A weekend of ups and downs and nearly 500 miles in the car (almost as far as the poor buggers who had to go up to the Lakes for the Frank Whitton!)The first really hot w/e of the season and I had to reflect that two weeks ago I was racing with gloves and legwarmers on. I had planned a visit to Essex to visit friends and do a little bit of racing and I end up in the fastest 10 of the year and the hardest Road Race in these parts (as the organiser gleefully told me over the phone when he called to let me know that he'd cashed my entry cheque and there was no getting out of riding) But before all this I'd entered the Shaftsbury 10 on the E2/10 which I thought would be near the Essex heartland of Chelmsford on the A12 or A127 where we always used to ride in the 1970's but as it turned out was all the way out near Newmarket 70m away. I was worried that I had not recovered from a pasting at Mallory Park#3 on the Thursday evening when I'd done 20 laps bit & bit with 3 other unfortunate souls after getting tailed off in the opening salvos of the race. And then the ignominy of being lapped (it's a big lap 1.1m) by the two leaders as they sized up the finishing sprint. I had to give my legs a stretch and a rub on Friday and Saturday and go out for an hour in the morning to get them feeling anywhere near normal, then a 2 hour drive to the event! Comeback man Adrian could not even get a ride his own club promotion which closed on a short 25, but he rode out to marshall and give me a cheer from the turn I had no idea this event was so sought after when I entered but the line up was like tha National Championship with my best not good enough for the top 30, but I have said I would target the Club Record at some point this season and I feel I could have broken it here if the event was in 2-3 weeks time. There is no doubt it was a good day, hardly any wind and stuffily hot as I arrived at the start I heard two racers (one who had ridden and one due to) saying "Yeah the humidity a bit much and it doesn't feel that fast". Yes I thought to myself get your excuses in early to see as I passed that the rider to still go who was nodding his head was Michael 'The Hutch' Hutchinson. I must have looked over hot, after my 5m ride from the HQ at Westerly Waters to the start at Six Mile Bottom there was a hum from the riders on turbo trainers in the windless air. Why would you want to warm up on one of those things when you can ride to the start? I must have looked over hot after a sneezing fit (I hope I'm not developing asthma) One rider came over to me and said "How was it?" as I sat head bowed on the kerb, " I haven't ridden yet" said I giving him a blank stare, I looked at his number (No.45) I'm goner beat you I thought. My minute man Stuart Wright (Planet X) had an impressive 20.01 (Oh! so near but so far) to his name, I had asked Adrian to give me a time check on him (how much down I meant), it's an undulating road the A11 to the turn at Little Abington I have ridden it as part of a 100 mile event but I just concentrated on keeping my revs up and my effort even, at one point my speed went down to 25mph but most of the way it was 30 and above and I did not touch top (56 x 11) mainly the 13 and 14. As I approached the turn I saw my minute man on the other slipway and caught my two minute man in the melee of traffic at the junction (one note here to practice for every rider, Adrian said all the 'fast' riders judged the roundabout better and did not get baulked but timed there entry and exit with precision, with a 10 mile every second counts - he said I looked good which was all that counted!) He shouted "10 seconds" down but I judged myself to be level with No.40 but you can never be sure on a featureless main road in 'full flight' coming back I felt myself to be going better although I heard numerous people say " Wasn't it hard coming back?" but I was flying although my top speed did not go over 35mph (used top once - it was too big) so it was a very even ride (Av. speed 29.1) I did not (could not) lift it at the end just wanted it to be over and as I rolled to a stop my pulse meter showed 167 max and 160 average, If these are within 5-10 then that I feel is the sign of a good ride (at the shorter distances) I was certain I had done a PB but not sure of my time until I got to the result board where it was obvious it was the event of the year and PB's were dropping like flies, Half the field registered an improvement and even the winner 'The Hutch' the best ride of the day at 18.26 a 45 second beating of his PB (made me look & feel normal!). I beat my minute man by 3 seconds and one position but a 15 second improvement would have put me in the top 10, as for number 45 I beat him by nearly a minute and now we both have the same PB time! Now all I have to do is beat the Club Record, I did say I would 'Av a go' at breaking it this year, that Roger Hammond he's a good bike rider but not much of a 'Classy' Time Trialist and should'nt be holding any club records!
I have the Mapperley on the Bank Holiday w/e and the Headnor Clarion when I did my PB last year two weeks later, then I have to concentrate on the longer distances.
On the Sunday morning I roed the Lea Valley Road Race at Woodham Walter (yes it does sound like where I was yesterday!) near Maldon, no lack of salt around here today for you culinary buffs it was all beef cooked over a slow heat. I had the misfortune to be the first puncture victim of the day as we made the first climb of 'The hill' I tried to get to the top but I was weaving all over on a dead flat and stopped on the steepest part as I was engulfed in a 'Chuckle brothers' sketch as first the back doors on the service vehicle were locked (on an Escort van!) and then they had to stop the engine to get the keys and the van started rolling down the hill because it wasn't in gear and It was 2 minutes before I was on my way and then instead of doing a 'goodly' deed and giving me a 'tow' (to try and rectify their comedy of errors) they sat behind me for 5 miles as I tried to get the bunch in sight, I know Dean Dowling got disqualified for this type of antics but that was in the last 10 miles of the Melton Classic not the first 10 miles of the Essex tragic. I came out after a lap of being humiliated and my pulse going off the register as I could have done with a nice easy first hour to 'ride out' yesterdays efforts, all I got was a bucket load of sweat and a heavy dirty spare. To cap it all Ben Price (remember this name) of the Pinarello RT stood on the top of the hill with his girlfriend as I toiled up to finish my race, at least I'm not the first person to pack I thought but then to my amazement a lap later he got back into the race (in the lead group) and proceded to finish the race. When I mentioned this to an official he did not seem to know what had happened!(too many exclamation marks this week but this story needs at least one! or two) To my relief he has been excluded from the result but with a skin as thick as that this boy will run and run, I have seen some cheeky things done over the years but not many can match taking ten mile break in a road race.
The race was won by Elite enigma Philip Hetzel of the Ipswich BC from Nigel Williams of the Python RT who had beaten me by one place in the Zenith last week, not to say I would have been up with the leaders on a hard, hot and hilly day but sometimes things are not meant to be and if that is the only time I puncture in a race this year then I'll take it gracefully
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