One year on and one position closer – that podium still feels so far away.

The race began with a 2.5 km run which took my feet by surprise with my new carbon soul shoes!  Two laps in and feeling fast and strong but had to change my shoes to the old faithfuls as the run had caused quite a blister.

Each lap felt like it had a lot more climbing than previous years which suited me as I love a good climb.  A few more laps in and I was still feeling strong – the race was going to plan.  Ant White was riding as strong as ever and I knew my main competition was Dave Powell and Jason Miles from Ragley if I wanted to reach my goal of getting podium on a single speed.

Going into the night I was sitting comfortably in third but knew that Jason was close on my tail.  I rode hard through the night but at around 5.00 am I hit the proverbial wall.  After the dreaded long pit stop that every 24hr solo rider fears, I had lost a full lap and dropped back into fourth.  After tea, porridge and many words of encouragement from my superb pit crew I went out again with the words “ok I’ll try one more lap”.

Photo courtesy of Kate Williams (Kathleeeeeeeen)

Half way into this lap, something clicked and my focus returned – I decided I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.  My next few laps felt as strong as my first with my quest for podium at the forefront of my mind.

At the end of the race I was one step closer to my goal but podium still feels so far away.  I’ll be back next year, fitter and more stubborn than ever.

Well done to Ant, Dave and Jason – you all rode so strong.  Well done also to Rosie who rode singlespeed solo for the first time and reached double figures getting 2nd in the Veteran Teams!

Thanks to everyone who supported me – a special thanks to Jase and Matt who worked hard (especially through the night).

Thanks to:

Brotherton Cycles - www.brothertoncycles.com

Singular Cycles - www.singularcycles.com

Osprey - www.ospreypacks.com

Exposure Lights - www.exposurelights.com

MT Zoom - www.xcracer.com

Torq - www.torqfitness.co.uk

Jo's Woolies - knittingwebsitecomingsoon