tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47317025617472665072024-03-16T01:12:59.683+00:00SALLY BIGHAM Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.comBlogger261125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-26157014939115323112023-07-19T12:43:00.003+01:002023-07-19T12:54:45.373+01:00From Afghanistan to Dolomiti Superbike: A Story from The Finish Line<p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;">Earlier this year </span><a href="http://www.ironsallycoaching.com/" style="font-family: Cambria; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Iron Sally Coaching</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://www.torqfitness.co.uk/" style="font-family: Cambria; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">TORQ</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"> set out to search for a rider to take on an epic challenge. A challenge that would demonstrate how powerful exercise is in promoting both physical and mental well-being. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;">The</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.dolomitisuperbike.com/" style="font-family: Cambria; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Dolomiti Superbike</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"> race organisers offered one rider a free entry to their race as well as free accommodation, and </span><a href="http://www.todaysplan.com.au/" style="font-family: Cambria; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Today’s Plan</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"> also came on board and gave a free subscription to their online training platform. Sally Bigham, from Iron Sally Coaching provided free of charge coaching and TORQ provided a free of charge product allocation to meet the energy requirements of the rider's training and racing. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgmjcbeNlUdW7y-uMZ2wgqKCkYJQm6i-hlHeDD43wCsLcW5JJAMeVoBFOgLvr_f70mbqjpiTgiRnGBWjRnwQEl7EnP-vyIo04nwDEYlI9CYisKunqd161waVYmeLJOL3Xkjm-tKzAJR-dyI3yVE7NcCQ-GiWmziV1mSe22Ajv0jOC-FrUC6ns3oiJLs70" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: black;"><img alt="" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1600" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgmjcbeNlUdW7y-uMZ2wgqKCkYJQm6i-hlHeDD43wCsLcW5JJAMeVoBFOgLvr_f70mbqjpiTgiRnGBWjRnwQEl7EnP-vyIo04nwDEYlI9CYisKunqd161waVYmeLJOL3Xkjm-tKzAJR-dyI3yVE7NcCQ-GiWmziV1mSe22Ajv0jOC-FrUC6ns3oiJLs70" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><br /> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">On the 15<sup>th </sup>March 2023, James Wilkinson,</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> a former corporal with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps</span><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">, began his training, just 4 months before the race on the 8<sup>th</sup>July. This was going to be a big coaching challenge for </span><a href="http://www.ironsallycoaching.com/"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Iron Sally Coaching</span></a><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">, not least because James was only 12 weeks post hip replacement, but also because James had exclusively been riding an E-Bike up until his surgery, owing to his extensive injuries caused by an IED (improvised explosive device) attack while on tour with the British Army in Afghanistan in 2011. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Here we read James’ first-hand experience of the Dolomiti Superbike race. Prepare to follow his honest, thought provoking and emotional journey.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">“So, I have finally crossed the finish line and completed Dolomiti Superbike 2023 in a time of 9 hours and 33 minutes. I cannot believe I rode 75 miles of challenging terrain with over 11,600ft (3540m) of climbing! I wrote this just three days later, I am still in shock today. What an incredible achievement. Did I really have the opportunity to take part? Let alone complete it? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">In December last year I was laid up in a hospital bed after undergoing major hip surgery and just a few months on, I am in the best shape of my life. Just like I was in 2011 before I was injured in Afghanistan by an IED attack, leaving me with life threatening and life changing injuries. The benefits this process has had on me both physically and mentally are amazing. Living with complex post traumatic stress disorder isn’t easy, but having a goal certainly helps focus your mind and distracts you from the demons you face. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiymrgTcYwod1FDBqWun5eveHon56lYDYLRIW20ENxH5hoQtuDAPmTRxD5hgBEiXrVQFXu5vTQrh6JweWYcGt9SqR5Q7FjMQWwRyjbMrY2NX5NmPsKOCmjifedQoqeaocFg2gC6q7b4f4bMmavgYAJDYDmoxMF3iesknMPhIK1Q9yq3zn9xXSQaoH3A-EA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: black;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="740" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiymrgTcYwod1FDBqWun5eveHon56lYDYLRIW20ENxH5hoQtuDAPmTRxD5hgBEiXrVQFXu5vTQrh6JweWYcGt9SqR5Q7FjMQWwRyjbMrY2NX5NmPsKOCmjifedQoqeaocFg2gC6q7b4f4bMmavgYAJDYDmoxMF3iesknMPhIK1Q9yq3zn9xXSQaoH3A-EA" width="111" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Memories of this incredible race keep popping into my head, with every single one putting a huge grin back on my face. Memories made here will stay with me forever. For me, this wasn’t a race, it was a challenge and without doubt, the biggest challenge of my life. Leading up to race day, I was struck with man flu, the worst of its kind. I was unable to train as I should have been at that point in my training cycle. Right up to the day itself, I was still battling flu-like symptoms which further added to the anxiety, pressure, and excitement of the challenge I was about to face. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Two days before the event, together with my awesome support crew consisting of my wife Bex, three young boys; Freddie, Logan and Harry, my dad Walter and brother Charlie, we flew out to Venice and slowly travelled through the stunning Italian Dolomites to the picturesque village of Villabassa, South Tirol, Italy. I would get to know Villabassa very well over the next few days, as this is the start and finish location of this mammoth Dolomite Superbike Race.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">On Friday morning, the day before the race, I had a pre-race activation ride along the valley, which consisted of short efforts to prepare me for the race to come. What an absolute paradise. The scenery was incredible. My first thoughts of the mountains were that they looked hugely intimidating, knowing that in only 24 hours, I’ll be climbing them in a competitive race environment. For the rest of the day, I had to take my mind off it, doing my best to try to relax. I promptly signed on, got my race jersey and race number (1782) and picked up a copy of the event magazine. Whilst browsing the magazine, I stumbled upon a full-page spread, unknowingly, all about me! This was in the same section of the magazine where 5 professional cyclists were mentioned. At this point everything was starting to feel very real, and I was unsure what people were expecting of me. To calm my nerves, my family and I had a lovely afternoon at the pool in Villabassa. This gave me time to look at the route and plan the locations where my support crew would give me the much-needed </span><a href="https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/product-category/nutrition/fuelling-system-products/gels"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">TORQ Energy Gels</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/product-category/nutrition/fuelling-system-products/energy-drinks"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">TORQ Energy Drinks</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">, a tool in my nutritional toolbox which proved invaluable during the race.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">On Friday evening I filled all of my bottles with </span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">TORQ Energy Drinks<span> and organised my </span>TORQ Energy Gels<span>. It was essential to hit at least 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour throughout the race, which I achieved with a combination of energy drink (750ml per hour) and gels. The gel flavours are amazing, particularly</span></span><a href="https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/product/rhubarb-custard"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> rhubarb and custard</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbP6SGZPSoynhoLlMJz3DVczs6CD3_2mgj0aZlrv_KZ4JXcd2BaoRGmH69dd_Zp9ARZAyBhHbOY_KZmzHWuVHZ4cBYlXqlvwNurNLyYf412hLsoFMrtrG5-NciKj5MTA-vuoFPxDZNhUOSycGJRQipUzengk9c0ucnzJpXP-qTW__lsHPigTfBO9K8oKU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: black;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbP6SGZPSoynhoLlMJz3DVczs6CD3_2mgj0aZlrv_KZ4JXcd2BaoRGmH69dd_Zp9ARZAyBhHbOY_KZmzHWuVHZ4cBYlXqlvwNurNLyYf412hLsoFMrtrG5-NciKj5MTA-vuoFPxDZNhUOSycGJRQipUzengk9c0ucnzJpXP-qTW__lsHPigTfBO9K8oKU" width="180" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">It was an early (05.30am) start on race day, beginning with breakfast at the hotel, which was kindly provided for me by the race organiser of Dolomiti Superbike. I left the hotel at 6:45am and had a gentle 5km ride down to the start line adding in a few warm-up drills and small climbs to get me warmed up and ready. It was when I arrived at the start line and saw thousands of people queuing up and getting ready to start this momentous event, that it hit me. It was deeply emotional and I felt so privileged to be part of something so amazing. I was situated in Zone One right behind the elite riders! The pressure was now on. I just couldn’t believe how many riders had descended on this small Italian village.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">So 7:30am was the official start time, although it was more like 7:45am when we finally got moving. The atmosphere was electric with helicopters flying above filming, crowds cheering and giant hot air balloons observing the race. What a way to start a race! I’m used to rolling off a start line with maybe 10 or so people on an enduro race, not 1000’s. It was crazy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">The race was underway, and I was cycling out of Villabassa, calmly settling into the first of many climbs. The pace was manageable, but as there were so many riders, we were all cycling at the same kind of pace. After the first climb the field started to spread out. Meeting my support crew on the course was an awesome moral boost. They did remarkably well to find the course route at suitable locations, taking into consideration the number of road closures in the area. