R + R

Team Verticale - Rin, Martin & Matt

Planning to ride the South Pennine '25' at Etwall on the way up to the Lakes for a weekend of R + R did not quite go as planned, the morning we had squally showers and the brisk NE wind made the A50 a fairly hostile place so after signing on I then backed out of riding after talking to a few other riders, I apologised to the organiser and we set off North feeling we would have better weather in the NW where sun was forecast.
Sure enough above Stoke the temperature began to climb from below eight degrees to the seasonal norm of fifteen by the time we got to the Lakes, I did a rapid 25 mile lap of Windermere above evens (not that easy) just to pressure my legs as I was meeting up with some friends who were riding the Fred Whitton on the Sunday. I was not entered in the event (never ridden a sportive) but I was up for a few gentle miles to see them over the first half as they were relatively inexperienced at this sort of thing although Rinaldo had done the event last year and had a couple of work colleagues, one Matt from Sweden said they had only just commenced riding their bikes at the start of the month because of the terrible winter (& we think we had it bad!)
Tour style climbing




I rode out and met them as they came through Ambleside from the start at Coniston, the first part over Troutbeck & Kirkstone (highest point) I knew quite well but Matterdale towards Keswick and the NW Lakes are new territory for me, there was a long section on the A66 perhaps the fastest section of the ride. I was going to return from here but as it was turning into a beautiful day and the four of us were working well together I thought I'd carry on for the rest of the ride.

Honister at 45 miles is a brute of a climb with a large burnt patch on the road where some unlucky soul had overheated their sports car (Lamborghini) and set it on fire trying to get up the 25% climb, a couple of riders had crashed on the decent one wrapped in a foil blanket we were urged by marshalls to take it easyier than the near 50mph on the decent of Kirkstone
Buttermere YHA


Just after we stopped at Buttermere Youth Hostel the first checkpoint where I looked after the bikes and the lads filled up bottles and got some grub, I had taken enough for the day, I did sneak a refill but it wasn't a hot day and I was able to enjoy the scenery in this part of the Lakes Newlands and Whinlater are still serious climbs and you had to pace yourself as you would in a race.

On a good day you can see Snowdonia as you descend from Cold Fell to the final check point at Calder Bridge within sight of the coast and Sellarfield, the Isle of Man was clearly visible but the two climbs everybody want to conquer which come in the final twenty miles are Hardknott and Wrynose. There is nothing to prepare you for the 'shock & awe' of these two idiot bits of unique British approach to the countryside, while the Victorians were off reshaping the world this little bit O' Blighty was left with an almost un-passable 'pass' which still has the air thick with the smell of burning clutch, if they were on the continent would have a beautiful engineered series of hairpin bends up the side of the mountain buy here we get a higgly piggly ribbon of lumpy tarmac with an average gradient of 25% but in places must be over 30%
Top of Wrynose

Many were dismounting before the cattle grid that marks the first approach but I just had to wring every ounce of energy from my legs to force 39 x 25 gear up all the way to the top, you need to rest on the not so steep and then sprint the hairpin bends and the very steep bits out the saddle as you lift your front wheel off the ground seated, I estimate only two in ten managed it but it is a brute of a climb and one for the box tickers rather than the cycle purist. Aparently the film of local fastman fell runner and cross rider Rob Jebb (Wheelbase) going over is something to behold.

We all descend into Little Langdale after regrouping at the top, I left the lads to finish their ride back to Coniston while I rode back to Windermere 110 miles in 7:30 that last part of the day putting the average speed back half a mile per hour. Not the best day of R + R but certainly one of the most beautiful.

Below Parr

After the cancellation of last weeks event due to the police having to close the A50 after a fatal motorbike accident we the riders were left to reflect on the fragile nature of our relationship with the other vehicles we share the highways with for sport and for pleasure, it's something we face every day but here it rubs up close and on this occasion all we have is a wasted journey.
Still feeling a bit poorly all through the week I did not do much in the way of training as I have the Zenith 2 Day (3 Stages) at the weekend to worry about, 20+ 1st category riders and no place to hide when the mood takes them to start racing. I used the opening 'Prologue' of just under 3 miles to see how I feel and almost 30 seconds slower than last year confirmed my belief that the days racing would be tougher to get through than I would like it. Matt Bottrill (i-ride) was the clear winner 5:36 from team mate Adam Duggleby 5:52 and Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughn Cycles) 5:54, I had been 10th the last couple of years with a time just outside 6 minutes but my 6:31 only good enough for 45th.
The afternoon stage 70m on the roads around Bruntinthorpe aerodrome and a group of 15 got away almost immediately, the bunch held them at 20 - 30 seconds and there was a bit of team tactics between the strong i-ride/sportscover riders who both had men in the break, on the penultimate lap we had them pegged at 8 seconds as more riders came to the fore, I did a few stints on the front as I felt more confident in my ability to last the distance but then it all went to pot and they got away from us again and took over 2 minutes out of us to the finish. A group of four clipped away on the last lap but I found myself strong and well placed enough (little bit of local knowledge!) to get up for 5th in the bunch sprint 25th on the day and moved me up into the top 40 overall.

