Tuesday 17 May 2011

Etape Caledonia : been there, got the medal!

Well, that's the first challenge completed!  Now we know we can nail 81 miles.

Registration complete, Team Wheelbarrow (comprising Phil, Joe and Liam) convened on Saturday night  in Pitlochry, Perthshire, for some pre-race nosh and drinks along with the wifely supporters.  Tactics were discussed (survive; find a peloton to hang on to; and don't push it), fears were expressed (that the broom-wagon sets off just after us and drives at 13 mph to try and take your timing chip off you) and beer was drunk ... an early night followed with a sharp eye on the weather forecast.

Where's Wally?

Sunday dawned clear, cold and windy and after a hearty breakfast we all met up at 06:30 at the start.  Well, actually 24 groups back from the start as we were not exactly up there with the elite riders.  Some early morning shopping ensued by Joe who had forgotten his gloves, then we were set.  Sadly one of the warnings I'd been given was absolutely true: an hour spent standing in the windy main street of Pitlochry at 06:30 in May is not exactly the best warm-up.  By the time our wave of riders was released onto the road I, for one, was full-body shivering (the main reason for a pulled knee before I'd even left Pitlochry - Learning Point 1)!

Liam ...................................... Phil ............................................... Joe             

The buzz was fantastic.  Over 4000 riders, and the most eye-watering collection of high-end bikes you could wish for.  The organisation was faultless, the feed stations were great, the route was fantastic.  The wind was a pain, but helped on the return legs as much as it hindered on the outward leg.  Once Joe had the bit between his teeth he was off!  I saw him briefly at the first feed station, then never again until the end.  Liam dropped off the back within the first 5 miles and I thought that his dour warning that he was going to do abysmally might in fact come true (although I never actually believed him when he first voiced it).  It turned out that a technology glitch caused his HRM to convince him he was on the verge of a cardiac event and he backed off.  He then came back on song, powered through the first feed station whilst Joe and I were scoffing, and we never saw him again.  He was first back.  Well, first of the 3 of us anyway.  (My HRM also lied and reckoned my heart was only beating for 31 seconds of the race.  It was all down to the cold = no sweating for an hour = no full chest contact.  Joe was OK; he used the electroconductive gell - Learning Point 2)

Joe sailed in a short while after Liam, and I breezed in for the wooden spoon half an hour later having spent far too long at 3 of the 4 feeding stations - Learning Point 3.  Oh, and also because I didn't pedal fast enough - Learning Point 4.  Still, it gives me much more scope for improvement next year!

All over ; where's the beer tent?

So well done all 3 of us.  We finished, and we finished in good shape ahead of the broom wagon.  It really was a great event and well worth the effort.  Now all Joe and I have to do is the same thing for 15 days on the trot with 10kg of panniers!  Not at that pace, though.

Celebration!


p.s. I've just scanned the results and my dignity is restored with the King Of The Mountain times!

Liam : 3009th; 05:18:56; (KOTM 13:18)
Joe    : 3158th; 05:26:09; (KOTM 14:00)
Phil   : 3798th; 06:04:41; (KOTM 13:15)  (moving average 14.6 mph)

And for comparison and future inspiration, Evan Oliphant, Scottish Road Race Champion won :
Evan Oliphant : 03:27:38; (KOTM 05:48)  (Suspect he missed out on all the feed stations)

To read more of this event, see :

http://www.etapecaledonia.co.uk/

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Perthshire/article/13990/surrey-couple-saddle-up-for-married-life-at-etape-s-start-line.html

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/article/13942/saboteurs-fail-in-bid-to-wreck-etape-caledonia-cycling-event.html

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Perthshire/article/14002/opponents-of-etape-caledonia-vow-to-step-up-pressure-to-have-it-declared-illegal.html

Sunday 8 May 2011

Tension is Rising

Well, time is marching on.  Planning is progressing, but the pace may quicken as panic sets in.  We now have the first 4 nights accommodation booked (Fowey, Exeter, just north of Cheddar, and just north of Ross-on-Wye).  Family commitments have prevented joint training, but a spell of mother-in-law-sitting has allowed me to get a few long rides in: east of Hull; up on the Yorkshire Wolds; and south of the Humber Bridge. And the last week or so has seen Anne and I out on rides in preparation for our cycle tour at the end of May.  The fantastic weather has revealed Aberdeenshire at its best as this shot in Glen Buchat shows. Between trips to Norway, Joe has been sneaking off on epic tours and has admitted to a 90-miler out to Corgarf and back via Glen Buchat, all in 7 hrs (plus stops).  What else has he not admitted to?  I'm going to have to up my game. 


Phil, the Hewitt Cheviot SE, and Glen Buchat

The real test will come this weekend, however, as we are embarking on our first Etape Caledonia, the 81 mile closed-road sportive based in Pitlochry. http://www.etapecaledonia.co.uk/  We are joined by another ex-BP friend of mine (Liam Cousins) and around 5000 others and will be setting off at 07:33 approximately on Sunday (14th May).  Fingers crossed for the weather!    The challenge will be to keep ahead of the broom wagon which sets off just after us and drives at 13mph.  If it catches you it takes away your timing chip, and you are presumably classified as DNF!  No pressure there, then.

I'll report back on our performance!