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyFY1ShQ6q5hUAITdhlTgzlMtebLwUEcXL1ViUMEIEcNVrF0hOvPrNL1_Uyh_joR-lfYWiHOQozr4jNhPsQ_9iySrLph1Y1EaugTG0tRmJBICsN2ou9DNZaH5Skbw_pDCqEArKyFdw1YGZEHN5HJUAVAmXNfLlGAH2jwhHgXPN7tg0wF7gg5vtWoPPL7s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: black;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyFY1ShQ6q5hUAITdhlTgzlMtebLwUEcXL1ViUMEIEcNVrF0hOvPrNL1_Uyh_joR-lfYWiHOQozr4jNhPsQ_9iySrLph1Y1EaugTG0tRmJBICsN2ou9DNZaH5Skbw_pDCqEArKyFdw1YGZEHN5HJUAVAmXNfLlGAH2jwhHgXPN7tg0wF7gg5vtWoPPL7s" width="180" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">The second big climb was by far the hardest and was probably when my morale was at its lowest. I just had my eye on the finish line and kept spinning my legs. The descents were the rewards for each and every climb. I made the most of these and went flat out, as fast as I dared, to pull back time. There were a few hair-raising moments on the loose gravel, flying into hairpins, but this was definitely my forte and I was able to pass quite a few riders who had past me on the climbs. The checkpoints were always a worry for cut off times. I got to one with only 20 minutes to spare! This gave me a much-needed wakeup call and I was able to pull back another 20 minutes at the next cut off location. I was making good progress.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh19NXlvzcr_bqpqPKMH_xMfzgNirE_HHIj9hM0KIcSp3kdz431oad4AW3-ANtDi-sZEuuKLf90ySOzTiHehaTZtawjYqyj_LRAZbSsR0YgOOC4krMlVancDzGlKzZmBqavP0J9HxrJqUzj9rxLZCdygddp2SyHojPf2AsplwdS4nkgEm1uYJLPsQ6eEGU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: black;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1279" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh19NXlvzcr_bqpqPKMH_xMfzgNirE_HHIj9hM0KIcSp3kdz431oad4AW3-ANtDi-sZEuuKLf90ySOzTiHehaTZtawjYqyj_LRAZbSsR0YgOOC4krMlVancDzGlKzZmBqavP0J9HxrJqUzj9rxLZCdygddp2SyHojPf2AsplwdS4nkgEm1uYJLPsQ6eEGU" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Prior to the final climb of the race, there was one whole hour of a gentle incline riding up the valley beside the river and past a beautiful lake. This gave me chance to recover, fuel, and prepare for the biggest climb of the day. A fellow racer told me it would be about an hour to the top (which made me feel somewhat emotional!) but once up there, it would be a good descent to the finish. At this point I knew I was going to make it, so I gritted my teeth, put my head down and pedalled. That was my only goal at that point. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIgsWWVHSZi7t35cZpfynLrsCKE-J8-Ko6fgPvUfiR498D5p7uxnNBShpu0cWl5mcTvUo_BQbYurodaJp_9APHVtzCXf8PC1NjPhkl_BzNZSblkTjiP5WqUsPd901MX4s9ts-THPLvGv7Usdt79Qxm84NiznCwOOx-FWIPZBfr9Qby_LGpVsSpLHTR_Hw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: black;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1279" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIgsWWVHSZi7t35cZpfynLrsCKE-J8-Ko6fgPvUfiR498D5p7uxnNBShpu0cWl5mcTvUo_BQbYurodaJp_9APHVtzCXf8PC1NjPhkl_BzNZSblkTjiP5WqUsPd901MX4s9ts-THPLvGv7Usdt79Qxm84NiznCwOOx-FWIPZBfr9Qby_LGpVsSpLHTR_Hw" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><br /><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">After what felt like hours of climbing, I made the top. What a relief! As a nice treat for my efforts, the heavens opened and there was a heavy downpour. The first half of the descent was technical and tricky. I soon got very cold thanks to the high speed descent and rain, but luckily it was just a passing shower and the weather soon turned for the better. A metaphor for darker times passing, and riding literally into the light. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEip-j3JOeW7pn4-ys3mXl1zIz2kXI72B_29784mRD8F_9jPA1gL1suiOrfiq2t9qP3vaRMU5ZWbFc3wZhW5RtrrTe5cIAIosv03CvKDwhHHO9k4PYon8Em16nF18mNQxZM-B97Le7pwbmaojJh7cVSzJnpzBW1YMTjeK3G_WxX_UgPBBZBgYxgTJA6nMbI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: black;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2875" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEip-j3JOeW7pn4-ys3mXl1zIz2kXI72B_29784mRD8F_9jPA1gL1suiOrfiq2t9qP3vaRMU5ZWbFc3wZhW5RtrrTe5cIAIosv03CvKDwhHHO9k4PYon8Em16nF18mNQxZM-B97Le7pwbmaojJh7cVSzJnpzBW1YMTjeK3G_WxX_UgPBBZBgYxgTJA6nMbI" width="160" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><br /><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">The last couple of miles seemed to take forever. This was not helped by quite a strong headwind. As I chipped away through the final few miles, the town started to make an appearance! I could see Villabassa, I was nearly home! I had a massive smile on my face heading down to the finishing line. Words can’t describe how I felt – it was a mixture of emotions. Seeing my family at the finish line made my day and provided an instant realisation of context to the huge challenge I had just completed. Not just the race, but the training leading up to it too. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">The last four months of training had been tough but with a team of professionals behind me, we got the job done. A massive thank you to Sally Bigham at </span><a href="http://www.ironsallycoaching.com/"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Iron Sally Coaching</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><a href="http://www.todaysplan.com.au/"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Today’s Plan</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> for their app-based support allowing Sally to deliver the coaching programme, and to Marcus at </span><a href="https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">TORQ Nutrition</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">, which fed not only the main event, but also all of my training rides. A big thank you to </span><a href="http://www.dolomitisuperbike.com/"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Dolomiti Superbike</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">for providing the race entry (including a very privileged start position near the front of the race) and 4 nights accommodation at the lovely </span><a href="http://www.hotel-dolomiten.com/en"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Hotel Dolomiten</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">. Finally, a big thank you once again to my family for supporting me through it all. I quite simply couldn’t have done it without them. One big team effort!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Before the race Sally told me; “The one who has the most fun wins” <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">What a saying, I felt like a winner!”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">James Wilkinson, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;">Military Veteran, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="background-color: black;">Dolomite Superbike Finisher 2023. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-18962871683112769272019-03-14T18:55:00.003+00:002019-03-14T18:56:53.487+00:00Iron Sally CoachingAre you looking for help to achieve a personal cycling goal? Whether that's simply to get fitter, do the odd challenge/event or race regularly, then check out my new website and see how I can help you. Any questions then just get in touch. I offer a free, no obligation consultation to discuss what you're looking for and how I might be able to help you to achieve your goals.<br />
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<a href="http://ironsallycoaching.com/">Ironsallycoaching.com </a>Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-30862842167379934022018-09-24T15:26:00.000+01:002018-09-24T15:26:18.473+01:00Iron Sally CoachingWebsite and more information coming soon. If you're interested and would like to chat then get in touch. I'll be taking on riders of all abilities from October.....<br />
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-85031214458750372852018-09-24T15:09:00.003+01:002018-09-24T15:11:12.642+01:00Interview with Rachel Sokal<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A short while ago I was chatting to Rachel Sokal about motherhood and cycling. Here's a <a href="http://A short while ago I was chatting to Rachel Sokal about motherhood and cycling. Here's a link to her write up.... she's literally just about to give birth too - wishing her all the very best with her little baby 👶">link</a> to her write up.... she's very recently joined motherhood too - wishing her all the very best with her little baby boy </span><span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/fab/1/16/1f476.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">👶A </span></span></span><br />
<span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">A</span></span><br />
<span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">A </span></span>Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-73229864164845832412018-04-11T19:12:00.001+01:002018-04-11T19:12:45.517+01:00Chatting to Maria David from Total Women's Cycling Follow this link to hear about my experience of cycling during pregnancy and as a new mum.....:<br />
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<a href="https://totalwomenscycling.com/lifestyle/sally-bigham-pregnancy-life-new-mum">Sally Bigham on Pregnancy and Life as a New Mum - Total Women's Cycling</a>Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-26880971532917041972018-02-12T18:11:00.001+00:002018-02-12T18:16:36.784+00:00Life as a pregnant athlete: the finish line and the best prize ever. Just a really quick note to say that our beautiful baby boy was born on January 5th at 10.22am weighing 3.3kg. I continued cycling, swimming and walking right up until my waters broke. Keeping active made my whole pregnancy really enjoyable and has certainly helped me to get back on the bike afterwards. I thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant and now I'm looking forward to getting back into shape and returning to racing. Topeak Ergon Racing Team have changed to Canyon Topeak Factory Racing and I'm honoured to be given this opportunity to continue my cycling career (post baby) with them.<br />
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I'll write more soon about the birth and postnatal recovery. For now here are some photos and videos:<br />
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<br />Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-6207077502331286512017-11-12T16:18:00.003+00:002017-11-12T16:45:45.614+00:00Life as a pregnant athlete: third trimesterThe changes in pregnancy have been so gradual that I haven't noticed many things. The comments of strangers, or people I've not seen for a while, take me by surprise. I find myself initially thinking "how do they know I'm pregnant!" and then I look down at my watermelon-sized bump and smile. I look at my reflection in shop windows with wonder - is that really me! Since we moved house 2 months ago we haven't had a full-length mirror so when I do catch a glimpse of myself it's quite amusing. I love my baby bump. <br />
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So, what's changed since my last blog and what hasn't?<br />
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Things that have changed:<br />
<ul>
<li>All of my old clothes are packed away and I wear Dave's cycling clothes. It's neither cool nor a fashion statement but it works and gets me comfortably out on the bike. Squeezing into my old clothes became a wrestling match and started to restrict my breathing. </li>
<li>I've started swimming in preparation of a time towards the end of pregnancy when I might no longer be able to cycle - and also in preparation of bad weather days when cycling might be too hazardous or simply too horrible. The first time back in the pool for years saw me floundering and almost being rescued by the lifeguard. Changes in buoyancy meant my entry into the water was a little less elegant than intended and a poor breathing technique had me clinging to the lane rope spluttering. With perseverance however I can now swim for 45minutes, which is enough for me - it's nowhere near as much fun as cycling. </li>
