Keen to make amends for yesterday's disappointment, I had convinced the inner climber we were going to have a cracking day over what was going to be a challenging course. There were 4 KOMs each lap, and after driving over the course there had been a scrounge for anything bigger than a 25, we were all convinced we needed something like a 27!
The start of the race was a gradual false flat before heading up hill, the first QOM was 5kms in!!
A bit small, sorry, but you get the idea! Twice around, and throw in some strong gusting head/head-cross wind!!At the 3km mark I was in perfect position for the start of the climb, tucked near the front of the buncbh out of the wind and ready to climb. Then, disaster! As I moved down the gears I threw my chain off!!
OK, staying calm, I jumped off (after getting out of the way) and put it back on.
Go to ride away... off again!! Arghhh!
A little more irate, jump off, put it back on. At this stage, the bunch was still going past, so I wasn't too panicked.
But, repeat this about 5 times and the bunch was no longer still going past. Luckily that meant neutral spares could get to me.
Spotto, cause of the problem. The joining link on my chain had started to come apart- may not have been fully clamped when it was put on earlier in the week. Easy to fix- take a neutral spares bike.
Onto the small-medium shimano bike I got, and up the hill like a rocket. I was probably in denial about how far away the peloton actual was! At the top of the hill I had to stop again to put the seat down about 3cm!! Then to get tucked in behind the sag wagon to find a bunch.
For the next 20km I was with a small group of girls who had been dropped on the first climb. It was nice to have company and the opportunity to have a break from the wind!! About 10km from the end of the lap, I accidentally rode away from this group. I was kind of keen to see how well I was climbing and to feel like I had challenged myself, so decided not to wait for them. To my frustration I climbed really well over all the parts of the course that I was most worried about, and spent the rest of the lap wondering what might have been.
I decided to call it a day at the end of 1 lap, I was about 12 minutes down on the bunch and was desperate for a good crit on Sunday!
Turns out that the panic over gears was completely unnecessary, the parts that I wanted a 27 for, I actually went over on a 23!!! Thanks for the bike, Shimano! It wasn't bad, it just wasn't mine (which is a straight small)!! :p Big thanks to Brent Miller for getting my bike sorted so I could front up on Sunday! And Glenn for witnessing my tantrum and making me do the lap!
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