Racing in 2010

Well what a fantastic summer of racing, odd as it wasn't meant to happen at all. Due to not having any money and not getting enough freelance work the plan was only to do the Kielder100 and then solo24 thanks to Ollie gifting me his entry. Then just before solo24 I got a full-time job for the summer. It meant that at 24solo it was always in the back of my mind that I had to work on the monday, although my main problem was the heat at that race. Still I felt like I had a reasonable race and apart from one two hour stop I rode the race.

After that I got thinking about doing another 24hour solo, I wanted to see if I could push myself harder. So I booked some time off work and entered SITS. In between I rode the Gisburn 12 hour as training, I felt good at the race and despite being the only female pushed myself to finished 11th soloist. After this I was looking forward to SITS. SITS was hard and without my sister and Ali I wouldn't have finished. The lack of long rides was telling but even when I thought no one could be riding slower I kept going. I finished on 20 laps, so 160miles and the top step of the podium. I was very glad of the time off work afterwards.

Then it was time for Kielder which was orginally going to be the last race of the year, but I had now entered both Relentless and Dusk til Dawn. My aim was to ride faster than 2009 and that I managed. I also realised how much faster I needed to be to get near the podium. Ali was meant to ride this race as well but injury put paid to that so we'll both be there in 2011, I am going to try it geared this time.

Onto Dusk til Dawn in a mixed pair with Rob Lee, slightly worried that I was just not fast enough. But the conditions meant that noone was fast. 2nd in the end well beaten by a team from finland, I do want to go back and try the event in the dry, I imagine it would be super fast.

Relentless was the last race and Chris and I wanted to win. It wasn't going to be easy though, mixed pairs is a hard category and our plan was to ride equal time. It was close the whole time with us spending most of the race in 2nd. But in the end we won by ten minutes. Probably the hardest I have rode my bike. So rewarding to feel that shattered though.

I also managed a brownbacks race and a cross race, there may be one or two more but I'm not feeling it for cross this year.

So what of next year. Well keilder100 and 24solo are definitely on the calendar. I'm hoping to be at Mayhem with a mixed team - I am yet to have a fantastic race there - and I also want to do most of the brownbacks races this year. I also fancy SITS again, D2D and the Gisburn race but depends on real life.

In other words I am job hunting, from sunday I have no job. Unsure what I actually want to do and how to persuade someone to give me a job. But need to look, as no job, means no money, means no racing.