The White Horse Challenge - 2010 - By Zena Shean

Featuring “The Pefect Gentlemen” – Charlie Baynes, Paul Gammon and Steve Davis

Also Starring, Dan Stuart, Richard Fuller, Dean, Steve Pallet, Handy Henry, Cousin Andrew and a Blonde in Distress!

I knew this ride was going to be hard work, ever since the Ford CC had sent me through an email about it a few years ago. However it did look very pretty, and when a few of the IM guys said they would do it as a training ride – I thought “why not – I hate being left out of anything!!”

I was sure there would to be a couple of guys and that I could hang to the wheel of – hopefully!

Come the week of the race though and the guys I am planning to hang onto are all dropping out! That leaves me with the “fast boys”! You know them – the long lithe looking ones who meet on Sunday mornings with a glint in their eyes and then are gone – in a flash of lycra and the blink of an eye! You know – the ones who play the Town Signs game – Yes you can picture them now!

Anyway, Sunday morning and the weather forecast is predicting a hot day, good news for us, not so much for the marathoners back in London. I jump in the car with Paul, Dan and Richard – weather not looking so good. We drive through a couple of rainstorms and you can tell from the tone of conversation from the front of the car that Richard and Dan are really up for this. Paul makes polite conversation and I tuck into my breakfast!

Somewhere in a car behind us are the rest of the East Essex Mob, Steve P, Steve D, Dean and Charlie. Dan also tells me that Henry, a mate of Steve P’s is going and he is pretty handy. I take that to mean he can fix a puncture quickly – doh!

We collect our timing chips and are joined by Steve P’s cousin Andrew. The start to begin with is gentle; and then the fast boys are off, within the first couple of miles I am chewed up and spat out of the back of the group. Quite resigned to riding on my own I then hear Charlie’s voice behind me, he had been held up. He then catches up with Paul and they both politely wait for me. What gentlemen! The next miles are very pleasant, a decent speed, great company and happy little lambs dancing in the fields. We also keep an eye out for white horses – chalk ones – but just find a few of the real kind. Suddenly we come across a group of cyclists on the side of the road – realise they are the rest of our party – guys, can’t you go behind the bush? – and the ones not answering a call of nature are haggling over who should be changing a pretty little blondes inner tube. (Note from Chairman – there never was an option to change the pretty girl’s tyres – Stevie P’s had his tyre levers inserted into her wheel  before the rest of us could say – “oh look, there’s a pretty girl in trouble”). Charlie, Paul and I continue knowing the fast boys will be along soon.

Spotted, our first white horse – on the side of that massive hill – and yes, the road is going up side of massive hill! We thought we had already experienced some decent climbs but they were merely pimples compared to this! We make it to the top and have some lovely lanes for our legs to recover on. BUT – there is the scariest downhill ahead – and suddenly all of the EETC boys are flying down like swarm of bees. Charlie and Paul - my perfect gentleman - have waited for me at the bottom, we pick up the pace and suddenly we are on back on the tri pack again – woohoo! Realise Dan and Handy Henry are missing and am informed that they were flying and had dropped the rest at the first pimple!

Again the next few miles pass pleasantly and we reach the first aid station. Proper toilets, lots of cake and goodies and we are away again –however with a warning from Steve P that every time you see a white horse there is a big hill – “what bigger than the last one?”

“that was just a warm up” says Steve with one of those villainous laughs you see in the movies.

The next miles are great, beautiful scenery, roads without pot-holes, a string of East Essex vests snaking up and down the rolling hills, gleaming chestnut foals in the fields and the quaint little village of Avebury with the amazing standing stones. However all too soon we see another white horse, oh well two down (or up in this case) two to go!

The group are now strung out and we hit a rather busy town with a scary steep descent and traffic queuing all ways! Now I have totally lost the guys but am enjoying the countryside again. Another White Horse and another hill, they are definitely steeper each time. I turn another corner and my bike feels dreadful – oh no – not a puncture! I climb off and after checking out the rear wheel, realise it is just my tired legs and rough road surface – not a puncture at all! However the road is so steep at this point you cannot remount so I walk the rest of the way! Is that Steve D I can also see walking just ahead?

I love the next few miles and reach the aid station to find my perfect gentlemen joined by Steve D waiting for me again. We refuel and head off, we only have 25 miles left and one hill. When we asked the Japanese man at the aid station about the last hill he just laughed! Enjoying the ride still although I am entirely fed up with hills at this point, even an incline now feels like Everest.

We reach the last hill and it is a monster! Even worse you have to cross cattle grids to reach it – ouch, immediate sympathy for Charlie’s hand! We were out of gears before we started due to the wind and this was going to be a hard slog. Charlie was looking amazing and then suddenly I just lost the will to keep trying! Paul did well and kept pushing through but Steve also then jumped off and we were leading a group that had taken to their feet!

At a small plateau Steve spots the photographer and shouts that we should not be pictured walking! We remount and survive the reminder of the hill, not a good one to look down from if you don’t like heights!

Steve and continued the ride in good spirits even though it then rained and there were still some hills! The 5km to go was a welcome sight, but not as welcome as the finish. All the team were there except Steve P, who was keeping his Cousin Andrew company. Especially welcome was the large cup of tea and cheese and pickle roll. We all swopped stories and I received the best hugs from my perfect gentlemen!

We continue with our stories on the way home in the car and Dan is telling us he was dropped by Handy Henry. He also didn’t notice the lambs, foals, views, villages or standing stones and muttered something along the lines of some of us were trying!

I then also find out that Henry is referred to as being Handy because he can run a 2hour 30something marathon and has qualified for Kona three times. Ah – didn’t get the name from fixing things then!

A great ride – it was well organised, signposted, marshalled with well stocked aid stations. I would definitely recommend it.

Congratulations to all the gang who completed the ride, and many thanks to Charlie, Paul and Steve for putting up with me and to Richard for driving.

Zena

Deatils can be found on http://www.whitehorsechallenge.com/