The Long and Winding Road

After a few weekends of just riding my bike and not racing the second hill climb of my season arrived on Sunday.

The climb - Snake Pass (Peak district). A 3.2 mile (5.5km) climb with a constant gradient of 7%.

To be honest, this was never going to be much sort of hill climb. It's a 20 minute effort effectively, the sort of thing you train for by doing time trials. However, the constant effort and rhythm is something I like, focusing and getting in a zone.

Keeping an eye on the weather report we set out to the climb. Driving through torrential rain was an ominous start. As forecast the rain subsided until 1 minute before I was to set off. The other factor today was the constant headwind for the entire climb. So much so, other racers were recording times 2 minutes slower than last year despite being fitter and faster.

For some reason unbeknownst to me, my starting time was among the group of favourites for the win (clearly don't read this blog). I set out hard but within myself and aimed to get in a rhythm at a power I know I could hold. The first km was great until I was passed by the guy a min behind me (who would break the junior course record - chapeau) and then by Joe, whom I'd trained with a few weeks back (he got 3rd).

I just continued and held on to what I could. Eventually finishing in a time of 19m38.1s. Once again placing me solidly in the middle of the pack.

While I finished a considerable time difference behind, it was a new PB for the climb and recorded my highest 20min power, a whole 120watts higher than my first ever attempt at a new 20 min power.

Next on the agenda are the shorter brutes of Monsal head, holly lane, bank road and riber - not a gradient less than 12% on any of them.