<li>Slow has been redefined. Weighing 10kg more than pre-pregnancy means that my climbing prowess has been somewhat hampered. It's akin to riding with another bike strapped around my waist. Dave is most definitely faster and has started riding circles around me. How the tables have turned! </li>
<li>I've become familiar with the term 'symphysis pubis dysfunction' which in simple terms means pelvic pain especially when turning and getting in and out of bed, as well as pain standing on one leg and walking. It soon became apparent that this was caused by long hikes and for a short time I thought I might have to stop the hikes completely. However a <a href="http://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/maternity-supportbelt-b4761.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_5_QBRC9ARIsADVww16t8lVI-Cf7BBZ4EEgbTuuZ2fWN_9c_AhltyOXpBGA_D9KVJWym8k8aAuSREALw_wcB">support belt</a> has allowed me to resume 3 hour hikes without crippling side-effects. This comes as a relief as I was starting to resemble a centenarian requiring help to prise myself off the sofa and hobble around. </li>
<li>My bedtime routine now involves a complicated procedure involving a huge snake-like maternity pillow which I spend several minutes adjusting into the correct position. I then remain on my left-hand-side for the entire night. Attempting to get out of bed, rearrange the pillow and lie on my right-hand-side is fruitless because Little P doesn't tolerate it for more than a few minutes before he starts inflicting side-swipes with his little, but no less powerful, feet. It seems he's happier when I'm lying on my left-hand side because he can stretch his feet out and practice his rib-tackle (catching his feet under my lower right rib). </li>
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Things that have not changed:</div>
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<li>I still love being pregnant. I feel great and have loads of energy. Perhaps this is because I've been fortunate enough to be able to continue exercising and eating healthily. Other than the pelvic pain, I have no unpleasant side-effects of pregnancy: no swelling (shoe size is unchanged and I can still wear my wedding ring), no heart burn or other complaints. </li>
<li>Spending time cycling is brilliant. I feel really comfortable on the bike - more so than off it sometimes! I'm very slow and only ride for an average of 2 hours (occasionally a little less or more), nevertheless it's so nice to get outside and breathe in fresh air. It really is amazing therapy for body and mind. Most of the time I'm riding on quiet roads but occasionally on smooth fire roads or fields. No trails or technical stuff. It's all very sedate. I'm still riding according to feel and keeping my heart rate between 130-150bpm. </li>
<li>Pre-natal yoga still feels good and I love to stretch and keep flexible. </li>
<li>I'm not plagued by unusual food craving or aversions, though I still don't drink coffee. This is now more to do with avoiding caffeine rather than a revulsion. On the contrary, I love the smell and I look forward to a post-pregnancy flat white - though breastfeeding would certainly delay this.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
I'm curious to see how things will change during the finals weeks of pregnancy but I hope to stay active throughout (and during labour, though I'll not be taking the indoor trainer to the hospital. Hahaha!). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Stay active. Have fun.</div>
<div>
Sal :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-27469789986346175252017-09-28T09:17:00.001+01:002017-09-28T17:02:22.356+01:00Second trimester: Adapting to an ever growing belly<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s odd, on the one hand it seems like so much has
changed since my last blog, but on the other it feels like little has. Starting
with the things that have changed during the second </span>trimester<span style="font-family: inherit;">:</span></span></sup></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My diet is pretty much back to </span>pre-pregnancy.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I can think about, and even eat, green foods without turning green and
I’ve not touched a cornflake for months! The only exception is that I’m still
off coffee, but it’s definitely sounding, as well as smelling, more appetising so perhaps soon I’ll be ordering cappuccinos with my cake once again. Let’s
hope so.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">My bib-short straps will not reach up
and over ‘Bump’ so I simply wear them around my waist. It works.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">My belly engages in involuntary night-time
‘belly dancing’. Very odd but also quite amusing.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">My growing belly means I am welcomed
into almost any establishment (as a non-customer) and granted use of the public
conveniences with a knowing, happy smile. This is actually pretty useful
because I seem to be frequenting the bathroom more often than normal and
especially when ‘Bump’ kicks me in the bladder!</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have one speed and that’s pretty
slow. Sadly, I’ve had to concede that Dave is now faster than I am. Every day is different, some days I feel strong and other days I feel like a snail. I just listen to my body and </span>adapt<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>accordingly<span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My growing belly occasionally makes
me ride like John Wayne walked, especially when ‘Bump’ wakes up and starts
wriggling around. Raising the handlebars and flipping the stem from a negative
to a positive rise has helped somewhat with this </span>unusual<span style="font-family: inherit;"> looking gait.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">I have gained about 7-8kg</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">Bumpy trails make me need to pee. I spend my time cycling on quiet roads or smooth trails, always on the MTB.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Things that have not changed:</span></sup></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">I still love being pregnant.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">I am cycling 3-4 times per week for
between 2 to 3 hours and typically climbing 1000m each ride, though I have had
to become content with anything over 700m per ride since moving back to the
south coast of England. My rides are not what I’d call training as such, but
more a means of getting outdoors and keeping some fitness. Although my pace is
slower and power is massively reduced, I am riding between 130-150bpm. This is simply because it is what feels right rather than some stipulated guideline.
Apparently, as pregnant women we have 50% more blood and consequently our
hearts have to work harder to pump all of that extra blood around. So while I’m
riding slower than pre-pregnancy, I am still working reasonably hard. Medical
advice from various midwifes and doctors has been pretty consistent: continue
doing what you did pre-pregnancy but avoid becoming exhausted and dehydrated.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">On days I don’t cycle I like to hike for anywhere from 1 hour to 3-4
hours. Mountain hikes have now given way to the footpaths along the Jurassic Coast which involve less altitude gain but no less beauty.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">I am enjoying pre-natal yoga. At the
beginning of my pregnancy I started doing a 1hour pre-natal session guided by
Tara Stiles (you can buy it online). Starting with this session from the
beginning means I can be conscious of how my body is changing and adapt to each pose as the pregnancy progresses, this is especially important as the hormone
relaxin starts to affect me. If I suddenly become super flexible then I know
it’s probably time to ease out of a pose!</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">I am not eating for two; in fact,
since I stopped structured interval training I am eating less. Apart from my
growing belly I am still pretty lean. However, I must stress that I am not in
the least bit concerned about weight gain and I am not making any effort whatsoever
to lose weight.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">Other than a growing belly that moves on its own volition, I have no other symptoms of pregnancy: no heart burn (except when I indulged in traditional seaside fish and chips), no
sickness, no swelling etc etc. I do occasionally get some ligament discomfort
as everything stretches but that’s about it.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></sup>
<sup><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Soon I’ll enter the third trimester. It’ll be
interesting to see what changes are in store! I’ll keep you posted. <o:p></o:p></span></sup></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Spend a little time each day outdoors exercising - it’s
medicine for body and mind 😃</span></sup><sup><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></sup></div>
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-46136119472875926802017-08-02T11:00:00.002+01:002017-08-02T11:04:30.015+01:00Life as a pregnant athlete<b>Maternity leave before the baby is born!</b><br />
<br />
One thing that's really odd - though there are many things! - is that I'm taking my "maternity leave" before our baby is born. I'm not racing and I'm also not training in the sense of structured interval type stuff. My only aim at the moment is to stay active everyday so I've been cycling, hiking and doing prenatal yoga. I'm riding both my road bike and my MTB on quiet roads and nontechnical trails, each time it's just an easy endurance pace (I get out of breath quite easily!) for between 2-3 hours and I always try to climb at least 1000m (just a strange habit I've fallen into!!!). I generally hike for around 3-4 hours with a lunch stop. That's just what seems right for me. There aren't really any clear-cut guidelines. Perhaps I was overcautious during the first trimester but after previous miscarriages I didn't want to take any risks, though I've been told time and time again that the miscarriages were not caused by exercise.<br />
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A break from racing and hard training is good for me after so many years. Now I'm exercising for personal well-being. I'm an athlete and I don't think I could ever stop excising outdoors! If I did then I don't think I'd be very nice to be around!!!! It's my release, my way of clearing my head and coming home feeling mentally and physically relaxed. If I can stay as fit as possible then hopefully it'll help me in childbirth and make returning to racing next year a little easier. This will be my next big challenge but I'm excited about training and racing again.<br />
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<b>Getting bigger</b><br />
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I'm now almost 17 weeks and another scan yesterday showed our little baby kicking and moving around. I can also occasionally feel him now too. I'm already wearing maternity clothes which I wasn't expecting so soon! Fortunately lycra is forgiving and my team cycling clothes still fit but I've had to pack away a lot of my favourite clothes.<br />
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<b>Nausea and food aversions</b><br />
