Right, shall we sum up?…  Is it a good event?

Yes – mostly.  HQ has all the facilities you need – a range of toilets, food options, a small event village.  There’s camping for those that want it, also with the relevant facilities.   There’s a lot of photo opportunities en route – both for you and of you, thanks to sportivephoto.  The drummers, and the roadside supporters were great, and helped cheer us along.

There’s plenty of support on route too.  The cheery outriders are, and were, as lovely as ever.  I saw plenty of stricken riders being helped by them, and the various mechanics.  The food stations leave a little to be desired – they’re ok, but they did tend to be a bit chaotic, and stock levels weren’t reliable.  Plus there’s the lack of toilets to consider – us ladies object to that, and let’s not forget the queues.  I also wish there wasn’t a 6.00pm timing cut off.  Ok, so I’m not a great cyclist, but I’m not the worst, and I shouldn’t have to struggle to get back in time.   Even making it 7.00pm would have sorted that.

Mind you, maybe I shouldn’t worry about the timing.  For whatever reason, though I appear to have done the timed hill climbs on all three days, I only officially finished on Day 1.  I’m down as a DNF on Days 2 and 3, which I’m quite annoyed about.  Maybe it’s those flimsy timing chips?  Whatever the reason, if I’d paid £105 to enter the whole event, and put in all that work, I’d be really disappointed not to get an official finishing time.  As you can see, and for the record, I mostly certainly did finish every day – so there!

Moving on…the routes were mostly well marked – although a couple of signs were easy to miss and one was missing altogether.  There weren’t much by way of caution/warning signs though, and there were a few places they might have been wise.  However the routes themselves, all three days, are scenic and varied, and challenging.  And where else can you get the chance to challenge yourself in the same way?  You can’t.

But…it’s a small thing and probably sounds stupid…I just wish it all came with more of a sense of event, of being a happening.  As “the biggest Multi stage cyclosportive in the World” I kinda expect bells and whistles.  Briefings, tannoy, music, organisers everywhere making sure everything is going smoothly.  And however late I am in, I’d like to be welcomed home and told how well I did – however sycophantic that would be.  Especially on the final day.

There, that concludes my review of the Tour of Wessex 2013.

I always wanted to do it, wondered what it would feel like, wondered if I could do it.

And now I have, you know how it felt, and yes, I could.  Isn’t it amazing?  What the body and mind can do?  I did it.  I DID IT!!!

Well very much more to the point, WE did it.  Maybe I could have done it on my own, but I wouldn’t have. And I’m very glad I didn’t have to.

I am very very proud of us, and I can’t thank GB enough for sticking with me for three days – he deserves a medal just for that!  Just for once, I don’t have the words.

Would I do it again?  No!  That box is well and truly ticked.  Let’s face it, it just takes such a bl**dy long time! *grin*.

Cycling time: 23:23 hrs.
Distance: 335.7 miles.
Avs: 14.4 mph.
Climbing: 6533 m