3 Peaks Cyclo Cross 2017

[TamalaMcgee]

Thanks Stuart. I am not feeling great for this I have to say. But 1 paragraph in and I feel so much better. People in their 80s do it, apparently. So...

[Stuart]

Yeah, just do it. Whenever I feel the fear I tell myself "it's just a bike ride" and when all's said and done, that's all it is. It'll be a great experience.

[TamalaMcgee]

Did you watch the film Stuart? Very arty, I liked the shots of them running away from something apocalyptic in the mist to the tune of Subterraneans. I have resigned myself to it being a long wet walk in a National Park.

[StevenDrew]

Yeah, just do it. Whenever I feel the fear I tell myself "it's just a bike ride" and when all's said and done, that's all it is. It'll be a great experience.

What he said.

[StevenDrew]

Did you watch the film Stuart? Very arty, I liked the shots of them running away from something apocalyptic in the mist to the tune of Subterraneans. I have resigned myself to it being a long wet walk in a National Park.

The Geoff Waugh film is great.

Just go for it, Tam. The atmosphere really is great and you'll be really chuffed afterwards. As Stuart said, it's just a bike ride. Well, apart from the bit that's a long wet walk in a National Park

[Stuart]

Did you watch the film Stuart?

The Geoff Waugh film is great

What he said.

[DanielMcqueen]

Just looking at the entrants, there is a V80 category. Only one person in the category, but it is his 26th entry. 3xV70 and 20xV60

650 John Dowell MV80 Heanor Clarion F/D 26
647 Chris Oldham MV70 Hope factory racing F/S 18
648 Tony Limbert MV70 Ilkley CC 0
649 Peter WalkingtonMV70 Kent Valley 26
627 Derek King MV60 Apollo Cycling Team 3
628 Fred MacSorley MV60 Apollo Cycling Team F/S 5
629 Gary Little MV60 Ashfield RC 0
630 Stephen LaycockMV60 Clitheroe Bike Club F/S 1
631 Forbes Duguid MV60 Deeside Thistle CC 4
632 Terence O'Neill MV60 Epic MTB, Ireland 1
633 Nick Fielder MV60 Hellidon CC 3
634 John Galway MV60 Keswick Bikes / YH Training3
635 Clifford FeatherstoneMV60 MTS 13
636 Ken Wilby MV60 Paul Milnes Cycles / Bradford Olympic RC F/S 1
637 Stephen Gath MV60 Selby CC F/S 24
638 Richard Small MV60 Skipton Cycling Club 7
639 Peter Ward MV60 Solihull Cycling Club 2
640 Pete Smith MV60 Team Jewson / Polypipe / MI Racing 4
641 Ian Briggs MV60 Team RonKit Retro 18
645 Peter Harris MV60 U/A Derbyshire 0
646 Brian Clayton MV60 U/A Greenfield, Lancs 4
642 Steve Loades MV60 velo club long eaton 11
643 Dave Halman MV60 Weaver Valley CC F/D 41
644 Richard Sewell MV60 York Cycleworks F/S 8

[StevenDrew]

Just looking at the entrants, there is a V80 category. Only one person in the category, but it is his 26th entry. 3xV70 and 20xV60

650 John Dowell MV80 Heanor Clarion F/D 26
647 Chris Oldham MV70 Hope factory racing F/S 18
648 Tony Limbert MV70 Ilkley CC 0
649 Peter WalkingtonMV70 Kent Valley 26
627 Derek King MV60 Apollo Cycling Team 3
628 Fred MacSorley MV60 Apollo Cycling Team F/S 5
629 Gary Little MV60 Ashfield RC 0
630 Stephen LaycockMV60 Clitheroe Bike Club F/S 1
631 Forbes Duguid MV60 Deeside Thistle CC 4
632 Terence O'Neill MV60 Epic MTB, Ireland 1
633 Nick Fielder MV60 Hellidon CC 3
634 John Galway MV60 Keswick Bikes / YH Training3
635 Clifford FeatherstoneMV60 MTS 13
636 Ken Wilby MV60 Paul Milnes Cycles / Bradford Olympic RC F/S 1
637 Stephen Gath MV60 Selby CC F/S 24
638 Richard Small MV60 Skipton Cycling Club 7
639 Peter Ward MV60 Solihull Cycling Club 2
640 Pete Smith MV60 Team Jewson / Polypipe / MI Racing 4
641 Ian Briggs MV60 Team RonKit Retro 18
645 Peter Harris MV60 U/A Derbyshire 0
646 Brian Clayton MV60 U/A Greenfield, Lancs 4
642 Steve Loades MV60 velo club long eaton 11
643 Dave Halman MV60 Weaver Valley CC F/D 41
644 Richard Sewell MV60 York Cycleworks F/S 8

Some people are desperate for a medal for anything, eh?

Best of luck to him and you on Sunday.

[TamalaMcgee]

Thanks for the messages of good luck and asking how it went, you lovely lot.

In short it was *&$&**$%@ ^%c£ing INSANE, I didn't do the whole thing, missed out the middle peak (incident - see below) but had the most amazing time.

