Well, where do i start.
Ended up riding with a few guys who were doing a hare to my tortoise: i'd start a climb and settle into my slow pace, lnly to have them come past me. Each time I got to the top, there they'd be, in a heap. I ride past. On the next climb... You get the idea.
Just before the last descent to Tea stop at Guiting Power.
It was very windy and roady with a few nice off road ups and downs. After one of the downs I noticed a bit of a wobble at the back. Looked own to see my rear tyre doing a very passable impersonation of the elephant man. Lowered the pressure, a lot, rode on and kept an eye on it. Good job I did as it then grew a beard and started to leave itself along the trail. The brown bits on the left aren't mud but whispy threads of casing....
My support crew (Mrs HM) were called, the pass codes to the shed shared and a rendezvous set at the 26 mile point. While sat on a rock waiting for tyre and pump to arrive, a youngster had a very nasty off and was in bit of a state. The support crew became ambulance.
He's already in the front with the heater on.
Bike fixed up to Cleeve Common where it got really windy. Not sure what the little detour behind the aerials was all about other than to cause a bottleneck. It worked.
Down to Winchcombe, Picked up medal. Pretty Bleak at the finish so home for roast lamb and rhubarb crumble.
Saw Neil Mike and Jon at the start but after that was on my own which was fine. A meeting point would be good at these things. Did notice a load of guys revving at the start line at 8.40am. Are you sure?