A week after the 12 Hour I felt like a little light sport so I'd entered three events over the holiday weekend! We had a bit of a mad dash back from Devon on the Friday, while we were packing up the car Phil Rayner and partner came past, we were having coffee on the (raised) veranda when we saw them on bikes below us, our friends own the last house (The Point) on the dead end through Noss Mayo so we knew they would be back in 10 minutes. "You riding the LVRC National on Sunday" just down for a couple of days visiting family. Strange co-incidence but this part of Devon is like Piccadilly Circus, if you wait here long enough everybody will eventually go past.
VTTA National '50' on the Saturday at Cranage just north of Holmes Chapel (Circuit that goes around Jodrel Bank Observatory) I was one of the favourites, the event was delayed by two hours while traffic lights were cleared off the course so I didn't start until 5 O'clock, I fell asleep in the (warm) car and only woke up with 10 minutes to get to the start. Three laps of a 17 mile course I started well but came up short on the last lap as the rain poured down and the wind got up although I beat all the late started unusually the winning three all came from the front half of the field who had calmer conditions, my time a modest 1.58.00 good enough for 5th place.
The LVRC Nationals on the Sunday only started at 11.00 so I had a bit of a lie in on my usual Sunday morning not having got in from the previous day until 9.00pm. I decided to have a bit of a 'sit in' for the first lap but the course around Napton in Warwick shire (beware places that have windmills on their town signs!) is pretty tough. I knew the course from two years ago when I was just getting fit and I had trouble on the hills, make sure to be at the front on the major climbs to be at the back at the top. A group of 8-10 went away immediately and it took a lap for up to get organised but soon it was through and off for everybody, except those who had men in the break (lucky bastards!)
Andy Eagers (Derby Mercury), Malcolm Smith (Fenland Cl.) and Simon Day (Go Sport) were the main agitators having missed the move but everybody did their bit and my legs coming back to life I was feeling OK, a big lap of 20 miles and the back half was up and down all the time like a Roller Coaster, gradually the group got smaller and the big hill at Priors Marsden really tested the legs. Last time up the hill and we had absorbed the break, Eagers and Paul Stubbs from the promoting MI Racing made a break, I got up to them but had twinges of cramp so took it easy up the climb being the last man to get back in the dwindling bunch over the top. The two leaders had 30 seconds and the bunch was at sixes and sevens over the chase, we were all pretty knackered but then I had another attack of cramp in both calves and thighs both legs and it was agony, I could not continue with the bunch and by the time i recovered they were 30 seconds up the road. I chased to the finish but never regained the pack Stubbs won it from Eagers and Ex-Pro Steve Marrows (GB Fire) winning the bunch sprint, myself about 15th.
Ben Luckwell (Sports Beans) won the A race from Geoff Giddings (MI Racing) and Roy Chamberlain (Team MK) Phil Rayner packed last time up the hill "Too Hilly for me" never mind at 44 he will be in the B race with me next year.
I had entered a 2 Up on the Monday, I probably would have given it a miss if it had been solo as I could feel the effects of the cramp from the day before, but my partner (Triathlete Mark White) and I had unfinished business after our one second miss in the Zenith event a couple of months ago. It was another miserable morning chilly and brisk for the Coalville Whs. event over two laps of the Gryffydam circuit (25 miles). We had a good first lap catching out 2 minute men just after the first lap but I was suffering and we could not shed them and they stayed with us until the finish
Mark and my time of 57.51 only good enough for 5th on the day behind Matt Botrill and Geoff Platts (De Rosa) 53.06 (new course record) 2nd Wayne Randall (Planet X)/ Nigel Haigh (Sportscover) 54.26 I went home to have a lie down
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