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I also wasn't expecting the weird change in appetite and diet. I didn't think it'd happen to me. Anyone who knows me knows I love to eat vegetables, salad and lots of healthy stuff. I'm also normally pretty grumpy without my morning coffee and an afternoon cappuccino. At about 6 weeks I couldn't stand even the thought of coffee (though I'd been drinking decaffeinated since before we conceived). Any food green in colour was off the menu and any white/yellow food was most definitely on, including milk, omelettes, cheese, salty chips, salt and vinegar crisps, cornflakes (1kg per day usually consumed between 1am-3am!) and pancakes. Oddly the only fruit I could eat were bananas! All very, very weird and totally out of character. I even wanted to go to McDonalds (somewhere I haven't eaten for over 20 years) for chips and chocolate milkshake, though I did resist this temptation!<br />
<br />
Fortunately the nausea (which I had almost all day, everyday) eased at about 12-13 weeks but I still can't eat courgettes or broccoli!!!! Coffee remains off the menu! I proudly ate spinach the other day. I no longer consume bumper packs of cornflakes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKeghBP4guIKBUL0WDwXT44VC12f_jlFUbnyAzEhrEeM2bnvYgNfCdljEisy_Wv9jxoWChWs1_-bNpH-gNwKf4gWqbuOYhb-hzZl4Ds5vUdEoN5ZYQWceIUfPDwm2DRKRp_-1mddh9pQ/s1600/IMG_2212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKeghBP4guIKBUL0WDwXT44VC12f_jlFUbnyAzEhrEeM2bnvYgNfCdljEisy_Wv9jxoWChWs1_-bNpH-gNwKf4gWqbuOYhb-hzZl4Ds5vUdEoN5ZYQWceIUfPDwm2DRKRp_-1mddh9pQ/s320/IMG_2212.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 weeks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphIipXn3tFLpXG8ZQALoONLqRTo4gJNCdCzbje8oJ25b8Idch6lGVbh7xue6gkUgsXxKys7kJ7r7BPWZCyAIwqpeaz_1ZQAaFRn5PoQD0PYXEYopn1jxeY9eL_vHFxqG4z0NWy04S5L8/s1600/20031626_10154500312241736_5826016178337837442_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="960" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphIipXn3tFLpXG8ZQALoONLqRTo4gJNCdCzbje8oJ25b8Idch6lGVbh7xue6gkUgsXxKys7kJ7r7BPWZCyAIwqpeaz_1ZQAaFRn5PoQD0PYXEYopn1jxeY9eL_vHFxqG4z0NWy04S5L8/s320/20031626_10154500312241736_5826016178337837442_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 weeks</td></tr>
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-64229953160963287972017-07-07T09:50:00.001+01:002017-07-07T09:50:31.205+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We're very excited to share our news with you. I'm sorry it's taken so long to tell you but it's not been a straight forward journey - I'll tell you more about that soon. I won't be racing this year but we have an amazing support network and I plan to return to reduced race schedule next year with a big focus on the 2019 season. </div>
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<br />Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-8796571653706565252016-10-15T08:35:00.001+01:002016-10-15T08:38:34.465+01:00Perfect end to a great season! Here's a short update and a brief 'over and out' for the 2016 season:.......<br />
<br />
Last week I set my alarm for 5.30am and pinned on my final race number for the 2016 season. <a href="http://www.rocazur.com/fr">Roc D'Azur</a> is a massive festival with a party atmosphere but there's also some serious racing on technically challenging and fun trails. For the last two years I've missed this season finale - last year because of a fractured hip and the year before because of vascular surgery for Iliac Artery Endofibrosis. Spending a week with the team in the sunny South of France was a perfect way to celebrate a year that's been filled with many highlights, including becoming European Champion, Vice World Champion and winning 4 UCI World Series races as well as the Transalp and Leadville 100. Winning the Roc Marathon - making this my 5th victory - made the mojitos taste a little sweeter and has given me a positive feeling going into the off-season.<br />
<br />
Over the next several weeks I'll be enjoying some downtime as well as some different sports including hiking, running, windsurfing and surfing - and sampling some fine wines and cocktails. This winter were are heading somewhere completely new for our 2017 season preparations, I can't wait to share our adventure with you! Stayed tuned!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sportograf.com</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sportograf.com</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sportograf.com</td></tr>
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Behind every success stands a dedicated and passionate support crew! As riders we depend upon our mechanics, managers, massage therapists and chefs. No job is too great or too small: from spending hours in tech/feed zones, washing clothes, cleaning bikes and even shoes! We cannot thank you enough for your hard work behind the scenes. Big thanks to all of our crew for your awesome support this year! Here are some nice photos of the team behind the riders. Thanks to Olivier Beart, Mojo Mag:<br />
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Here's a <a href="http://www.vojomag.com/roc-marathon-coeur-de-lequipe-topeak-ergon/">link</a> to the full article in Mojo mag. If you can read French then you'll enjoy the words but if not then you can just look at the nice images!<br />
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Thank you for following. I wish you a great winter season filled with many fun times and new adventures!<br />
SalSally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-37660340652397079672016-08-17T10:13:00.003+01:002016-08-21T08:25:16.503+01:00Leadville 100<div style="font-family: calibri, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
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At 4am on Saturday morning I was struggling to eat a breakfast of oats and gluten free bread forcefully washed down with very strong coffee - I've been intolerant (to gluten as well as eating at 4am) for the last 10 years. It's not easy to eat in the middle of the night but with 100 miles of racing ahead it's essential. </div>
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Warming up on an indoor trainer helped to raise my body temperature in anticipation of the fast downhill start in zero degrees celsius at 06.30am - a chilling experience when wearing only a skin suit and arm warmers. Fancying their chances a number of pro and ex-pro roadies took to the start and it appears that 'full gas' from the line is not a concept that they're used to! Teammate Jeremiah Bishop (JB) initiated an attack almost straight from the shotgun, a pace that the chase group - consisting largely of said roadies - did not want to follow, allowing JB and MTBr Todd Wells (eventual winner) to ride out of sight within minutes! Now if JB had made me privy to his race tactic I'd have been sure to position myself favourably but he kept his cards firmly to his chest! The initial leisurely pace allowed the roadies chance to have a good old natter amongst themselves but it cost me 2 minutes relative to the previous year before the first steep rocky climb of the day up to Carter's Summit. </div>
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Racing 100 miles takes careful preparation and a meticulous nutrition plan which must be adhered to! With an approximate race time of 7 hours and a target of 90g of carbohydrates per hour that's a lot of eating and drinking!</div>
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This distance is only one challenge, the biggest hurdle is the altitude: 10,000ft of climbing all an a elevation in excess of 10,000ft commands the greatest respect! Leadville 100 has become a world famous mountain bike race with it's 100 mile out and back course, the turning point is at the highest point: Columbine Mountain at 12,500ft. </div>
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The terrain is pretty mixed with smooth dirt tracks and some long asphalt sections as well as steep rocky climbs, which given the out-and-back nature of the course also become fast, puncture prone descents on the return journey - especially when descending Columbine at high speed whilst dodging a long procession of on-coming riders who are usually gazing at the ground in utter exhaustion! I chose to ride my Canyon Exceed CF SLX (hardtail) with 2.2 Continental Race Kings front (19psi) and rear (20psi) - opting for a lower starting pressure to allow for the increase associated with increasing altitude and air temperature.<br />
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With two previous wins (2013, 2014) my aim was undoubtedly to win my third title but at the same time I also had my eye fixed on a sub-7 hour race time. To break 7 hours requires many factors to fall neatly into place including having a good group of riders working together along the flatter sections of the course - although I often had a group not everyone was happy to pull through, which caused group morale to collapse and the pace to slow. At the top of Columbine - the 50 mile turning point - I was on 7 hour pace though I didn't know it because my computer had long stopped working. My legs felt strong back up the notorious Powerline Climb and all the way to the red carpet back in Leadville town centre but alas the big clock showed 7 hours and 5 minutes. Upon seeing the time initial disappointment gradually gave way to pride at having won my third Leadville 100 title while finishing 14th overall of 2000 riders and ahead of some pretty well known roadies <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4731702561747266507" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="😉" border="0" class="EmojiInsert" id="OWAEmoji478447" src="data:image/png;base64,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" style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', NotoColorEmoji, 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Android Emoji', EmojiSymbols; vertical-align: bottom;" /></a><br />
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Congrats to JB for his 3rd place (6 hours 28 minutes) and big thanks to Topeak Ergon for top race support!<br />
<br />
You can see my finish <a href="https://www.facebook.com/leadvilleraceseries/videos/1193904424008585">here</a> (disappointment mixed with fatigue!):<br />
<br />
Here's a link to <a href="http://www.pinkbike.com/news/leadville-trail-100-2016.html">Pinkbike</a> race report.<br />
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Full results <a href="https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-17343?_ga=1.151559097.1051140280.1471213850">here</a>.<br />
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Photo credit: Eddie Clark<br />
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<br />Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-63270114809954522492016-07-13T16:01:00.000+01:002016-07-13T16:09:19.181+01:00Never forget where you started!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">At 7.30am (far too early in the morning!) last Saturday I lined up on the start of the 22nd <a href="http://www.dolomitisuperbike.com/">Dolomiti Superbike</a>, which is a brutal race in the truly spectacular Italian
Dolomites. It's a very special race for me because in 2008 it was the World
Championships and my first ever international race - a baptism of fire! -
where I finished 28th. Returning as the current European Marathon Champion and
Vice World Marathon Champion to take my 4th victory was magical. The race and region, South Tirol, remind me of
where my journey started and how far I've progressed in my 8-year cycling
career. After 119km with 3800m of vertical ascent and 5 hours and 33 minutes
in the saddle I had goose bumps when I realised that I had just become a 4x winner
