'Your bike for sale?'

You can read much more in depth analysis of the bike ride on other race reports or by looking at some of videos posted on YouTube. Suffice to say:

a) I found it incredibly physically and mentally challenging (I had to keep saying to myself to 'keep going' or 'come on')
b) I was only doing 4 or 5 miles per hour up the hills (just sitting in the saddle and turning the pedals in the lowest gear)

The only time I felt 'good' was when I got to half way in my target time AND was informed by one of Norseman Crew that only small climbs now (*)

The second half almost destroyed me the worst part was on the plateau of Imingfell (after crawling up the last climb) and finding myself in a head wind cycling like a madman and only doing 11 mph.

I was so pleased when I descended off that peak and realised I was going to make the cut off time for continuing the event.

(* = so stupid to have been taken in - I had seen the climbs when we drove the cycle route. They are I believe 3 climbs of c 3 km and one of 7.5 km ie road covered not height gained!)

Part way up one of the climbs in the 2nd half of the cycle segment there was a message painted 'Your bike for sale?' - which did bring a rare and fleeting smile to my face (there were several of these messages on the uphills of both the cycle and run my favourite was probably 'your mum could run faster' which appeared on the walk up Zombie Hill).

A thank you at this stage to my cycling guru's for tips passed on in the past few years; Simon M, Si and James O - I thought of you all as I tackled the hills:

• Use body to reduce speed on descents (Simon M)
• Lean on downhill bends (Simon M)
• Keep spinning on ascents (James O)
• Arse over saddle on more tricky descents - from occasional mountain bike rides (James O)