It was really really long too, ultra long actually! I did 38 miles and it was tough. It was my first mass start event and I didn't like it one bit. The map was A3 and I couldn't find the triangle, so when the start went I had only just got my map on and hadn't even folded it so it was all flapping around. But I zoomed off with everyone else and stayed with them until the queue at the 1st control. Then it was a bit much so I paused to look at my map and fold it properly, I let them all go, much happier chasing on my own.
It was going well until I got lost. I went down lots of wiggly tracks and in the end the control wasn't at the junction I thought it would be. I had no idea where I'd gone wrong as there were so many junctions, so I finally employed the ride away technique! I rode to a clearing that I could see through the trees and relocated pretty easily from there and found the control!
Feeling pretty pleased with myself I then found myself riding with 2 other girls, not sure what nationalities, we were all together so the nav was much easier so I started taking different tracks to them, sometimes I'd get there 1st, sometimes they did. We picked up our 2nd map and I never saw them again, no idea where they went.
The 2nd half was hard on the legs. I rode exactly where I wanted to for every control apart from one, number 19, which again was down a maze of dotty paths. I came out, went back in again, went wrong again, faffed around for ages before finally working it out. I seemed to forget the ride away thing and wasted lots and lots of time, probably because by now my brain was like mush from the hours of concentrating like crazy.
It was 14:15 and we were supposed to be back for our flight, I didn't know if I could make it to 26, 27 and 28. Luckily i bumped in to Dan and Alan and they said get them because they were! So I pedalled like crazy and did the next one in record time, they caught me and towed me back (not literally) through the last 2 controls to the finish. We caught our flight but Stodge had to drive like a maniac to get there in time!
It turned out that lots of the elites gave up hours ago. Give me an ultra long any day of the week :o) :o) :o)
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