24th & 25th May 2008 - Ruthin, North Wales
Photos Courtesy Jon Brooke
The Merida Marathon events have always been favourites of mine, and when I saw the proposal for the event at Ruthin I couldn’t resist. Andy and I had planned to include the Sunday marathon as part of an “overload” training weekend, and the addition of a 160km road sportive on Saturday sealed the deal.
We crammed four bikes plus tent and accessories into the back of the car, and arrived at the Ruthin rugby club on Friday night. It was a beautiful evening and I was genuinely looking forward to two days of hard riding. The migraines seemed to be under control (just one in the past fortnight) and I was quietly confident.
The start of the road event was staggered over two hours, but we aimed to get away as early as possible, as the weather forecast looked best for the morning, and we wanted to get as much rest in as we could before the mountain biking on Sunday. We’d hoped to start off with a group, but there were just twos and threes going out, so Andy and I set off in our own group of two about 8.20am – or I should say Andy bolted out of the start box like scorched cat and I nearly puked up my breakfast trying to hold his wheel.
The first big climb of the circuit was about 10km in, and we were spanking along at about 40 clicks up the first rolling sections. The roads were smooth and the traffic light. The sun shone and my legs felt strong. I quickly warmed up and the blue and white train roared past everything in sight.
I had expected long climbs and beautiful views, and I was not disappointed. The road circuit had a bit of everything – long sweeping descents, narrow back country lanes and breathtaking views. The surfaces were smooth and fast and to top it all off, the sun shone on our backs all the way. It’s easy to forget just how much fun it is to just ride on a new route, without having to worry about checking maps, getting lost, running out of drinks etc. The event organisers took care of all of that for us and it was worth every penny of the entry fee.
Andy set off ahead and left me to it after the first climb, and I concentrated on picking off the riders in front one by one. By the time I reached the final feedzone, I was told I was the second rider through – and (let me guess) the first rider was a guy dressed just like me. The final climb was the Horseshoe Pass, over the hills into Ruthin. I could just about make out Andy, on the other side of the valley as I set out, and I kept on the pace to try and close up the gap a bit. Andy was the first rider home and me second. We think we got the two fastest times with Andy clocking 3hrs42mins and me 3hrs51mins, but the timing was a bit skewed with riders who signed up for the long route, then switched to the shorter route.
Saturday afternoon was spent eating camp pasta and napping in the tent, while Andy got the chance to catch up with his coaching clients who were there. The camp ground quickly filled up, and the forecast of rain in the afternoon amounted to nothing more than a few clouds and a chilly breeze.
Sunday morning’s event was a more civilised 10am start time, and we lined up at the back of the field. No point pushing to the front on a training ride. Having said that, as soon as the gun went, Andy did the scorched cat thing again, and we whizzed through the throng of bodies with little time lost. My legs felt strong as e
ver, which was just as well, as the first climb out of Ruthin was a killer.
Again, the trails were bone dry and fast, and the first couple of hours went by in a blur. Once we split off from the 50km riders, the traffic died off and there were points in the course where I could see no-one in front or behind me and had just the yellow marker arrows to keep me on track. Unbelievable considering the huge crowd on the start line.
Then the rain came down. A few heavy spots at first, then darkening skies, then nothing but water and mud. I was expecting rain, but I wasn’t expecting the cold – the temperature must have dropped at least 10 degrees with the rain. I had just a windproof gilet in my Camelbak, along with my pedalling legs to keep me warm. My bike handling went from confident to tentative, as my semi-slick Panaracer Razers started to feel like an optimistic choice. Should have put the Fire XC up front after all – never mind. At least by that point I was well past half way, and the feed zone helpers told me I was 25th, which seemed pretty good, and gave me a boost.
I had expected a huge climb before the end of the course, and at the 4 hour mark I embarked on it, only to find it was nothing more than a modest hill. The toughest part was the cold, gritty descent home, tyres squirming through the slippery ruts and corners. I was uncomfortable but I couldn’t help smiling. Mud is to be expected and it was a brilliant weekend out all the same.
