North Road Hard Riders 25 Mile TT

Its never fun getting up at 4.30am to travel 2 hrs to a race that starts at 8.00am and is one of the technical and demanding time trial circuits in the UK. However, its even less fun to do all of that when its gail force winds and pissing down with rain, this is the north road hardriders and this year it really did live up to the name.
After trying to warm up on the rollers in the rain i was already soaked before i started but warming up always gets me in the zone and i felt more than ready for my first race, even after some serious set backs that took place a few weeks ago that almost lead to me finishing up for good but more on that in another post. For now i was just happy to be happy and on the starting line.

At 8.05am i set off on my ride, i was off on a mark number, number 5, which means that i was of the favorites or likley to be in the top 10 atleast. I had 4 more riders ahead of me and i quickly caught 2 of them after only 10 minutes of riding. Usually when this happens it gives you a boost, you feel great and you believe you are going well, today however was different due to the fact that i couldent actually feel anything because of how stupidly cold it was and steadily getting worse. As i accelerated out of the corners out of the saddle i almost lost my grip on the bars because my arms were frozen solid. I couldent feel my face, my feet, my hands, my legs, nothing. I was in so much pain it was a joke. Even riding at my max i just could not get warm, and then with 7 miles to go......PSSSSSssssss. Front wheel puncture.

Now things went from bad to an absolute nightmare. As soon as i eased up i went even colder, i was violently shacking and begining to black out. I still had to ride to the nearest marshall which was a mile away. By the time i got there, i couldent move and could bearly speak. Thankfully the marshal took me back to the HQ where i pretty much broke down in a heap at the car. My dad had to actually get me changed cuz i couldent do anything, this was the worst experience i have ever had and a very grim start to the season.

Out of 90 rider that started the event only 30 finished and one poor chap even got taken away with in the ambulance after suffering hypothermia. So to recap on my first race i punctured and had a DNF, developed mild hypothermia, lost my HR monitor strap and lost my £120 waterproof jacket. Not the best start but hopefully things will improve. Dear god i hope they do.

Ta ta.