Review of the Year(s)

2005 Criterium on my 80's Roberts

 This year was my tenth one of racing, I decided to take a broader look back over the last decade see how it progressed

This was the first year that I did not write anything in my diary with regard to targets for the year. 2013 had been a momentous year ending with becoming World Champion. Coaches always say 'Have a target or an objective to build up to' but with the caveat that its "realistic" and "achievable" I've always tried to do this but after such a year. Just what is realistic any more, could I even rest on my Laurels? I pretty much immediately decided to carry on and defend my title and train and race with pretty much the same training and racing plan but my targets evolved over the year

 Dad's Specialized Epic TT style

In August I had covered 100,000 miles in those ten years, before that I was doing about 4000 miles per year trying to shed weight I'd put on over my 30s, in 2005 I made a conscious decision to race if my weight got down below 14st (I'd been up near 18st!) I did just over 8000 miles that first year and raced on my old steel Roberts that Alan had been using and gave me to dip my toe in the water. I then moved on to my dads old carbon Specialized 'Allez' which was nearly 15 years old but seemed to take the pounding and did sterling service as a TT bike (with homemade aero's on upturned bars) on which I completed my first 12 hour ride and my first BBAR campaign. It also stood in as a race bike when the Roberts succumbed to age, fatigue and my pounding weight breaking at the bottom bracket and a training bike when my Roberts winter bike went the same way of its racing sibling. It finally retired a couple of seasons ago when replaced with Titanium frame the result of winning the Planet X 'Old School' TT series in 2010

2006 Riding the final Eastway on the Sigma

My mileage increased year on year eight then nine thousand miles, a big jump up to 13,000 miles for three years as I sought to conquer the BBAR top twelve which I did in 2009 (11th) but I almost went as fast in 2011 (less than 0.07 mph) for 16th when I went over 280 miles in the twelve hour but could not find the consistency at the shorter distances, I think I was just too tired from all the travelling and racing from March through to the end of the season. My mileage had dropped a couple of thousand miles a year in that time as I got more into doing my track racing having surprised myself winning a European title at the first time of asking in 2009. For the last three seasons my mileage has been around the 7-8000 which is about eight hours a week on the bike total! Riding to work, touring, training and racing

2009 European Champion on my trusty Roberts

There's nearly 14,000 miles of racing in that total, five years it was over 2000 and the most 2378 miles in 2007 when I managed seven '100's in the season honing my pacing but It paid off as I won the first of my two CTT National age standard medals. In those ten years I have only won the one 'Open' event, the North Middlesex & Hert's '100' which was over a quarter of a century after my first open win in the 1982 Hertfordshire Whs. '30' (Hertfordshire seems to be good for me maybe I should move there!) I lost an open win by a single second and I missed a bronze in the European Track by less than1/25 of a second! The Breckland 12 was stopped while I was leading, the next year in the same event I did the fifth furthest 12 hour distance for a veteran ever but did not win the vets prize on the day (in fact I was third!) 

My first year I started racing in June and rode 27 events much as I've done these past three seasons with just over thirty. In the middle years that was anywhere between 45-55 and most long distance with 3-8 '50's and '100's where this year only three '50's and a solitary '100' (but in an effort to break the 30mph barrier 21 10s!)

2010 50 miles on Parlee

All in all I had a decent season, I was never going to match my results on the track but 4th in the Points race and 9th in the Scratch race makes me easily the most consistent in my age group (in the World!) over the past three seasons. I came within an ace of improving my '100' time only beaten by bad luck but over the years I have been lucky with mechanical issues probably the worst breaking bearings in wheels during the 12 Hr. (twice!) .This year I did break the club '50' record for the ninth time and joined the 30mph club at ten miles making me the 83rd fastest in the country Oooh! Next years National '10' is on my local evening '10' course at Wolvey so as its very slow maybe I can put local knowledge to good use and climb up the standings a bit.

2011 Breckland 12 Hr 283 miles

In accordance with my decision to start racing later in the season, my yearly mileage balances out a bit more, the first six months are about the same as the second, up until 2010 I was doing the greater part of my riding in the early part of the year building up the miles in my legs. In 2007 I almost did 8000 miles in the first six months and three times I did over 1500 miles a month, the next year I balanced it out a bit better doing over 1200 miles from January. I calculate that to be sixteen to eighteen hours a week, well over two hours a day and when I look at my diary I can see I was not missing many days (three to six a month) compare that to today where I miss three or four a week!. November has been my resting month, mileage has gone down to as little at seventy miles total! But as I have got older I have learned no matter how much I need a complete rest to keep riding, a month (two weeks even) can see me put on a 7-10 pounds and that is hard to shift or at least you have to shift it before you can start training. So these days I just carry on banging out 3-500 miles for six months of the year which affords me the conditioning to start training.