Heading out wrapped up on the second day

It had been warm and calm on the Saturday but Sunday greeted us with bitter NE wind for the 80m mile stage around Walton/N. Kilworth and Shearsby, a much tougher course with a long creeping climb which we were lined out at over 20mph and the string broke over and over again as legs gave out and riders found themselves shelled out the back. I had started with two tops and a gillet thinking I would take it off after an hour but in the end I never warmed up enough and I was glad of the overshoes and arm and knee warmers, I could feel the previous days ride in my legs for the first few laps and just had to take it every attack at a time until over half way when I took a Cafeen gel to help me over the closing stages (or not sleep until Tuesday!)
There were little breaks away all the time and the i-ride team controlled it for Bottrill in Yellow but there was a split and a mad dash when a 'Fourtrack' farm vehicle split the bunch and a group of three including eventual stage and overall winner Richard Lambert (Cottingham Cou.) got away leaving his two companions in the difficult conditions to time trial away to win by over two minutes after only being 36 seconds down overnight so a single rider without a team managed to get one over with a superb solo effort.

Bunch strung out on the main hill past the feed station

As the teams tried to pull the leader back the bunch was in a single line and I had to haul myself past riders 'sitting up' in the string numerous times but as the distance and the speed took its toll I was tailed off with half a lap to go on the fastest stretch of the course where we were descending at 45mph and there was no room for error or weakness and I found that a week of being off colour had made one more effort only a hope. I got together with three others including Phil Axe (Sharrow) who can usually get up in the top 10 but like me the wrong side of 45 to stay with this company at this speed, we mopped up a few shelled out and three riders on the floor from a spill in the bunch which was down to about 30 riders by the finish

Full Result Here

No racing next week as we are up in the Lakes, I might take a ride up to the top of Wrynoes to cheer the riders over in the Fred Whitton on the Sunday, hopefully a bit of a rest will see me back to full strength as I have the National '10' on a fairly local Staffords Prior course just South of Birmingham in a couple of weeks, don't hold your breath as my 20:40 qualifying time (4 secs off a PB) makes me 91st fastest on the day but I'd like to think I can improve on my 68th of last year.

Stafford CC National '10'

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.

Universally challanged

Another couple of outings at the weekend making the first back to back racing which always leaves you with a "And why did I do that" moment but it has to be done sometime as I feel my training moves onto another level once you can do two hard rides in a row but just now I only have the feeling of Ouch! that hurt.
On the Saturday afternoon I rode the Ashfield RC 2Up '25' with Mark White of the Leicester Triathlon Club we have ridden this one before so were pleased to get alternative weather conditions of sun & light wind at the two lap Gryffydam course NW of Leicester is noted for its unique weather patterns making it (usually) one tough sod of a course. We did a lap to warm up and I had a bit of a sweat on as the last 4 miles of the circuit is mostly uphill and I'm still nearly half a stone over my race weight, Mark's first race proper, apart from two cross country marathons both of which he was leading until he went in the wrong direction, he said he should know better (Ex Marine - pride of the forces and all that) I tried to be sympathetic until he told me he had done the same the last two years so I told him not to make any executive decisions in the 2 Up and follow my back wheel. He has a lovely new deep section front wheel so I thought I'd better put in a disc (I had been going to ride training wheels) and give ourselves a chance of doing it justice.
Downhill for the first 4 miles we just kept it 'clean' as I said I wanted two even laps (within 20 seconds) and not to go too hard and leave something for the hill (so he can drag me up it!) first lap went by in 29 minutes and shortly after we caught Ex international track man and all rounder on comeback trail (like myself) only with less fitness Rob Muzio and Daryl Webster, half the National team pursuit squad from 25 years ago, anyway we gave them a couple of miles to settle in before passing them and then a couple of other teams at the same time making it look like a road race all spread over the road while trying to keep with my partner, blow me if the 80's throwbacks didn't come back past us on a long decent Muzio Sans aerobars going like a train. We has a bit of a 'battle' up to the start of the hill where I made a big effort to drop them and only succeeded in dropping Mark who had been using a big gear and not able to change his tempo. After a brief wait to compose ourselves we dropped the interlopers (Daryl needing to find his climbing legs also) and finished with 58:11 to give us 3rd place and a very even paced race. Charles Taylor and Chris Storer (S Pennind RC) winning it with 56:11 from Chris Ball (Sigma Sport) and Duncan Shea-Simons (Sigma/Leic Tri) 57:23
On the Sunday I rode out to the Melton Olympic CC Hilly '20.5' on the very undulating B6047 between Gt Dalby and the A47 (Tilton), not a flat bit of road along here the motorbikes love it as they tour the Midlands looking for thrills and give the 'bikies' some heart stopping moments on the one day we want to use this pretty road up to the highest point of the E Midlands (& this side of the Urals apparently)
I had ridden some stiffness out of my legs but I could still feel the effort from yesterday deep down and once I started racing my heart rate would not go near where it needed for this type of effort, dropping down to Twyford at 45mph and then the long drag up the other side I'd done last week in the Leicester RC Hilly but then the killer blow up to Tilton and I was under 10mph even though I'd caught my minute man and it was hard to get going down the other side to the A47 where the climb up to the Billesdon crossroad seemed to go on forever and I had to make a superhuman effort to get up to 18mph into the wind.
The return is a real rollercoaster of lumps and bumps which see you up and down the gears, I passed a horsebox at one point and a coach trying to negotiate a humpback bridge as I sped along through the narrow gap. I had been caught by my MM but he was descending using his brakes on the corners while I (Cancellara style) kept it 'aero' and dropped him over the final climb to Thorpe Sachville and finished 20 seconds in front
I'd gone back over a minute on last year but 53:36 no disgrace for 15th, the winner once again James Perkins (Zenith CC) 48:05 from Scott Walker (i-ride) 48:55 and 55 year old 'supervet' Geoff Platts (i-ride) 49:04
All that remained was for me to ride home with a large group of spectators and other riders returning to Leicester with a favourable wind and the sun on our back, last year the weather for this event was good and again excellent but only a field of 45 when the HQ was full with spectators, I just wish the organiser had a bigger field for all his & his club's effort. Rob Muzio pushed off, no mean feat on a course where you need to have your brakes on to stop rolling off (the wrong way!)

