Force majeure

So I woke up with a sore throat (and some regret) as I had a couple of fast events lined up to pick the pace of my time trialling after several weeks of 'Sporting' challenges.
I had been to a social function for my good friend Andrew who's building was re-opening on Friday evening. Their office in the Old Co-Op Bank in Enderby was struck by lightning last year and almost destroyed (along with 15 years of his business and personnel life).

I spend the early months avoiding social contact and running to the bathroom to 'cleanse' myself like a third rate Howard Hughes but with the body feeling like it has withstood the worst that the winter can throw at it you let your guard down and suffer the consequences
I decided to preserve my energy and only did some stretching on the living room floor by way of a warm up as It was looking like a warm day with light wind from the West which meant the course which traverses the Midlands on the A50 would mean a fast return.

A full field in the BDCA '25' event and although I could feel the niggle in my throat I never consider the DNS option and just decide to take it easy and see how I feel, there are two ramps to get up from the start in Etwall onto the dual carriageway and I try settle into a high revving tempo which will help my effort as I have another event on the Sunday morning and punishing my legs with big gears would just be counter productive at this time of year.
I was somewhat alarmed to be caught at 8 miles by my minute man but I just let him go and continued my ride as I felt OK but It's always difficult to keep your concentration when this happened especially as I felt strong into the wind I had started well, I was doing a good ride.
I was 45 seconds down on Ian Cammish 10 minutes in front and when I got around the the turn at the McDonald's roundabout (it's OK it's a drive thru!) I began to pick up speed and moral as my minute man was almost out of sight now. My speed hardly dropped below 30mph on the return and I crossed the finish in 52:18 my 2nd fastest time ever! Not bad for a 'crocked' rider, when I learned that James Wall (Team Echelon) had done a 49:08 to win the event I felt better, scratch man Barry (Baz) Charlton (Lyme RC) did his customary short 50 minute ride and Cammish a long one to match what they had both done in this event last year, I however had gone over a minute faster and was feeling pretty pleased if a bit 'wheezy'
I decided that if I has a good night and the weather was not as dreadful as it can be (I don't think I rode an event before May last year when I didn't get wet!) I would ride the Team Swift '25' on the newly re-opened O/25 course on the A1 near Sheffield. It's a long way to go early morning and I was up at 5.30 and eating my porridge at the many lights on Melton Road through town. I had been out for an hour to ease my legs off last night and no time for a warm up but thankfully a 4 mile ride to the start and a mild morning was the best I could muster as I only had 50 minutes once I'd got to the HQ at Ranby.
The A1 has been used for 'Testing' over the years and has a history of epic struggles for fast times and now the (dangerous) Worksop roundabout has been bypassed and the community has run a successful campaign to get this bit of the Great North Road back on the time trialling map. I said to the timekeeper that the first time I rode on it was the GHS '10' in 1976 a long way to come from 'Sarf' London in those days but we had won the ESCA (Now called BSCA) Team award in the 10 mile TT and had a good chance to repeat our sucess in the RTTC (as it was called then - now CTT) equivalent, in the event my brother Phil punctured and the Barnet team beat us, but I got my own back beating Steve Bent who was a member of the team in the LVRC pursuit a couple of years back at Newport (HA ha! Revenge is sweet even if it does take a over quarter of a century)
Those first few miles are on B roads and my legs felt 'tight' but once on familiar roads I got into my stride and the new Markham Moor turn not a big junction with associated climb although two tight roundabouts were traffic less. Back North to possibly the toughest section and I was enjoying the early morning sun, a car even stopped for me to negotiate the Blyth turn and the final few miles a 30mph section as I caught several and only the last part on the lane seemed to go on a bit. I finished like most who rode yesterday between 1 1/2 ans 2 minutes slower but 54.05 a good effort Nino Piccoli (ttt-weekly) won it in 50:57 from Barry Charlton 51:41 and Julian Ramsbottom (i-ride) 52:09 3rd
As I drove home I took in the big blue sky which no plane has defaced with its narrow cloud trails and it took me back to those times when it was possible to look up into the sky and not see not less than two but sometimes a dozen tracks defacing the yonder and you think progress just crept up and filled the void but it took an invisible menace to give us a clear view. I enjoyed the feeling, but I was back with the hoards in B&Q before midday buying decking preserver unfortunately could not raise the strength to put it on the timber until late afternoon.