“Placed towards the front of the field while on the start line with fellow solo rider and well deserved 2nd place finisher Boe Harper, we were both calm, cool and collected as we shared some course details and well wishes ahead of the start.
“After the initial short lap of the arena field, led out behind the quad bike (to thin out the field), I settled into a natural pace that felt good. Ironically this was a similar pace to Boe, so naturally we shared some early laps together as a result. The company was good when racing for 12 hours, as I'm sure any endurance competitors would attest.”
“It was a great feeling to see the lap times reducing lap by lap early on. After feeling some fatigue at 6 hours in, I took a relaxed approach and stopped for lunch, some yoga, a loosening of the shoes and a reset! Claire Elizabeth Westbrook was the perfect chef despite not feeling great, so kudos to her for toughing it out for 12 hours.
“Looking to keep the same pace as before, I set off in the knowing that my next stop would come for bike lights as well as warm kit (to avoid any fatigue chills and be prepared for the darker laps as per race regs). Keeping a positive mindset, I knew this wasn't too far away and got on with the job for a while, enjoying the scenery, the riding, and of course the challenge!”
