During the 160 miles, I can remember cycling along 2 stretches of flat road lasting no more than 3 miles each. Basically, you cycle uphill for 10mins, then come down the other side for 30 seconds, then repeat, for 160 miles! Claire and I set off at first light as per race day, heading from Penhale camp site, down through Par, along the first stretch of flat road to St Austell. Here we turned right onto the A391. This is a 20 minute 1 in 10 hill that passes through Roche and joins the Atlantic Highway at Winnards Perch. The road surfaces were excellent throughout the course which was the only consolation to the degree of the ascents. The Atlantic Highway is the busiest of the roads on the course, but the width of the road and the large cycle lane certainly makes the cyclist feel safe. I found this out on the return journey in the dark!
Right along the A392 towards Newquay (after stopping at Starbucks
), through Quintrell Downs, Goonhavern, Blackwater, Redruth before joining the coastal road towards Portreath. If we thought the scenery at the this stage was stunning, we had seen nothing yet. Next came the 2nd flat stretch of road before arriving at Portreath for a quick photo shoot (below). Even if we turned around here, it would still have been the most difficult course I had rode, but what was to come next was just savage. You know the hills that if you stop half way up you either fall off, or you have to push your bike to the top before you can get back on? Well from here to Lands End consisted of around 20 of these hills. There wasn't much conversation between Claire and I at this point but I did here Claire say as she rode out of Portreath (pic above), '7 days of this is going to break them'.
As we were riding the course self supported the extra 30lbs on our backs were adding to the problem. The course just kept going up and up and up. Relentless is too kind a word for this beast of a course. Fortunately the weather was good and I couldn't help but think what it would be like with added rain and wind in our faces.
The course took us through Hayle and then back out onto the coastal rode again heading through St Ives and St Just. I couldn't work out how the course could start and finish at sea level but kept going up. I was trying my best to take photo's on my Blackberry at the same time as riding but skill of taking one hand off the handle bars had to be limited to less severe climbs, of which there were not that many.
After St Just, we knew that Lands End was just around the corner so it was head down and grind out the last few miles until the turn around point. When we arrived at Lands End we both were complaining of muscle pulls in our forearms. This was caused by 8 hours of continuously pulling up on the handle bars. One of the decisions I have to make is whether the race is going to be 6 days of 187 miles per day or 7 days of 160 miles per day.
We certainly were not racing and I am sure without all the coffee stops and photo shoots and riding at my own Deca pace I would have arrived around 2 hours quicker at Lands End. It was great having Claire with me. Although she isn't as fast on the bike, she is the typical athlete that may enter the Deca in 2010.
If Claire is looking at a 16 hour bike on day 1, without having first done a 24 mile swim, then what would be her predicted time on Day 7 of the bike? This might be a factor on if I chose 6 or 7 days on the bike considering that the cut off for each day is 21 hours. I want this event to be in the typical Enduroman style but I don't want it to be elitist. Mr average can complete the A2A, they just have to train for it. I want the Deca to be the same.
Some people get confused with the Enduroman Deca format. To make things simple, you could go to Mexico and apply this format - Swim on day one only, bike 160 miles on each day, then run 52 miles on each day, getting a good night's sleep after each day and still finish over 24 hours inside their cut off time.
If you have entered this race, or are considering it, you have to put in the bike training. Lose the required weight so that you are at the recommended race weight for your height and do hills - lots of them and when you are finished with those hills - do some more.
When we had realized the toughness of this bike course, we had to jump bike on our bikes and do exactly the same course in reverse (after sausage roll and chips at Lands End of course). When I decided to train for this Deca in only 8 weeks I had no idea of how hardcore this was going to be. My Deca starts 5 weeks this Friday. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Na... I'm an Enduroman
