Race Day!

Hoorah!!! It finally arrived, the 16 mile Presentation TT at Garlogie. This is a race, and a strange distance I have never ridden before, so a few days previous I drove the course to check it out and the supposedly hilly middle section didn't seem too bad, I was really looking forward to it!

I drove up from Edinburgh the night before and got back late, I also lost an hour of sleep, not a great start, I filled myself with energy drink and a caffeine gel before the race and felt like I was high as a kite, and my heart rate backed the fact up and was worryingly high during my warm up.

At 10:06 the time came and I was being held up ready to go, staring at my bike blocking everything out, and off I went, chasing after my minute man who had roughly the same handicap as myself, after around 5 miles I found myself latching onto his wheel and passing, possibly a bit early I thought but my heart rate was fine and legs felt perfect so I carried on.

The middle section was a narrow country road with a rough surface which was draggy, and the incline made it hard work, just before Midmar at the halfway point I was caught by the rider who started behind me and couldn't hold onto him, this was frustrating as he was also ranked near me handicap wise, however I carried on at my pace.

The last stretch was fast and I got home knackered, breaking into a massive giggly smile as the rush of endorphins took over.

Getting back to race HQ my time was 45:25, exactly the same a fellow Ythan member, I was slightly disappointed with this, especially with feeling good during the ride and the training I have put in, hopefully the times tumble once I get more races in.