Not a good Tour O' The Borders Finish Selfie

Sunday, and I am up at ridiculous o'clock for the Tour O' The Borders. Got all my stuff together, and friend turns up to pick me up. I worry when he turns up without his bike on the top of the car. Turns out he has an infection, is on antibiotics, and can only eat at certain times. So there's your definition of a friend. So beers for him when he's better (and not driving).

As he is not riding, I resolve to ride with the GPS switched to map mode. If I go fast, I go fast.

Get down to Peebles just about 6 and I head down to Tweed Green, and to my start wave pen, Start Wave 3. It slowly fills up. Eventually Start Wave 1 is led up to the start, a bit late. A few minutes later, Start Wave 2 is led up. Then there's quite a long gap, before we are led up to the start. Start Wave 2 are still there, but as we go up to the holding area, they are off. Obviously, the photographer has spent a lot of time taking pictures.

Not long before we're off. At the first opportunity, I sprint past some slower cyclists, then stay with a small fast group to Traquair. From Traquair to Berrybush, I am very much on my own as I climb Paddy Slacks and Berrybush. On the descent of Berrybush, a group catches up with me and passes quite fast I let them go. the weather is drizzly, and the new bits of tarmac are slippery. At Crosslee, I turn right on to the long course. Just after that another group passes me, but this time I tag on to the back, and take an occasional stint at the front.

I am a bit light to descend fast, and I've not cycled some of these roads before, so I tend to get overtaken on the descents, but on the ascents, I can climb a lot faster than the rest. I let the group pass me again coming off Alemoor, and shout at one guy who passes a bit too close and cuts in. There's a wider road, but it is coned off, so we have to stay in position.

At the Woll climb, I quickly catch up, and then lose a lot of the group. I feel a bit nervous of the descent taking it easy because of the guy who cut in. Not its not too bad. There’s a nice stretch of road to Ettrickbridge, where I manage to keep the gap at a respectable distance.

Then we climb Witchy Knowe (Bottom Swire). At the bottom, the short course joins back up with the long course. I overtake the whole lot of people. This descent is steeper, but not as bad as the Woll, a bit less twisty, so I can go a bit faster. I am overtaken, but by less people. That's the 6 big climbs completed.

Its a run in back to Kailzie. Not straight back, we have to pass through Selkirk, Ashiesteel and Innerleithen. Initially I am on my own as we head along the Yarrow valley. The road is rolling, and at Selkirk the group catches up with me. I stick with the group. Taking my turns at the front, we're making good time. On the narrow road from Ashiesteel, we meet a few bemused cycle tourists travelling in the opposite direction. Before long Walkerburn appears on the right. Not far to go then.

At Innerleithen, Mountain Bikers are held back until the group passes. The speed is tempered a bit as we turn off the road to pass Traquair House, then we're on the B road. The group is nervous, and the rain has started, but only very lightly. The group feels nervous, and the speed has picked up. There are about 10 of us. There a long descent and a flat bit. The road's a bit rough, but we have the whole road, so we stick to the nice smooth tarmac on the right.We turn a bend. The final climb begins. I have enough energy to pass most of the group, and there's just me and a guy from Edinburgh Road Club. We track each other, and then sprint for the line. Beep as the tming chips are picked up.

From there, its a nice relaxed ride down to the finish area at Kailzie Gardens to get the timing chips removed and get a drink and a banana (and mini cheddars). Its not raining hard so I take a selfie. The thing is I am concentrating so much on the camera, trying to hide portaloos with my head that I forgot to pout. Sorry.

Total Route here on Garmin. Officially I took 3:56:55 to do the long course, which is about 19.5mph.