So, one of the problems with having a committed teenager in the house, is that when he does things, he does them with an undiluted passion that often surprises, but always pleases.
Over the Easter weekend he did the DW race for the second time. This year he paddled with his coach. They paddled their hearts out, won, and took around an hour and a half off the record for their class. Before I go on http://www.dwrace.org.uk/ is where you can find more details and the results. Because of his age, he can’t go through in one go yet, so it is a race over 4 days.
I made a promise last year that if he did it again, I would cycle as much as possible along the towpath and riverside paths. I did. Old man that I am, and unfit as I am, I managed to support them from the riverside, making sure they were OK on portages, feeding them on the way ( well, squirting power gels in their mouths ! ) and generally racing them.
The river was high, the weather was atrocious. We had sunshine, rain, snow, hail and horizontal winds. Awful conditions, but the flow on the river helped them all most of the time.
One section I will always remember though. At Henley ( where the regatta is held when the sun shines in the summer ) there was a headwind strong enough to deflect me on my bike, and white, cresting waves on the Thames. Paul and Sarah just kept going. They were doing 7 miles an hour into the wind. I have no idea how deep they dug, but it was just great to be beside them through it. I wouldn’t have missed that for anything.
What a great way to spend a long weekend.
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