Lynn's report

A complete innability to descend off road at high speed, a dodgy back and the fact that i usually support Darrell have meant that i never seriously before considered entering the 3 Peaks Cyclo Cross. However the idea of getting a Norton Wheelers ladies team round (something i don't think any other club has ever managed) seemed like something worth going for, so my entry went in.

My preparations didn't go well running up to the event. I hurt my hip practicing jumping on and off the bike, had an infected tooth which prevented me eating properly although the antibiotics did keep me off the alcohol! Then to cap it all one of our team decided to ride for another club at the eleventh hour!

By Sunday morning however i seemed to be in reasonable shape and so i found myself on the start line with 500 other people. Darrell had warned me that the start was a bit scary and dangerous but i felt pretty relaxed and enjoyed the thrill of riding in a huge bunch at high speed.

Soon we were heading up the first climb, at first rideable but eventually turning into a hillside so steep people were clinging to the fence to pull themselves up. I spotted Heather Dawe (last year's ladies winner) just in front and caught her up. Either she was knackered or someone had slipped me some drugs! We are members of rival fell running teams and have had many a battle on the hills running but she is a much better biker than me. We paced each other to the top and it turns out she had ridden 100 cols in the Alps in the previous 2 weeks but she was still kind enough to tell me i was going well!

You're 1st and 2nd ladies we were told at the summit. What!! this was supposed to be just a day out, now i would have to try to keep it going! Somewhere on the way down the eventual ladies winner overtook us both, i didn't even see her as she was 1 of about 100 people that went past.

i was determined not to get too disheartened by my terrible descending and i got a real boost seeing all the supporters at the bottom of the hill. Once on the road i knew i had to get some food and drink down, even though the temptation was to go hell for leather and try to make up some of the time i had lost.

I turned on to the Ingleton road and went for the granny ring to save my legs, the chain came off and jammed solid, i wrestled with it for a couple of minutes while what seemed like hundreds more people came past, and finally freed it just before Karl caught me.

I was struggling with carrying the bike so i pushed it as much as i could up Whernside. I caught the woman who was now 3rd having passed me at the bottom of ingleborough, i was stronger on the climbs but knew i wouldn't get enough of a gap to make up for the impending descent.

By now my feet were in agony I had never really used my shoes except in 50 minute cross races and by the top of ingleborough i was in pain, by Whernside it was agony and on Pen y Ghent i got on the bike at evey opportunity even just for a short section to relieve the pain.

The 3rd lady duly passed me again and i found the descent off Whernside a pretty frustrating experience. The sight of a Norton Wheelers shirt in front, although frustrating for Kev getting another puncure, did boost my spirits and made me realize i perhaps hadn't lost as much time as i thought.

The support team gave me another big cheer and i was back on the tarmac. There was a headwind along this section so when a rider who was about 6'3" flew passed i jumped on the back, along with another guy we flew into Horton and were soon on Pen y Ghent Lane.

I had felt a bit nervous about this as i thought it would be really dangerous with riders flying down at high speed, but i was suprised how spread out they were and found it wasn't actually much of a problem. With my triple chainset i was able to ride most of the lane until i got to the really steep bit at the top, i pushed as far as i could but inevitably the bike had to go back on my shoulder, i felt like i was crawling but i was still overtaking people going even slower than me!

Just the descent to negotiate and i'd cracked it. I crossed with Karl on his way up, still smiling and joking about looking for the Longshaw cafe! I was pretty sure there were no women close behind but it's hard to tell as there are people everywhere. I didn't want to let 4th place go now i had got this far and i was certain all the girls ahead were youngsters, i realized if i could just hold my nerve for this last descent i would be the LV40 winner.

