After a very cold (frosty!) night (wrapped in two sleeping bags)
The weather continued to blatantly flaunt Metcheck’s mid-week predictions and looked set for another glorious day (yep, dry & dusty at Catton Park!).
We’d arrived mid-afternoon on Saturday and after erecting tents and gazebo, scuttled off excitedly to do a practice lap - the course really was ace! Dusty, dry, bluebells - perfeck! (the complete antithesis to the last time I’d ridden it at the mud destroyed mess which was last years SITS).
I’d done the event as a pair last year but this would be my first ‘proper’ solo attempt at a ‘lapping/pitting format’ race. The first mistake made was not to really have a plan.
Mistake no. 1 - NO Plan
Last minute scramble to the pit I’d been at Catton Park for around 18 hours but as always it was a rush carrying biketools/kit/bottles/food over to the pit.
Joined the back of the field seconds before the race started with the tiresome run to split up the field - I minced round near the back as there is no need to really go out fast your racing for 6 hours - plenty of time… I think in retrospect if you are taking the race seriously this is a mistake. I’m a half decent runner and could have been in the top third into the pit. Which has the benefit of:-
a. Not quite as much queuing on the first few climbs.
b. Getting a little bit out of puff is a good thing - a race wake up call.
So after much queuing at the first climb, I was off.
Mistake no. 2 - Didn’t check bike pre-race.
About 3rd of the way round the first lap, the steering felt wrong going into a turn, damm front puncture, Checked the tyre and it was down to around 20psi -Stupidly thought ‘mmm maybe a slow one, I may be able to get round by adding air now and fix when I pit, where I have a trackpump’. Back on the bike 100m on, back to 20psi - IDIOT! Off bike, wheel off, pull massive thorn out of tire, faff with replacing the innertube - wheel back on. Right. Oh. that issue I had with the disc rubbing on the rotor has got worse. Wheel doesn’t spin, push pistons back with tyre levers, repump brakes, mmm… better but still dragging the the wheel. By now I was flat last, The last few stragglers had huffed and puffed past around 5 minutes or so. Damm! I think the entire ’simple’ tube change had taken 15 mins and now I had the extra brake rub for my trouble.
Really didn’t want to be lapped on my first lap or be last across the line so I razzed round the empty course passing another mechanical and catching the back markers - phew not last - but feeling it as put in a hard effort to catch up.
I then pitted to for more unsuccessful brake faff.
Mistake no. 3 - Don’t Pit! (much)
I was in a bad mood now and was already thinking about not racing proper. I pitted the next lap for no really reason - just thought six hours is a long time and should pit.
And it continued lots of pitting, but not drinking enough and generally messing up including quite a big off.
I finished 82nd/135 - all a bit disappointing but learnt a lot.