Nearly killed myself tonight.
Absolutely flying on 48 x 14 and on course for a sub-26 time until I had to put on an unplanned spurt to pass my two-minute man. As Nigel Tufnel says, when you're already at 10, where can you go? Nowhere, that's where. Hello MHR. Felt sick, faint, heart pounding, even sweat smelling bad. Had to coast right down to walking pace, looking for a place to get off and lie down before I fainted. Bloke I'd just passed couldn't believe his luck and sailed past.
After about 90 seconds the old cardiovascular system rebooted itself, I looked at the time and decided I was still vaguely in the PB zone despite everything. Off I go again. Caught no.12 within a few hundred yards and passed him again (Christ knows what he thought was going on) and got pretty much back to my previous cruising speed. Coming up the final straight I was passed by the rider one minute behind me, but then passed him again, then he passed me again just before the finish.
26:47, six seconds off my ancient PB. But it could have been 26:00 so easily.