RAS Stage 3 - Epic MTB Forum Archive

22 May 2012, 22:18

Well as I sit here, aching all over what can I say about stage 3!, well it was hard another sufferfest, 145km from Gort to Westport with 3 cat. climbs a 3,2,1 in that order, i felt better this morning than yesterday so the confidence was up but that was short lived as again 50km was covered in the first hour of racing!, my plan is try and hang in as long as I can without ever edging near the front of the speeding peloton, however this was made much harder today as crash after crash happened, the first after 40km on a left hand turn, but no problem just a little raise in the heart rate nothing to worry about, then after around 70km, 10km before the first KOM a big crash went down I was caught behind it, but managed to get through, but with groups all over the road driving into a strong sidewind, I was on the sharp end of it, I dug deep but as our group got bigger and the pro came across, i left it to them, we made it back to the bunch just before the next KOM a cat 2, but the legs were gone, i ended up out the back but in the cars over the top, the desent was mental, trying to avoid cars and bodies over the road, as I got to the bottom another 2 riders came across to me, and going over the top of the last cat 1 climb, we made it back on, along with my new suffering face (you know when you see the pictures), only 38km to the finish and I'm in the safety of the bunch, this could be my day? no another crash and the group split in two, with me in the second, taping along nicely until the riders held up got across to us, and with them on a mission to catch the leading group, the speed just went from a comfortable 48Kph to 53+ then bang, i'd say you could of heard it in Dublin, I blew nothing left out the back with 15km to go, roled in by myself 7mins down. Tomorrow 135km flat route with no KOM sounds good but no it just mean it going to get faster! I think I have aged in the last 3 days and by sunday i'll look like a 90 year old man.