So I am fully focussed on the Dartmoor Classic sportive this sunday at the moment! Its 106 miles of serious climbing (11,500 feet) and its quite ridiculously hard! Last year we did it, start to finish 8hrs 17mins - and I am sure I was hallucinating at times!
This year I am fitter, better prepared and know what is coming (might be a disadvantage!) so I hope to match that at least! Three of us are cycling together so my time will be dependent on them - I'll be going on how I feel going round!
This time I'm on a different bike with a double chainset (bigger gears on the front) as opposed to my compact of last year - that will definitely count against me - I'm hoping the stone in weight I've lost will counteract this!
I hit my local 'Hill of Death' on Sunday which used to kill me - this time I went up it in the big ring without any real trouble...a good sign!
As I write this I am bloooody knackered though - three weeks of hard cycling took its toll on me last night as I struggled on my ride home and spent all evening trying to recover! Tonight I will have a run around with a rugby ball to ease the legs off, thursday and saturday will be gentle spins on the bike to remind them whats it like!
My commute is 23 miles each way, which is not that far but add's up on the way home after a long day at work (mentally not physically tiring work)! But last night was awful - I had some bread for lunch to try and boost my energy and then my infinit about an hour before my ride - thinking it would hit as I started....something went wrong though I got that shaky leg tired, dizzy feeling after a couple of miles and couldn't shake it till mile 9.67 - at which point I had a burst and put in some speedy (22 mph) miles until I hit the hills at the end - I died again and struggled to maintain form till I got home! Maybe it was the food or the drink or just tiredness - mini taper from now on I think!
We head down Saturday afternoon and camp over till Sunday morning for the start! I am really excited about it!
Anyway I shall continue to note down my thoughts on this! Hope anyone reading is enjoying!
Thanks
Tim
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