I spent three enjoyable days last week guiding Sally around the hills and mountains. After a two day skills course earlier in the year Sally had entered herself for the, Manx End to End enduro which involves a 50 mile ride from one end of the Isle of Man to the other.
While riding was certainly nothing new, a stint in the saddle that long certainly was. Some practice was required. Over three days we put some miles and hours in, experience that will prove highly valuable in the IOM. The long days (the shortest of which was 6 hours riding) helped us fine tune Sally's riding position and make any little alterations. It also let Sally get used to the fatigue and stress that her body / mind will have to cope with and develop an eating strategy that would keep her fueled for the event.
Day two saw us tackle a rather interesting climb into the mountains ... a continual 2500 foot ascent, no flat bits, no downs, just up. However, I think the views were worth it. Sally should be resting now, waiting for Friday and her ferry to the IOM, safe in the knowledge that she's unlikely to come across anything harder than shes already faced ... good luck.
