Heyshaw Moor

I entered a cycling hill climb event a little while back, thinking it would be good to have an autumn training focus, but I kind of forgot about it and work commitments have really taken over my training time. I knew it was this weekend but somehow had it in my head that it was Sunday. I found out yesterday that it was actually on today! I was even more unprepared but I wanted to watch so I thought that I might as well race if I'm going out there anyway.

So, two of my favourite climbs, Guise Cliff and Norwood Edge, but tackled under the clock - and with lots of friends cheering you on! How hard could that be? Very. Very, very hard. I'm pretty fit by my most people's standards but not by the standard of most of the guys racing today, including a national champion. The speed they went up these climbs was a little frightening. I had to keep reminding myself that the real quick guys were a good twenty or thirty years younger than me! I'm not sure I've ever felt quite so old as I did today. Mind you, the photographs of me show a smiling face rather than the grimaces from everyone else. See some really quite good photos here from a friend, Paul Di Mambro.

By the time I got home I'd clocked up around 35 miles. The light this morning was stunning so some good opportunities for photography. This shot was taken near to the finish of the first climb.