2012 Fixed TT setup

So what should be my target for 2015? I would still like to win a British Masters track title (three at Silver and Bronze) despite winning a European and World title, I still think I can get a medal in the Pursuit, my times are decidedly average despite being one of the fastest starters but with the opening of the Derby velodrome this year maybe now is my opportunity to nail that. And while I'm about that then forming a team to attack the World Masters Team Pursuit event might be fun as well

I creep ever closer to Roger Hammonds club record at ten miles, its now less than a second a mile (or less than 0.23mph faster) away and I would dearly love to update some of those club team records at '10' '25' and '50' with some help, so if anybody feels the inclination to ride a fast event on a fast day then let me know. I'm still not old enough to get up there at National level with the VTTA, I have gradually increased my placing in the National Vets BAR every year to be a firm fixture in the top ten but I'm still about twenty years off winning pace while people like 83 year old Ron Hallam can do a short 25 minute '10'  and Rob Pears only a year younger can get inside 50 minutes for '25' o7ò

Sabin visit

On a recent visit to London caught up with Sabin over from Majorca as he says its too hot over there!

Surrey Duo - Redmon GP des Gentleman

All smiles at the start

Final event of the season a 15.4 mile GP des Gentlemen in and around the lanes South of Dorking from North Holmwood to Beare Green, Clarkes Green, up to Rusper then back through Newdigate and finish outside Holmwood Park. This is a two-up but with a difference 'The Gentleman' today is Andy Hicks' and I am his 'Pacer' I ride at full time trial pace and Andy gets to come past me in the last 200 meters and cross the line first.

So no changing position, Andy gets a free ride to the line, he must have thought there was a catch but who else would come up with such a one sided competition than the French! Traditionally its an old pro with a young turk but these days its got a bit competitive and old pros are not the 'Puffing Billys' they used to be. Andy is a handy athlete and I have to 'Pace' him over a hilly course not my favourite parcours at the best of times, Andy always drops me out on the club runs when the road goes up.

Andy and myself in the Surrey lanes (Pic Matt Scoles)

We do not have a chance to practise, I go around the course the day before as it's a few years since I rode this with brother Alan (I rode a version with President John Bromley in the 90's) but now in its 39th year its become a bit of an end of season 'Classic'. Its rained in the night but by the time we take to the line among the early starters its warm enough for Andy to discard his arm warmers. We have done a ten mile warm up "Do a bit at race pace" says Andy he was suitably quite when I was on the 'rivet' concentrating on going a bit faster than he usually does in a time trial.

The skip speaks! - Hutch warms up

We still managed second spot (Pic Matt Scoles)

As we head up the A24 there is a bit of headwind but I'm more worried about puncturing on the wet roads, Andy is tucked in, I take it steady, to give us both a bit of time to get into the flow of racing. When we get onto the Capel bypass I begin to pick it up but I have to keep my legs spinning its not your normal Dual Carriageway course. I've put a 53 ring on instead of my usual 56 as we pass onto the Rusper road, suddenly Andy is not there, I wait, I might have dropped him on the greasy corner but we get together again and he is blowing a bit, the road surface is very bad and I almost overshoot a corner and all the time Andy is trying to stay with me with almost no vision. I give him some encouragement on the stiff climb up to Rusper as we catch our four minute team (two minute intervals) and then the first team on the road from the promoting Redmon, the riders going very slow now we are at the top of the course but out of the trees, the light is better as are the roads

SWRC - Dream Team

A sharp left and we have a nice decent but it is tricky with the broken surface in the tuck position  we begin to motor a bit, past the tearooms at Tanhouse farm, no time for a stop today Andy! Newdigate is thankfully free of the early morning paper buying throng but once left and onto Henfold lakes we are behind a tanker and a car insists on passing even though we are flying almost blocks the way but they all clear away and we have a clear run to the finish. There is a slight drag up to Inholms Lane and while I pile on the pressure Andy looses my back wheel again and when It comes for him to sprint past me at the 200m mark (which was at least double that!) his legs were gone to jelly and I could see he had had a tough time on my wheel but like the champion he is he got out the saddle and gave it everything he had

Winners - Pollard/Hutch (In Gear)

 We saw a few SWRC friends around the course, I don't think Andy noticed as he was concentrating, it's difficult to go fast in the spray of a back wheel in a tuck position and avoid all the pot holes and muck but he did a magnificent job, we were leading with the biggest 'plus' on standard right up until the last of the 52 teams came in and then it was Michael Hutchinson and Dave Pollard (In Gear) the defending champions that beat us, they had to do the fastest time on the day as well and I think our fifth on time not too shabby for a combined age of over 120 years o7ò







