Well this was difficult and a bit stupid!!
Last week I had the crazy idea that I would like to take part in the Monsal Hill Climb on my road bike in early October for a bit of a laugh as this hill has defeated me in the past. So imagine my disappointment when I was informed they would not accept me because I’m too slow, I’m not affiliated to a cycling club and it’s for better cyclists than me apparently. Now it was a bit of a silly idea. The Monsal Hill climb is probably the most popular hill climb on the UK racing calendar. Set in the very beautiful Monsal Dale in the Peak District it’s only 617 metres long but it’s absolutely brutal. It hits you like a wall with an average gradient of 1 in 6 but much steeper in some places and it just seems to go on for ever.
Then followed the sting in the tail of this conversation when I was jovially told “you probably could not get up that anyway, it’s much too hard for you!” WHAT!?!? Well that’s just like a red rag to a bull for me. If you tell me I can’t do something I will make it in my way to do it just to prove you wrong.
Now my road bike and I have a bit of a love hate relationship. I’m either cycling lots or not much at all and lately it’s been the latter. So the sun was out this Saturday and I thought what a day to prove I can do this. So the cobwebs and dust were brushed off it and away I went, cameraman in tow, Garmin watch, Strava and all evidence gathering devices possible.
Now at home I am known as ‘all the gear no idea’………….. I can’t think why! I have to be colour co-ordinated, I like my top to match my bike and even have socks the same brand as my bike. It’s psychological I think………I think I’m invincible and built for speed when I’ve got them on when the reality is quite possibly the opposite. So out they all came this weekend, socks, race top…..the job lot in my absolute driven quest to achieve this goal.
Now apologies are due to two sets of people. For the actual event the road is closed to traffic, for me it wasn’t. So apologies are due to the cars I held up for four minutes who very patiently sat and watched me suffer as I crawled my way to the top and avoided knocking me off as I threw the odd zig zag in. Secondly apologies are due to the cameraman who tried to keep up and who at one point I thought was going to have a coronary episode on the way up.
A nice, steady, five beautiful miles to the start was followed by the sudden and much too soon arrival of the climb. Now what followed was four and a bit minutes of absolute agony. I started off slow trying to save as much in reserve as possible, by half way I was losing the will to live. I was already in the lowest gear so had absolutely nowhere to go. Sweat was pouring off me and I was absolutely gasping and could hardly turn the pedals. I could only concentrate on one pedal turn at a time. When the bend in the road came I had convinced myself I would be able to see the end but I couldn’t and at that point I really wanted to stop but the only way to do that would have been to fall off as I could not have unclipped myself from the bike so it was time for head down and keep going. The next time I glanced up I could see the top (and the ice cream van!) and I knew I could do it. I made it to the top!!! Yaaaaaay!!! And I have evidence…….lots of it!!
Now I have to point out that the course record is held by a certain Malcolm Elliott in 1 minute and 14 seconds (how did he do that!) and hot on his heels is me at 4 minutes 48 seconds.
In addition to apologies two sets of thanks are also due. Firstly to the cameraman for being there, shouting encouragement and going through it with me and secondly to the Monsal Ices ice cream van at the top of the climb for the two scoops of Raspberry Ripple that were required to resuscitate me at the top when I collapsed in an absolute heap on the viewing point wooden bench. I could not have done it without you!
So what got me to the top? I’m not sure, just sheer determination and thinking about small steps not the final goal I think. However, I do have an absolute fear of failure which drives me and brings me on to what I’ve been reading this week as I’m working on my acceptance of failure or what I perceive to be failure which probably isn’t in reality, because at some point I won’t be able to make it to the top and I need to deal with it: ‘Summits of my Life’ by Kilian Jornet is the book in question. Now for anyone that does not know him he is from Catalonia and is a professional sky runner, trail runner, ski mountaineer and long distance runner and in my opinion is superhuman and the greatest athlete of all time. In his books he talks a lot about the power and importance of the mind and I think it’s probably that that got me to the top rather than anything physical. He also talks for a full chapter about learning to accept defeat and here are couple of nuggets of his wisdom:
‘ There’ll be objectives that lie far off in the distance, but none of that is failure if we let the journey be what fills us up, even if we don’t make it to the top’ and ‘Our power is in our feet, our legs, our bodies and our minds.’
So in short the journey is more important than the destination and the mind is equally if not more powerful than the body.
So, onwards and upwards to the next adventure!
