Iona at Peterborough Crit

Iona at Peterborough Crit

Sunday 19 May 2013

Fred Whitton Challenge, by Karen

As part of my training for the big races later in the season, I am doing a couple of sportives as well as road racing this year.  Last Sunday was the first one of these - the Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge in the Lakes.
After a few weeks of lovely weather, it was typical that the weather for FW Weekend was set to deteriorate.  Most of saturday was spent sitting inside bike fettling and listening to the rain pounding down on the conservatory roof.  Regular forecast checks from Chris were only slightly reassuring, as it became more and more certain as the day went on that I was going to get wet at some point on Sunday too.
As I had been a little late seeking a bike reservation on the train home, I needed to roll out of the start gate pretty much at first start - 6am on Sunday morning.  I slept surprisingly well on Saturday night, despite the impending 4am alarm, but the cave-woman look was at its best until only about 20mins before starting.
As planned, me and my riding buddy Paul Thornton were two of the first over the start line, and it wasn't long before we led a small pack along the northern tip of Coniston Water heading rapidly towards the first 'climb' of the day - the little drag up to Tarn Hows.  I thought I was setting a reasonable pace until a chain of 4 riders came past.  Jumping on their wheel, I didn't even realise that I had already left Paul in my wake with mechanical problems (although we had a prior agreement that we would split up if we didn't want to go at the same pace).  Unfortunately, my tow only lasted for a minute or two (I didn't at the time know that one of them was due to set one of only 2 sub-6hr times on the course), then I stranded in no mans land.  And there I stayed - for the rest of the day.
Through Ambleside and up to Kirkstone via Troutbeck was pleasant enough, and because I had set off so early, I had a car and bike free run down Kirkstone - most enjoyable.  By this time I was onto the Helvellyn Triathlon bike route that I was familiar with.  The next categorised climb was Matterdale End - again an easy bump compared with what was to come.  The descent into Keswick on the A66 wasn't much fun - I know that I will have lost time here simply through being on my own.  The first frustrating moment of the day.
Chris was waiting with our first planned feed in Keswick, along with a comfort break.  Of course while I was stopped here, a few groups went by that I could have got a tow off.
I started working a bit harder spinning up Borrowdale, and caught a small group just at the bottom of Honister Pass.  the 28 cog was employed and up we went, without too much stress.
On the descent of Honister and down the Buttermere valley, I experienced my only 'man objecting to being chicked' attitude of the day.  He had been taking it particularly gingerly down the descent, but refused to sit on my wheel on the flatter sections, insisting on steaming past me like a train, only to hold me up again on the next slight rise.  So, I sat on his wheel for a very short period instead - one of only 2 tows I got during the day.
Having had my own feed in Keswick, I whizzed straight past the official feed in Buttermere and straight onto the climb of Newlands Hause.  This one was new to me, but probably my favourite of the day - just a hint of a tailwind, empty road, and a gradient that was just perfect for me to spin up.  The descent wasn't quite so ideal, particularly when on one sharp corner I encountered a car coming the other way, locked my wheels up braking and went into a skid.  My intuition must have kicked in, as I quickly recovered the skid and avoided the car.  I tried not to give too much thought to where I might have ended up had I not managed to control the skid!
Zooming on down the valley and towards Braithwaite and the first time check.  Paul's pre-ride calculations had us going through here 3h45 into the ride to achieve a 7hr total time, and I was up on that, so figured I was going well.  Now onto the course of another lake district multisport event - this time the Newlands Duathlon, and the climb of Whinlatter.  I felt really good going up here and powered up all the way to where Chris was waiting with our second feed.  While I swapped my bottles and grabbed a slice of pizza, Chris briefly told me what had happened to Paul, and was trying to encourage me to take it easy as there had been a large group just behind me who might provide some assistance.  I knew it would have broken up over the passes, so paid little heed to his advice and cracked on, up the little kick at the top of the pass, and over the top as the rain started to fall and I faced a vicious headwind (I was proved to be right).
The next 2 hours kind of blended into nothingness other than rain, headwind and roads I didn't know that kept throwing little digs in to make it bloody hard work.  I caught and passed a few people, but no one who would be of any long term assistance to my cause.  At the bottom of the Cold Fell climb (very aptly named), a pair of skinny men came past, but I had no chance of getting on their wheels.  And eventually I came to the second time check and feed at Calder Bridge - now definitely pushing it for a sub-7hr time, still with the 2 brutish climbs to come, and dangerous and now wet descents to deal with as well.
Fortunately, turning into Eskdale at Gosforth, suddenly the headwind had gone, and I sped up the valley with a tailwind.  I also found some company, although one of the guys was not interested in working together, the other one worked with me to get us to the foot of Hardknott.
Having heard other peoples' stories of Hardknott, it is your mindset and nothing else that will get you up that climb.  For me, failure was not an option, even looking upwards on the first ramp thinking 'oh shit I've got to get up there!'.  My new friend clearly did not have the same mindset, as he dismounted on the first ramp.  The gradient does ease off for a while in the middle section, even enough for you to be able to sit down and knock it up a couple of gears, and then come the hairpins.  I have to say the supporters there were most amazing - giving advice on lines and helping you to believe that it can be done.  On the steepest section I could have been a gonner as on one of my additional zig-zags, my rear wheel hit a chunk of gravel and I momentarily lost traction.  I growled internally and fought on - phew, kept moving, only to have a car push past me on the next bend, with spectators shaking their heads in disbelief.  I'm not sure whether that was because of the car, or because of the brief dialogue I had with them 'go on lad, well done' 'I'm a lass actually', 'wow, first lass up, well done'.  One last steep section, and I was at the top, facing what would probably be the most terrifying descent of my life.  Brakes on, down on the drops, keep in control, and pray for no sheep.  Half way down I heard a bang from higher up the descent.  My poor new friend had punctured.
Now only Wrynose to go - easier up than Hardknott, but we had been warned the descent was worse.  I was able to get into a rhythm going up here, although the road was still corrugated which meant zig-zagging was still a challenge (but still the most efficient way of climbing).  If I had been cautious on the descent of Hardknott, I was even more so coming down Wrynose, probably without cause.  Finally, we popped out at the bottom to enthusiastic marshalls reminding us we were very nearly there.  One final push up to the col next to Holme Fell, and it was downhill all the way.  At this stage of any sportive it is mind over matter.  The 7 hour barrier had been and gone, but I needed to beat 7.5hours and could still just about beat 24kph with a really fast finish.  Cheers as I crossed the finishing line confirmed that I was first lass home, and amazingly, 7th home overall.
So, my emotions - proud, yes, frustrated, yes.  But its all downhill from here.  I doubt anything else I do this year will be as hard as that day was.  Next year - well, we'll just have to see what we can think up...