That's All Folks!

This morning I completed my last training ride before heading out to Qatar next weekend. As well as my long standing training buddy, Sags, it was great to have Debs along as well. She was visiting Brampton for some Loggie Dining In night and was in remarkably good form considering the time she had got to bed the previous evening. It was a nice gentle run with a few efforts up the hills (OK, inclines). Sags was on his singlespeed but was moving along at a fair old pace. We had one particularly hair raising moment as we descended at a fairly rapid pace and came across a dog wandering in the road; I was travelling at close to 60kmh and the consequences of hitting a dog at that speed don't bare thinking about. We all got round it safely but whether the dog avoided the cars following closely behind us I don't know. In the end I clocked just under 63km in 2 hrs 16 minutes.

With the boys home from boarding school for the weekend we are having a nice family dinner tonight; it's surf and turf and I've been to the local butcher and have some lovely looking sirloin steaks sitting in the fridge. Pudding will be birthday cake as my eldest has his 15th birthday in a couple of weeks and of course I rack up my 45th in mid October.

At last, a flight date

Yes, the wait is over. My flight date has been confirmed as Saturday 4 October so I can now do my final prep and get my head around everything. I have packed my turbo bike and turbo and am sending it through the freight system so will take a few weeks to get there. But that's OK, as I have a strength and conditioning phase to work through for the first 4 - 6 weeks. Sags has helped with getting this programme together so I can expect some serious pain. I've not done a dedicated strength programme at the beginning of the winter before so it will be interesting to see how this works. When the turbo arrives I will move into a bike specific phase for the remainder of my det, building up the mileage on the LSD rides and hopefully increasing the power on the L3 and L4 sessions. I know what figures I was pushing out this year so if I can improve these by 20 or 30 watts I believe I will be in a good position to seriously challenge that sub 5 hour target at Roth and Barcelona. Based on this year's performance I know I can comfortably hold 36kmh on a flat smooth road for an hour, all I need to do now is to be able to hold that for 5 hours. Easier said than done I imagine!

After my fitness test on Monday I have taken to comfort eating. There have been a few cakes and doughnuts going round that I have found hard to resist, so didn't! And very nice they were too.

Fitness Test

Pre-deployment fitness test today and it was time for another PB - 12.6. Well happy with that Only light blue but in 3 weeks time I reach the grand old age of 45 and it would be deep blue. Press ups and sit ups were both deep blue as well so I guess I'm in pretty good shape for my age.

So here's a question for you - is there any relationship between your MSFT score and how fast you can run a 10k race? ie if I can reach 12.6 on the MSFT should I be able run 10k faster than 43 minutes?

The Toughest Middle Distance Race in the UK

What I mean, of course, is the toughest Middle Distance race in the UK that I have completed in 2008.

So, in reverse order:

5th Place - Cowman. It was very close between Cowman and the Vitruvian for 5th place, but the additional pressure I placed on myself to do well at the Vitruvian just edged that race ahead of the Cowman. Don't get me wrong, the Cowman is a good event and had an excellent goody bag (2XU calf guards were included) and it is a proper HIM distance race as well. But other than one serious hill on the bike (that you do 3 times), it is the distance rather than the course that presents the challenge. The weather was pretty grim, though, which didn't help.

Toughness Factor - 6 (out of 10). Enjoyment Factor 8

4th Place - Vitruvian. Sorry Pacesetter Events, you put on a great event but tough? Not even close. The Rutland Ripple on the bike leg (that you do twice) is over with very quickly; indeed I find the long drag and the "lumps" towards the end of the lap more challenging. The back part of the bike course is also very fast, especially this year with a fair tailwind pushing you along. I got my first sub 5 hour Middle Distance race this year, hence the high Enjoyment Factor rating.

Toughness Factor - 6. Enjoyment Factor - 10

3rd Place - Aberfeldy. The first 3 were by some margin tougher than the other 2, but were very closely matched between themselves, as the challenges each of them offered was different. It was tough to split the first 3 but after much deliberation 3rd place goes to Aberfeldy. The swim was cold this year, certainly colder than I remember it from previous races, but was OK once you got going. The bike leg is tough and I recorded my slowest bike split of the year at just over 3 hours for 92km; the first hill is some 8km long! The run was undulating and although I felt good I overcooked it on the run, making it a very tough end to the race for me. But that was my fault, not the course's, hence 3rd place.

