The Heart of England 300 starts not far away in Cirencester and has always been a good experience and not too tough so I thought I’d enter even if it was only a week before the Brevet Cymru. I set the alarm for 4am but managed to wake from a fitful sleep just before 2 so I already felt tired for the drive down and the gremlins were trying to persuade me I was ill and should turn the car round and go back to bed.

In fact the first stage through the Cotswolds, up The Whiteway, over the Compton Abdale climbs, gradually up to pass Broadway Tower then descending Saintbury Hill and on through flatter bits to the first control at Alcester was great. Cool but not cold for the early climbs but warm enough to take off my jacket by 9am. This stage that I thought of as the hilliest turned out to be the fastest for the day for me.

Onwards to Atherton, drinking my way through another 2 bottles of water as became clear we could look forward to a scorcher. I again bounced the cafe settling for a Co-op control and a sandwich then off towards Daventry. I’d originally hoped for a 17 hour ride but it was looking like an unprecedented 16 was possible now, in fact I passed the halfway point in just 7hrs 30m so I briefly assumed it in the bag. I was getting hot though, too hot!

A chat with Gary as he passed then a sit down behind a shady hedge to eat a flapjack in an attempt to get some oomph back. I plodded on towards Daventry, making sure I kept drinking, crawling up hills much gentler than those I was flying up earlier. I was beginning to think gearing up to 71″ had been a mistake.

It was quite reassuring to find most of my fellow riders similarly melted when I eventually reached the Daventry cafe. The atmosphere of happy disorientation was more one I’d expect on the second day of a 600 than 190k into an ‘easy’ 300. I ordered chips and beans but couldn’t eat it all. I knew there was one steep hill that I’d be walking a bit of just after the control so didn’t want to force my stomach. Richard, a previous AAA champ who should know about these things, reckoned the rest of the next stage was also hilly – a fact I’d conveniently forgotten.

At least 40 minutes later and I was on my way at last, the first climb was tough but shaded and the walk was only short. Richard was right though and the scenery rolled for most of the stage interspersed with fields full of rape and a mouth full of greenfly, I was very glad of my sunglasses.

It was starting to cool by the time I reached the control near Tackley at the Sturdy’s Castle pub. I’d been having an energy gel 10k before each control and fortified with a pint of orange squash, a black coffee and my 3rd pack of salty crisps for the day I was off on the last stage a little alarmed that I was now going to have to work just to ensure my sub 17hrs now.

Stopping to put my iPod on at Bladon I felt cool and strong enough to manage a bit of a flier for the duration of The Best of Jefferson Airplane, it was dark by now and I was playing ‘guess who’s light that is on my wheel’ with myself, Pat or James I reckoned. I’ve noticed before how I tend to have a burst of power just before I totally blow and sure enough, just as The Prodigy took their turn in my headphones, my legs went soggy. I pressed pause and turned to tell Pat I’d run out of fuel. Fast forwarding to some gentler Caravan we pottered on till, 20k from the finish, Pat overtook me, stopped just up the road and started eating chocolate. I took the hint and ate some sweets and dried fruit and we continued on to finish comfortably before 11pm.

A good ride with some old lessons re-learnt but on the positive side I avoided sunburn and dehydration. I do hope it cools down a bit for next weekend’s Brevet Cymru though!