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Wet shorts, wet shoes, wet gloves, wet feet, wet everything.

Bath Big Weekend - November 2009

Driven To Tri coaches, Harry Wiltshire, Pete Freedman, Rich Brady and Jim McConnel (to a less extent of course!) have no concept when it comes to keeping shared living space welcoming. Not even room for poor old Toby Jameson to squeeze in a corner!

Of course, the weather could have been ordered in specially. A Big Weekender is not to be underestimated, but made way harder when the elements are against you too! From the moment of arrival on Friday afternoon everyone started the wet/dry cycle. The first getting wet was planned with a sweet swim session held in the legendary Bath University Sports Complex. Every swimmer had 3 sets of eyes helping to point out areas for stroke improvement and coaxing them through a fairly big set.

From then on it came out of the sky, like a permaleak from heaven, the rain just didn’t stop. The ‘Lap of Bath’ tempo outing in the drizzle on Friday evening had everyone running on strongly to make it back for an awesome lasagne and salad (thanks to Harry’s mum – as if Harry could prepare such a feast!)

In the morning, the 'undulating' (yeah why not just call it hilly ...??!) Cheddar Gorge ride commenced. Riders with mudguards were praised as geeky gods with dry bums, although it wasn’t long before the rain had got in everywhere, and the cold wind just made it harder. At the far side of the gorge there’s only 2 hours to go home and so the pace quickened as riders motivated themselves from the depths. Good skills. Getting home after 4 hours meant Plymouth Steve and a couple others took up the gauntlet to join local coach Toby Jameson for a few more hills before a late lunch, as the rest headed off to replace brake blocks, wring out gloves and overshoes and drink lots of hot soup. Big points go to Alistair for doing the whole ride in shorts and with only short gloves. Rock hard and slightly crazy.

And so that was the schedule for the rest of the weekend .. home to shower and get dry, only to warm up before eating, resting, and then donning more dry stuff to go out and get and face the conditions again. Hence the state of our room, a dripping mele of overshoes and Driven to Tri gilets.

The evening technique run was interesting a Pete showed us something akin to moonwalking and athletes hopped, skipped and bounded like rabbits on miaow in an effort to develop a faster running style. Posing I call it, bloody posing.

Morning dawned and the hill challenge – run reps before brek - 8 xd 2 minutes and then followed by the 5 hills challenge on the bikes, Brass Knocker, Ralph Allen and Bathwick to name but 3 .. a great time and motable use of that 39/25 as we thrashed around the outskirts of Bath.

Showers, coffee, hot sandwiches, lots of chat at the Uni sports café and then the survivors of the 1st Big Weekend did massive high fives, some whoops and headed home, tired but happy with the weekend's efforts.

Now it's all radiators loaded with clean kit, drying gently as the first frost of winter hits, so keep strong, train harder and see you all after Christmas for the next Big Weekender .. see.www.driventotri.com/camps.html for more.