Rimini
Arrive in the city of winds, at least I'll feel at home here. Time to register and then go to the Pasta Party. Time taken to suss out the race course and meet up with Matt & Emma, regulars on GB trips. We hit the old town and tucked into some fantastic local food without a tourist in sight...... except us.
By race day the winds had dropped a bit and the sun was shining. It was actually quite warm by the time I was lining up. This is what all the hard work was about. I made a deal with my body, "give me 2:10 of your best and after, I'll treat you to a holiday".
The gun sounded and we were off. My cycling background kicked immediately and I had my elbows out to generate some space as 300 athletes went head long down the start area straight into a bottleneck. It was chaos, someone hit the deck, someone lost a shoe, bodies everywhere. I already knew the run was closer to 11Km than 10. 
I was running as fast as I could and my heat rate was through the roof. I had got my pre-race nutrition wrong, I could feel water sloshing around in my belly. Four laps of this twisty circuit and I could pick up my bike. The barefooted run out of transition was nearly as long as the opening run.
Onto the bike and I'm paying to my strengths. I'm constantly passing riders trying to make sure they don't draft me. Then all of a sudden, someone passes me. I can't recall the last time that happened but this is the world championships, there are no clowns here. Focussing back on the job in hand I can see a US athlete called Kyle Brady (name and shame) drafting, when he can't stay on the wheel anymore, he swings off, has a drink and looks backward for the next wheel to draft. When I passed him I was so close to the cones that he had little space to draft and I ensure that I went past him fast and clean. Anyway, at some point he incurred my displeasure. It was good to see him penalised twice by the "draft busters" during the bike. The second run was strange. It was a hot day but I started to feel very cold. I was covered in goose bumps. The second run is always ugly but the legs seemed to be going round ok and I was moving as fast as I'd hoped for.
Entry into the finish area and under the finish gantry was a great feeling. The photo of me immediately after seems to align to how I felt just before I keeled over. Emotions of feeling sick and cold were mixed with relief and happiness that the race had been a success despite the level being considerably higher than that encountered at the Europeans in 2007. I had left everything I had on the course and felt completely wasted at the finish. I'd given a year of my life to this race and was now physically and emotionally knackered. However, there was still the after-race party to go to. At this point I couldn't even consider eating let alone having a beer. 37th out of 90 in my age group. Mid-Table obscurity maybe but you had to get here in the first place and many didn't.
I had a few hours to recover and get washed up for the aftershow party AKA the Richard Findlow show. A large screen was used to show some of the high-lights of the race and Richard, another Leeds & Bradford Tri Club member was very prominent. Wine was acquired from dry tables and then onto Mucho Macho Mucho Macho for a few beers. Into bed at 2am. Job done.
Race over - Holidays begin
Time to see the sights of Rimini, Mrs H plus Emma and Matt went for a wander around town. Steps were avoided and coffee was drunk. We might still have been too. Thanks to Matt and Emma for being daft enough to join us for a couple of meals and playing at tourists. You were good company.
Mrs H had booked us into a bike hotel for the next three nights. Hotel Dory, Riccione. What a fantastic treat from Mrs H. I would never have dared suggest going there after the race but Mrs H had already booked. The bikes had their own room in the basement surrounded by other carbon exotica. Everything was included in the price from ride food to post-ride food (2 pasta dishes), bike clothing laundry, eve meal and booze. This place is a must go for any cyclist.
The guided rides took us to the owners villa for a BBQ one day, a long ride in the hills and along the "Strada Panoramica" and a ride to a local farmers for wine, oil and vinegar tasting.
Pack the bikes away Hamilton, it really is time for a holiday. Off to Spoleto for a few days including a day trip to Rome. All roads lead there after all. It wasn't built in a day but we did seem to cover a lot of it in the 8 hours we were there. Definitely on our list of weekends away know if only Mrs H can cope with me saying "all roads lead to.......", "it wasn't built in a day you know" and "nice one, centurion".
Up to Bologna to catch up with the Tenhill intake of 1996. It was good to catch up with my sometime boss Mr M. He and Family living and working in Bologna or Bolo-na as the Americans seem to call it.
Holiday over, fly home and to see that the crunch had become a crisis.
