Pleasure in Pain. Lots of pain
The 3peaks cyclocross race is intense. Ridiculous, unique. Amazing. 60km with 2000m of ascent. And technical descent. Yes. Up. Up. Up. Down. Fast. Up. Down. Fast. Up and Down. On a road bike with skinny knobblies.
Pen-y-Ghent is the last and most draining effort. Arriving with a clear sky, tents pitched. It's off to the pub to eat with friends and to meet like minded souls. People you know from other times/places. January dinner in Strathpeffer 2008? Surely not? Yes. Important? No. No it is not.
The last effort hurt. Ingleborough and Whernside have depleted energy/increased lactic build. Road explosions have only served to ring cramp alarm bells. Pain is good. Pain has been ok all day - my head is well. My body is weak. That's easy to fix.
It's all tarmac and tarmac is met with as much explosion as I have left. The slight incline has me going backward. The finish line in sight, I let my vision go and just go.
2008: 4hrs 33mins.
2010: 4hrs 22 mins.
2011: sub 4hrs and NO punctures! Huge respect to anyone who got close to 3 & 1/2 hours.