I tried not to get distracted by riders coming up but there were so many i knew i had to give them a cheer. I did one ineveitable somersault over the handlebars but finally got to the bottom unscathed. I couldn't see anyone behind and i knew with all the training i had done over the summer it was unlikely that another woman would catch me once i was on the road. I knew it wasn't far, i was back on the tarmac where i was back in control and i felt fine so i just rode as hard as i could and enjoyed every minute of this final section. I turned carefully into the finish having seen people fall off last year on the loose gravel and it was over!

My target had been 5 hours since Karl had got under that last year but i knew his bike handling was much better than mine so wasn't sure it was possible. In the end i managed 4:38 just in front of him (which was also a PB for him) as he had allowed me just too much of a gap to catch me on the last descent. I was well chuffed, i had done far better than i ever thought i would be capable of and to win the vets category was fantastic.

Anne came home in fine form. Considering she had done very little off road cycling before she had an amazing ride. I know how nervous she was about doing this and it must have taken a lot of guts and detemination, so well done to Anne i hope she is proud of herself.

Darrell was our first finisher in 66th place overall and 16th vet also in the prizes. Kev's inevitable puncture on Whernside lost him a fair bit of time but i think he still did his 2nd fastest time in this event.

Would i do it again? Well there still hasn't been a ladies team round it and there are a lot of things i could improve on but honestly bikes are just NOT meant for carrying up hills!

A huge thanks to our support team for all the encouragement, especially Matt for riding my spare bike round. hopefully we will see him taking part next year.

 

Karl's report

As a supplement to Lynn's far too modest story ...

This was my 2nd 3 Peaks. On the start line I was wondering how doing it once is understandable, but doing it again, when you know what is in store is a bit stupid ... what that says about someone who has done it 25+ times?

Lynn looked quite relaxed at the start, Kev looked more worried. I had planned to take it easier at the start this year having had cramp twinges in the hill 1 last year. I was glad I'd made this plan as I could not keep up with Lynn on the crazy road race 5k 'neutralised' start anyway!

I remembered to pull on the fence this time on the incredibly steep Simon Fell, where a helmet protects you from being too badly hurt by other people's bikes swinging around on their shoulders and did get to the top a bit quicker and feeling less wrecked than in 2008. The downhill was ruined by being passed by a fat (fatter than me that is) bloke who was going twice my speed who looked like he might beat me to the finish if he kept it up.

My family were there to shout encouragement as did the NW supporters (thanks much appreciated) and I was told Lynn was just ahead. I did catch her, but this was because she shipped her chain and I had visions of sharing work until hill 2 .... that would have been great, but she shrieked something about being 3rd woman and disappeared with a Pantaniesque accleration that I could not begin to match.

Whernside saw me overtake the fat bloke again, only to have him pass me again near the bottom on the way down ... and after nearly falling off trying to eat a cheese sarnie from the faithful family soigneurs I set off to the final climb, noting that the NW clan did not suggest Lynn was just ahead this time.

The road sections are very hard as I feel I should be pushing it up the hills, as I am supposed to be racing, but find it difficult not to 'grab granny' and twiddle weakly up all the inclines.

I had used some electrolyte drink this time after terrible cramp last time and did seem to have benefited me, but going up Penyghent was still going into the unknown for me. This is because of one reason only really. I (sadly) don't do much cycling or training and this year I've done even less (no Etape or Tour of Wessex as in 2008). As NW are such a friendly club that I feel loyal to the club way out of proportion to the amount of cycling I've done with them (probably only 9 club rides ever, 2 crosses and the 2008 3 peaks). In other words I reckon I average 1 ride every 2 weeks and never as far as 38 miles (the 3 peaks distance) ... hence my concerns about how I would finish.

So in that context (posh way of saying what my excuses are) I was pleased to see that I saw Mr Bradbury (after a cheerful Dave giving wlecome encouragement) when I was further up than in 2008 and the cramp twinges did not really kick in until the steep carrying bit about 2/3 the way up. I also saw Kev a lot further up than last time (but, that was punctures I think) and then soon after Lynn who I realised was too far ahead now for me to catch her on the down no matter how much sillier I am than her on off-road downhills.