of the race which first captured my heart, inspired my passion for this sport
and sparked my love of the mountains. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Next up is the <a href="http://bike-transalp.de/en/news/">Bike Transalp</a>: 7 days racing across the Alps (520km with 17,750m of vertical ascent) with Ben Thomas where we'll be looking to repeat our 2014 win in the mixed category. Follow us on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bighamsally">Facebook</a> page or <a href="https://twitter.com/IronSally1">Twitter</a>! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Thanks for following!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Sal :) </span></div>
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-35152977092112110782016-06-29T09:06:00.005+01:002016-06-29T09:16:16.609+01:00World Marathon Championships, Laissac, France Last week I wrote about how in 2013 I raced and won Sellaronda Hero and one week later I won my first World Championship medal - Silver in Kirchberg, Austria. This year I decided to try to replicate this, well actually the goal was a medal of any colour with Gold being the obvious preference! Coincidentally, I matched 2013: winning Sellaronda Hero and a Silver Medal in Laissac, France last weekend. I'll take that as 'mission accomplished'!<br />
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The course in France comprised of technically challenging descents and climbs - a real MTB course in the Midi-Pyrenees - not too dissimilar to the riding in the UK. The course was pretty much 70km of slippery, muddy trails littered with rocks, roots, drops, jumps, log piles and river crossings. I liked it! The most difficult part was the first half but the latter half had a sting in the tail so it was pretty important to make sure there was something left in the tank.<br />
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The rainbow stripes of the World Champion are hotly contested so it's not unusual to see top XCO riders lining up to fight for the prestigious title. Preparation went really well and the week leading up to the race was pretty chilled. We have such a great team of staff and riders and it's so cool that as well as being focused and professional we also spend time relaxing and having fun together. This I believe is part of our success. Taking 3 World Champs medals (Alban: Silver, Kristian: Bronze, and me: Silver) is testimony to that! Jeremiah Bishop and Erik Kleinhans performed a great feat when they came from the back of the field to finished 23rd and 29th! Here's a nice <a href="http://www.ergonbike.com/en/article-world-champion-2016.html">link</a> to our team story.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdlFTaRxiZqCpfn1W6CCKmZbXkiI30wDeg3z8ZNwXgkff9s66Xi6QZLCYAiBr5T6nzQuUCUReGa4ZIVhwVIz_ut1QQuMgEn38zPi4X2nnlhQPnO_zjLmslX5KxsCLO6ENOwS88KRwu1A/s1600/IMG_2309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdlFTaRxiZqCpfn1W6CCKmZbXkiI30wDeg3z8ZNwXgkff9s66Xi6QZLCYAiBr5T6nzQuUCUReGa4ZIVhwVIz_ut1QQuMgEn38zPi4X2nnlhQPnO_zjLmslX5KxsCLO6ENOwS88KRwu1A/s320/IMG_2309.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chilling with rum and coke in the days before the race</td></tr>
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The race went smoothly for me with no mechanicals or crashes. Luck obviously plays a role but excellent preparation in terms of course reconnaissance (thanks to Ben Thomas for his company) and equipment plays a huge part too! I don't underestimate or take for granted the importance of our staff in our success. We have the best mechanic (Peter Felber), the best physiotherapist and massage therapist (Torsten Walter and Craig Gerber), a meticulous team manager (David Padfield) and soigneur extraordinaire (Robert Novotny, aka Gio). <br />
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Starting with race plate number two perhaps was a sign of what was to come! Finishing second to multiple XCO World Cup winner Jolanda Neff is a result that I can live with - after 4 hours I crossed the line 2 minutes back. However, as a marathon rider the World Championships is the most important race - marathon is not an Olympic discipline - and it is this rainbow jersey that I'd dearly like to pull over my head.<br />
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Thanks for following!<br />
Sal <br />
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<br />Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-19647763286502213222016-06-24T12:21:00.000+01:002016-06-24T12:21:23.473+01:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #bfbfbf; font-family: Calibri; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Last weekend was one of my favourite races: <a href="http://www.herodolomites.bike/">Sellaronda Hero</a>. It's a
special race not least because of the dramatic location - possibly the most
spectacular mountains I've ever seen - but also because the organisation and
media coverage is exceptionally good (2 hours of live coverage on
Eurosport!). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #bfbfbf; font-family: Calibri; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Set in the Italian dolomites the race circumnavigates the infamous
Sellagroup sending riders up and down four unbelievably steep mountain passes
that require the smallest of front chainrings! The altitude - between
1600m and 2300m - also adds to the challenge of the race as does the
weather! Heavy rain and thunder storms in in the days and night before softened
the ground and made the climbs even harder -soft ground sucking the power
from the wheels - and the descents more slippery and tricky.
Starting at 7.10 am is another challenge; its not so easy to eat
breakfast at 4.45am! However this only makes the race even more appealing
to the thousands of riders who love to tackle and conquer it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #bfbfbf; font-family: Calibri; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #bfbfbf; font-family: Calibri; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Here's a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7NvUDwVdjs">link</a> to the Eurosport TV coverage.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #bfbfbf; font-family: Calibri; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 191;">In 2013 I raced and won Sellaronda Hero for the first time. One
week later I won a Silver medal at the World Championships in Kirchberg,
Austria. This year the timing is exactly the same with the World Championships
this coming Sunday in Laissac, France. I'm hoping that my second win in the
Italian Dolomites will set me up for similar success this weekend in
France! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-70668088121731597702016-06-07T09:13:00.003+01:002016-06-07T09:22:42.578+01:00Silver Spell is broken! <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #666666;">After 4 Silver European Championship medals (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and one Silver World Championship medal (2013) there really was only one goal in Sigulda, Latvia last weekend: I wanted GOLD. Badly!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #666666;">After training on the course - 80km with just 1300metres of climbing - it was clear that it'd be a high speed race with riders staying together in groups to avoid wasting energy riding alone in the wind on the long open sections. Staying together in the peloton and sprinting for the finish wasn't really how I wanted the race to pan out but I knew it would be risky to ride alone in front while the chasing group worked together behind me. <i>But</i> not being one to turn an opportunity down I made a break from the group after about 25km leaving only 55km to go alone! When I knew that my lead was gradually increasing my attention started to turn to not making any mistakes and avoiding punctures! Riding up the final climb, hearing the incredible support from the crowds and knowing that I'd finally broken the Silver Spell was awesome. European Champion. Finally! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #666666;">Congratulations to Jennie Stenerhag (Sweden) and Katarina Sosna (Lithuania) for their Silver and Bronze medals both well deserved! </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #666666;">Here's a link to a nice video: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ErgonBike/?fref=nf" id="LPlnk998378" target="_blank" title="https://www.facebook.com/ErgonBike/?fref=nf
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #666666;">Now I'm back in Austria for some quality time sleeping in the same bed and eating great food before the next big goal: World Championships in France on Sunday 26th June. </span></span></div>
Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-32426556840725983132016-05-18T09:14:00.002+01:002016-05-18T09:18:36.949+01:00Three weekends, three race wins!Three weeks ago we packed our van and started our annual Euro road trip. We'll be driving around Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and France for the next 3 months. Our trip started with the UCI World Series Race, <a href="http://www.sport.be/rocdardenne/2016/en/rocmarathon/">Roc D'Ardennes</a>, in Houffalize, Belgium. In the weeks before the race heavy rain meant we were faced with a mud-fest and very challenging conditions! Despite the cold my legs and body worked well and I was able to win ahead of BH Suntour rider Helen Marcouyre (France). At the finish I looked a little bit like a Belgian mud-chocolate - and it took more than 30 minutes in the shower to wash off the Houffalize mud!<br />
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The following weekend I was eating dust rather than mud at the UCI World Series Race, <a href="http://www.singen-bike-marathon.de/de/">Rothaus Hegau Bike Marathon</a> in Singen, Germany. It's a fast 80km course with only 2000m of climbing so it's not easy to make a break but after 40 minutes an opportunity came and I grabbed it building a lead over the chasing group of 8 riders. Riding solo for so long on such a course is a bit of a gamble but fortunately there were light winds and the gap gradually increased. After just 3 hours I finished almost 4 minutes ahead of Swiss rider Esther Suss with German Silke Schmidt a further 3 minutes back. </div>
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Last Friday we headed back to the stunning Ardennes for the 3 day <a href="http://www.bemc.be/?lang=en">Belgian Mountainbike Challenge</a>. Stage 1 kicked off on a beautiful warm sunny day BUT it was Friday 13th - and our hotel room number was 113 - so perhaps it was unsurprising that after less than 5km I heard the heart sinking sound of air and sealant leaking from my tyre. A huge sidewall cut which was tricky to fix saw me sidelined for more than 15 minutes during which time the whole field of pros and then amateur riders passed me. Chasing back lost time while over-taking hundreds of riders was a big challenge but I tried really hard to regain some lost time. I finished 5th with a 20 minute deficit. The next two stages were all about chasing and trying hard to see how much time I could recover. Amazingly, on the second stage I closed nearly 8 minutes, leaving 12 minutes to try to recover on the last day - a seemingly impossible task! On the final stage I gave everything and crazily managed to take the lead in the last 30kms! How cool is that!!!???? I felt a bit guilty taking the leader jersey from Serbian rider Jovana Crnogorac after she wore it for the whole race but that's bike racing! After 13 hours and 15 minutes I won with a lead of 6 minutes over Jovana, with German Stefanie Dohrn finishing in 3rd. </div>
