Here's a link (I hope) to a stunning image of me participating in the 3 Peaks Cyclocross Race on my Crosshairs. I finished 123/159 in class, 1st Gunnar............................................(and last Gunnar).
The race, run this year in fairly poor conditions, is a 66km route that ascends three large hills in North Yorkshire Ingleborough (723m), Whernside (736m) and Pen-y-Ghent (694m). Some of the trails are almost vertical, some almost impassable due to peat bog. At the start the tops of the peaks were hidden by fog and low cloud, which was a bit of a blessing.
Then it started raining.
I punctured in the neutralised road section at the beginning, my mate stopped to help me fix it and in getting back to the bunch he had an asthma attack.
The first climb was more of a mountaineering exercise, only made possible by a fence running alongside the trail with which you could just about haul yourself up the hill.
By the time I came off the second hill (having punctured again on the cobbled descent), the clouds had lifted giving me a glorious view of the task ahead! By this time the winner had finished.
The final climb was marginally more rideable than the first 2, and the descent was just a case of hanging on and praying that the end would come soon.
I rolled in 1:51 after the winner in a time of 4:52:08, to be greeted by my own GUNNARS (Thornton and Gillie), shattered but happy to have finished.
Next year? Ask me tomorrow!
Richard Smith
www.bcf.uk.com/gallery/2005/phil/threep ... ite/26.htm
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