Well here we are once again in the blog zone......
Our 2 discovery 4 vehicles (kindly lent to us from JLR) were loaded up with the team kit/bikes etc & we
regrouped at Warwick services. After many attempts by Mark - AKA David Bellamy to get a pre Italy team photo it was upto one of the other team to get his mobile out & take a quick snap instead. Mark did manage to get his camera working (eventually) for later on in the journey to take some great shots.
Anyway we set off & with only a few satnav errors from both vehicle which split us up but travelling through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria & Italy gave us some breathe taking scenery which was just simply stunning, but at long last & many hours driving, sleeping getting lost etc we ended up in our destination after a grueling long haul drive.
We got there with just another time to take in the first trial run of one of the climbs we were to experience on Sunday, but first we collected our Maratona packs had a bite to eat too. I must admit after the small ride to go & collect our race packs i wasn't feeling great, the heat was getting to me a little to start with & I think the lack of proper food made me feel rather crap. The short ride into town was hard for me as my body was just not playing along & short climbs along the way hurt as my heart rate was 170bpm which made me think have I done the right thing here! Anyway we collected our packs & dropped them off at the apartment then set out to do the first climb the Campolongo.
We started to climb & as Steve was pacing the front we set out rather quicker than I could handle, my heart rate was getting worse until Steve said did we want to slow it down a little, which I was very happy to do. The team then pushed on which soon turned into an enjoyable climb & by the top my body was adjusting to the change in temperature & conditions. What goes up must come down & once at the top we then started the descent which was what I was very looking forward to, all I can say was it was an amazing experience to feel the speed while throwing the bike around bend after bend & even though it wasn't a closed road we all made mince meat of any traffic that got in our way. Nowhere before have I experienced such a thrill & being able to go faster on the road than a motor vehicle.
At the bottom we regrouped all with massive smiles on each & every face, I then thought to myself perhaps I have made the right decision.
We all went back & showered to go out & experience some real Italian food & meet up with some friends that were already out here. We briefly met up with Dave Lee & agreed to do dinner with his team the following day. Dave had suggested a place to eat that evening so we set off & got a table, the food was fantastic the pasta & pizza slipped down like we hadn't been fed for a week.
The next day we continued to carbo load & what better way to do it than coffee & cake, lots of cake. Then it was time to get our Lowroaders tops on & meet up with the Cycling Weekly crew for a general get together plus photo/video shoot. We all introduced ourselves to Ian Parr who was organising the cycling weekly event. After the general shoots were done we did our raffle to see who would win the signed Team Sky jersey (kindly donated & signed by Team Sky after stage 17 of Giro D'Italia via JLR)
We did a short video of this event & the winner was Malcome Guy. When we announced the winner sadly he had to go but one of his team members was there to collect the shirt on his behalf. After a brief discussion with Malcome Guy's team member it had a rather fitting story behind his large donation which was great to see that the jersey was going to someone that would appreciate it, it turned out that another one of his team was unable to make it to the Maratona due to the fact he had put himself on the organ donation list & was giving away one of his kidneys. Malcome had said that if he won it that he would have it framed so that they could give it to him as he was unable to do the Maratona, the whole Lowroaders tam thought this was a very fitting story for where the shirt was to end up.
More carbo loading that night with Dave Lee & his group continued to a little later than we would of hoped but then that did take the nerves off the main event a little, well for me anyway. I was starting to doubt myself whether I could actually do what I set out to do. The team were great to one another & we all told each other that the training had been done & that the Maratona would be conquered by one & all. It was discussed a long time ago that the team would ride at our own pace, this way each member could concentrate on their own goal of finishing without pushing too hard just to stay in a group.
That evening in the apartment the tension was showing a little without anyone wanting to show it, you could just tell that everyone was showing signs of nervousness which was perfectly normal. The lights eventually went out but no-one really got a great night sleep, it was very humid that evening & was difficult to settle. The alarm went off nice & early & as we had all prepped our gear the night before we had breakfast & made our way to the start gate. Here we gathered for a little while before we were able to set off.