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Thanks for following!</div>
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Sal :)</div>
Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-22837582138997041312016-03-23T09:42:00.000+00:002016-04-08T04:46:05.778+01:00Cape Epic 2016 <div style="font-family: calibri, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">After racing 800km and climbing 15,000 metres on beautiful trails in the Western Cape, South Africa, Adelheid Morath (GER/BH Suntour KMC) and I crossed the finish line at the stunning Meerendal Wine Estate on Sunday. The <a href="http://www.cape-epic.com/" target="_blank" title="http://www.cape-epic.com
Cmd+Click or tap to follow the link">Cape Epic</a> - regarded as the worlds toughest MTB stage race - set a precedent this year with the introduction of separate starts for the Elite Women. Consequently, it was the most closely fought, exciting race amongst the pro women in it's 13 year history and a landmark event in professional women's MTB stage racing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Lining up for the Prologue I was excited to be side-by-side with Adel - my winning team mate from last years Swiss Epic - but I was all too aware that over the following 8 days there would be many unexpected challenges to overcome. While I'd already started 6 Cape Epics I'd failed to complete 2 when my partners were struck down by illness and heat exhaustion respectively. In my mind I wanted to make sure that this race contributed to my 'completed' tally rather than my list of 'DNFs' - but more than that I wanted to win!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">The Prologue was fast and furious with us finishing less than one second off the Podium and just 1 minute behind the stage winners (Ascendis Health's Jennie Stenerhag and Robin de Groot). We were happy and excited to begin the next 7 long, hard days in the saddle. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">In addition to the separate starts the new race rules stipulate that drafting amongst the different categories (i.e. women and men) is prohibited thereby making the race a fair fight amongst the women - a rule that I wholeheartedly welcome and one that continues to raise the level of professionalism.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Stage 1 (108km) saw us lose 5 minutes to the race leaders - though we did move up to 3rd in the General Classification (GC) - so on Stage 2 (93km) we were determined to claw back some time with a strong performance. In the final 10kms we saw our stage win disintegrate when we were caught and passed by Spur Specialised (Ariane Kleinhans and Annika Langvad). During our chase along the fast district roads the backdraft of a low flying helicopter blew Adel off her bike. At the time we were frustrated by the seconds lost but it would later become apparent that this crash caused more damage than we initially thought. We finished the stage in 2nd position just 45 seconds off the stage win (3rd overall in the GC). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Stage 3 (104km) was a long transition stage which saw the 4 top women's teams stay together until the final 15kms. It was thrilling from start to finish and the final 7kms were caught live on TV. Adel and I were able to make a break on the final climb and finally a stage win was in sight for us but during the last few flat kms the intense heat and sheer exhaustion meant Adel was running on empty and Spur Specialised beat us to the line by 30 seconds. Sadly Team Ascends Health were forced to withdraw from the race due to health issues, as a result we moved up to 2nd in the GC. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Stage 4 (75km) took us on a tour of the finest singletracks of Welvernpass with kms and kms of switchbacks, twists, turns, rocks and drops. It was now however that the earlier helicopter incident really impacted on our race. Adel's knee injury was becoming increasingly painful and every pedal stroke was starting to hurt. We lost a further 5 minutes on the race leaders Spur Specialised putting us 12 minutes behind overall and 2nd in the GC with a 7 minute lead over 3rd position. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Stage 5 (93km) was a transition stage from Wellington to Boschendal and once again saw the top three women's teams race closely together until the final 10kms. Exiting the final technical descent together it was full speed along flat district roads and farm land to the finish line. Adel's knee pain was especially troublesome and she battled to keep contact. After giving it everything we finished in 3rd position while retaining 2nd position in the GC. Team Sport for Good (Sabine Spitz and Yana Belomoina) won their fist stage with Spur Specialised 50 seconds ahead. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Stage 6 (69km) was, in my opinion, the best stage I've ever raced in the Cape Epic. The route covered kms and kms of world class singletrack twisting and turning through forests and traversing mountainsides. The steep climbs exacerbated Adel's knee pain which ultimately caused us to drop down in to 3rd position in the GC when Sport for Good stormed to another stage victory. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Stage 7 (86km) was the final stage taking us from Boschedal and back to Meerendal. Once again the top 3 teams remained together until the final few kms. Nursing her knee, Adel gave 100% which saw us finish 3rd in the stage and 3rd overall. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">After 33hours and 30minutes Spur Specialised won, closely followed by Sport for Good (+15minutes) and Adel and me (+20minutes). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Although my dream of once again winning the Cape Epic wasn't realised, I was thrilled to be part of the most closely fought women's race in the history of the Cape Epic - and in my opinion the best ever route. Big congratulations to Spur Specialised on taking their 3rd Cape Epic win and Sport for Good for 2nd in their inaugural Cape Epic. Next year I will return fully motivated to once again fight for the overall victory - a victory which would add to my previous 2 wins (2011, 2012).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the Cape Epic I always say 'expect the unexpected' and this sadly rang true for teammate Kristian when he lost time with a broken shoe and was later injured in a crash that forced him to withdraw from the race. Alban once again continued as an outcast rider but he later became ill and was unable to make the finish line at Meerendal. Jeremiah and Erik - our support team for Alban and Kristian - continued alone and finished a respectable 10th overall in the GC. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you missed it then have a look at our team story where you'll find great images and videos:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">English: <a href="http://l.facebook.com/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fergon.pageflow.io%2Fbattletheepic-eng&e=ATOBt7LapAdhm6gkplXgLA2Am9D_Yyei84pSxeFQLHoJlsOsMr1ennfElChakQ" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://ergon.pageflow.io/battletheepic-eng</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Deutsch: <a href="http://l.facebook.com/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fergon.pageflow.io%2Fbattletheepic&e=ATMTPqPyou2AUGxFdYwbKfWT9ewxXzyZr73meRtBtou3321k_yUxL7wzFC5HXA" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://ergon.pageflow.io/battletheepi</a>c </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were supported by a great group of people including our team manager, mechanics, physiotherapists and chefs who kept our bodies moving and wheels turning. Thanks Topeak Ergon Racing Team!!! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Thanks for following, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Sal :)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Follow my Athlete Page here: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bighamsally">www.facebook.com/bighamsally</a></span></div>
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-46970867633944522252016-02-29T09:07:00.002+00:002016-02-29T16:33:08.220+00:00Andalucia Bike Race<div style="font-family: calibri, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc;">After missing the last two editions of the <a href="http://www.andaluciabikerace.com/" target="_blank">Andalucia Bike Race</a> I was excited to return to the event this year. Having won there in 2011, 2012 and 2013 it was no secret that I wanted to win a fourth time! <span style="font-size: 12pt;">With my Cape Epic partner racing at Cyprus I searched for another partner and was fortunate to be able to pair up with Swiss rider Katrin Leumann. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc;">Kicking off with a 50km TT in the mountains around Jaen we were quickly introduced to the steep climbs which would feature throughout the 6 days - off with the 32T front chainring and on with the 30T! As the favourites we started last and had the advantage of chasing down the other teams - much better to chase rather than be chased in my opinion! We didn't hold back and set a fast pace comfortably putting us in the green leader jerseys. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc;">The second stage was just 76km but packed in 2600m of steep climbing. Katrin - a XC specialist - is new to stage racing and doesn't train for long distances or multi-day events so throughout the race my role was to help her conserve energy whenever possible. As an excellent technical rider her role was to lead in the downhills picking the best lines for me to follow. This strategy worked really well and we took our second stage win. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc;">The third stage (72km, 1800m) took us to a different venue, Andujar, which allowed us to race on some stunning trails including one long descent down an old Roman road with twists, turns, rocks and drops. The final 3 stages (all varying between 70 and 90km) all started and finished in the historical city Cordoba where a myriad of trails - both flowing and technical - can be found in the nearby mountains. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc;">With no immediate pressure from the other teams were we able to ride without risk but on the 4th stage we could have seen the end to the race when on the last technical descent to the finish a rock flicked up into my front wheel breaking two spokes and puncturing the rim tape. The tyre immediately deflated. Working together we quickly removed the broken spokes, put in a tube and rolled to the finish taking another stage win. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc;">On the final day we timed our race to perfection when we crossed the finish line just as the first rain drops started to fall! Winning my fourth ABR was pretty cool. We didn't have pressure from other teams which is a big shame because it would be much more fun to have tighter, more exciting racing. I'd love to see more elite women's teams lining up and making an interesting battle. Riding comfortably in the lead does however have it's advantages for me at this point - now I'm not totally exhausted and I can continue with my preparation for my first big goal of the season: the Cape Epic starting on Sunday 13th March. Stay tuned! </span><br />
