When I agreed to do the Sunday ride with Planet X I had no idea of the scale of things. I arrived to find a group ride with over 20 people - something I've only previously experienced in chaingangs or road races!
The route set seemed ok to me, I assumed it was going to be fairly easy. So I thought it was a good idea about 20 miles in to go with the quicker boys up one of the hills into Grindleford and sprint for the sign. I won. Only because I don't think they knew the game. But I soon wished I hadn't..
After a rather nice cafe stop at the Hathersage Pool Cafe it was a long hilly ride home. I had forgotten how tough Strines actually is and had never ridden most of the other roads at all and already gone too hard. I could barely ride up each climb (and there were many). By the time we got back into Sheffield I genuniely didn't believe I would make it up Jenkins Road. I did. It's a lot easier than everyone makes out - nowhere near as hard as Pea Royd Lane.
Overall a great ride. Very much looking forward to more.
I wasn't much looking forward to track league the next evening however. I got up for the warm up and my legs were exceptionally stiff - I could barely turn them over.
Still, I got up for the first race of the night - a 12 lap scratch. I was barely hanging onto the back of the group and was thinking about going home. I decided to give the next race a try - this time the reverse devil (click here if you want to know what this is). I fared slightly better, this time sticking in with no problem and probably finishing 3rd over the line on the final lap.
It came to the final race of the night - the 30 lap points race and I was really feeling like I needed to go home. The wonderful Mike Farwell told me to man up and persuaded me to stay. We started and I ended up on the wheel of a man who decided to attack two laps in. I went with him and ended up in a break of 5 for the first half of the race, scoring in a couple of the sprints. The bunch caught up to us with 3 sprints remaining and I was fading quickly. I had to try, as I knew I had a chance of making the podium. I sat in for the first sprint, then managed to squeeze out a 2nd and 3rd in the two final sprints - enough for third overall. Not bad for tired legs!
Planet X rides leave every Sunday at 9am from the Showroom in Sheffield - click here for more info.
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