There were all sorts going on people on stilts, music playing people everywhere just anticipating the start. There were helicopters everywhere with film crews on as it was to be televised on Italian TV.
Then it was time, we started to move & slowly we started to pedal, within minutes I had lost all of the team as there were just so many riders, but I thought this is it, this is my race of not just physical but mental too.
The Campolongo was the first on the hit list & as there everyone was still very tightly packed it was to be slow going, mainly because there was just no room anywhere. There were people beside me very heavily breathing & I just kept looking at my gamin thinking this is ok I'm in my zone, breathing was normal & i'm feeling good. My nerves had more or less now dispersed & I was concentrating on the rest of the event.
There was one rider who lost his footing & hit the deck straight on his shoulder, I thought that's got to hurt. I managed to stay far enough away that I wasn't caught up in everyone around him needing to put their feet down.
The next few hills were ok & I was feeling good, I kept my HR down & thought I can do this, the hill climbing was hard & I new the worst was still to come. As the day went on the heat started to get hotter & hotter, but after each hill I new there was to be an awesome reward, the descent I was picking people off in the field like they were standing still, the other riders just didn't seem to want to take the correct lines so I was under/over cutting riders everywhere. I never actually seen any accidents on my descents but there were ambulances loading rider after rider into the back, plus on the descent of the Sella ( I think) there was a rider who was seriously hurt after he had wiped out as an air ambulance was just landing to load him into the back. Marshall's were waiving yellow flags & blowing whistles to warm me to slow for the corners but I could see the line of sight & new what speed I was capable of doing so carried on at my own pace.
The end of the short course came & went & I there was a slight thought in my head shall I stop, then I thought to myself briefly & thought that I can't let the team down so pushed on & more upward.......
The same went through my head for the medium route too but I made the cut to be able to carry on & tackle the dreaded Giau 9.9km long & average 9.3% gradient.
There were a few small sharpish hills prior to the Giau, I had stopped at the feed stations prior & took on-board my caffeine gels & electrolyte drinks then I hit it, I must admit I started climbing & thought I can do this in one without stopping, but I was wrong, the heat got to me & I started to feel a little light headed & really sick. I ended up stopping around 8 times the sweat was poring off of me, but I was determined not to walk any part of the any hill. I may have stopped but I did not take one single step as that would off just done it in for me psychologically. I'd reached the top of the Giau & started to feel a little emotional, the one thing that kept me going around all the hills was a mental picture of my fiance Emma plus when I found it really hard I remembered what she had told me prior to leaving. Emma had said to me remember it doesn't matter how hard it gets & how much pain your in, that to remember why your doing this event & that is for the children of Birmingham Children's Hospital & that they will be suffering a lot more & a lot longer than the few hours that I will be, plus that I was also doing the event to remember a friend & bother of one of the other riders 'Nick Rawlinson'. This thought really helped out & inspired me to finish no matter how bad I felt.
The final climb & I new at the top that this was it that I had reached the worst of what the Dolimites could throw at me, there was a feed station there & I looked down & thought no need to stop so pushed on. In minutes I looked up & didn't remember that there was another kick up till the end which was a killer, but I did it even though my legs had almost given up. The last section which felt like forever was slowly done & when I could see the 1000m banner the euphoria that I felt was so intense as I new I had done what I doubted that I could do, I crossed the line at an official time of 9hrs 6mins 58 secs (garmin time 8hrs 35mins 6secs which included the ride to the start).
I would like to thank all of the team for their support of the past months with training & all the emotional times that I had to endure, plus Garry Palmer from sportstest for the training programme that got me prepared for this. Also I could not of done any of this without the support of my family especially my fiance Emma, her words of wisdom, encouragement & just all the love she gave to me to help me with this incredible journey.
One last note before I blog off & thats to the rest of Team Lowroaders - WELL DONE ALL
No comments:
Post a Comment