortable!
On realising I could stay there and grovel, or step on it and finish inside 7 hours, I decided to pick up the pace again, and kept telling myself this is what a lone breakaway would feel like! Thankfully, the flags of the base camp appeared, and I coasted in to applause - I was the first rider home! My clock said 6 hours and 57 minutes, a 30kph average speed - although with the 20 minutes I'd spent faffing with extra chamois cream and loo stops, as well as the many traffic lights, my official time was 7 hours 17 minutes!
As I staggered away to get in the car, James Cracknell appeared to finish, with an incredible solo ride of 6 hours 56 minutes - I wondered if he'd actually stopped!
All too soon the massage was done, the dinner had been eaten, and the alarm was ringing for the start of stage 4 - another 212 gruelling kilometers which saw us leave Scotland and enter England. For me, the start was another 100km I could spend with Barney, who was once again doing the starting leg for the relay he is doing with Jody Cundy, and as both of us were feeling rough with bad stomachs, we kept the pace quite steady and picked up various riders looking for a tow as the wind was now coming from the south, and we had a headwind for most of the day.
On deciding that we were probably on sports powder and gel overload, we ditched the bottles and refilled them with Coke; pretty much the only thing we could stomach for several hours!
After leaving Barney, there were very few people ahead, but gradually I was able to pick them off, and the second pit stop loomed just before crossing the border back into England. It's not until you ride in this way that you realise just how far north Scotland reaches! The final leg was an undulating ride into Carlisle, and then a much hillier finish down to Ullswater. There were some steep rises, and some fast and twisty descents, but the views were quite amazing, and we found roads that most people would never have realised existed. For most of this section I had the company of the lead motorbike, which confirmed I'd be the first rider home again. These motorbike marshals have been a very welcome sight at various points on the route, and today I was grateful for him leading me through the twisty sections.
At one point, we were high on the moors, passing through wild land, with low lying bushes and hundreds of small ponies and sheep. The road was winding through this remote landscape and it made you feel like the only person in the world! As I rounded a corner, after slowing down to not scare the ponies, there was a huge sign wishing 'Nigel' all the very best, and several people stood with it cheering! It was awesome to see them high on this moorland, and I pushed on, realising there was only about 20km to finish!
We crossed the A66, and went through Troutbeck Head, and then gradually worked our way through the countryside to the side of Ullswater. Turning right, the road then climbed and fell through Patterdale, and before too long, I could see the flags of the base camp in the distance. It was a welcome sight, and I was chuffed to again finish inside 7 hours; with 6 hours 53 minutes on the clock, a height gain of 1565m throughout the day, and another 185 watt average.
Being in the Lake District is familiar territory with the races I have done up here, but tomorrow starts with a climb over Kirkstone Pass, so that will need a good breakfast and thankfully a slightly later start at 8am! For now though, it's time to clear all those empty Coke bottles from the car!
Sarah x
For more information about the Horizon Fitness Racing Team, visit www.onthedrops.com.