Redmon GP des Gentleman Result

World Masters - Manchester Velodrome

2Km Pursuit - Result

By my own standards I did a poor 2Km Pursuit on the Tuesday, inexplicably going back nearly two seconds on the last two years and as a consequence only 12th place. This was tempered  fellow Brit (Scottish) Peter Ettles taking his first World title (he had multiple British and European) beating the milti-talented Italian and newly returned rider Mark Wiffin taking the Bronze in the fastest time of the competition just showing how important it is to get your best ride out in the qualifying heat as both Ettles and Dardi (fastest qualifier) both went slower in the Gold medal ride off - only Peter less slow giving him a well deserved top spot. Beter has been one of the outstanding track riders since I have come back to track racing and we have had some rare tussles over the years but he is head and shoulders a better pursuiter than I am and even though I had put in allot of effort to improve my technique my speed is sadly lacking. I hope that will change with the opening in the new year of the indoor velodrome at Derby thirty minutes up the M1 so with some track time I may still one day get on the podium in this discipline.

Pursuit Report - VeloUK

Dardi (It) Ettles and Wiffin

 The next day I had to defend my 10Km Scratch race title, it's not like I have to defend anything just be in the race and make my prescience felt. Heats are always tense but I was through OK without expending too much energy but with only twelve to go through and seven of the eight British qualifiers in my heat there was intense competition from the British camp and no joy as rider fought to stay safe but out of trouble as well, no good here if you mis time your effort or use too much energy too soon.

10Km Scratch -Flanked by the Bronze and Gold medallist (last years Silver in-between)

10Km Scratch Race - Result

The final in the evening a totally different affair, there was a consensus among the British riders with a third of the field in the 40 lap final that we would have to make the race fast as there were a number of excellent sprinter types who would easily win if it came to a mass finish. Peter Ettles and Steve Clayton made a break in the first lap (after getting caught up a little game of 'Bunch Bagatelle' first!) When they were eventually pulled back Courtney Rowe had another attack until the group out front got so large that it fell apart with lack of impetus. I weighed in shortly after to try my luck and keep the pace high, the bunch was pretty much lined out all the time and one of the US and an Italians pulled out and it began to fracture as the race reached half way. I was watching for an opportunity to break again but it never really arrived, the German Blasczyk stole my thunder and with 5 to go the Dane Hartkopp went after him. I think the British riders made for an excellent race and many in the commentator and the crowd enthused about the race after but we lacked a coherent end plan and played into the other strong riders hands as they had to do very little pace setting until the end. I was marking the fast French rider Vernet but with 3 to go I had to take up the chase as the leaders already in an unassailable lead, I trailed in 9th the French rider blasting past me with a lap to go thinking we were the front unaware that the medals were up the road. The Dane caught Blaczyk on the last lap, a very strong rider but both these new to our group and the Chile rider Droguette who has had some near misses in recent years the best of the rest. Just as you get rid of riders into the age above riders come in fresh from taking a pasting in the age group below where they are no longer competitive but still very good riders, with me mid way through my age group I was looking distinctly average where before I was a contender.

Scratch Race Report - VeloUK

It was turning into an intense few days as we had Points race heats the next morning, each year there seem to be more riders and heats in most age groups not necessary but another nerve jangling effort to get through to the evening final. I had points on the board early and as I won the third set there was an almighty crash with three riders going down, one of these my good friend and track 'buddy' Adrian putting a hole in his Io (expensive) and demolishing the top tube on his track bike (very expensive) making continuing impossible and that large hole in his wallet was accompanied by that on his hip, limbs and pride. The only upside (for us!) with one DNF was there was only the required riders left in the track so we did not have to race the rest of the way. The other heat complete without incident and ten British riders through we could hope for better this time.

British effort - Ian Greenstreet, Courtney Rowe ?(USA) and Ralph Carter

I had planned to take the race on early but as with much track racing plans change and you have to modify or in this case completely change your plans in order to just be in with a chance of a medal, a group went away early and while they did not get a lap they were mopping up all the points and only six sprints so after two of these I did a massive two laps on the front to pull it all back together, this had two outcomes, 1. i was 'blowing' and could do nothing for a few laps and 2. Not get in with the next move that did just the same as the first, parked itself up the road and made effectively neutralised the race. after a bit of skirmishing and after I'd recovered my composure (another two sprints) so I did another big turn on the front to pull it all back together, I now had less than twenty to go and nothing on the board. Annoying! I was in the same position last year but had done nothing in the race, as was my plan but here I needed to redeem myself as I had not made much impact on the race only pulled it back together Twice! I set off over the top with Pursuit winner Ettles on my wheel and we made a quarter lap, unfortunately Blaczyk was ahead and the Dane Hartkoop with us and refusing to work. Peter pipped me for second with 10 laps to go and we passed the German but our break looked doomed but with nothing to loose I set off again, on my own this time with seven to go

