Tour of Fife - Stage 5 - Mega Monimail Trail/Hill Race

And somehow we have come, all too soon (but actually after what seems like an eternity) to the end of the road.

I must have become Tour/battle hardened because I managed to let the guys talk me into an incredibly late start - picking up Willie in Musselburgh at 11.15, and Andrew, Michael and Peter in Leith at 11.30.  We almost got there late at 12.30...

After depositing our loads in the Village Hall (sorry, I've been drinking after 5 days living as a professional athlete) - cakes and other food for the party afterwards, as well as old technical tops to donate to African children - we went off for the, by now, customary warm up/recce.  Today's was particularly slow and half(quarter?!)-arsed.

Take me to church - OUR service starts at 2pm

Do you see MG wearing a rugby shirt or a cricket shirt?

Letham Village Hall - scene of hilarity. And cake!

Apples

Nice plums

A confirmed sighting of Nessie barely registers with the boys...

And now there's a UFO hovering above them - you miss a lot when looking at your feet ascending a hill

The mast marks today's highest point (after 3 miles of steady climb)

Total confusion - where the f*ck does the course go from here?!

It kind of keeps going that way for another half mile or so, before going up right - we got tired and turned back (it was only a recce after all)

Other photographers would have avoided the grass in the foreground - I enjoy the inversion of the respective stages of the (French/Tesco) food chain; grain over horse

The Stave (up at the start at this point) nearly forgets his number for the second time this Tour

And so to the more serious business of the day.  On the way through, those not involved (ok, me) had taken great delight in pointing out that Michael and Peter's battle for 9th in the overall standings was probably the mathematically tightest of all on Tour - a mere 4 seconds after 4 stages of hurt.  Michael began by saying that he'd probably blown it the day before, Pete was on the rise, his knee was getting worse and restricting him, etc, before snapping back into "Eye of the Tiger" mode and going on to declare (I paraphrase slightly) that, although they are the best of friends and respect each other, he would give absolutely no quarter and would die trying.  Which is why we love him.  And actually expresses for me quite nicely the way that I feel about racing.  There are so many people that I recognise, admire and respect on the local scene.  It's not that I hope or expect to beat them.  And as a result of that, if I have a good day and finish ahead of them, I'll go home and tell Jo, "I finished ahead of X", because it's a badge of honour, and she'll know exactly where I'm coming from and not much more needs to be said.  But if I've tried my best, but they've run better, I can take it on the chin and admit "he/she was better than me today".  That is Michael's philosophy, and I think it is a good one.

The start:

(photo: Ethan Lee)

The front five (L to R: Scott Cassidy, Tom Brian, Ewan Gault, Del Rae, and Ali Brockie) do their usual thing and clear off
(photo: Vicki Charlton)

The second five (L to R: Keith Taylor, Michael, me, Peter, and Sam Fernando) get down to the real business of the day
(photo: Vicki Charlton)

I'll spare you the detailed description of the race, because I suspect that you have as much appetite for reading it as I do for typing it. I'll break it down into bullet points:-

• The front 5 cleared off
• The overall places 6-10 settled into their own fight
• The gradual incline over the first 3 miles suited me because I could settle in and chug along
• Michael went out hard and really "brought it"
• Peter was surprisingly (on account of that respect thing I mentioned earlier) the first to fall back
• Keith was the next to drop back
• Sam led Michael and me to the mast
• I descended marginally better than both to finish 6th (for the 5th consecutive race - very appealing from an OCD perspective)
• Michael was 7th ahead of Keith and Sam, with Peter 10th
• Our overall positions (after 5 days) were unchanged. 

