MERCIA '30' - CLUB RECORD - Rich Pickings

A week after the '100' and I'm up to my elbows in Jam and Chutney, fresh produce all comes along at once and I do like a bit of a faire bouillir so with my windfall apples and beans from the allotment and brambles from the hedgerows we see what we can cook up. The Mercian CC '30' is over the same roads on the A50, it's the curates egg of events the 'Thirty', neither fish nor fowl.

On a standard road bike (Pic Harry Wilson) o7ò

The record stands at 1:04:42 I think it would be arrogant to say I could beat a club record at the asking but with my current form this one is ripe for the taking. I set the record over thirty years ago with a time that was the fastest in the country that year, brother Phil (yes your club secretary used to race) and I were first and second on that day (Hertfordshire Whs) and first and second on H'cap (reversed) just to prove what a ride it was for us, even in those days time triallists had their own 'special bikes' with drilled bits & bobs (lightness) and the best of them used terrific big gears, we on the other hand had standard road bikes with 32 spoke wheels and used our track speed to win the day over some impressive local talent.

E72 - I even had time to go and give Phil a cheer o7ò

I was off at unfavoured number 5 so I'd caught everybody in front of me in the first ten miles, I remember it had been raining and all the marshal's were sitting in their cars and stared out the window at me as I came past mouths agape. it was a good job I knew the course! At least Harry Wilson (above) the photographer was ready to mark my passing for posterity. Phil was late on and we had time to go back up the course and give him a shout

Post race - Winner and Runner Up o7ò

So no push over to do it on the day I have beaten all my other times from when I was arguably fitter but without the modern advantages in Aero equipment, now was the time.

1982 Parkinson dominate the result

As I finished my 20 minute warm up on the rollers the heavens opened and we had a hail storm, I felt sorry for those already out on the course but as soon as it arrived it was gone and apart from a couple of wet roundabouts I had a dry ride and the other end of the course saw none of it. I tried not to start too fast but 10:29 a good 5m split, this course has a tough start with two ramps to get up onto the main road. With again strong winds but unlike last week cutting across the road and not as troublesome as I punched my way through them 11:16 included a little dog leg over some lumpy bumpy roads to make up the extra distance but we got a feel for the return which came on super quick and i needed to get to the McDonald's roundabout at then turn (sad but true we register our way points with fast food than any more significant monument to the byways) 10:59 or 32:41 at half way I was down on the record, I set the record previously on the old E72 course on the A12 in Essex, the fastest courses in the country at the time (too busy now) with the A1 (The 'Great North Road' all up the country from Baldock to N Yorkshire), yes Brampton Hut was on the way North but It wasn't named after a Pizza or roadside cafe (but there probably is one now!) These roads had taken over from the Bath Road in the South during the early days of time trialling, when landmarks like Sunrise Pub and Speen Hill marked a riders progress and were spoken by riders up and down the country as hallowed places Can there ever have been as aptly named a place as Pains Hill on the A3 mores the pity that its not used for racing any more though you can still ride up it. 10:49 was a bit of a haltering return but then 9:29 and I go through 25 miles in 53:02 as I get into my stride and the big gears moving and coming to the finish 10:21 the wind has condensed my effort and I have run out of steam. Its a well beaten record by over a minute 1:03:23 and 9th overall. Barry Charlton (Lyme RC) a non finisher last week on his trike with a bad back runs out winner this week 1:01:35 o7ò


Result here