Excuse no 1. I've been ill. 2+ weeks flu, bedridden for about 10 days and struggling to do school runs on the bike of a couple of miles. Last week it was touch and go whether I would go but I started to feel better and got over excited and decided to have a crack at it, so I promised Dan McQueen a lift and he'd cancelled his train ticket so I was stuck! I was nowhere near as fit as I needed to be for this. It is brutal. Difficult off road often is but this was something else. for some short sections you are climbing up rocks with your bike on your back. I struggled. I practised carrying the bike on my shoulder for the first time on Friday and did 2x 40metres.

Excuse no 2. I'm not so good off road. I squeal, panic, brake and stop a lot. I worry about breaking bones and not being able to look after my children. I was out of my depth skillwise and it was probably made worse by not feeling strong so I lacked confidence anyway. I expected to walk a lot and I did but then again so did lots of others and I actually didn't feel that I chickened too much. But bog? Cycling in bog is far worse than mud. With hidden nonsense lurking waiting to take you out and make you a bogman (or woman). I swore more than I've ever sworn in my life.

A man in front of me on the first descent off Ingleborough was all over the place on a rocky section I had decided I would walk. I saw him crash and hit his head. He was unconcious for a couple of minutes and when he came to he was sort of OK but it looked like he'd broken his wrist. He was getting cold and wanted to keep moving. So I slashed his survival bag open on a rock and he put it on and started walking in it. He looked like a giant Pepperoni. I didn't tell him. A better cyclist went past us who was local and knew what to do. He pushed on to get help and told us to carry on and he'd send help. I pushed both our bikes through the bog and we continued on the course. After a while we met some walkers who said the marshalls/medical support for the event were nearby and they took over escorting the guy and I pushed on to the next checkpoint which turned out to be quite close.They knew of the injured man and help was on its way to him. One of the marshalls took pity on me and jumped on his bike and towed me with a lot of effort to the next off road section and check point. But I was pretty done in. I'd got cold, gone slow and just wasn't feeling great. We knew it was getting close to the time cut off and sure enough when we got to the off road section for the approach to Whernside we were too late by 4 minutes. I had a clear view of Whernside and could see the snake of people trudging up it and I was so very relieved! I didn't even try and persuade them to let me through. The marshall had a plan B. He towed me some more on road to the end of the Whernside off road section by the Ribble viaduct and effectively snuck me back on to the course where I joined some very fast guys having missed out the middle peak! I hung in and started to feel up for it and did much better on the last peak, Pen Y gent. This one was better for me as it is rocky and dry and not boggy! At least on rocky stuff you can see what is happening, even if it is terrifying and the wheels move more or less predictably. Plus spectators were yelling that I was the 5th woman and were saying all sorts of wonderful things that weren't actually true as I was a cheat, having missed out the middle mountain but still they didn't know that. It felt nice all the same, marvellous really and it really motivated me to get stuck in. All the way up I was assessing the track and worrying about how I would get down it. I thought about it a great deal and tried to plan. As I went up I saw Damian come down looking really focussed and going very strong. Some fast women went past me including Adeline who gave me a smile and some encouragement. Dan McQueen caught up with me and looked astonished and said "How did you get here?' We started to chat but he was forging ahead and I couldn't keep up as we hiked with the bikes on our shoulders. The downhill off Pen Y gent was the best bit for me. I even managed most of those dodgy irrigation barrier slab thingys which are mostly worn down now so you don't have to jump all of them. I felt like I actually went quite fast for me and came to the tarmac at the bottom feeling overjoyed. I started to hammer for about 30 metres then my adductors completely seized up, never had that happen before! Then my quads. Interesting!I It was happening to others as well. Guys were unclipping and waving their legs about but I couldn't actually move that much. I drank the remainder of my liquid (my new 2.5 litre Camelbak worked really well and I had some water offered by marshalls and a spectator too) and did some deep breathing and light pedalling and it all eased. The group I was with then did through and off to the finish. Lovely. Everyone at the finish was so elated. Quite rightly so. It is a bonkers thing to do even two thirds of it!
Would I do it again? HELL YES. Next time I'd want to be in peak fitness and have the confidence and skills to really attack it. A lot to work on! It was such a wonderful dose of different, advenure and a fabulous feat.

[Stuart]

Nice report and chapeau for turning up and taking it on (you missed the best bit though!)

Interestingly, I had exactly the same problem with cramp and I never cramp normally. I thought the road sections would be a chance to recover and gain some equilibrium again. No. Every time I hit the tarmac I cramped horribly. All that walking/trudging takes its toll

[DieterStein]

Only *&$&**$%@ ^%c£ing INSANE Tamala? Sounds easy.

I'd do it except I don't want to get my bike dirty, with all that talk of bog and things. Chapeau for saying sayonara to a good time, and looking after the infirm. Looking forward to what Messrs. McQueen and Robertson have to add.

[Astrid Wingler]

Following the race on the live tracker, I'd wondered what had happened to you. As Dieter said, chapeau for helping the guy who crashed! It's great to know that there are good Phoenix Samaritans out there. I hope you'll get another chance next year. I'm almost tempted to return to the action myself next year, in the FV50 category.

[TamalaMcgee]

Do it Astrid! I'll try and get in again next year. I think the female numbers are up on previous years but still very low so I think the chances of getting in are good...

[StevenDrew]

Ace! Well done, Tam. On every level

I don't suppose you had a chance to take a photo of the giant pepperoni?