LVRC TT Championship (Battle of Edge Hill)

Starting in the fog

My second event over the weekend, I had the LVRC National Time Trial Champ's on the Sunday, based at the lovely village of Warmington at the base of Edge Hill in Warwickshire, this village is one that I pass through many times on long rides South of Leicester usually after battling down the Fosse Road into a headwind and then return cross country in the direction or Northampton.
Scene of the first decisive battle on 23 October 1642 where Charles I won the battle but lost his chance to retake London because he was too cautious to move against the Parliamentary forces plunging the country into a four year Civil War.
All I had to do was ride my bike down and back along the B4100 and up the Fosse Road for 22 miles as fast as possible on a beautiful sunny day with light wind and a bit of fog which lifted as the sun which has been absent for much of the summer burned off.
The LVRC do not run many time trials so it's difficult to assess the field, having done some fast times this year which would have put me in line for the position of favourite, and still in good form, it all depended on the day. I knew the course and it was hilly, for a TT course, but would it be too hilly for me to put my time trialling skills to use over a field that consisted of mainly roadmen?
My main opposition would be Paul Stubbs from the promoting club (MI Racing)and the 40-45 road race champion the 'runner up' Andy Eagers (Derby Mercury) who I'd beaten the last two weekends and top 'Tester' Kevin Tye (olds racing.com). The latter of these was a DNS so I went to the line knowing that it would be me upholding the 'Testers' art against the pure roadmen.

The profile does not look made for me!


After the day before I could feel the result in my legs but with a decent warm up and the first five miles was fast and I could 'ride out' some of the effects, I swept passed vintage motorcars going to the Heritage Motor Centre (on the course) at 30mph comfortably. Onto the Fosse it was a different matter, the Romans built them straight (the roads!) but to the detriment of the contours and although I'd ridden this way plenty of times racing along it was another matter, I was into the red too often to be happy with the way I rode but when the road goes up and your speed goes below 12mph all you can do is pray that It doesn't go on too long and press harder.

Charging along the Fosse Road

At the turn I was about 10 seconds down on Eagers 4 minutes behind me, I tried to pull out a bit of speed on the more rolling sections and I was going well but I still had the finish. As with all fast starts there is a price to pay, and we were all due a tough finish. I had kept a bit back but climbing to the finish if a TT just adds insult to injury (a RR finish maybe) but It was the same tough climb for everybody and it hurt like hell, a bit of a sprint as it flattened out over the top to the finish, and my effort was over, I sat at the side of the road and recovered my composure in time to see Eagers come through in three and a half minutes my effort had not been good enough, how many others would beat my time? As it turned out none, I was 2nd after all the other 'B' riders were in. Eagers the winner in 51.34 myself in 52.10 and Mike Donally (Stourbridge Velo) another 14 seconds back, close enough to be respectable but not close enough to feel that I could have done any more under the conditions (and having ridden yesterday) Stubbs was back in 6th proving that It wasn't purely a roadmans event and that 'Testers' do have something to give even on hilly courses.

Receiving my medal from top lady 'Tester' Ruth Eyles


Honary SWRC member and club run stalwart Dave Worsfold was riding under the LVRC banner in the 'E' cat race and managed 1.02.56 on a startlingly modern road bike (Look & SRAM) but still with Binda and Christophe I'm confounded!
After the event the winner confessed he'd been riding more TT's because he'd got his 1st cat licence and the road events he would ride were no longer available to him, It had given him the practice necessary to beat me on the day, no mean rider against the clock under normal circumstances unlike the King of England he drove home his advantage and the course just gave him the edge.

The Winners
A.(40-44) Andrew Meliak olds.com racing 51.03
B.(45-49) Andy Eagers Derby Mercury 51.34
C.(50-54) Phil Bill VC Elan 53.23
D.(55-59) Peter Greenwood Clayton Velo 52.46
E.(60-64) Barrie Mitchell MI Racing 54.02
F.(65-69) Mick Ives MI Racing 59.38
G.(70-74) John Dixon MI Racing 1.01.17
H.(75+) Trevor Fenwick Bournmouth Jubile 1.12.22
Lady Ann Stanley Plan B Racing 1.02.29