Toughness Factor - 8. Enjoyment Factor - 10

2nd Place - Bala. At 2km, the swim is (officially) longer than the other races and the weather had been kind in the lead up to the race so the water wasn't that cold. The bike leg is only 80km but man, what an 80km they are. Traditionally, the course goes up and over the mountain then has a fast run back alongside Lake Bala to T2. Due to road subsidence the route was changed this year; up and over the mountain until you reached 40km, then turn round and go back the way you came, up and over the mountain again. And it was tough. And if you survived the bike (and many did not) then there was the run. The race organiser described the run as having no flat bits other than the run out of T2. He was quite right! After a few kms the road goes left uphill, and keeps going uphill until the turnaround point, and then it's downhill for a couple of km and the undulating run home. The weather did it's bit to make it tough as well; it was scorchio hot and many competitors were quite badly sunburned during the course of the day. Yes, a tough one, but not the toughest.

Toughness Factor - 9. Enjoyment Factor - 9

1st Place - Half Ireman. So what does a Middle Distance race need to be considered the toughest one I did this year? Firstly, it was full HIM distance. Secondly, it was a sea swim, and a long one at that. Post race analysis showed the fastest swimmer was some 10 minutes slower than the previous year - 1900m? General consensus seemed to be that 2.2km might be a closer estimate. And then there was the temperature - it was cold - and the swell; look up at the wrong time and all you saw was the forthcoming wave about to hit you. And salt water tastes horrible. The bike is also long, at 93km. It is a strange bike leg as there are no long, steep hills. What you do get, though, is constantly changing gradient meaning you are forever changing gear and cadence and it was very difficult to get into a rhythm. There are some very good stretches of tarmac, but there are also some of the worst roads I have ever raced on, and you really do get a bit of a beating. And then there's the run. A course change this year took it up from 20 to 21km for a proper HIM distance and this is no easy tarmac course. You run along a coastal path, single track for some distance, with rocks etc to negotiate, before you get to a couple of sections of beach, complete with soft sand. And you do 2 laps of that. But it's a very well organised event (certainly as good as The Vitruvian) and there were lots of supporters out on the course cheering you on which made it a really enjoyable event to do as well.

Toughness Factor - 10. Enjoyment Factor - 10.

So there you have it, my 5 Toughest UK Middle Distance races for 2008.

So what's on the agenda for 2009? So far, the only things I have agreed to are:

Quelle Challenge Roth - 12 July
Quelle Challenge Barcelona - 4 October

Others I would like to do, subject to work, family etc etc are:

Dubai Half Ironman - late January. I will be in Qatar and will have a solid 4 months of training behind me so why not?
The Wensleydale Big Cheese - early to mid August. Daz says it's a toughie and accuses me of not being tough enough to complete it. Sounds like a challenge to me; difficult not to pick up that particular gauntlet.

I would also like to fit in the IS races, so duathlon, Olympic and middle distance events are on the "possible/maybe" list. And maybe event the RAF sprint series.

Hell's teeth, that's 10 events already, even before I start adding other events like 10, 25 and 50 mile TTs and a couple of cheeky sportives I want to do in prep for Roth and Barcelona.

And let's not forget I will be posted somewhere when I get back from Qatar in February so will have to wait and see where I end up. You never know, I might not be able to do any UK events ...

Now is the time to rest smart folks; take some time off, do something different, recharge the batteries, get some quality coaching in your weakest discipline (one I will be ignoring!), spend some quality time with the family etc etc. If I don't see you before I head east, have a good winter training and I look forward to meeting up with you all again in the New Year. 2008 was great, can 2009 be better?

That Was The Year That Was!

What a fantastic year 2008 has been. Only a few of you may know that I came very close to giving up triathlon in 2007 because I just wasn't enjoying it, and so for 2008 I decided to do something different. I didn't want to do another Ironman race; the training commitment was just too great. I had enjoyed the middle distance races I had completed because they offered a challenge of pace and endurance and still had the "wow" factor when you told people what you did at the weekend. So middle distance it would be; but which race, or races? I had completed the Aberfeldy and Vitruvian races before so I would need to look elsewhere. But let's be honest, one middle distance race is not all that special, so there would have to be more than one. But how many more? And which races would they be? And then it happened - enlightenment. What better way to combine triathlon with the opportunity to visit new places in the UK at the same time? The HIM UK tour was thereby born (in hindsight it should have been called the UK Middle Distance Tour but there you go). Some serious internet research followed and the following races were selected:

Bala, Wales
Cowman, England
Aberfeldy, Scotland
Half Ireman, Northern Ireland

Training and completing one middle distance race is not too difficult; the distances involved do not require a massive step up in training volume from standard distance races. But 4 races would require careful management of both training and recovery to ensure I remained focussed over 3 months from the first to last race.

