Dan Innes' Big 4 Challenge 2007
UKFast supports the Alzheimer's Research Trust
Dan's Itinerary:
29th June - The King Sturge Property Triathlon at Dorney Lake
1st July - The British Etape, 193km cycling from Greenwich to Canterbury
16th July - The French Etape, 196km mountainous cycling
5th August - The full course London Triathlon.
As Dan updates us on his challenge we will post his diary entries here.
The first triathlon
Friday was the King Sturge property triathlon at Dorney and was quite a baptism of fire for me! The (750m) swim was my first in open water, and I seemed to keep veering off to the right (my tracking was off!), and found it difficult getting used to my swimming wetsuit.Once I was back on track I’d lost a bit of ground, but finished as best I could to start on the bike. Incredible how much you can fumble around with your gear when the clock is ticking! Once underway, zipping four times around the rowing lake, I had a bit of a battle with one particular guy who always overtook me at exactly the same place on the headwind straight, but then I always returned the compliment on the tailwind straight. I may have tried a bit too hard on this section, but it was my strongest discipline, so think I can be excused!
The run to the finish has never been a strongpoint of mine, and just wanted to get it all over with as quickly as possible. My how it hurt! Final time 1hr:19minutes
The British Etape
Sunday was the British Etape du Tour, joining over 5,000 riders on the trip from Greenwich to Canterbury, via Chatham, Tonbridge Wells and Maidstone – the same route as stage 1 of this year’s Tour de France next Sunday.We set out at just after 7am, and steadily took on the 193 km. I’d joined my fellow ‘Exiles’ cycling friends, but between the group of 5 of us, a mixture of punctures, chain breaks and food/water stops meant our overall time for the day was 7 hours 53 mins – a little slower than anticipated, and about 3 hours slower than the professionals! Nevertheless, a long day in the saddle!
The course was pretty flat, so the legs aren't too tired tonight, but it will definitely still stand me in good stead for the main event in France on July 16th – especially on how to ride in larger peletons. Back to the training.
The French Etape
Over 8,000 of us lined up before dawn and streamed out of Foix in the Pyrenees towards our first climb of the day. The weather was pleasantly cool and didn’t really get hot until nearly 11am when it did get pretty uncomfortable – melting the tarmac in places! With so many riders on the course it was easy to jump into a peleton on the downhill but it is on the uphills where the race is won and lost. Five huge climbs make this Etape the hardest ever.The ascent of the Port de Bales was probably the worst - a constant 2 hour slog of hairpin after hairpin. My only real problem this time around was cramp in my left leg up the third and fourth climb, but plenty of electrolyte (salts) drink, energy bars and a couple of quick stretches and I was back on my way. My back was also in complete agony – am obviously getting too old for this game!
By the time I reached the final ascent – the Col de Peyresourd – I was in a partly euphoric state, both at the prospect of finishing but also at the sight of a wall of mountain ribboned with hairpins, with ant-like cyclists crawling slowly up its face. I couldn’t stop, not at this late stage, noooo way!
I finally made it down into Loudenveille, 196kms later, and crossed the line in 9 hours 49 minutes – which placed me somewhere in the top 2,000. It was an absolutely incredible day, full of mixed emotions, and an enormous sense of satisfaction at raising more cash for the Alzheimers Research Trust.
The London Triathlon
The BIG 4 CHALLENGE is complete. I finished the Triathlon yesterday in a fraction over 2 hours 36 minutes absolutely broken and exhausted. I had a strong swim and bike...but it was the run that nearly killed me!The swim was pretty brutal – brown brackish water, streetfighting your way to the marker post with 250-ish other triathletes – kicking, arms flailing, struggling for air (see pics attached). It was 1500 metres in 27’:54”
Transition into the bike was a torrid affair, grappling with your wetsuit before being allowed into the transition area, then leaping onto your bike to hit 40k’s on the road. We had two loops – one to Canary Wharf and back, then a longer one to Westminster and back – very picturesque! Everything went well here and had a pretty fast session – 1hr 04’06”.
Then came the awful bit. No, REALLY awful. I pulled on my running shoes and just felt terrible. As I ran out of the Excel centre into the sunshine, I immediately felt strange, and soon realised that I was going to be a long long time over the 10k. I was reduced to a snails pace, feeling light headed, slightly sick, trying to take on water at drink stations, but just got slower and slower. What should have taken me about 45 minutes took a painful plodding 58’43”.
All in all, my finishing time for my first olympic-distance triathlon was 2 hours 36 minutes and 8 seconds.Thankyou so much if you’ve sponsored and helped me to well and truly smash my £2,000 target. Sponsors have been an inspiration to me, and were certainly in my mind over those last 10k! – THANKYOU!!!
UKFast considers individual sponsorships and actively encourages people to get in touch if they are looking for support. Please email Jonathan Bowers for further information.
