So this was suppossed to be the culmination of my season, stronger, fitter and faster than last year and first chance to try myself out on a hill climb where the playing field would be evened out with no real benefits from aero bikes.
Well that was the idea but as they say best laid plans.......
My preparation was shocking 2 weeks away from work (6 fligths, 8 hour time zone change, american food and a a dose of GI tract infection), meant that I turned up severely undercooked and quite frankly shagged before I started.
The first hill was a 3.2 mile drag quite similar to Brynna Hill and the kind of gradient that you could effectively treat as a short time trial.
I'd already decided to make sure I took a steady as she goes approach, no pointing blowing up in the first half mile and then struggling, trouble was every time I did try and put the power down there was simply nothing there.
I was stone cold last and severely disappointed.
The second hill was much shorter. A false flat to begin with and then a beast of a rise 17% gradient. I struggled up but by this point I was just happy to finish. For the record (2nd last on this hill).
Massively, massively disappointed and sorry to report a lantern rouge result for the club colours.
It was a strong field and by no means would I have expected to challenge for honours, but with better (any!) preparation I would have hoped to be somewhere in the mid-field.
I would highly recommend the event, well organised and a different challenge, and I am sure that the likes of Rob and Chris would be in with a good shout of challenging.
Thats me done competively this season. A long winter of discontent beckons.
