Tour Ta Malta
Me, my team mate Tilly Gurney and Jessie Ansell are all up bright and early for a 7:45 monday morning plane to Malta. This was my third year flying over to malta for the race however, its Tilly’s and Jessies first. We arrived on bright sunshine and beaming heat, making us more excited to get out on our bikes and the tan lines started!
As now its Thursday, racing starts! We have 4 days of racing starting with stage 1 being a 15mile TT, 2nd, 3rd and 4th stage include a road race with on one of the stages we get a ferry over to Gozo.
Stage 1;
It was all raining and dull this morning! Me and my team manager, Jon Miles, thinking that if the rain carries on they will call the race off. Luckily, the rain eased and the racing kicked off at 9:45am. I was the 4th girl off meaning, i was pretty sharpish to the start. I got on to the ramp, the board started counting down 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. My breathing going with the beeps and a big explosive start was to follow, but silly me not thinking about the rain and how slippy the starting ramp would be, so i skidded down the ramp and picked it back up off down the hill. It was a downhill start with a punishing headwind, you really needed the power behind the peddles to get down there. This was my time bonus! Just over a mile down the hill to the first dead turn, which was on white paint, FYI isn't very sticky in rain... But getting low in the corner and sprinting out the saddle to get back up that hill, back over the start/finish area which dragged over the top and another little downhill section with a right sweeping bend in following shortly after, another dead turn. Meaning that you have to sprint all the way back out your saddle back up the other side... The only way i describe this course is having a road that joins to double ‘hog hill’ hill’s together. Strange one, i know... But it was a tough one with the head winds powering on to you. It was coming to the last lap off my effort, i was really feeling it in the legs and the chest. Trying to get every little piece of energy out of me up the hill to the finish on top, sprinting out of my saddle powering on. I finished!
QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY TILLY on her TT.
1) What did you think of the course?
I liked it. It was interesting because we don't do dead turns in a time trail, so it was a different experience on doing that. The downhill sections were good however, but you lost the time on the uphill.
2) How did the effort feel?
Hard! But you pace yourself, once your into a rythem it is easier to maintain the pace and judge how fast you could push yourself
3) How do you feel going on to the other races, now you have completed the time trail?
Feeling good as now i am in the right frame off mind because i am in my race mode. Im feeling positive about going over to Gozo because i herd it was a good course and my legs are feeling strong. It is going be a good couple of days racing. Im ready for it!
My time (going off my garmin) was 37.13, that is an unofficial result.
Tilly’s time (going off garmin) was 40 minutes, that is an unofficial result.