14th July - Manchester & Dist TTA 100 (J2/18R)

On a circuit just north of Holmes Chapel, Peter started the 100 in good spirits and full of hope.  And for the first 40 miles everything went well.  Sadly in his preparations he had forgotten to eat and he had no food with him.  So he "hit the wall".  He struggled on to the 75 mile mark where for the first time in a race he stopped due to exhaustion.  A rider passed him and offered some food - gratefully accepted.  This got him through the next 10 miles when he stopped again - totally spent.  A spectator took pity on him and fed him with enough to get him to the finish.  With about 14 miles to go a motorcyclist pulled up alongside him and told him that as he was the last on the circuit he would be accompanied to the finish, so at every marshalled corner there would be this rider - waiting.  At the end there was a problem.  Seven miles back to HQ and no possible way of riding it.  As Peter had lost the will to live, he did ride back but was pushed all the way by the motorbiker at speeds in excess of 30mph.  Dangerous or what!  On a non-dragstrip, sporting course (ie lots of turnings, poor road surface) and enduring this summer's usual weather Peter was timed at 5:26:33, over eight minutes of this was in various degree of collapse by the side of the road.  His mantra of "you haven't ridden this far just to give up" was given its most severe examination ever and hopefully by the time of his next race he will have mastered the art of joined-up thinking.