Moe, Curly and Larry try the Stratford 100

I can't remember the last time a sporting event has been at the forefront of my mind as the Stratford 100 was. I had taken advice on nutrition, hydration and equipment and I was still unsure on how I would cope and if I would finish. what would I do if I didn't. I had to be at Stratford racecourse by 700am so my alarm was set for 5am. I woke at 4am!

Stephen and I were introduced to 2 of Geoff's friends, John and Matt, triathletes conveniently, and after a bit of nervous banter we set off. I could not get "99 bottles of beer on the wall" out of my head. We were over taken by a large group after about 8 miles and Geoff shouted that we should hang on to them. At an average clip of 32kmph this was a struggle and we were soon strung out. I decided to stick with Geoff and John as they were experienced cyclists and we ploughed on at a good rate. However after 40 mins or so the lack of other cyclists was concerning and we stopped. We had gone off course, badly. We were off the map and had a choice to either retrace our steps, which, given we were unsure where we had gone wrong was not a popular option, or try to rejoin the course further along. We headed for Cheltenham, had some very nice banana cake, a cup of coffee and made a phonecall to Matt who was at the 50 mile stop. Having already cycled 48 miles and we were 20 miles behind him and the executive decision to go off piste again. Eventually we rolled into Stratford having joined the course 3 miles outside, promptly took a wrong turn into the racecourse and never even crossed the finish line. However we did complete 94 miles and I felt strong at the end so from that point of view it was a success. I did ask Geoff which group I should plump for and he suggested 4 on the first day and if that was too easy move up to 3 in France. Sound advice methinks.

I did not bike it into work on Monday as both the kids were up during the night and, to be honest, I was knackered. I had just sat down at my desk on Monday morning when 2 wags asked if I had just finished or had I gone via the Cheltenham office first? Could take a while to live this one down.

I was keen to try another 100mls this coming Sunday but with it being our wedding anniversary it was always going to be difficult one to swing and I received a very firm "no chance!"

However I do feel more confident than this time last week.