Strathpuffer 2012

Everyone goes through bad patch's in 24 hour races, I just didn't expect mine to hit me on my 3rd lap. Something wasn't right with me from the start. i was slow i couldn't pick up speed and Shaun was lapping 2 mins faster than me. However we were in 1st place. I ate some food and had a drink and set off on my 3rd lap, I tried my best to ride hard up the fire road climb but half way up found myself slowing right down, i was sure 2nd were going to take me. I couldn't breath correctly and wasn't recovering from being out of breath, coughing uncontrollably and feeling weak. Then it happened while having a coughing fit while riding, i was sick not just a little bit but a hell of alot all down my jersey and my toptube, this carried on until i had nothing in my stomach. I finished the lap still in 1st and sent shaun out. Funnily enough this was good, I ate more food and drank some vimto. From now to the end of the race i was fine, i was doing the faster lap times out of both of us and i didnt have anymore bad patch's apart from being tired. I dont know why i had a bad start and i dont know why i was ill but im glad i came round.
I hadnt done much training for the race and both me and shaun had been ill through december, So i new it would be hard for us to place on the podium. The weather was very kind to us through the event, heavy rain and wild winds rocked our caravan the night before the race and kept everyone up, as dawn broke though it was nice calm and very mild, Shaun set off on the run on the first lap and was 2nd person on the bike, he held that spot and came through the finish with 2 other people (a quad rider and a soloist). I set off on my first lap and just about held everyone off, we were 1st overall.

me heading off on my 1st lap

As the laps went by the course got more and more cut up in places but this was only for the odd 100 meters, in my eyes the course was running fast and fun. This wasn't the puffer at all, the weather was nice no snow, ice, sleet anywhere, i was kind of glad, i wasn't to cold and i was warm between laps.
Night came quickly and the lights went on, lap times slowed down by 5 mins or so but we still gained minutes everylap on 2nd. Half way through and i lapped 2nd place, that was it then we had at least a 45 min gap and we could both relax and just plod round now without worrying about being caught.

warming up before a lap

We kept gaining time and come dawn we were 3 laps up, we'd done 32 laps were really tired and noway could anyone catch us, so we called it a day and threw the towel in, had a shower and watched the rest of the race from a spectators view. I watched a good mate Phil destroy everyone in the Solo cat and take the win and also Jason took 1st singlespeed. The podium had a very north manchester feel to it even though we were in the northern parts of scotland.