Two fantastic athletes - Del (left) won overall, but each won two races, and they crossed the line today with hands held aloft. Look out for Del at Rio 2016!
(photo: Vicki Charlton)

Pleased still to be airborne near the finish on Day 5
(photo: Vicki Charlton)

Michael showing his customary total focus and determination - hating every inch of tarmac with a vengeance until the finish, whence he reverts to his usual amity, exuberance and passion for life
(photo: Vicki Charlton)

PB ripping off my patented "Amazonian Tribal Lip" look
(photo: Vicki Charlton)

Willie looking annoyingly calm, unflustered and graceful (as ever)
(photo: Vicki Charlton)

The Stave versus his Nemesis.  Both, in unison: "There's no f*cking way you're beating me!!!" (The Stave won - yay!)
(photo: Vicki Charlton)

I enjoyed speaking at the finish (at length - my fault) with Keith Taylor of Fife AC.  Which is another great facet of the Tour - he is a lovely bloke and we'd spent much of the week racing within fine margins of each other.  And had many of the same interests in running, preferring longer distance stuff, both taking part in the Lairig Ghru in June, etc, etc.  So hopefully another friend made, another runner to respect and look for at races.

Collecting my first ever (and quite possibly last) V40 prize - v v chuffed!
(photo: Ethan Lee)

A shit photo of Pete receiving his V50 prize.  What makes it worse is that I got in the way of better photographers to take it
(photo: some dipshit with a ludicrous candy pink camera he borrowed from his youngest daughter, which had tired batteries and kept switching itself off at the most inopportune moments)

The prize giving brought a chill down my spine when I realised that, despite the results categorising participants in 5 year Vet increments, the prizes were actually allocated on a 10-year spread basis.  Which meant that my updates thus far of the V40 category (White Jersey) have been all over the place - Ian McNulty of Dundee (V45) was actually my closest rival.  Unfortunately for Ian, the organisers made the same mistake and, at least to begin with, awarded his second place to Steven King of Carnegie (who to his huge credit seemed well aware that something was wrong).

Which meant that a similar fate was to befall Willie - the V55 category, that he was cantering to a win in, gone in a flash.  Happily he was recognised with a spot prize (a bottle of whisky) for an outstanding performance in the wider V50 category.

So, that's that then.  Or were you expecting some final reflections?  Some lessons learned perhaps? 

I'm not sure I have any.

But I did have a bucket load of laughs.  If you are thinking of doing this yourself next year (and you REALLY should - it's fantastic), I'd recommend going with a tremendous bunch of guys (or gals).  That'll make a big difference.  I signed up for this on the back of Peter's blog from last year's Tour.  He and Michael seemed to be having just the best time.  And I wanted to live that.  And now I have.  For which I am incredibly grateful. 

For me it was almost like a good stag weekend.  A bunch of guys, some of whom knew each other, some of whom less so (or not at all) thrown together into an environment of doing an activity.  And bonding through that activity.  And becoming friends through that activity.  And sharing experiences.  And in-jokes.  And taking on Tour-specific roles.  And becoming increasingly weary or broken (but not hungover for a change!) through that activity.  And leaving thinking that they'd quite like to see each other again quite soon.  Or maybe that was just me...

I will always be Dunbar RC, but for a week it was a privilege to be an honorary Porty (the land of my childhood and schooling)!

Before I go, I do feel the need to make an apology.  An apology to Young Sam.  In my first blog (from Wednesday night's beach race) I said that I was "a little miffed that he didn't pull his weight into the wind".  I've since learned (from Keith) that he is (a) only 17 this week, and (b) autistic.  Which makes me just about the biggest prick going.  I thought about editing my first post to delete the comment in question, but then thought that that would be sneaky, Orwellian, and plain dishonest - those were my genuine feelings at the time, so perhaps it is right to record the way I felt at that moment.  It doesn't mean that those feelings are justified, or that I am not a dick for having felt them.  So, again, I apologise Sam.  Maybe I should be more careful about judging other runners next time.

Just don't accuse me of having learned something.