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-69586544955355888952016-02-29T08:59:00.001+00:002016-02-29T09:06:13.073+00:00Lanzarote 4 stage MTB race<div style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Last month we went to Lanzarote for the <a href="http://www.clublasanta.co.uk/event/4-stage-off-road-mountain-bike-race/" target="_blank">Club La Santa 4 stage MTB race</a>. The first race of the season is always a good test of winter training and preparation and it's also good to regain the feeling of racing at speed off-road and sharpen up technical skills. Although I went unchallenged by the other women I was able to race against the men, which I always find pushes me hard - it's pretty good fun too! After winning all 4 stages and testing my speed and endurance I'm really happy with my current form and I'm well on the way to being in top shape for my first main goal of the season: the <a href="http://www.cape-epic.com/" target="_blank">Cape Epic</a>. Here is a great <a href="https://youtu.be/gLZ5PBtiSNE" target="_blank">link</a> to a trailer for the women's race which is sure to be an exciting and competitive 8 days! I'll be racing together with German rider Adel Morath with whom I have a proven partnership after winning the Swiss Epic last September. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After the race we returned to </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gran Canaria for a couple more weeks before we heading over to mainland Spain</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> for the</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.andaluciabikerace.com/" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;" target="_blank" title="http://www.andaluciabikerace.com
Cmd+Click or tap to follow the link">Andalucia Bike Race</a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">where I teamed up with a new partner, Swiss rider Katrin Leumann. While </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Andalucia</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> was not a big goal, it was the last fine tuning ahead of the Cape Epic.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Throughout the winter in Gran Canaria we spent some time exploring the enduro tracks: summit to sea with 2000m elevation loss :D </span></span></div>
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-95554395422152232015-09-29T14:05:00.000+01:002015-09-29T14:51:51.038+01:00That'll explain the pain then! <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">After visiting an excellent
clinic in Monte Carlo (<a href="http://www.im2s.mc/">IM2S</a>)
I can now explain why I was in so much pain during the Swiss Epic: I sustained a 45mm
fracture of the great trochanter (top of femur) the day before the race started. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">While riding through Verbier on my way back to our hotel I caught my handlebar on a metal railing. Strange how
things can happen like this; after riding the technical trails of the Prologue
course unscathed I launch myself onto the tarmac cruising through the streets! Initially concerned about the impact to my head but
later realising something was wrong with my hip - I felt 'twisted' and
'out-of-line' and unable to bear weight on my left leg - I went for treatment with our team physiotherapist. Afterwards I felt in a little less pain
but uncertain whether I'd be racing in the morning - the biggest problem with
this would be letting down my race partner, Adel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Warming up the next day
wasn't so bad, oddly walking was more painful than riding! The pain was
tolerable until the penultimate stage when there was a long hike-a-bike-section
up a steep forest trail. Hiking exacerbated the problem and the pain from then
onwards became borderline bearable and throughout the whole of the final stage
to Zermatt the mountains were alive with the sound of my screaming! Honestly, putting
power through the pedal was truly agonising. Fortunately, a dropper seat post meant I was at least still able to get on and off the bike! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">After a few days resting in
the South of France the pain didn't ease, in fact I had constant pain just
sitting. Time to seek expert advice. We went to IM2S in Monaco and within
several hours I'd seen an excellent Doctor and had ultra sound, X-Ray and MRI
scans. Now that's efficient service! The Doctor advised me to off-load the leg
using crutches and to "<i>remember that the best parameter to judge about
fracture healing is pain, whereas I realise your perception of pain is not
really within the normal range! So in the meantime, relax and enjoy life,
family and friends. You deserve a rest!</i>" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Sadly this all means ending my season early and missing the last two UCI World Series
marathon races: <a href="http://www.azoresmtbmarathon.com/index.php/en/">Azores MTB Marathon</a> and <a href="http://www.rocazur.com/fr">Roc D'Azur</a>.
You will however still find me at both races where I'll be following the Doctor’s
advice and enjoying the local wine and food whilst hobbling around with my
Ferrari-red crutches! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">See you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sal :)</span></div>
<br />Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-29163831178490664042015-09-22T10:09:00.003+01:002015-09-22T10:36:46.541+01:00Swiss Epic<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #eeece1; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-themecolor: background2;">After
400km and 15000m of climbing over 6 days on demanding and technically
challenging trails, me and my partner Adel Morath (GER) won the prestigious <a href="http://www.swissepic.com/"><span style="color: #eeece1; mso-themecolor: background2;">Swiss Epic</span></a> at the base of the spectacular Matterhorn in
Zermatt! Riding in the Swiss mountains was incredible and despite full throttle
racing we were able to draw extra energy and motivation from the truly
breath-taking vistas! The stage towns (Verbier, Leukerbad, Grachen, Zermatt)
and especially the last two, traffic free towns, provided idyllic places for
rest and recovery in top class hotels with quality food! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #eeece1; font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-themecolor: background2;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #eeece1; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-themecolor: background2;">This
was the first time that Adel and me raced together so we were uncertain how the
relationship would work especially competing against the well established duo
of Annika Langvad and Ariane Kleinhans (Specialised RECM) who were the
defending champions and race favourites. After a hard crash the day before the
race started in Verbier I was uncertain whether I could compete but our team
physiotherapist, Torsten Walter, was able to work his magic daily on my injured
hip enabling me to make it to the finish in Zermatt - albeit in a lot of
pain! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOEBpdHsupjA_nCar7keRAEBr2I-1seWzrADP0XRO_H5O0UDv_It0eDsGtJ7TeTioGzR77OFli76RKmkc6ABZWwaklDuuGcWSOMejhDx2Y6pU6XBSZZ2pEYFQbYNHi5eX9TEhd0H2r8A/s1600/2889_S4RS_00041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOEBpdHsupjA_nCar7keRAEBr2I-1seWzrADP0XRO_H5O0UDv_It0eDsGtJ7TeTioGzR77OFli76RKmkc6ABZWwaklDuuGcWSOMejhDx2Y6pU6XBSZZ2pEYFQbYNHi5eX9TEhd0H2r8A/s320/2889_S4RS_00041.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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Losing
over 3 minutes to Annika and Ariane in the Prologue wasn't the start we wanted
but with the long stages to come we were optimistic. The long climbs
suited Adel and me and during Stage 1 we were able to catch and pass Annika and
Ariane but with 1 km to go we lost the lead and finished 50 seconds back in 2nd
position. On Stage 2 it was clear that the fast pace of Annika and Ariane
had started to take its toll and we were able to take our first stage win and
with it the coveted yellow leader jerseys! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zgLS4DbHW03CiIoUBPWx7tNzgOBfzvu604zu_mTHUSsJ1oroQCvrPWuObB2ZSD7uZpMhVgR2VWDCI2rvSKN7lrwj6Ic1nktZ2mSOAaJK3mqJW09FzFU2mtNObsmTt4TbVfm2ZyxTBM8/s1600/SEstage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zgLS4DbHW03CiIoUBPWx7tNzgOBfzvu604zu_mTHUSsJ1oroQCvrPWuObB2ZSD7uZpMhVgR2VWDCI2rvSKN7lrwj6Ic1nktZ2mSOAaJK3mqJW09FzFU2mtNObsmTt4TbVfm2ZyxTBM8/s320/SEstage1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #eeece1; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-themecolor: background2;">Over
the following stages we were able to gradually build our lead and focus on
riding smooth and consistent. With the relentless climbing and
technical descents there's no time for recovery increasing the risk of
mistakes. Adel and me rode really well together; throughout the race we had no
crashes or mechanical issues - testimony to the great partnership we formed,
and of course our excellent mechanic Peter Felber!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Stage
races are brutal but the Swiss Epic is especially so and nothing is ever
certain until the finish. This is clearly highlighted in the men's race where
the leaders, Centurion Vaude, lost their lead on the final stage and
BiXS-Stockli rode into Yellow for the first time. Despite our gradually
increasing lead Adel and me were fully aware that the race wasn't won
until crossing the line in Zermatt! Congrats to our men’s Topeak Ergon
duo, Alban and Kristian, for winning the first 2 stages and finishing 3<sup>rd</sup>
overall despite mechanical issues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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taking some days off and resting my hip in the Cote D'Azur before heading to
the Azores for a UCI World Series Marathon race. It's nice not to wake up at
5.20am for breakfast ;)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Big
thanks to Topeak Ergon for the amazing team support!</span><span style="color: #eeece1; mso-themecolor: background2;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-84680430984297601152015-09-08T09:18:00.000+01:002015-09-08T18:57:50.376+01:003Epic<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #eeeeee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">At 5am last Saturday we woke to the sound of rain, the Tre Cime (the iconic 3 peaks of the Dolomites) hidden within thick cloud. It was time to get ready for the inaugural <a href="http://www.3epic.it/" target="_blank">3Epic</a>! Suppressing the thought of crawling back into bed and hiding, I went for breakfast: strong Italian expresso and oats with banana, honey and nut butter. Within minutes of the 8am start I was drenched as we descended the road to Lozzo Di Cadore before beginning the first 1100hm climb - waterproof shorts and a shower cap at least kept my chamois and head dry but my feet were swimming! After an hour of winding up switchbacks to the summit, the rain started to ease but the temperature remained in single figures. At the top of the mountain I was glad to have my waterproof jacket and shorts, rubber gloves, shower cap and buff, leg warmers - even though they did keep falling down - and arm warmers, though I did regret forgetting my overshoes! </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #eeeeee;">At the bottom of the next climb the waterproof shorts had to come off, so I stuffed them down my jersey for safekeeping in preparation for the last descent. I also had to shed the rubber gloves because now my hands were swimming in cold water - but until this point they did a great job of keeping my hands warm! The climb snaked up to the picturesque lake at Misurina before taking us even higher on the old road to Monte Piana. A quick descent and then the infamous road climb up to Rifugio Auronzo where the technical hiking trail from Tre Cime di Lavaredo took us quickly back down 1100hm to the valley where we started. With fully pumped arms it was time to negotiate a few slippery forest trails undulating along the valley before the never-ending final 10km down the valley to the finish - sounds easy but I'm sure it caused much suffering and cursing!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #eeeeee;">Marathon races are tough, but in bad weather they are made even tougher! Simply finishing is a mighty challenge - but with great rewards - and it always amazes me to see so many people battling to the finish after enduring several hours; more than double the time of the winning men and women. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #eeeeee;">A double win for Topeak Ergon Racing Team and fifth for Alban saw us win two big cockerels (wooden not real), 30kgs of prosciutto, 7 litres of bubbly and 3kg of cheese. Quite a scoo<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 22px;">p :) </span></span></div>
Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-49562823757499564232015-08-18T16:32:00.003+01:002015-08-19T14:16:01.016+01:00Chasing my tail!<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Ok so now it's time for a little catch up! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">At the end of June it was the World Champs in Stunning Val Gardena, Dolomites. With 3400m of vertical ascent over 60km it was a race that suited me and I was fully focused. The first climb took us straight up 800m over 5km - it was steep and a critical climb that would determine the fight for the medals. Despite good preparation and altitude acclimatisation (the race started at 1600m with the highest points at 2300m) my body did not perform as I expected it to. After 20mins with the lead group I was no longer able to keep the pace and I slipped backwards. That's sport I guess; sometimes the body doesn't respond the way we want it to. Reaching the finish line in 5th position, 2 minutes off Bronze was not the result I wanted, but at the same time and on reflection 5th at the Worlds, on a bad day, is not so bad! Now I'm looking forward to the next races, first Dolomiti Superbike and then the Transalp. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Dolomiti never happened for me because I got flu and a chest infection! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Fortunately I recovered in time for the <a href="http://bike-transalp.de/" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Transalp</a> - 7 stages across the Alps - starting in Ruhpolding, Germany and finishing in Riva del Garda, Italy. After more than 600km and 20,000m of climbing my team partner, Christina Kollmann (AUT), and I reached the finish in Italy in the Pink leader jerseys after 32 hours in the saddle. We took the lead after the first stage and held on to it until the finish. The race took us over many spectacular mountain passes including the Felbertauern Pass which actually saw us switch from our biking shoes to running shoes (a first for me!) to tackle the 5km hike-a-bike! This was a smart idea and saved our legs as well as a lot of time and discomfort! The weather throughout the race was unbelievable: 30+ degrees and very humid; swimming in the lakes and rivers after the stages became a regular part of our cool down regime! This was my 4th Transalp and my 4th win, that's pretty special :) After celebrating with pizza, fine Italian red wine and gelato we had to begin stage 8: driving from Riva to the north of England. That was the hardest part of the race - more than 20 hours in the van! A few days later we head to USA for the Breck Epic and Leadville 100. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Over 3 days we raced the Breck Epic where the air is thin - too thin to walk the stairs let alone race a bike - but the amazing trails make it possible to forget about burning lungs. Temporarily! Here in Breckenridge, Colorado, the trails are world class and the mountains spectacular. Starting at 3000m each day and climbing up to the continental divide at 3800m is pretty amazing! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">The trails are demanding and take no prisoners! A broken wheel on Stage 1 meant that I lost 20minutes, but the next two stages went more smoothly, even if the trails were anything but smooth! Seeing a moose and her calf made my day on Stage 2 and riding the Colorado Trail down from Guyot Mountain was the highlight of Stage 3. After 3 days and winning the overall it's now time to rest up and prepare for Leadville 100 on Saturday. There's also a 6 day race but 6 days at the Breck Epic finishing with the Leadville 100 is a challenge for another year ;)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;"> At 6.30am on Saturday I started my 4th Leadville 100 - a race which starts at 3000m and takes riders up to almost 4000m at the highest point - the infamous Columbine. The sheer distance, extreme altitude, fluctuating temperatures (sometimes below zero degrees at the start and reaching high 20s mid-race) and speed make it a uniquely challenging race. With perfect conditions (little wind, no rain and a dry fast course) the aim of my teammate Alban Lakata was to break 6 hours and if the men were to go this fast then it'd mean the women's race would be fast too. There was a strong field of women coming from a range of back grounds including Danish 3-time world MTB marathon champion Annika Langvad, Katerina Nash World Cup XC winner, and multiple Ironman and Xterra World Champion Julie Dibens. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Racing at high altitude is a balancing act between going as fast as possible for the duration of the race, but not so fast that you dip too far into the red zone and pay dearly later in the race. It's a game of good pacing and knowing how your limits are affected by the thin air. At the top of the first climb I was 30 seconds ahead of my course record, but Annika was ahead of me. This was a critical point really because from here onwards its important to be in a group. For the women, this race is all about being in a group of fast men because drafting is key. Descending on the road alone I knew that I was losing time and weighing only 50kg I don't roll quite as fast as those heavier than me! Throughout the race I remained in second position, maintaining the pace that I'd planned to stick to. There are a number of long open sections and I was fortunate to not spend too much time alone. At all of the check points I was ahead of schedule but Annika was flying and I knew that unless she had over-paced her race there would be no catching her.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Arriving at the red carpet in 7 hours 7 mins and almost 10minutes faster than my course record is something I'm proud of. Annika was unbelievable, going just below 7 hours! Katerina Nash rounded the podium off in third position. So now I know it's possible for the women to break 7 hours. This is a new goal for me and one factor will definitely help: going in to this race I underestimated the benefit of aerodynamics, but at an average speed of 23-24km per hour it plays an important role. Annika optimised aerodynamics and this undoubtedly helped her break 7 hours, but no doubt her powerful engine helped to some extent too ;)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">On Sunday night we went out for dinner and choosing chicken on my pizza was in hindsight a bad idea: I got really bad food poisoning and we missed our flight back to the UK. We're still in Leadville! Hope to make it home soon!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;">Oh and here is a funny video! Think I'll use Trigger in next years Leadville 100. What do you think? Sub 6 hours for me him and me?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/136253675" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/136253675</a></span></div>
Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4731702561747266507.post-7507761481092025632015-06-19T07:34:00.003+01:002015-06-20T14:24:32.942+01:00Road tripFour weeks ago we set off on a long road trip, starting off in the Mercantour National Park in the French Alps. Over 2 weeks we had great training on very quiet roads with marmot, deer and cows (and their bells) as company. The climbs were awesome preparation for the upcoming World Championships and the sunshine was great for mind and body too, especially after the cold, wet and windy weather throughout spring in the UK! <br />
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Next stop: <a href="http://www.alpen-tour.at/" target="_blank">Alpen Tour Trophy</a>, a 4 day stage race hosted in Schladming, Austria. We set off on the 11 hour drive at 3am, travelling across Italy and up to Austria - *uff* what a journey! Having raced Alpen Tour two times before I kind of knew what lay ahead, but I'd forgotten - fortunately - how long and steep the climbs are! After hard training in France I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the race in terms of performance; starting a hard stage race fatigued is a bit tough! As a UCI category S1 race many XCO riders were attracted by the prospect of earning points for Olympic qualification. It was set to be a competitive and exciting race.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLszGh20WeD9NlX4sxRyJS2G5mIhWGoP4UcByP2pYqpHr2DFkxR3JdLKrvEaiQC3U1R9_e4D2qAas6z2uOnnndFhaLF4WJenwzi_4Keh8gQmJ0GHrkq_97TSxj9V7baxjAxzr4SP7yEy0/s1600/10505010_10207381247518561_4438220120942918072_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLszGh20WeD9NlX4sxRyJS2G5mIhWGoP4UcByP2pYqpHr2DFkxR3JdLKrvEaiQC3U1R9_e4D2qAas6z2uOnnndFhaLF4WJenwzi_4Keh8gQmJ0GHrkq_97TSxj9V7baxjAxzr4SP7yEy0/s320/10505010_10207381247518561_4438220120942918072_o.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks Jan Reiner for the photo!</td></tr>
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Over 4 days the race took riders on 4 different loops, all starting from Planai in the town centre. What the race lacked in distance - just 200km - it more than made up for with the sheer amount of steep climbing: tallying nearly 9000m. The race was set to provide great training and preparation for the World Champs in Val Gardena, Italian Dolomites on 27th July where the winner will have to stomp around 60kms and up 3400m of climbing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Sportograf.com</td></tr>
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The Alpen Tour couldn't have been more perfect: 3 out of 4 stage wins, the overall GC and the Queen of the Mountain Prize which saw me win a traditional "dirndl" (a Styrian dress). Now I look more authentic when I pretend to be a mountain girl - a childhood dream!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More appropriate foot wear required to complete the look ;) Thanks Regina Stanger for the photo</td></tr>
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Now we're in Selva val Gardena putting the final pieces of the jigsaw in place for the big race in just over one week! Sally Bighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18064955196836975443noreply@blogger.com0