8th Three Peaks bike race .....

Towards Ingleton
Originally uploaded by Phil Haygarth

Last Sunday I completed my 8th 3 peaks bike race and on balance I am pretty pleased with how I did. It was a glorious sunny day and this year for this first time ever I managed not to over eat the previous 24 hours, and started out from Helwith Bridge on a bowl of Shreddies and an energy gel! Friends Trev and Leanne had impressed on me the importance of not starting too fast and I used a wrist pulse meter to make sure I kept my maximum below 165 – if I go beyond this I tend to build up lactic acid and pay for it later in the race. Basically it worked, I did not panic on the starting road section and was happy to let others race away. When the steep side of Simon’s Fell kicked in I seemed to claw back places, enjoying clambering up the steep slope whilst others queued by the fence. At the top I lost about 5 minutes waiting for the large race field to cross the style, briefly saying hello to Leanne, who seemed somewhat shaken and upset about her partner’s misfortune at the start (follow the links above for their stories). I got to the top of Ingleborough in 1 hour 10 and to Cold Coates in 1.25, to grab a bottle off my stalwart support Mum. Onward, past Ingleton (photographed here by colleague and track-side resident Harry Pinkerton – thanks Harry) to Whernside, when a bouncing and enthusiastic Tigger Trev caught and passed me, having recovered from his injury on the start line. I made the summit in 2.33 and descended, somewhat frustrated by how many riders seem to be carrying their bikes downhill and blocking an otherwise eminently rideable route. There did seem to be a lot of ‘traffic’ this year. At Ribblehead I grabbed a welcome bottle of carb drink and gel again from Mum, briefly stopping to pick it up again after dropping it at the cattle grid, onward down the road, passing mate Andrew Talbot to climb Pen-y-Ghent. I definitely slowed here, nothing dramatic but the fight seemed to go from my legs. Interestingly, I could still get my pulse up to 165, but the power output was way down. I recall the unpleasant sticky fingers from the leaking gel as I slogged up the track. I hate those gels and I really dislike the after affects of the stickiness, but they do seem to work. Reaching the top in 4.13 (it took me 1 hour 40 from the top of Wherneside and this was quite poor in relation to the rest of the ride, and others). Descending without incident, the last couple of miles along the road I hooked up with a guy who was super strong and we took it in turns to dig hard, my pulse nearing 170 as I rested the final rise (when he dropped me). Great to get to the finish, I recovered easily this year, no cramp at all, probably as a result of all the ‘astronaut drinks’ that are so good nowadays. It took me 4 hours and 41 minutes, my 3rd fastest time and 15 minutes slower than my personal best of 1999. I cannot complain although I would like to improve on my PB of 4.25 one day and I have a dream of doing less than 4 hours, which will probably be only achieved if I lose another 2 stone. In the words of my friend Roger Ebner “Pretty good, only 5 minutes lost for each child you have brought up since 1999”. A good perspective from a fellow father of three! Thanks to my Mum for her support on the day and to Anne, Matthew, Angus and Helen for supporting me whilst I indulged in the training this summer. Will be back!

Here are the results and split times.

Summary of my event times over the years:
2008 - 4:41:29
2006 - 4.48.09
2005 - 4.31.14
2004 - 5.17.07
2000 - 4.46.32
1999 - 4.25.45
1998 - 5.09.31
1996 DNF injury
1995 DNF mechanical
1994 - 4.54.46 (major mechanical delays)