The Cats Evidently Know Best

I went out with the Gearshifters yesterday and took a whopping three minutes off my last time trial time. The new bike rides like a dream! However with a sore throat, and conscious that I was supposed to ride 100k this morning, I headed off after the TT and waived the extra hills.

At 5.30a.m. this morning I had a minor freakout and decided that driving for two hours to Hunterville to ride a challenging course with a cut off time was not for me. Instead I had a little lie-in, ate breakfast, and headed out intending to ride Makara and the Bays.

Once on the Ridgeway it was evident it was windier than I'd thought. I decided to try the Bays first and headed down towards Owhiro Bay. The bike continued its seduction as I absolutely flew down Happy Valley, praying and loving at the same time! The fun ended when I turned the corner towards Island Bay and got slapped with a truly terrifying head wind that began to blow me all over the road.

At Island Bay I toyed with the idea of continuing but I just didn't feel safe. To add to my woes it started to rain. I turned around and stopped at Bata Street to call Hamish to ask him to come and get me but he didn't answer his phone. I nervously got on the bike and slogged it back up the hill to home. So much for 100k - I managed around 20.

So now I'm home frustrated and kicking myself. I really need to get a big ride in tomorrow or I'll be starting to feel nervous about my Taupo prep.