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| Another world - Two events over the Bank Holiday o7ò |
The next weekend, the event where Michael Hutchinson broke (Wiggins) competition record with 17:45 that's an eye watering 33.8mph and the Swift Charity '10' again draws a top line field with 40+ sub twenty minute men. Before I get to tread the hallowed tarmac I have a warm-up on the Saturday, the Kettering CC - Frank & Joy Sheppard Memorial '10' is on unknown roads to me and I foolishly get it into my head to ride fixed as a way to spin out my legs and get them buzzing for the next day. How wrong was I? The course was a hilly circuit with blustery wind and to top it all Rain! my final prep race was a damp squib all I can say was I achieved +40mph down one of the descents although it was blessedly short to keep the 150 rpm necessary! My 23:44 was possibly my slowest 10 miles since my comeback in 2006, Even Bottrill could only manage 20:21 to win it
Sunday woke cold and blustery again and my heart sunk for something better, I'd already been in a bad mood now I had to sit in the car for two hours and glare at the trees and flags taunting me from their hilltops and poles. As I travelled North the weather improved and I have to report Humberside was sunny and warm, the flag on the nearby church was still horizontal so I parked my car in the opposite direction and tried to ignore it. I was right at the end of the field, still time for things to change, vain hope, Hutch was warming up close by, he actually warms up with his aero helmet on! With him it is not an act, Alec Guinness had his shoes to get in character Hutch has his hat, it's his Pavlovian touchstone. I just put mine on to race. Its a sad fact of modern time trialling that the need for bio mechanical perfection and power optimisation means that riders feel it is necessary to ride a warm up in their crash hat I do a 30 minutes warm up which will be longer than the race (I hope!) I prowl the start lanes getting in the zone, but the zone is windy and its very bloody off putting.
The start arrives with a fuss over shoes and getting it all together, I get up to speed, I do not look at my clock from start to finish, I have no concept of being in a race, its just time. The nature of time trialling is to prepare ones self for a duration of effort that borders on the painful, and 10's are the worst as the effort drains your senses that make all sounds go hollow and the colours go to black and white. air draws into my lungs and is expelled almost immediately, I can hear the wind and my breathing but they are a detached reality, a funnel of a road in front drawing me into its narrowness, I push the air in front of me and then I can breath better as I come out onto the turn, two roundabouts and a bridge, I descend into the narrow void again but now I have a moment to be aware of the race. The five mile post (a garage) and soon after Hutch scorching along in the other direction, boy does he go! He is in control. There is a little slight ascent of the road, no more than a few degrees but it slows your flight, you can feel it, the race is getting away from me. A rider who has gone before says "Save nothing for the finish, its fast" and I crest the final drag and plunge to the finish at 40mph, I miss the time keeper and it is half a minute before I realise I am done, I catch and overtake my minute man as the sound and colour flood back into my world. 20:08 a personnel best by 8 seconds (29.8mph) almost a perfect pace 10:10 for the first half and 9:58 for the second and I'm 21st Hutch is of course the winner 18:14 down on his best - well it is comp record. o7ò
Swift Charity '10' Result
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