The BIG Fortnight - Sunday Week 1

Saturday was a very easy recovery ride so nothing much to report there. Today, though, was the New Forest Rattler, 79 lumpy miles with the temperature reaching into the 80s and my target was the Gold Standard, which was 4 hours 30 minutes or less. There was a bit of a breeze that made it's presence felt towards the end of the ride but, to be honest, that was the least of my problems. Today was one of those day.

I arrived in good time, registered, met fellow RAF cyclist Barry Johnson and then at 0845 we set off, the 4th group to start. All was well, I was cycling with one other rider and although we had dropped off the head of our 'pack' we were moving swiftly, without too much effort. But after just 10km I started to experience problems with the rear mech not shifting properly, and then it stopped shifting altogether. Everything appeared to be in order but ... nothing. OK, I thought, I could bin the ride but it was a beautiful day so I decided to continue. I could still change the front mech so I had 2 gears (50 x 14 and 34 x 14), and only 120km to go! I hooked up with a group that included 2 guys from Titchfield Terriers cycling club (thanks Hamish and Sparky for helping me along and lending me some tools), that I had met a couple of weeks ago, and I tagged on to the back of them. It reminded me of the days riding with Martin Ball and Sags when I used to get dropped going up hill and then had to work hard on the flats and the downhills to catch up again. So this is what I did for the next 60km - the guys couldn't believe I was hanging on to them while they had a full set of gears. However, at 70km the other gear cable failed in exactly the same manner - how spooky was that? This time, I was stuck in one gear - 34 x 14 - and 32kmh was about the most I could maintain whilst keeping my legs attached to my body. I had no choice but to let the group go and just ride my own pace. For 60km. This was going to be a long day. During this part of the ride I had the opportunity to look around and realise what a beautiful part of the world the New Forest is, especially on such a gorgeous day. Towards the end of the ride, though, the cards that had been stacked against me started to fall in my favour. Firstly, the route had a lot of gradual uphill sections that ideally suited my 34 x 14 gear ratio and so I was no longer losing time to the other riders. And then there was a long section of exposed heathland into a headwind, and again the 34 x 14 was perfect, and now I was overtaking people again - woo hoo!

It's called the New Forest Rattler because there is a sting in the tail - a 25% hill just a couple of km from the finish. With just one gear there was no way I could get up it and had to get off and push. I wasn't alone though, and the others had a full set of gears! Towards the finish and my legs felt really good so worked really hard all the way to the end. The target was sub 4:30 for a Gold Standard finish and despite all my issues I finished in 4 hours 20 minutes. My riding time was 5 minutes less due to one stop to wind in the high gear stop on the rear mech and a quick stop at a feed station for a few mouthfuls of flapjack and a trip behind a tree for 'man business'. I was well chuffed with the time and am reassured that my legs are in good shape for the 112 flat miles in Barcelona. Nutrition was fine (I have a secret fuel supply) and had plenty of energy and strength left at the end. Interestingly, the fully geared Titchfield guys only pulled out 4 minutes on me over the last 60km.

In 3 weeks I have the Southern Sportive - 97 miles criss-crossing the South Downs. Gold Standard will once again be the target and this time I hope to not get lost and have a fully functioning bike; surely I can manage one sportive this year without any dramas? Lets hope so.

Train smart folks. And check your gear cables!