TwentyFour12 24hr Solo - It Wasn't Mech (sic) To Be

Last year TwentyFour12 was a mixed and, ultimately, disappointing weekend for me. This year I was determined to ride at the front and make amends for missing a good chunk of the season through injury as well as laying these demons to rest.


Unfortunately, I retired from the lead having held the 1st place for the first 13hrs, due to a combination of a random mechanical bike failure and my shoulder just not being up to the job.


Still, a great weekend, a great course (the toughest UK 24hr course yet?) from Martyn Salt, helped by Paul & Sara of SIP and signs that some kind of form is returning to the legs. Third time lucky next year?

Yet another rear mech unhappy ending in Plymouth: The one on the right is NOT meant to look like that!

Here's the low down on my weekend's racing, as far as it went:

New Bike! Santa Cruz Highball

All calm on Hove Esplanade in the morning
sunshine, silently hiding the speed within! 

 

On Sunday I headed over to Pedal and Spoke in the Surrey Hills who were hosting a Santa Cruz demo day with three thoughts in my mind:

1. Ride some of the famous Surrey Hill trails
2. Meet Howard & the Pedal and Spoke guys
3. Pick up my Santa Cruz Highball  new bike!
   

Na Na Naa-Naa Na Na, I've Got The Power - Brought To You By SNAP!

Pedal + the end of my crank were left
lying in the middle of the road

SNAP! Quite an alarming start to the day, but maybe all the turbo sessions with the shoulder injury did pay off in the end. I pulled out the end of the road and promptly fell off in the middle of a flat, straight road, right in front of an oncoming car, which was very confusing until I found my pedal and end of my crank at the end of the road, where I'd started!

Back In The Saddle (some more)

Wonderful Brighton singletrack winding through
the trees & there's miles of it :-)

After having such a good day out yesterday, I had no option but to get up eaerly to repeat the feat before heading off to a BBQ on Sunday afternoon, so it was full of optimism and anticipation that I swung my leg over my bike and headed out, in the opposite direction from home, with plans of doing the classic "Eastbourne and back" along the SDW, stock training route. It didn't take long in the sunshine for my plans to change, and for the better.

Back In The Saddle

A wonderful way to spend an evening after watching a tour stage

After far too long, I'm finally back on the bike properly and able to ride almost entirely unhindered by my shoulder. Boy does it feel good to be back on the bike and riding without discomfort or worry of knocking it; being able to let my mind wander and my legs just sit beneath me and spin away.