The ‘Revised’ ‘New’ IMUK Bike circuit – 2 laps back to back
Areet???
I swear someone is taking the piss out of me….
Firstly…..
You know they have changed the bike route again don’t you?
I’m not on about the change from the old circuit to the ‘new circuit’…..
I’m on about the new circuit ‘version 2’…..
Oh yes my friends…..
See that nice easy bit after breightmet where we could relax down through Ainsworth then fly over lowercroft dip before gently trundling through the tranquil villages of Walshaw & totty at a nice steady pace?
Ripped out……
Replaced with?????…..
Guess what…..
Another bastard hill…..(Harwood Hill)
But more on that later…..
The other news of note this week is that the athlete guide came out one month before race day as promised and 50% of the entrants made a bee line straight for the bike cut off times.
Yes we have the standard 10h 30 to complete both the swim & bike but the guide goes on to say that there will be a further 3 ‘intermeidate cut offs’ at various points along the bike circuit (as always) but the key difference this year is that it doesnt say where they will be or at what time…..
Not being funny cock but I think that’s a bit out of order dont you?
There are either ‘intermediate cut offs’ or there aren’t….
Where the hell are they going to be and at what time please?????
I do not understand the logic behind this one at all…
The only thing we can hope and pray is that IM ‘have our backs’ so to speak and so long as we are ‘on target’ to hit T2 within the 10h 30 then we’ll be reet…..
On that note, Here is how my second attempt at 2 loops back to back (first on the ‘new’ circuit version 2) went today….
Before we get started I think it’s important I quickly ‘frame’ this post…
You must understand that I’m currently about 3 stone overweight (fat not muscle) because I love food as it is and all this training is making me eat like a horse – so i’m hardly in ‘peak condition’ from a ‘weight’ perspective.
There is no question that me poor heart and lungs would find it a darn site easier lugging 3 stone less up the Grane on lap 1 never mind lap 2 but as everyone seems to be saying at the moment ‘it is what it is’
Whilst I have been training fairly consistantly for the last 6 months I have had my fair share of ‘hiccups’ and readers should remember that it wasn’t all that long ago I was bouncing up and down in ‘bamboogie’ Bolton at 5am of a saturday following a belly full of beer and other nautie things that we wont go into here….
Not exacly ‘Joe Skipper’ is it????
At the end of the day though, the key thing I want you to remember is this…..
All I want is to get my hands on the 3rd sacred medal in a row at IMUK which is now highly regarded as one of the toughest IM circuits in europe…
‘Just’ getting round will make me as happy as a pig in shit thank you very much…….
Bare these points in mind as you read please…..
Cheers
Weather today…..
Freezing, very windy in parts, raining, black skies (aka Bolton)
It’s meant be summer ffs….
2 laps of the ‘new’ ‘new’ IMUK circuit….. Lap 1 : 3:45
Over to the bee-hive nice and early for a 6am start…
Away we go and I bumped into a couple of lads early doors who, judging by their funny accents, were clearly from the wrong side of the pennines….
“Ah a local guide” they said to me after seeing my T-shirt…
“Happy to show you round lads but not at that pace” I replied.
They stayed with me (I stayed with them?) until we conquered the ‘hills of breightmet’ however when we got to the ‘new bit’ I tried in vein to explain that the route had changed but they were having none of it and off they went into Ainsworth….
Anyhow…
This ‘new’ bit…
Instead of the tranquil ‘rest’ through ainsworth, lowercroft, walshaw and totty, we now turn left after breightment and follow the winding country roads for a bit before turnin onto harwood road.
As we ride next to the ‘lovely’ golf course you will observe to your left that the golf course seems to be going up a 90 degree hilll.
Of course, we have to ride up the 90 degree hill……
And Its a bitch.
Steady climb that goes on for ages, pretty steep towards the top.
As if we havent got enough climbing to do already.
I huffed and puffed my way up thinking its bang out of order that they have done this…
That said, when I dropped down onto Turton Road, the pair from Yorkshire where behind me just coming round onto Turton (having ridden the ‘long’ way round), so make of that what you will….
