So off I went into the Botanical Gardens and took the passage under the road to take me up the hill to Pregny. This is a serious hill, over 300 feet in less that a mile. Check it out and weep.
Guy in an orange top ahead, made a mental note not to let him get any further ahead. Went the "off road" option up and remembered about the steps too late. A guy came down the steps (wearing only a garmin chest strap on his upper body) and I had to jump out of his road pretty sharpish. Lost orange top.
Overtook a few slackers on the hill and at the top could see orange top had gone around the park rather than straight up. So now he was not that far ahead. I tried to reel him in. It was around now I forgot it was an easy run.
Suddenly, foot falls right behind me. I'm on the field nearly at half way and there is a junction 400m ahead. Foot falls even closer. I kick, and imagine it is Ken closing in and still the foot falls are getting closer, so ease up a gear and let the slight incline do it's stuff and focus to the junction. If he holds this pace and takes the same turn as me I'm done for. I remind myself I'm 3.5m out and it is probably not the best place to race an unknown. 100m to the junction and I'm sure he's dropped off. I take the turn wide and am delighted when he keeps going. Phew. I spot orange top in the woods. I deliberately go around the woods first to let him get away as I'm sure he'll be a handy target for the home ward leg.
Crossing the little stream there is a guy with bike who has to get of the bike and let me past.
Track back through the woods and slow down as the turns are sharp and fun. Soft under foot and the shade is lovely.
Out the woods and over the bridge and the same dude with the bike going the other way this time has to get off his bike to let me past. How unlucky is that?
Work on orange top and catch him half way back to Pregny and there are another three ahead. I have to call to the last two for them to let me past as the pavement is only wide enough for two.
I think about letting rip on the downhill and just as that thought goes through my head a guy comes from nowhere travelling at pace and tanks it down the hill. Yippe, we're on. So before I finish with this story, you need to know a few things about this guy in a blue top. He was very toned. Not an ounce of fat on the guy. Pure muscle. He was tall. A good head and shoulders taller than me, so his stide was long and loopy. His gear was top of the range. And he was going much faster than I would normally even consider.
Followed him down the hill at pace. Took the racing line to shave a few cms off the route and one point and nearly ran into a car as I'd crossed to the wrong side of the road, I forgot this was not a real race with closed roads.
He was pulling away. More speed. I glance a the garmin and it says 5:50 min miles. Sanity wins, I ease off, I know when I'm beaten. Into the park and easy to recover then pick it up back to the office on the flat.
One the bridge back over the Rhone blue top is jogging back towards me, he's blown it!
55mins for 7 and a bit miles with that hill is not bad. Nice one.
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