ToSH Gold

[Tamar]

How did everyone get on at ToSH then? What a brilliant day! I know Huw did storming 4.12 and Andy 4.35....I did around 5.20 by my watch...but 5.25 on signing Got in under the 5.30 cut-off for gold though so that's OK.

Marek - hope you are feeling perkier now - you looked f*cked mate!

Met some lovely people and ended up riding round in a little group who waited for each other on hills and at junctions...and I realised the benefit of waiting for people when I punctured and the guy I'd previously waited for lent me an inner tube when my spare turned out to be punctured too (oops). The selfish part of my mind had been saying...if I just ride off and drop him then I will get faster time...but we'd all been riding together for so long that it just didn't seem right. And as it turned out, if I hadn't waited I would have been tubeless and not finished at all so good deeds are returned unexpectedly. Plus it was v nice riding along having a chat with new folk.

Nice tube-lender is going to look on website and maybe join ACC as I told him how nice everyone is and not snooty like some clubs.

[Rude Project]

.....you can now regard yourself as a cyclist.

[siwickm]

The morning of ToSH did not start of well for me with a bout of the 'squirts', not down to nerves but down to something I ate the night before. Anyway, decided that the wonders of modern medicine 'Diareze' would help me through the day, so knocked back a few pills, don't know if these are on the banned substance list for Audax?

I started off feeling fine, made it up Cranleigh Hill and was going ok. Had a puncture after that hill but still did not feel bad. Max and I had agreed to go around together so he waited for me while I changed my tube.

Later in the ride Max got a puncture just after box hill which we managed to sort. Then I think it was coldharbour he got another one. This is when I started to feel dodgy.

I think I was getting dehydrated and had lost a lot of my power on the climbs. My normal relaxed seated climbing was becoming more and more of an effort and I was having to get out of the saddle even for the smallest climbs.

When I got to Tanhurst (whatever its called) the narrow steep climb which is a right b#'*rd, I was beat. Max waited for me at the doughnut station where Tamar caught us up and made me feel even worse by saying, 'don't worry old chap I won't tell anyone'.

Anyway, made it back down to Shere but had to miss out Whitedown and the last section of the Tour. I had 95km on the clock, maybe next year I will complete.

Well done to Hugh with a superb time of 4hr 15mins. Andrew looked really strong as well. I think that Max would have had a good time if he hadn't had to wait for me and punctured twice. Well done Tamar I am jeolous of your gold medals.

Cheers

Marek....

[Tamar]

Marek - I'm sooo sorry. I really hadn't meant to rub it in. You obviously weren't riding with your normal panache and I was astonished to catch you. Hope your 'problem' resolved now. Not nice riding with that going on down below.

Max was going well and shot past me after he'd left you.

[tridevil]

[quote="Rude Project"]:roll: .....you can now regard yourself as a cyclist.

[Tamar]

Sadly I cannot lay claim to 'unselfish' accolade. If honesty prevails then I have to admit that a prime motivation for waiting was that one of the guys new the way really well and I would have to stop and check the route at junctions if on my own so any time gains would have been marginal and I would have risked getting lost.