Not such a great day for the SWRC in the BDCA '100' last Saturday, this has been the fastest Hundred mile Time Trial of the year for the past few seasons so always heavily subscribed and eagerly looked forward to. Paul Alderson and myself both had high hopes for the event based on a 25 mile section of the A50 near Uttoxeter cover twice, the course traverses the Midlands from East to West so the wind can be unusual and on the day seemed to vary quite a bit throughout the course of the event which starts mid afternoon and the last rider home after Eight O'clock in the evening which gives the event a unique feel when most time triallists are used to getting up at four in the morning to fit in a Hundred mile race before the roads get busy.
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My preparation had been impeccable, not the usual dash to the line at Six in the morning, tapering my riding in the week, a ride and stretching session in the morning, I felt ready to do a good ride. I'd managed to be a record (for me) 16 minutes late for a mid week 10 mile TT at Darley Dale caught up in early evening traffic around Derby. It was a 'Medium Gear' event (72" Fixed) and ignoring my L.S. I managed 24.13 a shade under 25 mph after having to wait 40 minutes (on a chill summer evening) to find a gap in the field to start, there's never a DNS when you need one! Winner managed 23.58
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There was quite a bit of wind for the '100' but this course has a reputation and you can never tell until you get going if it's going to be a good one, you have to start fast in these situations, no margin for an easy start it's a calculation that you can never judge until you get into the race. Before I had a chance to make any assessment of how it was shaping up my chain broke in half when I un-shipped my chain going over a rumble strip into one of the roundabouts, a brief scan of the road for the parts and my race slipped away there and then, a bike without a chain is no use to anybody (not even a fish). Fiona was a mere mile up the road oblivious to my plight, I started walking to where I knew she would be, I gave a shout to the eight remaining riders (No 120 Kevin Dawson a DNS) behind me plus Clair Lee of SIS who I'd caught for two minutes at eight miles. (She was 2 minutes in front of me in the API '50' a few weeks ago)
Once I'd located Fi after carefully removing my 'new' overshoes for the trudge along the carriageway, I managed to fix my chain and get going again, it was into the wind but I was determined to get something out of my day. On the return I got an in cling to how hard the day was becoming, my speed was up over 40 mph but I was 25 minutes behind last man and the marshall's a little perplexed and un-prepared, it's a good thing I knew the course.
After the exhilaration of the downwind section the realisation of another ascent of the concrete hill to Blyth Bridge and my enthusiasm for the ride rapidly evaporated, It's difficult to hurt yourself when you know there is nothing at stake and this is not an evening 10 and the second half of a hundred mile is in the mind more than the legs, I rolled up to finish at 60 miles with Fi a bottle in hand. Ten minutes later Paul came along to finish his ride, he was very disappointed with his 4.04.05 a handful of seconds faster than he had gone in the Houndslow event on a slower course a month ago, not the sort of result you want from a 300 mile car journey in these petrol inflated times. To be fair Paul's ride was OK and several other fancied riders had problems realising their potential on this difficult day, one rider who had no problem was the winner Nik Bowdler who used his 77 chain ring (118" bottom!) to 3.37.52 and must now be one of the favourites for the BBAR with a 1.39.05 '50' Second was evergreen Ian Cammish in 3.41.56 and third Carl Ruebotham 3.43.39 Fastest lady Lynn Hamel TheGreenRoomGroup.com did an excellent 4.00.14
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