Chiltern Big Dipper - 11th April

With the rest of our crew unavailable through injury I (Steve) was the only one fit enough to attempt the 100 mile Chiltern Big Dipper. This event is new to the calender and I can see it becoming a favourite. A good course on quiet roads and the dry spring weather helped. The organisers had a few teething problems at the start with some minor delays registering and the signage on the course could have been clearer, but I am sure they will learn from this for next time.
So how was it?.... The route is 103 miles long and includes category 3 and 4 climbs with a total ascent of 7505ft. I completed the whole route in 7hrs 36mins which works out an avg. 13.6 mph. Looking at the results I was in the bottom half of the field of 130 and guess I am a bit dissapointed with that. However on the positive side I did finish.... and my muscles aren't aching today (Monday).
The highlight for me was the spectacular chiltern scenery with red kites swooping above along the way. Low points were two close shaves with vehicles / pedestrians. In the first I was almost taken out by a car driver pulling out of their drive without looking. Thankfully we both took evasive action otherwise I would have hit the bonnet at >20mph. The second near miss was an old lady who decided to walk out onto the road without looking. She would have been toast if my 85kg had hit her at speed.
But the biggest frustration for me was mechanical problems with my bike. Both front and rear derailleurs need adjustment. My chain was thrown off the crank several times when changing up to the big ring and on the rear the chain was 'jumping' between gears. I have now read the Shimano maintenance instructions so will be sorting that out this week. However the scariest moment was when my rear brake lever came loose when I attempted to brake hard on the first big descent. After a serious wobble I managed to keep control and slow down using the front brake only. I don't like descending at the best of times so this really spooked me. I knew I would be unable to repair the lever quickly so took the rest of the descents very gingerly using the front brake.
The other 'learning' point for me was my physical preparation. A weeks skiing (with all the alcohol that involves), followed by a week entertaining house guests (more alcohol) was not ideal. I tried to manage my nutrition and hydration on the day but fatigue was starting to kick in at about 80 miles. I will have to be better prepared come July.
In summary this was my first ever 100 mile sportive and all the winter training certainly helped me get round. However my preparation ignored nutrition and bike maintenance. I won't be making that mistake again.