Easter - curate's egg

I'd taken a week out to do a few more hard rides after my first excursion into racing this year, also to do a bit more rest as the clocks had gone forward and it always takes a week to recover from the 'time shift' as we embrace our inner Time Lord and get ready for spring/summer.
Two contrasting events, firstly on the Good Friday the City RC (Hull) '10' on the uber fast V718 (A63) between Goole and Kingston upon Hull along the Humber estuary, this was the beginning of my OldSkool adventure last year and again it had a section devoted to the non-aero time trialing but this year I decided that this event would benefit from the modern approach so armed with my best bike and new Rudy Project 'Wingspan' helmet I set off on the 1 1/2 Hr. journey up country. To be fair the weather was not cruel but it was biting cold with an Easterly wind getting in on the Easter theme, I went for a 20 minute warm up on the damp roads and then stopped to fiddle with my bike only looking at the clock when my 10 minute man rode past on his way to the start. I thought I'd better get my skates on and belted up the road and to my gradual anxiety I'd forgotten how far it was to the start and I was doing 25mph into the wind trying to get there as the minutes ticked by.
There was an ambulance and several police cars on the course, I thought the event might have to be cancelled, it transpired that a rider had snapped his stem going down one of the large potholes on the course and fallen heavily leaving a patch of blood on the road (so I was told) and as I rode the event there were indeed quite a few large and deep pot 'craters' on the racing line some as big as a small car making the choice of out into the traffic or inside through the dirt, I went down one and my bars moved but it paid to keep your head up on the fast return
I made it to the start with several minutes to spare (Phew!) and after removing several layers of clothes and sweat I was away, now the outbound road slightly more uphill but I did not panic at the start but keeping my revs up as high as I could in a medium gear catching only the one rider (a late starting lady) I was at the 5 mile point in 11 minutes although I didn't know that at the time I just took it easy on the greasy roads around two roundabouts and then back with a tail wind my speed shot up to 30mph+ and did not drop much below until the final half mile when I mistook a parked car for the finish and only started riding again when I saw the chequered flag ahead
I stopped the watch at 20:40 a mere 5 seconds off a PB, I thought my watch must have started late in the rush to the line or at least be wrong, a handful of seconds away from my best ever effort on the 2nd day of April on a cold windy day with potholes and a badly timed finish but when I got the the result there it was 5th fastest Vet (12th in the day) only a minute behind winner Barry Charlton (Lyme RC) 19:41 not a bad result and a very good Friday
Mens Event
Womens Event
Contrast this with Mondays effort in the Leicester RC Hilly '29' around the lanes (tracks) of NE Leicester, I rode out once the early morning rain had abated to the start in Queniborough, a chill wind deterred me from removing my most fleecy legwarmers (with rub already applied!) I suffered a race of misery and pain as I toiled to heave my frame over every hillock and slope (not solicitors) I had put a 23 bottom sprocket and used it on several occasions as my speed on some sections dropped below 10mph into the wind to Beeby & passed Russian farm (Siberian winter) and on Borough hill. I was caught for 5 minutes by the winner James Perkins (Zenith CC) at half way as he powered over the top of a rise in the big ring as mine slipped onto the inner, he only just beat former Hill climb champion Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughan)who had gone off course at one point. Eventual 3rd Scott Walker (i-ride) had caught me for a minute at 6 miles and best Veteran Rob Weare (Leamington C&AC) who had beaten me by a mere 30 seconds on the Friday put nearly 8 minutes into me to be 4th. I staggered home into the wind after letting some air out of my tyres and ruminated that it would take more than a new helmet make me a climber.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The expression "a curate's egg" originally meant something that is partly good and partly bad, but as a result is entirely spoiled. Modern usage has tended to change this to mean something having a mix of good and bad qualities.