I even ran the final bit of the uphill and started on my desecent which was going well until i misjudged a bog, went over the bars and ended up in a hole under my bike groaning and reassuring fellow riders that it was cramp not a fracture. When I had got up, rolling like a ram with a sodden fleece, I carried on and saw Ann looking v chirpy and then hit the road to more familial 'allez, allez' which induced a short burst which quickly ended on the first slight incline on the run into the finish (7 mins quicker than 2008 - probably due to the lack of queuing at stiles!).

When I went over the line Darrell (I told you Nick would win this year) and Lynn looked like they'd just been out for a tootle around the peaks, Kev was a bit grumpy (not helped by my suggestion that it was age - a kind of hypoglycaemic tourettes make people say these things when the torture eventually stops), but sounds like without the mechanicals he would still have been near his PB. Darrell's consistency is unbeleivable over a quarter of a century)I think to be 4th woman on first outing is amazing, but it sounds like it will be her 1st and last .... or will it?

I'll be there next year, hopefully better trained (ever optimistic) and hopefully proudly wearing a slighlty less tight fitting NW jersey in my debut season as a vet. As I said to a friend the other day, the training peaked on Sunday and in all likelihood the tapering started on Monday .... oh and yes I did beat the fat bloke ... he got a puncture.

Thanks to all the NW shouts, it really helps and I will resist all offers to make a big money move to Team Sky for next season.

 

Anne's report

Goodness knows why I 'volunteered' to take part.  After three jaunts up Mickleden Edge to Cut Gate I thought I was prepared and in some respects that proved to be right.  My first training trip left me more battered and bruised than after the event itself!  As the day dawned I still didn't know why I was taking part!   It wasn't the distance or height that troubled me; I can ride a bike and I've got the stamina to get up the hills.  However, my bike handling skills are almost none existent, as anyone who saw me on the day will testify.  

I quite enjoyed the neutral bit, riding in the pack, it felt like being part of something big.  Then we turned off towards the lower slopes of Ingleborough and I was soon in single file behind a very long trail of colourful clothing & bikes.  The climb up was OK, although I still managed to take my first tumble of the day.  The second tumble came shortly after, only this time I didn't fall off the bike, but over Rawnsley's Leap - the new stile.  How embarrassing!  The ride down was terrible, I wanted to shut my eyes, but didn't for obvious reasons!  I'm sure my brakes failed, I couldn't stop and almost crashed into Russ, who said "just get off", easier said than done.  He's really good at one liners when I'm having a 'mare.

The road sections were a breeze, it was great to actually pedal again.  By Whernside I was suffering the same as Lynn with shoe trouble.  If only I could ride more of the rough stuff I'd get respite.   I ran down most of it and did OK, passing several who had fallen by the wayside with punctures.  Russ was waiting with Hannah at the bottom and boy was I glad to see them.  I was desperate for a drink, having missed Russ on the way up, would you believe I was too quick for him to catch on the road?

By Pen-Y-Ghent I was so far behind I missed Darrell altogether, but cheered the others on as we passed on the lane.  Russ got there before me this time, but I'd taken on so much drink that I didn't need anything (typical).  When I saw Lynn I happened to be riding up, which was a rare sight as I spent most of the time running (again).  Happily I felt comfortable with the bike on my shoulder and found that I was running back down quicker than some could ride (remember I was at the back of the field, the front riders would have left dust in my eye).  I did ride quite a bit of the rocky path, more than I thought I would but came a cropper near the bottom when I had brake traumas again and threw myself into some nettles to avoid a more serious accident.  Loved the 3K ride to the finish and was relieved not to fall off on the shingle path at the end. 

Would I do it again?  Well let's just say Russ & I are already discussing support and how many bikes WE might need for next year!  Thanks to everyone that cheered me on.

Cheers - Anne