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True to the forecast it was sunny, cool, and calm as we drove down that morning. I had convinced Rob to come along by telling tales of how beautiful the scenery was along Stanage Edge (plus I wanted photos and he takes better ones than me by far!) I was one of the first to register, and set off as soon as the start table opened, which was actually earlier than 9 a.m. but I guess it doesn't matter at all with dibbers.
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Most of the course was on roads, to be sure. I won't complain about that as I'm still a roadie at heart, although my fat wheels did feel a little slow on tarmac. Mixed into it were some really nice trails, which usually always required riding up or down a hill. It is quite hilly around there...if only the race wouldn't have started at the TOP of the hill!
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With no teammate to catch my mistakes, I found myself watching the map quite carefully, measuring distance traveled on my odometer, and carefully checking intersections. It helped out immediately, as three guys ahead of me rode right by my second control, and were far lower than me when I dibbed, scratching their heads and wondering where they were!
End result, my navigation went perfectly, and I was happy with my route as it offered plenty of shortcuts to the finish as time got short. BUT, I had forgotten to remember my start time, so I was just guessing when I should be back. Oops. It didn't much matter as the ride up the last hill was neverending, and there was no way I could go any faster on it. So I came in 10 minutes late. Still 2nd in my age group, and I wasn't full out racing, just enjoying the day.
Results are here
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The shot of the millstones? With the fields in the background is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteCat, thanks! My husband Rob has a wonderful eye for photography. It was only our 2nd trip to the Peak District, but definitely a place to come back to soon!
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