We were lucky to be able to enjoy a couple of days in Le Mans prior to the race. It was Mr C's first experience of foreign cycling and a delight to be able to ride on quiet French roads with drivers who are much friendlier than their English equivalents. At 1030 Friday morning we headed to the official race campsite and were amazed to find ourselves queuing to get in. The site only opened at 10am but it was already packed out with teams and supporters. The French take their camping very seriously and some of the team areas were amazing, teams had bought their own refrigeration trailers and we saw several that even had their own catering vans! The temperature on Friday hit 33 degrees with no breeze and I knew then it was going to be a tough race - we were sweating just moving around the campsite. We pottered out for a small ride after lunch (extra #strava heat map lines and all that ) and rode through some beautiful countryside and villages. It was early to bed Friday night although difficult to sleep as many competitors partied late into the night - fine if you are in a team but not so great if you're riding solo and potentially going to be awake for 30 hours plus .... 😴😴 It was an early start Saturday, all of my kit had to be dropped into our garage and set up ready for a 3pm start. With 10 teams (soloists up to teams of 8 plus crew) sharing each garage you need to get your space sorted early. There are always limited power facilities so its essential to take extension leads and this race has the added complication of foreign plugs. Being that it was so hot I needed to run a fridge (on top of needing to charge equipment), to keep my water supply cold - nothing worse than drinking hot water! We were lucky to be sharing with some great people including an English team of four (Team Buffalo), who actually turned out to be only three (a drop out before the race) and sadly after a disasterous first lap and a broken clavical, went down to two. Mid morning Mr C was able to get some laps in on the awesome track in the Matinale Le Maines Libre, an open track session. It was strange for me to be on the other side watching him and trying to take some pictures (badly)!! He was really pleased to have achieved the distance goal he set himself and put in a great effort. 🚴♀️👍👊 Temperatures were rising all day and by the time they started the opening ceremony it had hit an all time high. The opening ceremony is quite a spectacle, all the competitors national anthems are played and the countries flags displayed but standing on the track for 40 minutes in the roasting sun was unbearable, I have learnt from previous occasions to take an extra bottle of water to drink whilst waiting. Once over, the countdown was on and soon I was waddling (all I can manage with road cleats) towards my bike in the Le Mans style start. I often get laughed at when I don't run at the start but over 24 hours a 10 meter run/walk makes no difference and a guy to my left fell and hit the deck before even getting on his bike! The first couple of laps are always hairy, for some competitors it's the first time they have seen the track and it's also a time when the peletons form so starting at the back is an advantage. Soon after starting I picked up someone on my back wheel who stuck to me like glue. For the first 40 miles she was on my wheel, took the lines that I took and followed my every move. I couldn't really get a good look at her but it soon became apparent she was potentially my biggest rival. I really felt those first miles, my heart rate was much higher than it normally is and I couldn't quench my thirst, despite drinking more than a litre an hour! I was getting a tad cheesed off doing all the work so I slowed the pace a bit in the hope that my 'friend' would overtake me and do some of her own work but it was not to be! At one point I was doing just 4 mph and she still sat right behind me. It appeared she didn't speak any English, certainly not phrases I thought were universal .... ;) Needing more water I pulled a crafty pit stop without much indication so she couldn't follow me. I'm normally more than happy to tow anyone on my wheel, if they take a turn on the front then great but if they can't then no worries either, but I knew this lady was more than capable of overtaking. It was clear she was conserving energy whilst I was tiring myself out, in essence I was towing her to victory !! Back out on the track again with more water she quickly found my wheel again and there I was doing all the work, getting more and more annoyed. I sped up, she sped up; I slowed down, she slowed down! Mr C kept saying to get on her wheel but I couldn't out run her and she wasn't going to pass so I took evasive action and pulled over and stopped on track. Having no choice she found someone else to annoy although it wasn't the last time I saw her!! I had to pit more frequently than I would have liked, even with four water bottles I was quickly running out. The heat was awful, I tried pouring water on my neck whilst cycling and it was like bath water. By 100 miles I was feeling quite fatigued, queasy and generally not great - I was well aware at this point my race was over it was just a matter of time... It was frustrating as I was two laps behind 1st place so more than catch-able but my body was suffering. I plodded on through the night, putting on another 120 miles and although cooler, things with me weren't improving. My face was burning up but I was shivering and freezing cold. My muscles didn't want to work, I had pain just about everywhere and my heart rate (although dropped from the day) was still well above what it should have been. Normally sun rise is a high point in a 24 hour race but this time the sun and the soaring temperatures were what I was dreading. I possibly could have done a few more miles but it was never going to be enough to win and I didn't want to join the many others being carted off to hospital in the ambulance so I made the decision to retire. Many thanks to everyone for their kind words and encouragement, its events like these that make me truly realize how lucky I am to have such amazing support ❤ A huge thank you also to #allfirstaidtraining, #towernutrition and #fityourbike without your continued support none of this could happen. And also the long suffering Mr C who drove me there and home and crewed for me - without his continued support both at races and at home I couldn't achieve what I do..... Even if he has consistently reminded me at every possible opportunity that he 'Finished' his race!!!!! 🤣🤬🤣 www.allfirstaidtraining.co.uk www.towernutrition.co.uk www.fityourbike.co.uk
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