National '10' - Post Haste

After a big build up the day came and I trundled off to South Cave on the A63 near Hull, I gave myself plenty of time so I could ride around the course, not something I usually do when I know the course but I never felt that I'd got the return leg right and lost too much time by not making my effort count. I took notice of the slight rises in the course and the  exposed sections where I was likely to loose time and I gave myself a point to aim for knowing when I would need to go into the red and for how long, I also had to test out the acute corner as you swing off the DC and onto finish straight only used here to make the event more spectator friendly and handy for the HQ at the local Rugby club.

The open expanses of the A68

I felt I'd done enough of a warm up so just got my bike and myself into race mode, Michael Hutchinson was adjacent to me doing much the same, It's good to come to these sort of events just to see how all the top riders prepare and there is allot of good natured talk but also a tension in the air as there has been allot of build up with regard to the time that will win the Championship as this is the fastest event on the acknowledged fastest course in the country. The slowest of the 150 riders is a mid 21 minute man, the women's and Juniors event having been contested at Alcester the previous day.

'10' Champion Matt Bottrill (Pics - Nick Hanson)
Second fastest of all time 17:40 (33.962mph Av.)

I gave myself plenty of time to get to the start, it was warm with a bit of wind from the North East and as usual a fast start, I watched a few riders through the 'hairpin' as the first thirty were coming home, many were in too big a gear for the sharp turn and several were hindered by traffic and had difficulty getting going again loosing all their momentum. so I made a note to gear down 'Criterium' style when I approached.

19:57 style (30.075 mph Av.)

I sat on the handy bench by the timekeeper in the warm afternoon sun, I'd taken my bottle cage off so nothing to drink, my mouth was dry but I get a drink from a helper. Peter Read from the promoting club Team Swift and the author of the the authoritative guide to training for time-trialling 'The Black Book' was pushing off as usual, he knows allot of the riders and always knows your form, we have a little banter before I turn my gaze to the road ahead. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO! And I'm on my way, I've ridden the National '10' twice before on the Old Bath Road (Newbury RC) in 2009 22:05 for 68th place, on the other occasion 2010 when it was on the A46 in Warwick (Stratford CC) i did 21:32 for 78th place. on both occasions Michael Hutchinson was the winner (18:37 & 19:34 respectively) he has a tremendous track record in this event only having been beaten by Stuart Dangerfield (three times 2001,2003 & 2004) and Sir Bradley in 2011 since his run began in 2000.

2nd Mullen 17:42 - Best aero

I push off and join the slip road and soon I am on the dual carriageway that will be my 'track' for the next twenty minutes, I get up to speed or what feels on the verge of uncomfortable and sustain this until I it feels good and then I go up through the gears, there is very little fluctuation in the road, it drops and climbs maybe 5-10 meters to the turn and I just hold it there.

Dr Hutch 3rd 17:53

Then we get to the turn, and its a bit of a climb, the slowest part of the course and you have to negotiate a bridge and two small roundabouts on either side of the carriageway, its all pretty tight but I have no holdups, there does not seem to be a lot of traffic but as I go down the slip to the main road again I can feel the effort of the change in pace and getting up to speed in my legs.

Andy Jackson (Swift) on his 'Blade' bike  5th 18:02

There is a bridge and a garage the five mile point and I go through in 9:35 (31.3mph Av.) but I don't check just concerntrate on my ride. Now the return is going to be harder to pace, my legs are doing OK its my heart and lungs where there seems to be an issue, My facility to go 'into the red' does seem to have waned in the last few years, maybe because I do less intervals or road racing type efforts but my top end seems to have disappeared, where I could go above 160 BPM today it will only reach 154, my average is still about the same 150 but that window of effort seems to be closing with every passing year

Finish straight

I push as close to my limit as my breathing will allow, I have to retain some awareness of the traffic and the junction that will approach and I don't want to mess it up. The traditional course finishes in the DC. I make sure there are no other cars and take the widest approach but still i go into the chevrons (and dirt) exiting the corner and you need to avoid an island in the middle of the road which affords protection from oncoming traffic. I am soon up to speed again on the bumpy side road to the chequered flag and the timekeeper, its 1.3 miles further on but the two minutes go on forever and I've nothing left for anything like a sprint as I'm already doing over thirty miles per hour, my second half 10:23 (28.89 mph Av.)
I have the satisfaction that I have improved my best time 19:57 is my first ride over 30mph in an out and home time trial, I'm still short of the club record but that will have to wait for another day, today I have to be satisfied with a Personal Best and (eventually) being 83rd place overall.

Hutch gracious in defeat.....Just!

The amount of fast time are breathtaking and the result makes for exhausting reading, four riders on 19:00 (13.6mph Av. faster than my half way!) and they are not in the top 25! Professional Russell Hampton (Athlon Sport) with 17:58 putting him sixth fastest of all time but not good enough for a medal here, only 4th place! Hutchinson 17:42 has the Bronze, it's not his fastest ever and he is gracious in defeat, another young Pro twenty year old Ryan Mullen (An-Post) the Irish Road & TT champion is pipped to the title by a mere two seconds. Champion and self styled 'Fastest Postman in the Country' Is Matt Bottrill (drag2zero) with the second fastest of all time (after Dowsett's 17:20) is  with 17:40 to go with the '25' and '50' titles. He's using a 58 chainring for the first time as if to up the stakes and the drag2zero team also set a National and Competition Record on the day taking the record from the promoting clubs riders who set it earlier in the season. It seeme there have been many more fast rides this year. Is it the weather? Is it the more wide use of Power Meters?But its the fastest win in the fastest Championships of all time 86 riders inside twenty minutes (including me!) o7ò



Full Result Here (Velo UK)

CTT report

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