Isle of Wight 100 KM Enduro

May 2008

Two weeks to go until the 100km enduro on the Isle of Wight. Mike and I have been putting in the mileage, trying to crack a few 60km local rides, and while riding along a, well what can only be describe as a farm road, I clip the edge of the road and my front wheel whips away from me. I manage to gouge a whole in my elbow and gain a couple of stitches.. not good, especially when the doctor has forbidden me to ride for at least two weeks.. check out the hole!

So two weeks later mike and I head of to the sunny climate (or so we are hoping), of the Isle of Wight, after an easy journey to Southampton we meet up with the other three lunatics who have decided to join us, it's the Duck, Matt and !!!!, and things are not looking as serious as we thought as the three of them climb out of the car with a bottle of wife beater each..

Tent up, some bigger than others.. pasta devoured ready for the next day and then of to the beer tent for a few pints, the idea of a serious race is now rapidly diminishing!

It's been ages since I've slept in a tent, and boy, how loud is the rain on that canvas, bloody birds need shooting and does the guy in the tent next door have to shout!

Crack sparrow fart and mike and I have a healthy energy loaded breakfast in preparation for the battle ahead, Duck and the guys crack on with the bacon sarnies. we roll up to the start line for 0930, touch in as they say and ride off..

Bloody walkers have moved one of the markers so within the first 5k we're lost, after much attempts at map reading we finally reach checkpoint one, not the best start, crack on we do though, and not a bad pace passing the odd group of riders. At this point my front mech cable gets trashed, sh*t, not looking forward to the next 90k stuck in the middle ring!

Things were going pretty well, apart from the wind that was a bit of a struggle now and again to ride into, overall 3 punctures so pretty average there.
Around about the 75k mark, the distance was beginning to take it's toll, especially as we'd all ran out of water a good 10k back, they had moved the water point a bit further on and we were gagging, the other three lads were also suffering as expecting to come across the odd corner shop had not packed any food, it didn't help that the feed/water station was situated across from a pup, the 3 guys decided to wrap on it for the day and consume some nutrition and a swift pint.

Mike and I cracked on, finishing in just over 9 hours, not the fastest time in the world, but for our first 100km Enduro, we didn't think it was too bad.

Photos here.