Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Last cycling Sportive of the year..

And it was a big un!! Hilly and hard - at 'only' (!!) 45 miles I was quietly confident, but actually it was quite tough! But man I LOVED it! I love cycling, the camaraderie, the prep, the doing it, the country side, the food stops, the route that comes with arrows pointing you in the right direction and the smug feeling of achievement afterwards! I love cycling with Paul, and I love that I am fit enough to do it.
There was no sun last Sunday, it was a grey day, but nice and mild. We headed out from Chichester and cycled to East Meon, up Butser Hill (Hey Papa, Butser is a hill worthy of our other nemesis, Whitchurch Hill!) and then back to lovely flat Chichester.
I was particularly muddy at the finish, but I was the proud owner of a new speed PB and a worn pair of break pads. I've only had Amy since May, so those break pads are testament to my busy summer!
Top left: Me as we arrived. Top right: Chowing down at the food stop, half way round. Bottom left: finishers medal. Bottom right: Me and Paul complete with helmet hair!
This would be me, walking up a hill..!

I have completed 5 sportives this year and I have loved every single one of them. The nice thing about a Sportive is that the format is always the same and you know what to expect, but the route is obviously different so the cycling is always exciting.

As we head into winter, I'm looking forward to a little less bike intensity and a slow route through to spring - where I hope I'll start as I mean to go on with an 80 miler to open the season.. Watch this space!

Hope you're feeling much better Rach, I missed you on Sunday. Here's to more riding x

2 comments:

  1. Terrific photos! You've done amazingly well - love reading about your biking adventures :)

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