Having decided on the tour I floated the idea around a few RAF Tri members and Reg Swallow agreed to join me. He was unable to do Cowman so changed his English race to the Big Half at Trentham. Reg was a great companion to have on such an undertaking; along the way we have had great ups, massive downs, learned a lot and laughed even more. It has been tough, and there has been some pain, but ticking off the races one by one has been awesome. Hopefully my race reports have given some idea of the enjoyment we have got out of this.

Whilst the Middle Distance Tour was certainly my focus for the year, I managed to fit in a few other events along the way. My events for this year were:

1 duathlon
1 standard distance tri
1 10 mile TT
1 Cycle Sportive (82 miles)
2 sprint distance tri
5 Middle distance tri

5 Middle Distance tri I hear you say? Yes, I decided 4 wasn't enough so threw in a 5th and did the Vitruvian as well. This was a really good decision as I managed my first ever sub 5 hour middle distance race - just awesome! Other highlights were: having the fastest bike split at the Brize Norton sprint triathlon, ahead of the Mighty Sags; a new PB in the 10 mile TT; and being on the winning team again at both Brize and Cranwell sprint tris (again!).

No analysis of the year is complete without a look at the training diary. I started my training record for this year on 1 Oct 07, meaning there was 50 weeks until my last race of 2008. Over those 50 weeks I averaged 7 hours and 19 minutes of training per week, with a peak of 16 hours and 15 minutes in early January. That was a special week though; the next biggest week was 11 hours and 15 minutes. My average week would consist of 1 hour 13 minutes of swimming, 3 hours 39 minutes of cycling, 1 hour 51 minutes of running, and 37 minutes of core, stretch and flex. Not a great deal of training to go sub 5 hours at the Vitruvian; if I could regularly add a couple of hours a week to that who knows what I could achieve in 2009?

Ah yes, 2009. On the list so far are the bike leg at Quelle Challenge Roth and Quelle Challenge Barcelona. These will be my A races for 2009 so I plan to be doing a lot of cycling this winter. I am due to be posted when I get back from Qatar in February so, subject to being posted somewhere that is tri friendly, I hope to be able to add to that the RAF sprint series, the Dambuster and the Vitruvian. There is also the Dubai Half Ironman at the end of Jan 09 that might, just might, be an outside possibility of doing.

Well that's all for 2008 folks. I have had a brilliant year and doing something other than racing around Rutland Water was what really put the spark into it for me. So go on, dare to do something different and challenge yourself at the same time. As the motto of the Half Ireman race said: Why? Because I can.

Half Ireman Race Report

This was it, the final leg of the UK HIM Tour.

Swim 1.9k
Bike 93k
Run 21k
Why? Because I can.

Well that's what the race motto was, and very apt it is too.

Let's start with the event itself; set in Groomsport, on the east coast of Northern Ireland, it is a wonderful setting. The organisation was great, very slick and the goody bag was by far the best I have received this year - Brooks running top, beanie hat, mug, drink, gel, discount vouchers - you get the idea.

For the only time of the tour, Reg had home advantage. Kelda had also flown over to join us on our final leg; it was going to be a tough race but we were all looking forward to it.

The weather leading up to the race had not been good, and race day dawned overcast and grey, although the forecast was good. Emma Davies, Ireland Olympic triathlete sounded the horn, and 212 triathletes and team members were off.

So how did it go?

Swim - 2 laps. Firstly, it's a sea swim and I would be losing my sea swimming virginity in this race. And it was cold. Once away from the shore there was a noticeable swell that made sighting difficult, and I reckon I swam much further than the advertised 1.9k. The water tasted horrible as well; made me yearn for the chlorinated stuff in the local pool! Everyone was being very polite and there was a noticeable lack of biff, although that might just be because I was well off course! End of lap 1 and you get out, run round a marker on the beach and then back in for lap 2. Whilst I can't say that I enjoyed the sea swimming experience it is something else I can now tick off my tri list. A time of 48.17 did not impress me much, but it seems that even last year's winner was 10 minutes slower this year so something was definitely up.

