Not my best.

I was supposed to be doing a ride down the Taff Trail this weekend for my friends and colleagues from a local forum on Sunday. But, as all hamheads can do, I mixed up my dates.

Sunday was actually a day of racing at the Dragon XC in The Rhondda Heritage Park.

I should have gone on he ride from Merthyr to Cardiff. :)

Last week was my rest period, but I had felt "low" all week and hadn't actually done any riding a all until Thursday night. I couldn't get out of bed in the morning and was in bed before 9 every night. I didn't feel ill, just off.

Thursday night and I got my first ride in and felt "OK" so I felt that I could give it a good bash on Sunday.

We rode the course on Saturday, I did my openers, and all the usual carb loading thing. The course was great, with lots of climbing and loads of steep descents. People were calling it technical, and I believe that there were some issues with some raising concerns over the technicality of the the downhills. It was just a bit steep, that's all. The routes all ran the right way and the mud was sticky enough to stick to the steepest parts of the hill, so it wasn't technical, really. That is just my opinion though, and it only counts- for me.

Then on Sunday I had a really good warm up and felt ready for anything. The whistle went and I got a good start into and around the first bend. Near the top of the long climb I still had the lead groups in my sights and my pulse rate was just at my lactate threshold. I can keep going like that for about 3 hrs on a good day.

Then something strange happened. My breathing got really erratic and I came over all dizzy and bilious. I felt like death, warmed up.

I carried on and did another lap, but it took me 9 minutes longer than my target pace (on a 20minute lap!).

I knew something was up last week.

Steve Corbyn bought me a burger to jam in my dejected looking cakehole, after I stopped. I hate DNF's, but there was nothing I could do about it, really.

Today, my chest is full of loose phlegm, and it's scaring the dogs when I cough (or hack).

I think I'll be sleeping on my own again tonight.