steven - day 10

Simple day
4:55 first 10k run
Quick toast and coffee
3k swim
10k run
Quick breakfast
130k bike
Quick lunch
20k run
Leisurely dinner ;o)
The highlight has to be the KOM. I had ever intention of hitting it hard from the start and TT to the climb hopefully gapping everyone. Though my expectation was best case it would be just Clas and I. After the last KOM I had some issues to get over by hammering.
Others had a similar idea. Nick and Pete headed off. Nick apparently had a CP5 of 1,003 watts as he did that break !! I initially followed but when everyone moved with me I quickly decided to let them go and bridge a little later. Then Clas went so I followed. He got on quick. I TT"d across and did max effort as I went by hoping they wouldn't latch on. Petro, Clas and Pete did and we TT'd away. I tried to get us to work together and we did a couple of rounds of a chaingang but it was slower than me on the front so I just got to the front and hammered. My assumption was Clas would stick but the others would fade on the climb. After 5 minutes or so I had real doubts about my ability to maintain it. We hit a small rise and Clas give me a little push and then shove over the top to keep my momentum. Once we hit the climb we soon dropped Petro and Pete. Clas kept telling me to keep the pressure on. It helped. Then with about 1k to go he jumped me, I had nothing and he got about 50m and stayed there. Was very pleased to see his discomfort at the top. I was breathing as hard as I could and collapsed over my bike. Happy that I'd achieved what I wanted - 2nd in the KOM (i never thought I'd beat Clas!).
That 15 - 20 minutes is the hardest exercise I've done in any of the Epic Camps I've attended.