T1 - What can I say, another leisurely T1 but over a minute quicker than the Vit at 3:09 and then it was Hammer Time.

Bike - 3 laps. I was disappointed with my swim time and reckoned the only way to address this was to go hard on the bike; if the wheels fell off, so be it. Unfortunately, a couple of events had conspired against me. Firstly, those nice baggage handlers at Flybe had trashed my wheel skewers and as I use a Mavic Wintech computer with the sensor in the skewer handle I would be without my computer. I had also managed to stop my stopwatch in T1, so I had no time data at all for how I was progressing until the end of lap 2. I hit lap 1 hard and was determined to get back the time I thought I had lost. Some of the roads were really good, but other parts were very poor quality and the road was constantly changing gradient - it was either up or down, with very little flats and it was certainly challenging, but I was giving it my all and overtaking people like it was going out of fashion. Kelda was some 6½ minutes ahead out of T1 (although I didn't know that at the time) and I was surprised to catch her after about 16 miles. I timed my 2nd lap at 55:43 but as I started lap 3 I was not feeling good. I know I had raced hard and fast but that effort was now catching up with me; my mood was not helped by getting badly held up at 2 of the roundabouts, including a full on stop, unclip and foot down at one point. However, I took on some nutrition and had a word with myself, but it took another 10 miles or so before I felt comfortable, smooth and fast. I timed the last lap at 59:43 so using the amazing power of post race analysis my first lap had been completed in 52:49 for a total bike time of 2:48:15. Interestingly, Reg posted an identical time.

T2 - Slick and fast here, 59 seconds.

Run - 2 laps. By now the sun was up and it was quite warm, maybe even hot. The run is "interesting", as it includes roads, pavements, single track coastal paths, soft sandy beaches, promenades etc etc. It certainly isn't a run course for setting a PB! My bike exertions had taken their toll and I was not feeling great, so set off at a steady pace with a view of getting to the finish. I saw Kelda cycling in after I had been running for about 6 minutes and worked out that by the time she cycled the rest of the course and got through T2 she would be about 9 minutes behind me; nowhere near enough for me to stay ahead. Through the coastal path and across the soft sand for the first time and you go passed the transition area again and the first feed station, and there was the delightful Emma Davies handing out the drinks - well done to her. Heading out to the turn around point and I saw Reg running in the other direction; he was looking comfortable and I timed the gap; he was about 5 mins ahead; unless he had another nutrition disaster I wasn't going to challenge him today. Onto lap 2 and I decided that I would take full advantage of the aid stations; water, coke, jelly babies, sweet bananas etc, I felt like I needed a rush and these made me feel better. Just after the first aid station on lap 2 Kelda cruised passed looking very strong. I reckoned that Reg was about 8 mins ahead at this point. I eased through the coastal path section and the transition area, enjoying the support; it seemed like the whole town was out to support the race. Reg's wife Caz was also there, giving support and encouragement and some time checks to allow us to monitor the gap. It came as no surprise to me that the gap to the others was getting bigger all the time. After the final aid station I fuelled up just about everything they had to offer and felt much better and even managed to increase my pace towards the finish. I crossed the line and was met by more enthusiastic helpers, received my medal and recovery drink in a suitably logo'd drinks bottle (Why? Because I can). My run time was an unremarkable 2:04:51 but, amazingly, was 88th fastest on the day.

My overall finishing time was 5:45:29 for 58th overall and an amazing 4th in my AG. Reg was 10th in his AG and managed to stay ahead of Kelda by just under a minute and a half. Kelda finished 2nd female and 1st in her AG.

Results:

Swim T1 Bike T2 Run Total AG Position
Reg 46:57 01:43 02:48:15 01:48 01:52:36 05:31:17 10th
Kelda 43:03 01:39 03:04:00 01:11 01:42:49 05:32:41 1st
Mick 48:17 03:09 02:48:15 00:59 02:04:51 05:45:29 4th

We ended the day at a fabulous restaurant in Belfast and even James Nesbitt popped in to offer his congratulations (well maybe I made that last bit up but he was sat just 2 tables away).