Stage 5 Results:

1. Scott Cassidy (Fife AC): 26:33
2. Derek Rae (Anster Haddies RC): +0:00
3. Tom Brian (Metro Aberdeen RC): +0:18
4. Ewan Gault (Central AC): +0:29
5. Alastair Brockie (Corstorphine AAC): +0:35
6: Nick Williamson (Dunbar RC): +1:58
7. Michael Geoghegan (Portobello RC): +2:01
8. Sam Fernando (Fife AC): +2:13
9. Keith Taylor (Fife AC): +2:13
10. Peter Buchanan (Portobello RC): +2:32
20. Willie Jarvie (Portobello RC): +3:58
58. Andrew Stavert (Portobello RC): +8:38

 
Yellow Jersey (Overall Classification) - Final, after Stage 5:

1. Derek Rae (Anster Haddies RC): 1:42:03
2. Scott Cassidy (Fife AC): +0:24
3. Alastair Brockie (Corstorphine AAC): +1:38
4. Ewan Gault (Central AC): +2:41
5. Tom Brian (Metro Aberdeen RC): +3:05
6: Nick Williamson (Dunbar RC): +8:19
7. Keith Taylor (Fife AC): +9:52
8. Sam Fernando (Fife AC): +9:58
9. Michael Geoghegan (Portobello RC): +10:02
10. Peter Buchanan (Portobello RC): +10:37
11. Ian McNulty (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers): +11:59
12. Steven King (Carnegie Harriers): +12:44
14. Scott Strachan (Kinross Road Runners): +13:30
18. Willie Jarvie (Portobello RC): +15:50
56. Andrew Stavert (Portobello RC): +35:05
 
 
White Jersey (Best Old (V40) Rider Classification) - Final, after Stage 5:

1. Nick Williamson (Dunbar RC): 1:50:22
2. Ian McNulty (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers): +3:40
3. Steven King (Carnegie Harriers): +4:25
4. David Downey (Dunblane Runners): +5:11
5. Scott Strachan (Kinross Road Runners): +11:01

 

FULL STAGE 5 RESULTS

 

AGGREGATE RESULTS AFTER 5 STAGES

Tour of Fife - Stage 4 - Cambo Estate Trail Race

This was my favourite day of the Tour so far.  Getting the Uphell Time Trial out of the way was a real weight off of my shoulders.  With the sun shining, and the promise of a nice traily course without too much in the way of hills, today didn't carry much in the way of fear.

In fact, at times on the drive through, I almost forgot that we were going to run a race.  It felt more like five mates going somewhere for a spot of lunch and a bit of sightseeing.  Spirits were quite high in the car - laughs about the terrible facial expressions in photos from the night before, talking tactics for the race, targets (in the shape of other runners), and so on.  

Andrew and Willie carried on the "visit to a country house" theme by going for tea and scones, while Michael, Peter and I went for a bit of a recce and warm up.  It's fair to say that we found the course, a two-lapper, very pretty. 

This reminds me of a low budget shoot for a rock band's album cover art...

Below are my pictures of the recce, interspersed with some action shots from the race itself.  Hopefully the flow will make sense.

(photo: Tom Brian)

(photo: Tom Brian)

We lined up opposite the house, and set off down the drive way before heading round the perimeter of a field of long-ish grass, that had been roughed up a little by some cattle.

The Usual Suspects (i.e. the lead 5) immediately jumped to the front (Scott Cassidy I think trying to regain some of his losses from the night before), with Peter doing his best to drag the rest of us along.    

(photo: Vicki Charlton)

Rabid cattle

It was then that the cattle tried to rough up more than the ground - stampeding right across the path of the race, and coming quite close to wiping out Tom the Metro in particular.  If the heart rates and adrenaline weren't up before then they certainly were now!

Heading down onto the meandering paths along by the stream was the best, most interesting, section of the course.  I was happy enough to just settle in behind Peter and young Sam in 8th place, with Keith (also from Fife AC) at close quarters.  While my legs had suggested that they were feeling surprisingly ok during the morning, the stress test of a bit of running at speed quickly uncovered the accumulating niggles.