I took it steady for the rest of the loop taking advantage of any free gifts (gentle riding instead of hammering it) and nice and easy on the hills.
Holcombe, Grane, Roman and even the Forrest of Doom all negotiated very comfortably with a feeling of strength and I ended lap 1 on 3:45 with plenty in the tank for lap 2.
‘Revised’ ‘new’ IMUK Loop lap 2 : 3:53
After a quick stop to replenish fuel at the Bee-Hive I got stuck into lap 2 with the bit between my teeth.
In order to describe how this felt at each of the various stages i’d like to break it down (see strava link and remeber you need to add another 12 mile onto these figures to cover the bit from the flash to the loop)
Hills of Breightmet (Miles 6 & 52)
There are 2 stonking hillls out of Breightment to ‘Welcome you to Bolton’
These piss me off on lap 1 never mind lap 2.
‘New’ Section Harwood Hill climb (miles 8 & 54)
The ‘windy’ bit on the country roads round to the golf course is fine but the climb absolutely is not.
Its anything but fukin fine.
‘Sulked’ all the way up it and was losing the will to live once I got to the top
Turton road (miles 10 & 56)
3 mile of subtle climb that feels like it goes on forever
I went into a very dark place here on lap 2 no thanks to the prior ‘new section’
Holcombe Hil climb (miles 14 @ 60)
This is a very famous ‘mountian’ that people come from all over to ‘walk’ up then lie in bed for a week after – we have ride up the bugger -twice.
Took it really easy.
Felt no different to lap 1 to be honest.
Grane Road (miles 19 & 65)
If you have ridden the circuit then Grane road will need no introduction.
Its 3 miles of constant grind with the highest elevation on the circuit.
Felt like I was cycling backwards up here on lap 2
‘Fast section between Grane & Roman
Many will go stomping through this bit but I took full advantage of the rest and ‘glided’ on the bars as I knew exactly what was coming next
Roman road (miles 26 & 72)
Another 3 mile horrid grind steep in parts and steeper still in others.
As i’m wondering what the hell I am doing with my life a lad from Wigan came past and shouted…
“Fukin Roman Road……Fukin Grane Road……Fukin Harwood Road…..Fukin Holcombe Hill”
He made me laugh that hard I nearly fell off my bike.
He waited for me and we ended up having a right laugh for the remainder of the circuit.
You will always have excellent banter with the Wigan boys, but I think finding someone else in the same boat helped massively….
Look, when you are ‘wheezing’ up the Roman Road on lap 2 and people come stomping past like you are standing still it gets to you, gets to you mentally, and you are already in a dark place as it is…..
But what we often fail to remember is that yes, some of these people will be Ironmen, but a significant majority will be ‘Dave from Darwen’ who has just set off fresh as a daisy whilst you are balls deep into the Ironman circuit, 80 miles in…..
So findng someone of similar ability at a similar point in the course who can make you laugh as you ‘trundle on’ is worth its weight in gold.
Point is, The rest of Roman road (and the circuit) was a breeze thanks to this guy….
Forrest of doom (miles 32 & 78)
3 mile gradual climb where I always come unstuck…..
Powered through it because the lad from wigan was making me laugh
SHL in reverse (miles 37 & 83)
Naughty putting this at the arse end of the loop but no drama as the lad from wigan was still making me laugh
Over the moon to return to the bee hive in 3:53 which makes 7:38 for the 2 loops.
1:30 swim plus 15 minutes in T2 plus 45 minutes flash to loop plus a 7:38 double loop = 10:08.
The Cut off for the swim + bike is 10h:30….
That’s 22 minutes to play with….
Still tight…..
Too tight really….
A puncture away from disaster…
However, 22 minutes of ‘fat’ all the same….
But What about the ‘intermediate’ cut offs Rookie???
Now why would we want to worry ourselves with a trivial thing like that?
(Good luck trying to get me tag off)
Next update Sat 21st….
www.strava.com/activities/2452555701
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