So that's it, the tour is over and what a fantastic experience it has been. I have been to places in the UK I haven't visited before and raced some great courses, and ticked off a few new things on the way. A full review will follow in due course, including Turbo Man's Guide to the Toughest Middle Distance Races in the UK (that he completed in 2008).

Half Ireman - Quick Report

Reg 5:31:17, 37th overall, 10th in AG
Kelda 5:32:41, 38th overall, 1st in AG
Me 5:45:29, 58th overall, 4th in AG

Yes indeed, 4th in AG.

It started grey, the water was cold, the bike course was tough, the sun shone, and I left my run legs at home.

What a great race and a marvellous end to a brilliant season for me. Full report to follow soon.

Vitruvian - Final Results

Final results for The Vitruvian are now on the Pacesetters website. Looks like I was 166th overall out of 700 finishers, and 14th out of 82 in my AG. I am very happy with that.

I haven't done any training at all since the Vit. I have eaten a lot of the wrong things, including cakes, ice cream etc, but mentally I feel refreshed although physically I don't think I have properly recovered yet.

And what's all this talk fellow Bloggers about the season being over - not yet it isn't. But it soon will be; I fly tomorrow so will post an update when I get back on Sunday.

Rest smart. (How do you do that?)

Thanks

To all you nice people who have posted here or texted me after The Vit; very much appreciated.

The funniest, though, goes to Reg. As you probably know, we have both been aiming for a sub 5 race this year, and Reg came oh so close at Trentham. His response to my text with the good news that I had gone sub 5 was (with apologies to my Mum if she reads this!):

"u f***er"

Legs are still sore today so it's been another day of complete rest. I have cleaned the bike and got it packed away in its new bag ready for the journey on Thursday. I can't believe that this weekend the season will be over - it's all happened so quickly.

Recover well folks.

The Vitruvian Race Report

Vitruvian 6 Sep 08 - Race Report

Another race at Rutland Water and once again the weather forecast was rubbish - high winds and rain. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad.

As is traditional for The Vit it was pitch black in the car park when I arrived, but I got through registration without any hassle and got my kit into transition in good time. I then planned to go and chat to all the other RAF Tri folks but had to rush back and retrieve my wetsuit and goggles from transition before they closed it. I was in the 45-80 year olds wave - how old did this make me feel? The water was not too cold but there was an awful lot of weed at the start line - yuk! Unusually for me, I decided to start at the front and was surprised that I didn't get beaten up and found clear water straight away. The first turn was only about 200 metres away and with insufficient time for the field to spread out this was a bit of a bunfight. However, after this there was plenty of space and I was able to get into a good rhythm. At the end of the first lap you get out of the water for a short walk/jog/run and then get back in the water again. This at least gave me an opportunity to empty out the water that had once again leaked into my goggles. The second lap was fairly straightforward and I exited the water and over the timing mat in 35:16, just about on schedule. T1 was a long, drawn out affair. To start with the Old Gits and the laydeez were situated beyond the main transition area, meaning a slightly longer run, and then I had a long list of things to do: take off goggles, take off swim hat, take off wetsuit; calf guards on, socks on, shoes on, neoprene overboots on, cycling top on, number belt on, glasses on, helmet on, and, finally, gloves on. Yep, all suited and booted and ready to go. Only took 4.30 to do all that! Onto the bike and I found it hard going to start with. I was putting in the effort but the speedo said I wasn't going very fast; turns out the wind was in our face at this point and payback was, quite literally, just around the corner. I felt good going up the ripple for the first time and shortly afterwards I passed Big Bob going steadily. After the left turn at the roundabout the wind was at our backs and it was hammer time. Lots of big gear action and for large parts of it I was in the 53-11 gear doing 60kmh+. Fantastic. I caught Coach Roy on the long drag 2/3rds of the way round the 2nd lap; he was smiling but I sensed he wasn't happy. We chatted for a bit and then I did the sporting thing and left him behind! I completed the first lap in about 1:15 and whilst my RPE went up on the second lap I managed to go just a fraction faster to come in just under 2:30. Very happy with that. The Prince of Darkness is one damn fast machine when the conditions are favourable, although I do struggle to drag the extra weight (of both the bike and Mr Muffin-top who rides it!) uphill, but the choice of 11-21 cassette was spot on.

