Long Course Weekend – Great Wales Sportive

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Wales Sportive was my first full iron distance bike ride. I wasn’t that concerned about it, as I have already done 4 other 100 mile rides this year, so this was only a few miles further. However, it also came with quite a bit of elevation compared to my rides of late.

I rode round with Jeremy, and the whole aim was just to enjoy ourselves, and not worry about a time. The main positive was that I finished, and I was still strong at the end. There is an official hill climb that came a few kilometers before the end of the ride, and I ended up with the 14th fastest time overall. It wasn’t all positive though.

The course itself was a lot trickier than I anticipated. By that, I mean there were a number of steep descents with sharp bends. In the wet conditions, and not knowing the roads, I just took it handy, but it’s definitely not my strong point. A steward slowed us down before one bend, and we cornered slowly to see someone being stretchered into an ambulance. There was also a road closed on the course after a road traffic accident. Your heart just goes out at these times to those involved, and you hope everyone recovers. It’s also a wake up call that this is just fun, and the important thing is to come back safe and sound in one piece.

I definitely struggled with nutrition. The first feed station wasn’t until around 70km and I definitely didn’t like the look of the energy drink. There were also no gels or energy bars being handed out. This meant at some point I just felt my glycogen stores depleted. I needed a couple of stops at petrol stations for a coke and mars bar to recover. In addition, with all the rubbish I had eaten, my stomach felt in bits at the end. I was in no position to start a marathon.

Still, in the space of less than 24 hours I had done my first IM swim and bike distances, so I have to feel more confident I am in shape to get around on the day.