Yorkshire RC '50'

Colin writes about his last BBAR ride of the season
A second trip up to N Yorkshire in two weeks for the YRC '50' on the A19 between Disforth and Northallerton, I had a bit of a head cold in the week and it had stopped me from doing my usual hard preparatory ride mid-week so although my legs felt good i would not know how they would go under racing conditions. The weather was warm but the wind was getting up from the SW and I knew the two return legs from the far turn would be the key to a fast ride, I started well enough the first 10 miles in 20.20 and the half way in 53.40. My minute man (No 60) I felt I should keep in contact with to do a good ride but Fiona informed me he was 2 minutes up at this point and I feared I may have started too easily. From the far turn there was a long 15 mile finish into the wind, very tough while trying to protect a good bit up on schedule at 27.5 mph (I had to beat 26.8 mph from my previous best) But as I worked frantically away at the miles the average speed ebbed away, With 6 miles to go I was caught by 'Roadman' John Tanner (along with teammates Wayne Randle & Ashley Brown riding their first '50' of the year - "It's my 7th or 8th" I said not remembering as they borrowed my pump to inflate their under used TT wheels) Shortly after I caught Barry Charlton for 3 min doing a magnificent 1.54.42 on a Trike! the two Red Indian tattooed heads on his calf's twitching at me as i passed (now that's an original and arresting image if you ever get to see it)
The finish came slowly and painfully in 1.51.31 with the realisation that I had managed to beat the Club 50 record for the third time this year by a margin of 19 sec's (but they all count), enough to gain the 6/1000th of a mph to move me up a place in the BBAR (although I was leapfrogged by another rider so stay in 18th spot) The event was won by Kevin Dawson in 1.44.00 from Randle and Brown a second apart in 1.45.26 and 27 (they all train together apparently) I had pulled back a minute and a half on No 60 by the end and it goes some way to prove that it does not matter if you start fast, go fast in the middle or finish fast you just about end up with the same time.