Maddy Lee-Smith writes…
The weather was predicted to be pretty rubbish so the night before I promised myself that I would turn up regardless and make a judgement on the day – It was chucking! On reaching Horsham there was surface water everywhere and heavy rain. I arrived at HQ at 5:50 and saw Ben Houston who looked equally pleased at the thought of 25 miles in the less than perfect conditions. After a bit more rain Ben decided to head home to race ‘another day’, I would have been very close behind him had it not been for the fact that I knew a win was a possibility and at the end of the day £50 always comes in handy!
My warm up was pretty non existent and in a brief respite from the rain I started at 6:42. It wasn’t pretty, it rained but not the whole time, the roundabouts were slippery and there seemed to be a nice head wind. With wet feet and the continual spray up my back from the surface water it was very difficult to get in the zone of a TT and I knew it wasn’t going to be a particularly good time. I finally crossed the line, not a moment too soon, in a disappointing 1:03:40 but still good enough for a win so worth the effort (I think!)
Comments received since the TT from various people in my life – ‘I’m so proud of you and you’re not even my daughter’ (a friend of mine). ‘It will have helped make you tougher, well done’ (my coach). ‘Is if fair that you get the same prize money as the winning man?'(my other half – always fully supportive, although he may have a point with only 6 ladies riding!)