T2 went by without incident and it was onto the run. I really (as in REALLY) wanted to go sub 5 hours in this race and I was onto the run in 3:12, meaning I had to run faster than 1:48 to achieve my aim. My HIM run PB is 1:43 so there was some flex, but not much. Unlike Aberfeldy there were going to be no heroics today. I reckoned that if I could run the whole way I should be able to go sub 5. Usually I stop at the first big tree on the left for a wee but I managed to get across the dam before needing to stop. I was feeling really good at this time and was confident I could do it. After my problems at Aberfeldy with drinking on the run I had a different nutrition plan this time. In short, I would not drink anything on the run, instead I would trust that I had drunk enough on the bike and take 4 Go gels on the run to see me through. Would it work? Who knows, I hadn't bothered trying it in training! I managed to drop one gel so only had 3 to see me through; no worries, I'm sure I would be fine (I told you I was feeling confident). The first lap was completed in about 51 minutes, so I had 57 minutes to do the second lap to achieve my target time. Seeing the other RAF Tri guys around the course was very motivating; some were looking very good, others less so. After the last turnaround point my plan was to step up the pace and see what I could do. Unsurprisingly, my legs were very tired and my increased pace lasted for about 500 metres before I decided that was not a good idea and a steady run for home was the order of the day. So far I had run every step but over the dam for the last time I took a jaffa cake from the feed station and walked whilst I savoured it - it was delicious and made me feel great. Across the grassy knoll and up the hill and I could hear the PA announcer and I knew I was nearly home. As I passed the 1.5km to go marker I could feel my hamstrings tightening up but the threatened cramp never materialised. I really hate that short, steep slope as you come back to the Sailing Centre; that really hurts. But it's all downhill from there and by this stage I knew I was going to crack 5 hours so I enjoyed the last couple of hundred meters. Across the line I felt great but within a few seconds my body reminded me what I had just put it through, and I sat with fellow RAF Tri member Peter Wankowski at the finish line eating crisps and chocolate. Frank sent me to stand in the water for 10 minutes to help the recovery process and it certainly worked; I couldn't feel my legs at all after that!

This was possibly my greatest race. OK, 4:56.40 is not brilliant by some people's very high standards but it was a significant achievement for me. And that, to me, is what triathlon is all about. I'm never going to be winning races so it's about pushing my own boundaries and challenging myself. The challenge now is to recover quickly and be fit enough to give Reg and Kelda a decent race at Half Ireman in 7 days time on the final leg of the UK HIM tour.

Splits:

Swim T1 + Bike T2 + Run Total Position Overall Position AG
35.16 2.34.12 1.47.10 4.56.40 156/566 14

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!

4.56.40.

I am so, so chuffed; this result alone has made my season.

Splits are as follows:

Swim - 35.16

T1 + Bike - 2.34.12

T2 + Run - 1.47.10

Based on my pre race targets I almost achieved my swim target, achieved my bike target (T1 was a very tardy 4:30ish by my watch!), and missed my run target by about 5 mins (assuming 2 mins for T2). To be honest, I ran to achieve a sub 5 hour result and took it steady and, apart from walking through the final feed station at the end of the dam whilst I enjoyed a motivational jaffa cake, I ran all the way. I am very pleased with that.

Expect a full report in the next day or so.

And this is for Lonsy:

He had a great race today and thoroughly deserves the cake. Unfortunately he went AWOL after the race and I was unable to pay my debt. I will, of course, make it up to him next time we meet. Well done buddy.

And what about Mike Scott? People that old should not be able to go that fast. Simply awesome.

The Vitruvian Weather Forecast

Another race at Rutland Water on Saturday and it's looking like it's going to be another wet and very windy day - oh deep joy. Average 20mph winds with gusts up to 36mph should certainly challenge people's bike handling skills. And heavy showers are also forecast.

But I'm prepared for it. The weather at Cowman was not great (although not as bad as forecast for Saturday) so I know I have the right kit to wear if the weather is grim, and I know I can race whilst wearing it. I suspect if it is as bad as predicted then my sub-5 hopes may not be achievable, but I will not give up until the clock says 5 hours are up and I'm still running. And even then I have to get to the finish line ahead of Lonsy as there is the small matter of pride and post-race cakes riding on the outcome.

And I will be riding the disc come what may - woo hoo!