BTTC - Men - Women - Espoirs - Masters - Juniors

I'm not chasing times this week but a title, around the lanes of Buckinghamshire, the British Time Trial Championship on a circuit based at Botolph Clayton, 3 times for the men (30.1) and 2 times the rest (20.8m) I'd done a bit of preparation for this, a recce of the course and a couple of 'speedy' sessions in the week to perk up those quick twitch fibres that haven't had much of a workout of late, it's all relative in the wet and windy conditions as the day was likely to be but under the circumstances we were spared the rain and a full days racing with 300+ riders ensued.
I even did a proper warm up (on the rollers) for 25 min as it was a straight out effort from the off, no hanging around to see how you feel? Just get on with it as hard as your legs will take you. These events are a great leveller, as a National Championship should be but the Masters (30+) split into 5 year age groups so see how we fare against competition from road and time trialling alike.

'Wiggo' and shadow!


The course was a fair test of all the skills necessary to be a bike rider, speed, stamina, bike handling and climbing, well not too much climbing just enough to put off the pure speed merchants. The wind posed the biggest obstacle as I sit on the line 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO.... just had to keep my revs as high as possible, keep on top of the gear, drive up every incline and into the wind which seemed just about everywhere, I had the good fortune to catch Dave Johnson (High Wycombe CC) on my first lap (on his second lap) as I'm one of the last to go at 2 min intervals and on a circuit you never see another rider anyway so it's a bit of a lonely ride but with these circiuts its a concentrated effort and over so quickly you just have to deal with the pain of the effort which is pretty much max (for me 155 HR) all the way
On the back of the circiut Tom & Jerry Nason and Martin Koester on a railway bridge that takes on the proportion of an Alp and then a fast bit before the climb up to the finish of the first lap in 22.58 a good effort but can I better it on the second? I spray my legs with water and have a gulp to drink on the decent to Edgcott before the sharp left hander but my mouth is dry before the top of the next rise, no time for any more luxury before the finish just drive all the way, up the climb for the last time trying to keep 'evens' but dropping to 18mph by the top it is just a dash for the line less than a mile and it is all over. I turn in the road Geoff Platts (I Ride) my 2 MM is 30 seconds further adrift so I know I have done OK.

'Hutch' gets the crowd excited




In the end only 6th 47:25 with 23:00 second lap so pretty even pacing as you would expect the only way to go faster is to go faster all the way and I just cannot see I could have done more. Defending champion Kevin Tye (ODL) is the champion again 45:34 from Mick St Leger (VC St Raphael) 46:20 up from 3rd last year and Stephen Whitewick (Utag) 46:35 in the bronze, I'm only 50 seconds off the podium but about where I should be on form. Ride of the day Jeff Jones (Chippenham & Dist) 45:09 winnerof 'B's and fastest overall, I was 30th but with masters starting at 30 years no disgrace.
Womens and Mens went to form with Emma Pooley (Cervelo) beating all commers (and a fair few men) with 46.11 from Wendy Houvenagel (SIS) 46:41 and Julia Shaw (Utag) 47.15
Bradley Wiggins (Garmin) 1:2:15 put on a good show for the excellent crowd with a 30mph display of exhibition bike riding putting over two minutes into Michael Hutchinson (In Gear) 1:4:34 and Chris Newton (Rapher) nearly another two again 1:6:14 after Matt Bottrill (I Ride) was DQ'ed for pacing 'Wiggo' for nearly 2 laps after being caught for two minutes.

SWRC at the BTTC


Masters 'D' Result
Masters overall Result
Womens Result
Espoirs Result
Mens Result