Sam nearly came a cropper here when tripping over a stake and stumbling towards the door frame

A "technical" descent to a bridge

I see the sea and the sea sees me

We passed what seemed to be a "glamping" set-up

Ah well, one lap done, and one to go.  Peter and Sam were still just about in range, and I was comforted by the thought that none of my V40 rivals were ahead.  There is only so much time you can lose over a further 2 mile lap.  He hoped...

Second time through the cattle field
(photo: Vicki Charlton)

(photo: Tom Brian)

At the start of the second run along the stream Keith passed me, and then passed Peter and Sam into the bargain.

It was becoming more apparent that my legs were definitely not in favour of any of the downhill sections.  The metaphoric elastic band that attached me to Peter and Sam would stretch to breaking point, before tightening back up again on the short uphill sections.  Thankfully Keith wasn't too much further ahead than them, but Craig from Dundee (a V40!) was starting to gain ground from the rear.  

While I kept trying to remind myself that this was a game about seconds and not places, it dawned on me that anything from 6th to 10th was up for grabs.  And there was a final short hill about 400m from the finish.  I managed to pass Peter going up the hill, before overhauling Sam just over the brow on the start of the straight between the fence and the wall.  Winding up to give it as much as was left in my legs, and thrashing my arms furiously, I *just* pipped Keith on the line.  Childishly competitive perhaps, but there is something quite appealing about a run of successive sixths. 

Working...
(photo: Ethan Lee)

Peter, Willie and I all enjoy increased leads in our respective categories after the race.  Michael was less pleased with his run, but his knee is bothering him again, and his training has been seriously disrupted in the run up.

The tour fun then continued with a "fresh" (marketing courtesy of the MG Agency) dip in the sea, Battenberg cake (courtesy of The Stave and Mr Kipling) served on the lawn, rounded off by a wee jaunt down to Crail for chips.  Most enjoyable.
 

Stage 4 Results:

1. Derek Rae (Anster Haddies RC): 24:14
2. Scott Cassidy (Fife AC): +0:01
3. Alastair Brockie (Corstorphine AAC): +0:24
4. Ewan Gault (Central AC): +0:35
5. Tom Brian (Metro Aberdeen RC): +0:45
6: Nick Williamson (Dunbar RC): +1:55
7. Keith Taylor (Fife AC): +1:55
8. Sam Fernando (Fife AC): +1:58
9. Peter Buchanan (Portobello RC): +2:08
10. Craig Love (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers): +2:16
13. Michael Geoghegan (Portobello RC): +2:45
17. Willie Jarvie (Portobello RC): +3:08

 
Yellow Jersey (Overall Classification) - after Stage 4:

1. Derek Rae (Anster Haddies RC): 1:15:30
2. Scott Cassidy (Fife AC): +0:24
3. Alastair Brockie (Corstorphine AAC): +1:03
4. Ewan Gault (Central AC): +2:12
5. Tom Brian (Metro Aberdeen RC): +2:47
6: Nick Williamson (Dunbar RC): +6:21
7. Keith Taylor (Fife AC): +7:39
8. Sam Fernando (Fife AC): +7:45
9. Michael Geoghegan (Portobello RC): +8:01
10. Peter Buchanan (Portobello RC): +8:05
18. Willie Jarvie (Portobello RC): +11:52
 
 
White Jersey (Best Old (V40) Rider Classification) - after Stage 4:

1. Nick Williamson (Dunbar RC): 1:21:51
2. Steven King (Carnegie Harriers): +3:39
3. Scott Strachan (Kinross Road Runners): +8:29
4. Craig Love (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers): +9:35
5. Colin Thomson (Unattached): +11:07

 

FULL STAGE 4 RESULTS

 

AGGREGATE RESULTS AFTER 4 STAGES