It's where you came from

Skip does her usual erudite and eloquent job of describing today's Dartmoor Classic, the best sportive in the United Kingdom. I'm not brooking (my joint favourite) any argument over this one, Di Canio convince me otherwise. (ouch).


http://www.thecyclingmayor.com/?m=201106

I do disagree that she held me up however, I was 17 minutes slower on riding time than last year, and 20 minutes in total, and given my recent form, the heat, unaccustomed to which I am, the wind, and my failure to eat much before the second feedstop, I don't think I could have got anywhere near the 7 hours 5 minutes required for silver. I'm quite happy with another bronze medal in any case for two reasons.

Just like anyone, a bit of external validation never goes amiss, and there will be some people going home without a medal, so it does actually mean something.

I'm still pretty buzzy, even 8 hours after finishing, or maybe it's my very red arms that are stopping me sleeping. At least I too have razor-sharp tan lines and Frankenstein hands, the marks of a true road cyclist. Bizarrely, my right arm is a deeper shade of red than my left. It's glowing like it's radioactive. The first hour or so was quite misty, so it wasn't until we had turned eastwards, exposing said right arm, that the sun came out in full.

I wonder if there is a living in keeping obscure statistics, and copious collections of random, or not so random, data. Regardless, here are some of mine:

Irrespective of the GPS data, (Charlie lost the plot a couple of time today), the official mileage, as measured by Cateye (other wireless cycle computers are available) was 105.79 miles, and the climbing was somewhere north of 10,000 feet. Not a fact that last one, a rough guess. In 2010 I had to expend 56calories per mile, this time it was 61, meaning it was a bit tougher or something has gone wrong with my heart, or both.

Today my maximum speed, 45.9 mph, or 73.44 kph, was the second fastest I have ever done, and the fastest on a 50 tooth large chain ring (as opposed to a 52). Picture the anorak that one came from.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/498740
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/95031961

Of course this ride owes much of its charm by virtue, and it is a virtue, of taking place in Devon. Land of my childhood. And the views today were truly spectacular, especially as they happened just before a monumental climb (Rundelstone/Merrivale) or breathtaking descent into Tavistock, Horrabridge or Moretonhampstead.

And I never, ever tire of going there, to the moors, the sea, or staring into my old house and remembering how I escaped onto the carport roof when I'd been sent to my room.  Or driving round various places and seeing all the crash sites of me on various bikes, or football pitches where I played with my friends into the dark evening until we could barely see the ball. And the Mid Devon cycling club has organised a fantastic event, I encourage you to enter if you can.

Be quick though, I think more and more of us will be heading down there. Me? Well maybe, but right now I'm thinking of that bungalow where I'm going to retire to, play a bit of football, ride my bike......