Points race - Result

I held it at half a lap but had to ease off for fear of having nothing at the end and lapping the field not an option now, and with three t go I wound it up to keep the baying bunch behind me to the line which I managed with a wheel to spare and take the final points. With no laps taken and only six sprints seven points could have got me a medal but I fell short by a point as the charging Dane took 2nd on the final and overtook me and the point I lost to Ettles now looking very costly. 'Close but no cigar' as they say, the same three riders in the medals as the Scratch race with the German and Dane swapping and Droguette the Bronze again. I was the top British rider making my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 4th (with 9th) in the last 3 years not looking so shabby but I've missed a medal this time o7ò



Scratch Race Report - VeloUK

Andreas Hartkoop - Michael Blaczyk - Miguel Droguette (Double medalists)

World Masters Countdown

Next week I have the World Masters Track from the Velodrome in Manchester. Defending my Scratch race title and trying to do better in the Pursuit and Points Race (Only one place to go there!)
Its going to be a pretty intensive few days, Pursuit on Tuesday, Scratch on Wednesday and Points on Thursday, heats in the morning and finals in the evening so needing to be ready to race at 9.00am and then focused and ready for the rest of the day, late evenings and odd eating patterns. At least we don't have to worry about the weather, but the atmosphere can get very intense and claustrophobic so I'll take a road bike (with mudguards) just so I can get away if it all feels too much.
I will be riding my 35 year old Roberts track bike, a proper steel 'Iron' with chrome and Cinelli components so never mind all that trendy 'Fixie' nonsense some of us are still keeping the faith. My father Philip bought for me on my seventeenth birthday, and I hope he's watching me still. Brother Phil had an identical one (although he does not know where its gone to!)

I had a final race on Saturday North Midlands VTTA '10' on 010/3 the latest incarnation of the famous 'O' course on the A1 from Ranby to Blyth where the Competition Record for the Ten Mile was set by Ian White (Clifton CC) in the mid 70's. 20:50 was a good ride for me on 100" fixed if I had not been held up at a level crossing on the way to the start and so I had 2:27 late start against my name that cost me 5th place on Standard, Fastest was Dan Barnett (drag2zero) with an astounding 19:15 but one of the most improved riders of the year and now being trained/mentored by Matt Bottrill (go figure!) Ride of the day and winner on Standard was Ron Hallam (South Pennine) with a time of 25:02 (+8:15) an age record at 84 years o7ò



World Masters Track Website

North Midlands VTTA '10' Result

Keep the Faith - Manchester Whs. '50' - Club Record ..........o7ò

With the Manchester Wheelers having their 130th Anniversary (Is that Carbon or Titanium?) they promote the last gasp 50 mile time trial for all those with an interest in the BBAR and those like myself  who think we can improve. The course only just in the Manchester district starts at Blythe Bridge on the Stoke end of the A50 like the Stone Whs event a couple of weeks ago but comes right down to Etwall in Derbyshire. The Tommy Barlow Memorial finishes up the feared 'Concrete Mountain' past the JCB factory at Rocester but has a lovely decent out and this autumnal day at the tail end of the season.

Club Record 1:45:56

I had been blown around on my Friday ride to work after a difficult week, I'd had a disappointing ride last weekend in the Bert Christian Memorial promoted by my own Notts & East Midlands VTTA on the A46 just South of Newark, I'd given myself an easy week and hope for a sprightly and encouraging ride with the World Masters only two weeks away but my time and more importantly my performance was brittle and lackluster in the windy conditions, my time was average but crucially I went back on most of the riders I performed well against in the Stone Whs and the BTTC the week before so I was plunged into a gloomy week of what ifs and maybes about my form and fitness, two weeks after the BDCA '100' I should be solid but I was up and down the gears unable to settle and in the end my frustratingly fragile ride started to eat away at my confidence. I have to kept the faith, no more fitness to gain no, from here on in it was all going to be about condition and self help, no trainer to turn to I just think about what I have been taught and what I have learned

