The first overseas blog for a bit – Jordy’s first 3 Peaks made a big impact … you can read it here if you’re on Facebook… Jordy Luisman – 3 Peaks cyclocross! … and below is Facebook’s own translation. Come back next year, Jordy!
3 Peaks cyclocross!
Yesterday at 9.30, it finally happened: The 3 Peaks. Before the start of the meteorologists predicted a dry morning with chance of sun and around noon “blistering” showers – But the drops on the windshield said something very different: rain and high winds!
After the starting pistol fell were the first 5 KM ” neutralized ‘, this means in England 45 km/h on hilly asphalt cracks. Luckily, I was able to maintain a reasonable pace with those front of me and rode about 5th in the field. Now came the moment of truth, I have my Cannondale superx well prepared, are my Vredestein tyres hard enough? I’ve got enough food with me? Now that’s what I was going to find out.
After the first marsh tracks through a meadow, we were soon on the designated walk. Of course I had all 100 movies and seen countless pictures on these steep climb but in real life, it was still a little steeper and more violent than I had imagined. After +- 15 minutes walk, I thought to be almost at the top and looked back: Swallow! What a very steep slope is this! After the fear of heights was feeling a little rusty, but I brave through it in the direction of the misty peak. After the first checkpoint. I had reached my competitors. I was literally lost in the fog and I don’t even know what I’m good to go. Fortunately, there were a few competitors behind and that knew, thank god.
Then it was downhill… this meant: flat our on wet moor with hard tyres and the meadows were littered with big rocks, ditches, streams and long grass. All potential killers too. After, me and my materials had survived. Luckily, we had a long piece of road with the wind in the back. On to the 2nd MOUNTAIN: Whernside.
At the bottom of the foot was everything reasonable to cycling but to higher degree we came all the steeper and more technical it was. Boulders were slate stairs and stairs were ridges on the path to pound yourself up. And as the cherry on the cake, pulled the wind blowing so hard that your bike around your shoulder was blowing. A few seconds later, started the first “blistering shower” also, the rain pulled up in a horizontal direction over the mountain through which it felt like you were under a cold shower.
After I reached the top of the checkpoint had came the 2nd and the most difficult descent coming. First it was particularly sharp rocks. But that was soon replaced for large stone slabs, gullies, dropoffs and muddy grass. In this descent, I came to fall two times, and partly because of the cold, I lost the fight a little bit. Once on the road, I have something to eat and drink, and then at a strong pace toward the last horror: Pen-Y-Ghent.
Surprisingly enough, I got pretty good legs and because this climb was on the bike I lived on! The Last 2 km for the summit, it was again scrambling but that didn’t bother me: the end was in sight! After the last checkpoint, it was still a solid downhill and with a weary body, it’s still a minute on the teeth to bite. At the bottom of the descent, it was still 5 miles against the wind, on rolling roads which I still have a few beautiful places could get wrecked and eventually as a 31th on the finish line to roll. After a few pieces of dry sausage Erik Manenschijn I snapped back on and came to the realization of how cool this actually was!
In Short, a great experience that I never in my life will forget!
