So race day finally arrives and it’s a hot one- around 36oC. Here I am in the beautiful water of Lac du Verney alongside 800 male competitors, with 500 females already away having started 15 minutes earlier. The gun goes and we are off. A fast start gets me away safe. As the swim packs start to form I find myself on the right side – not ideal as I only breathe to the left, so this left me choking on water a few times on the way out to the first buoy. Around the buoys and into the return leg. Finally, I can now breathe safely.
Hitting dry land and looking up I see the timing board on 32:10. Wow, much better than the 35-40 minutes I’d been expecting! Swiftly followed by a spasm of cramp in my leg… oh no! Already?! It’s going to be a long day if I’m in trouble already. Hobbling though transition, taking my time while the pain eased a bit, I lose a few places… better safe than sorry though.
Onto the bike, and yessss, my legs are freeing up again. Let's be sensible and settle into a steady rhythm. Easy start along the lakeside and into the first 3 hairpin bends of the day. Coming out of the 2nd I start pedalling too early and BANG! Massive pedal strike. The rear wheel comes off the ground but I manage to hold it. Proper heart-in-mouth moment, but lesson definitely learned. Will be taking it easier after that. On the fast 28km slow descent section towards the first climbs of the day, at least 5 TT bikes come flying past me. Nothing I can do about that right now… hopefully I’ll see them again in the hilly terrain better suited to my road bike. Hitting the Alpe du Grand Serre I settle into what I know to be a comfortable power to hold on the climbs. A few riders pass me but I’m passing a lot more, and I begin to notice that their race numbers read “pro”, not the age category like I was expecting. God, I must be going well!
Down the descent, taking it easy after the early scare and onto the main middle section of the ride. I’m passing a few females but it’s pretty lonely until the foot of the Col d'Ornon. Here we go into what should be the easiest climb, but POP the bonk suddenly hits me, and so hard. Energy levels little to zero. Crawling my way up, at a fraction of the power I should be doing, I finally make it to the top in a near-delirious state. I take on food and plain H2O, then set off again with the intention of not pedalling again until I get to the valley bottom. I’m hoping this will kick my gut and stomach into actually doing their job so my legs can show what I really have to offer.
Hitting the base of Alpe d'Huez, I test my legs and thank God, that approach worked. Some of the power is back. I count each bend as I pass it, and feel that I’m actually making progress, overtaking riders who had passed me on the Col d'Ornon. I make it to the top, 21 bends done and into T2.
Onto the run, and good lord, my stomach feels horrible. Trying not to be sick, I make my way round the 20km at a slow pace but ticking off the kms. Feeling so nauseous that I don't manage to take on board any energy, apart from a few mouthfuls of Coke. Starting the last lap, I can feel my energy draining and the dreaded wall getting closer.
Into the final straight, and I can see the clock ticking towards 7:15:00. Last sprint gets me home in 7:14:46. I’m surprised and delighted to learn I’ve come 46th overall, 3rd Brit and 2nd in the 20-24 age group.
I went into this event expecting to be able to race the whole thing, and thinking fitness would be the limiting factor.
I couldn’t have been more wrong; actually the most essential factors in this race were nutrition and hydration.
Will I be back? Definitely! This wasn't the maximum performance I could have achieved.
Lessons learned?
Practice nutrition beforehand.
Don't try new gels and energy drinks for the first time during the race!
A lot more can be lost on the descents than gained.
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