its monday (again)...

... amazing how it seems to roll around with nary a question to the world if anyone wants it to?? How rude.

Anyhoo... cases of the monday's aside.... I was racing on Saturday. It was the Seamus McGreevy Race @ Dromore. It was fecking hard. :-) I think that is definitely the toughest race I've ever done.... but I still managed to finish which is a good thing. You can see the Bell looking comfortable going up the hill there...

The race started off fairly sedately until it hit the first long hill.. and man it was a hill.... another 4 times round this (or so I thought)... then rolled up a bit more, round to the left... up some more... ever seen one of those pictures that looks like stairs always going up? This is what this course felt like. Past the finish line - on a hill - and on up some more... still some more climbing with a faux plat on it and finally a stretch of downhill on good road with a tailwind.... oh yeah did I mention that most of the climbing was done into a headwind?? Nice.

Ok... so after a very fast stretch of downhill, round a tight left turn, wee bit uphill, another left turn, some nice road and into a set of lumps, then onto a horrible road surface... northern irish cobbles. nice.... left turn... noooo.... big hill again.... rinse repeat.

I think the break went off at the end of the first lap more or less... I didn't even see it to be honest, I think Jonny Cole tried to get in it but got reeled in by us. Some of the really really really good juniors were in it as well, and that basically means the rest of us mere 30 year old 3rd cats haven't a hope.

Anyways, this went on till what I though was the final lap and then man held up a sign saying two laps to go... :-( I am in pain.

Finn went off the front on this lap with me behind him, not chasing my own man down though. Then there seemed to be a bad crash with one of the guys in front of my group coming down, either hit by a car, or something in the road... either way he came off at around about 40mph... but I think and hope he's ok.

In general it was a good race... definitely more interesting for the hills in it! but damn sore on the legs... so it must be doing me some good.