Making a meal of it

It's been an interesting month, after my premature false start to the year I could tell I would need to reassess my physical condition and my fitness if I was to carry on racing and get something out of the season. I went to my doctor and had a series of blood tests to reject any medical reason for my breathing  problems as I had already diagnosed tiredness or over training syndrome but I hoped if I caught it early I could arrest my intermittent form.

I took a complete week off racing, a difficult decision when you know the opposition have started earlier and getting stronger by the week, I ride pretty much every day but I looked at it as taking a holiday for a week which I have done without my bike over the past couple of seasons. Doctors (& the internet) are undecided as to the best remedy for over training but we had a good chat about how it affects the body, like most athletes i recon I know myself pretty well but it's still difficult making a balanced prognosis and sticking to what is best as a remedy.  Rest is recommended although there is a debate as to how active that should be, like most situations it depends on the person and how deep the problem, I hoped I'd caught it early and it could be arrested with some restand then progressive recovery. I started with three days complete rest, difficult when you ride every day, then I I took the middle route and just did a couple of little rides but nothing stressful and did stretching every other day and had a full massage on the Saturday instead of a race. I'd decided to make good use of my time and do some DIY plumbing at the house which turned a bit stressful (as always!) and probably negated the good of the massage but a change as they say is as good as a rest, just try to avoid B & Q on a weekend
I then had a week to build up to the Bank Holiday but work was worse than normal so I just rode to work and did one midweek session on 81" fixed, not that impressive but riding a single speed always puts a smile on my face and that was good. I'd already entered a tough double for the BH weekend, as an appetiser the Manchester Whs '50' on the Sat and the main course the Anfield '100' on the Monday, in the past I have only ridden the Anfield as its my first long event of the year and requires special preparation as it can be hard on the Shropshire roads and the weather has been non too kind in the few times I've ridden it , I planned this a few months back before my dip in form to supplement my lack of hard racing,  the Saturday like most of May was very windy so I resolved to ride the shorter and if it went badly give the Anfield a miss

Moody hills in the Dee Valley

I tried not to put too much pressure on myself, no pre race ride only more stretching and with a downhill/downwind start no need for a warm up either I would feel my way back into racing. As an aperitif the outward leg was powerful stuff, I clocked 48mph down the A50 past the JCB factory at Doveridge and got to the turn just 10 seconds over 30mph, so much for the warm up! the h'ordeuvres would be 22 miles of suet pastry not a crisp vol au vent, now I cannot pretend that it was pretty or stylish and when the 'concrete mountain' arrested my speed below 15mph I did relent with the thought of what was to come two days later but I feel I did myself justice and there was no sign of the breathing difficulty I had a couple of weeks before. There were some super fast times despite the conditions, Julian Jenkinson (UTAG) ran out winner in 1:43:15 so god only knows what time he got to half way, I came back at a sedate 23.3mph to record 1:54:21 happy that I would survive the Anfield but just hope for less windy conditions

Telford's cast iron aquaduc

After another breezy de-stressing ride in the lanes around Oswestry on the Sunday past the 'clanging' stage ot Ozfest and a walk in the hills with my hosts Mick & Barbara almost blown off the tops, I also had a close look at Telfords Aquaduct  of 1790 but with my hands on the iron rail at 80 feet up above the River Dee. As it panned out Monday was calm as a millpond but the predicted rain was already falling as the first riders were set off on the Anfield '100' that has been run since 1889, the temperature at 8 degrees was more worrying and I should have put on proper overshoes but I went for the pretty (and ineffective) covers

The first two hours were not too bad completed in under two hours, my saddle came loose at 40 miles and I had to stop to fix it after riding for several miles with it clenched between my buttocks not daring to get out the saddle, this would not have been so bad if I had not needed to re fix the saddle an inch further forward than usual compounded by my bars coming loose as well on the rough wet roads where you could not see a good line to ride. So after 3 or 4 minutes with my saddle forward and bars tipped up I continued which gave me a somewhat cramped position for the rest of the race. As the second half progressed and my ability to generate enough power to ride and keep warm I began to suffer mainly with the cold and my final ten miles I was the slowest. Back at the HQ riders were close to hypothermia white and shivering and some were to be out for over five hours, the winner Andy Bason still felt the cold but only needed 3:41:07 for a new course record as the expected challenge from Andy Wilkinson fizzled out at 65 miles and he climbed off with a bad back and the cold.

New compact position - photographs © Simon J Evans

My final time 4:11:14 with 4 minutes delay was not too bad, good enough for 6th on the day I was pleased with the way I performed and more than pleased with my two events, several who rode on the Sat packed but I felt pretty solid and my decision not to go all out in the '50' paid off. I could plan my next few weeks training and racing with a bit more certainty although my fragile fitness would need to be nursed along until I felt more robust. Back in the Doctors on Tuesday morning I was candid as to the type of rest I'd taken over the holiday weekend but he gave me a clean bill of health and the Nurse syringed one of my ears although I thought I'd had enough of that yesterday.