This was a brilliant event. My husband, son and their work colleague also entered so it was a good team effort ! They also gained around £200 of sponsorship for help the hero's, the nominated charity for the event.
Weather was kind to us thank goodness, it wasnt looking good as the day before were really bad storms and torrential rain. We drove some of the course in the car and were worried about the state of some of the lanes. Full of pot holes which were now full of rain water and very narrow. There were some scary looking descents to which we werent looking forward to on wet road. However we woke up to scattered clouds and no rain. It was a bit windy but you cant have it all !
The event starts in the grounds of Ampleforth college. It was a staggered start. Rumble 3 the 49 mile one could start any time between 9am and 10am so we set off as close to 9am as poss. The route starts immediately on an up hill....the sign of things to come I wondered ? Still once I'd got going All nerves left me and I really started to enjoy the route, its just so scenic up there. Many of the road were very quiet, in fact other than one main road stretch we hardly saw any traffic. I knew there was a killer climb that we would reach around the 2o mile mark and as you approach you can see the "mountain" appearing. Its vast and very steep. Its called Blakey Bank and it rises from a village called Church houses. I managed to get half way up then my back wheel skidded in some gravel and I lost all momentum and stopped , I had no choice but to get off. It was so steep I wasnt able to get back on ! I walked a little bit up the hill and there was a slightly more level patch so managed to get back on and finish the cycle upwards. Almost all cyclists walked up the hill at some point so I didnt feel too bad ! I knew a long wide road section was coming which was mainly downhill and the feedstop was at the bottom. I was looking forward to this bit ! However the wind was so strong it was a total battle to ride along ! The wind battered me from the side and great gusts took my breath away ! Finally arrived at the very welcome feedstop which was well stocked with home made cakes , sandwiches and chocolate. After filling my face I set off again. Many more hills followed but the worst was over. The end of the route was tough too though as for the last 2 miles its uphill, right to the finish line back at the college !
Overall I did really well, I finished in 4.01 and got a silver for it. I came 3rd out of all women entered for that distance so really happy. If I do it again I will speed up the feedstop bit (got carried away with the lovely grub !) Lee finished just behind me and my son Joe missed a gold by only 4 mins...he finished in 3.24 !
Joe, me and Lee sporting out Ryedale Rumble T's !