I was the first woman in just over the four hour mark, and came in to find Andy home and almost hosed, having finished with the top 10. A hot shower, a PowerBar and a cup of hot tea and I was ready to ride again. OK, maybe not, but it was the most fun I’ve ever had in a training overload. We’ll be back for the fourth event in Selkirk, but in the meantime, bring on the Salzkammergut!
We crammed four bikes plus tent and accessories into the back of the car, and arrived at the Ruthin rugby club on Friday night. It was a beautiful evening and I was genuinely looking forward to two days of hard riding. The migraines seemed to be under control (just one in the past fortnight) and I was quietly confident.
The start of the road event was staggered over two hours, but we aimed to get away as early as possible, as the weather forecast looked best for the morning, and we wanted to get as much rest in as we could before the mountain biking on Sunday. We’d hoped to start off with a group, but there were just twos and threes going out, so Andy and I set off in our own group of two about 8.20am – or I should say Andy bolted out of the start box like scorched cat and I nearly puked up my breakfast trying to hold his wheel.
The first big climb of the circuit was about 10km in, and we were spanking along at about 40 clicks up the first rolling sections. The roads were smooth and the traffic light. The sun shone and my legs felt strong. I quickly warmed up and the blue and white train roared past everything in sight.
I had expected long climbs and beautiful views, and I was not disappointed. The road circuit had a bit of everything – long sweeping descents, narrow back country lanes and breathtaking views. The surfaces were smooth and fast and to top it all off, the sun shone on our backs all the way. It’s easy to forget just how much fun it is to just ride on a new route, without having to worry about checking maps, getting lost, running out of drinks etc. The event organisers took care of all of that for us and it was worth every penny of the entry fee.
Andy set off ahead and left me to it after the first climb, and I concentrated on picking off the riders in front one by one. By the time I reached the final feedzone, I was told I was the second rider through – and (let me guess) the first rider was a guy dressed just like me. The final climb was the Horseshoe Pass, over the hills into Ruthin. I could just about make out Andy, on the other side of the valley as I set out, and I kept on the pace to try and close up the gap a bit. Andy was the first rider home and me second. We think we got the two fastest times with Andy clocking 3hrs42mins and me 3hrs51mins, but the timing was a bit skewed with riders who signed up for the long route, then switched to the shorter route.
Saturday afternoon was spent eating camp pasta and napping in the tent, while Andy got the chance to catch up with his coaching clients who were there. The camp ground quickly filled up, and the forecast of rain in the afternoon amounted to nothing more than a few clouds and a chilly breeze.
Sunday morning’s event was a more civilised 10am start time, and we lined up at the back of the field. No point pushing to the front on a training ride. Having said that, as soon as the gun went, Andy did the scorched cat thing again, and we whizzed through the throng of bodies with little time lost. My legs felt strong as e
ver, which was just as well, as the first climb out of Ruthin was a killer.Again, the trails were bone dry and fast, and the first couple of hours went by in a blur. Once we split off from the 50km riders, the traffic died off and there were points in the course where I could see no-one in front or behind me and had just the yellow marker arrows to keep me on track. Unbelievable considering the huge crowd on the start line.
Then the rain came down. A few heavy spots at first, then darkening skies, then nothing but water and mud. I was expecting rain, but I wasn’t expecting the cold – the temperature must have dropped at least 10 degrees with the rain. I had just a windproof gilet in my Camelbak, along with my pedalling legs to keep me warm. My bike handling went from confident to tentative, as my semi-slick Panaracer Razers started to feel like an optimistic choice. Should have put the Fire XC up front after all – never mind. At least by that point I was well past half way, and the feed zone helpers told me I was 25th, which seemed pretty good, and gave me a boost.
I had expected a huge climb before the end of the course, and at the 4 hour mark I embarked on it, only to find it was nothing more than a modest hill. The toughest part was the cold, gritty descent home, tyres squirming through the slippery ruts and corners. I was uncomfortable but I couldn’t help smiling. Mud is to be expected and it was a brilliant weekend out all the same.
I was the first woman in just over the four hour mark, and came in to find Andy home and almost hosed, having finished with the top 10. A hot shower, a PowerBar and a cup of hot tea and I was ready to ride again. OK, maybe not, but it was the most fun I’ve ever had in a training overload. We’ll be back for the fourth event in Selkirk, but in the meantime, bring on the Salzkammergut!
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