Saturday 7 February 2009

Hit the North 1.5

Today was Hit the North 1.5. Ali and I cycled over which was a good warm up for my legs. We got there and I took off all my lovely warm layers and got ready for the brass band to start us all off. A good start but I kinda ruined it by going the wrong way at a corner and watched about twenty people come past. It wasn't long before I was in a bit of a duel with another girl. We were swapping places, the cross bike faster in parts and her mtb in others. I got away on a climb that really suited the cross bike, almost tarmac. But I was aware there wasn't a big gap.
2nd to last lap and I went down a steep slope with no brakes, very scary, I worked out that the bar top levers pulled more cable though so I could stop with them, they just weren't as stable. Last lap after scaring myself I ran most of the downhills. The steps that lap felt huge and my bike was gettign heavy - I was glad it wasn't my trek I would have been barely able to lift it!!! The last lap the girl passed me just before a steep downhill, I ran it but couldn't see her at all. I pushed round the lovely dry fast singletrack but was beginning to think that was it! On the last climb I got her and took advantage of the cross bikes speed. Onto the finish straight it was head down and hope, I think she was 10seconds behind me with the girl in 3rd 10seconds behind her. A great race!!!

15 comments:

  1. First female!!!
    Well done Trio.

    If you had brakes you'd be unstoppable. (Bad pun intended).

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  2. WOW... What a great race and write up Trio!
    WELL DONE TO YOU AND THE NEW CROSS BIKE!!

    A chocolate feast must be underway?

    Fantastic stuff...but as Lance would say..It's not about the bike...

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  3. great result. Get some proper brakes before you get killed.

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  4. fantastic result! fear must be good for you ;)

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  5. I was there, you did great. I was yakking to a fellow ,er ,competitor going up the tarmac section near the start on about L3 and you came past us.

    I was on a lime green cannondale with the Alan's team gazebo thingy.

    Nice one.
    Check out the Alan's bikes blog shortly for my bit.

    Tim

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  6. terrahawk Brakes are a priority I scared myself!

    Tim I'll check the blog out, its on my reader. Great race wasn't it!

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  7. Yes well done to you. Who was the one that came second !!

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  8. Well done Trio - I said you were fast!

    Very impressed with anyone who rode some of those descents on a cross bike - rather you than me!

    Did you ride the descent with the deep puddle/road at the bottom?

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  9. dot That was the one descent I didn't ride, ran it every lap!

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  10. Well done! I had a ride round the course on friday night looked good, very muddy. There was a scary little left hander with steps and a long drop on the right hand side, on the singletrack out above the hall, had a riders dismount sign, were people riding that or was dismounting compulsory?

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  11. Everyone had to dismount, the marshall there was very on the ball!

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