White Horses and the Chiltern Big Dipper

Managed to get some good miles in the other weekend. A company I'm working for this summer very kindly invited me to an all expenses paid weekend near Swindon which involved a 60 mile organised ride on the Saturday. With the mention of free food I didn't need asking twice and so enjoyed a great day riding 'white horse' country (a number of huge chalk carvings in the hillsides adorn the area) with some very keen cyclists and new colleagues. There was another ride taking place on the Sunday but I had already committed to riding in the Chiltern Big Dipper Sportive so made my excuses and raced home on Saturday evening.

After doing a couple of Sportives on my own last year I had promised myself I wouldn't enter any more unless someone else was willing to come along and suffer with me. However, even with a lack of suitable lemmings because this event was taking place literally on my doorstep it felt rude not to. With the previous days ride still in the legs and a late night to boot it was never going to be a steamer but none the less I made it round the 100 mile route feeling reasonably happy. It took in a lot of the superb little climbs we have here in the Chilterns which was painful and great in equal measure but unfortunately the route marking left something to be desired leaving a few people a little unhappy. Luckily local knowledge paid off enabling me to keep on route and ending up ambling round to finish in 35th spot out of a 100 or so who rode the full distance.

Obviously my performance won't give Contador any sleepless nights but laid in the sun in the garden afterward with a cup of tea on the go I had that warm fuzzy feeling, a mixture of fatigue and contentment, that comes after all great days out. 

Dave.