19th September. Big Ben Tri - DNF x 2

Yeah well I needn't have bothered getting those fell running shoes because there was no fell running. Survived the swim 1.9km in the diesel flavoured semi brine besides Morrisons, then the awful four laps of the dreaded MTN bike. 

To be fair the last time I sat on a MTN bike was the 3rd lap of the 2008 Ben Nevis tri, it's fair to say that the complete absence of further experience had a predictable outcome. The Otter punctured on the 2nd lap whilst riding in the top ten then hung around for an hour getting cold to buddy me round as his race was finito. By then it was pissing down and I was on target for being last. "The object is to prove that you can make the cut off for the start of the last lap". It's one thing making the cut off for the bike but then there's another cut off halfway up the Ben. 

"Achhh what's the point of being turned round halfway up the hill, better to save the knees for the GG 5-0." This was really an excuse just to go and sit in the Ben Nevis Inn and eat. A complete failure overall, an experience you'd never want to repeat etc so it's all on for 2010. People were also laughing at my bike "who would want to attempt it on that heavyweight?" The answer would be a lighter bike and endless training on it. 

"I'm not doing anymore Triathlons" claims the fat boy "it's not the same since Ironman, need to find some other challenge." 

"Well I can promise you that the GG 5-0 will be a real challenge - an altered state of consciousness thing."

8th September. Helvellyn - Battle of The Patellas.

"England's Toughest Triathlon' got a little too exciting for The Otter who narrowly missed involvement in a multi bike pile up at 40mph.

In fact I was thinking that on the descent from the Kirkstone Pass 'you really wouldn't want to fall off here'. it was a smooth road and very steep with oncoming traffic. Going about as fast as it's possible on a push bike, overtaking girls who were holding onto their brakes. So around a particular corner there were cars and bicycles all stopped, course I couldn't stop just wheeled past all the carnage. The Otter who saw it all happen graphically in front of him had just managed to skid to a stop and then had been directing traffic. 

One rider had clipped the verge and somersaulted through the air followed by the one behind crashing into him. broken bones, shock, lack of movement, ambulance called etc. But anyway The Otter had already decided that due to bio mechanical issues with one knee he wasn't going to be running up and down Helvellyn so it was a DNF and a clear victory for me 5hr 15 mins which was crap of course.

Ullswater was totally baltic at 8.30am and even though I had that new-to-me carbon frame at least 200 people came passed me on the cycle.

The highlight had to be the climb from Ambleside up to the Kirkstone Pass Inn which was standing on the pedals the whole way 1 in 5 or 1 in 3 at one point and there was a guy stopped at the side of the road really honking his guts up through over exertion, you don't often see that. 

I wasn't going to start walking with my bike I had to cycle up the damn thing, they don't call it "the struggle' for nothing.