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Tent pitched just a few metres away from where it was a year ago, the ground was no longer a marsh and a few million midges had moved into the area.

I had been feeling fitter overall this summer in comparison to last but not had chance to prove it in a like for like race as yet, so completing the Kielder 100 within last year’s 11 hrs 35mins would be a good(ish*) indicator. (*The route was apparently harder this year but this would be most likely canceled out by dry conditions and riding a bike with more than one gear).

Late

I found getting out of a warm sleeping bag at 5.15am to a dark, chilly, midgey morning difficult, so I stayed put for another half hour. Which in retrospect was a mistake, turning up at the Kielder Castle around 10 mins before the 6.30am race start to join the back of a very long queue of 550 or so riders.

So off we went S L O W L Y, gaps to pass riders didn’t start until at least 25 minutes in and even then it was a squeeze. The overtaking proper began at around the first water stop. A niggley ‘that’s not right’ feeling in my thighs an hour later was fixed by lowering the saddle a tad. Conscious of last years faffing about at the food stops I didn’t hang about too much, found my dropbag quickly filled bottle added Torq, more gels in jersey and continued on.

A faster rider passed me and I grabbed his wheel (just) keeping him in sight for 20 miles or so, but losing him at the next waterstop as I needed to fill bottles (it surprises me how much I need to drink in comparison to others - just sweat a lot I reckon)

At some point I saw Jason pushing his bike who had fallen right into an incident pit and later learnt that the 26er inner tube I donated didn’t help get him out.

I really enjoyed the 7 Stanes tree lined singletrack around Newcastleton & was able to give it some beans after riding it 15 times during the UK 24 Solo Championships in May remembering nearly every corner and drop. Maybe a few too many beans were exchanged though as a few miles after I had to stop for a minute with cramp, the tuna butty picked up at the Newcastleton feed station and two Nunn tabs in 500ml’s of water (POTENT!) cured it.

I slowed a fair bit climbing out of the final food station 80 miles in as I could no longer catch the two riders who I had overtaken before the stop, but had a new burst of energy around 5 miles later and felt quite strong in the last 10 miles passing a fair few riders, so maybe my pacing was out slightly (not wanting to collapse into my tent immediately after the finish à la last year was nice though).

I crossed the finish in 10 hours 16mins (1 hour 20 quicker than last year*) I would have liked to have snuck under the 10 hour mark and perhaps would have if I had managed to leave the sleeping bag a bit earlier. No punctures, no mechanicals, no crashes and a grand day out. Will be back for a sub 9.30 next year.

* I have a niggling doubt that gears could have saved me 1 hour 20? Will find out if I’m really any fitter than last year in a few weeks at the Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross race, same course, same bike.

Read more about the Kielder 100 2010 race

Jason’s Incident Pit
Amy’s Robot Dance
Dave’s Awesomeness Unspectacularness

Ooh look at them new fangled gears