Forest of Dean - DNF

I ventured off to the Forest of Dean Duathlon today to defend my title that I won last year. It was meant to be a good warm up for the Worlds in 2 weeks time and a chance to test out the new Road Bike that I had bought after selling my Kuota.  To say the race didn't go to plan is a bit of an understatement! The run was turned from a 10k to an 11.5k run and was all up hill! The sun came out just in time to make it feel like really hard work and I went off a bit too hard which I soon regretted! I've also had a bit of a bug for a few days (must be Chris's dodgy cooking!) so had to take a toilet stop at 6k but still managed to enter T1 in 3rd place.

My lovely new bike

Out of T1 in 2nd place

I was out onto the bike 2nd female thanks to a quick transition.  I was confident that I could catch the leader who was about a minute ahead and was majorly excited to eat up the tarmac on the new pinarello. Unfortunately, I had been on the bike less than 5 minutes before I was in a heap on the middle of the road! The ride out from T1 was over shales, gravel and loose chippings and was lethal! That with a cattle grid, a loose board, men zooming past in a 'non-overtaking zone', a sharp left turn with gravel galore under my wheels, a car speeding towards me and a marshal who could have done with informing us of the hazards was too much information for my brain to process and as I tried to brake the bike went from beneath me.

I lay there for what seemed like ages but probably wasn't that long.  The marshal then tried to help and pull my handbars back into place and get my chain back on.  I thought I can either go back to transition and seize up or chase the 3 girls that had since overtaken me and get back into a podium position.  I chose the latter.  However, after a little tootle up the road I was soon turning back to ride to the marshal to ask him to help me with my brakes (which he did).  I then set off again - this time remembering Amy Forshaw's inspiring performance to come back at the British Middle Distance Championships following cramp and a puncture (and although she just missed out, I was in total awe of her efforts).  Back on the bike and heading in the right direction I was now in 5th but unfortunately my bike didn't want to play ball.  The brakes weren't responding and I had lost my nerve for cornering.  I tried to carry on as much as possible but when I got to a 17% descent I didn't want to risk it and ran down it instead (a good bit of brick training I thought! Haha!) It was a long cycle/walk back as there was not one single marshal on route and not one cyclist offered to help which was a shame given what a friendly sport this usuall is.

When I saw Mum back in transition I couldn't help but cry, more relieved to be back I think.  There were no first aiders so it was a long drive home to get cleaned up.  The negatives of this race are clearly apparent but the positives are that I gave it a really good effort to get myself back in the race and at least it happened now and not in 2 weeks time in France.  Chris (my hero) has cleaned the bike up and fixed the brakes and gears and it looks as good as new now.

So there's 2 races left for my 2012 season.  I'm looking forward to bouncing back from this and moving on to bigger and better things.

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination".
- Tommy Lasorda