For the Saturday I am blessed with a wonderful autumn day, I go out for an hour after breakfast, quit hard on my legs but Its the only warm up they will get, the start is fast and to hit this event too hard could mean I pay later when I need it in the last ten miles
There is a dusting of rain as I sit with my coffee and compose my thoughts, I'm one of the last so most of the other riders are out on their effort, now like the calm before the storm. I sit at the side of the road waiting my turn, a bus pulls into the lay by where we are starting from just thirty feet in front (it's not a bus stop!) Is this a sign? Am I to be blocked and baulked today? I start and get on with the race

My legs feel good, 19:27 for the first ten miles dropping to the dog leg to Rocester which is slower B roads and two new roundabouts and I get baulked a bit on a couple of these so 21:38 but once back on the A50 I'm still feeling good 20:23 and the far turn at 31 miles comes up with no problem. Shortly after Charles Taylor (South Pennine) the National '100' champion and my five minute man steamed past, I do not look at my splits in the race these days, too much information and it spoils the race if you are going badly so either he's going well or I'm having another dismal day (when I look at it later I'm over 29mph to this point) 21:51 and I still save a bit for the 'Mountain' looming in the distance, It's getting near dusk and the light makes the speed feel deceptive, always feels faster and all I have to do is not overdo it on the series of ramps that make up the last ten miles, each one increasingly harder and as you press your body for more as you reach your threshold for pain and lactic acid fills every sinew of your legs, at one point when the pain is the worst I glance down and see my speed at 20.5pmh! How can I be going so slow? It's not encouraging and my advantage is slipping away. As the end is near, going over the top is the worst though, as you try and pick up the pace again, you need to have a masochist streak, nobody to see or encourage you just you and your self inflicted suffering

With less than a mile to go Robert Hayes from the promoting club catches me for a minute, he must have been chasing me up the final drags using me as a target, he was only 10 seconds up at the far turn but has come back better, that's what catching a rider can do but once past me he slumps a bit and I am able to go past him and cross the line. 22:34 for the final split so I lost about a minute on that section over most of the return (the winner 20:07 So you can see where he gets the power down) 1:45:56 is a seventeen second beating of my previous best and always satisfying to go into another minute, from being a forty six man into a forty five man. Great feeling!
Charles Taylor has pounded back to 1:37:33  but he has been beaten by 'Scratch man'  Adam Topham (High Wycombe) 1:37:19 to seal the BBAR for the third year Richard Bideau (Pendle Forest) 1:39:34 surely the first rider to do +30mph in his first 10, 25 and 50
I'm happy with a PB and a club record for the ninth time in seven years on seven different courses o7ò


Manchester Whs. '50' - Tommy Barlow Memorial Result

Nottingham & East Midlands VTTA '25' - Bert Christian Memorial Result

Leicester Win! - Stone Whs '25' - British Circuit Champs

Fastest of the year 51:45

I have a rest day after the '100' and I have done five sessions in five days coming up to a double header, the last ride was a 'recovery' to scout Sundays course for the RTTC National Circuit Championships up in the Charnwood Forest but by the time I've ridden there and back to work and done a lap of the course it's nearly 50 miles so not the best preparation for what I hope will be my fastest '25' of the year. The Stone Wheelers event a bit of a Curates Egg of a race on the reverse direction of the speedy Etwall course but over the years it has produces some speedy times despite finishing up the Concrete Mountain. Weather is looking favourable with the unusual East wind blowing us back the best conditions for this event

I have asked for an 'early' to facilitate as much recover as possible, some riders do it (apparently) to get more favourable conditions if they have local knowledge about the weather or say like today when Leicester now back in the Premiership are playing Stoke a mere bus ride away up the A50! And they think there will be lots of coaches returning from the match at a certain time

Andy Jackson's Falco

The race goes well, Its a bit harder going out than anticipated 10:25 and 9:32 put me level with my recent PB '10' time but the turn is slow here with two roundabouts and a drag back up to the main road 10:31 but once back onto the DC its fast 10:15 and I'm level with my best but It cannot sustain that pace and even though I average over 27mph up the Mountain I am left with 51:45. There are some cracking times though and I wonder where the winner Simon Wilson (Wheelbase) put 4 minutes into me! 47:43 just ahead of Andy Jackson (Swift) 47:43 and Richard Bideau (Pendle Forest) 48:32 all break the old course record, The latter his first open '25' but then he did 18:35 in his first event! the Charity '10' on the V718

As i returned from the event I was passed by two dozen buses with Leicester scarves in the window, first win of the season

Can't miss it!

I have second thoughts about Sundays ride and put 53-44 on my bike as the course is just too hard for a 50 inner and the fast sections not long enough to get the benefit out of a 'Dinner Plate'. HQ is Bardon and I find a quite corner of the car park to do 20 minutes on the rollers, legs feel remarkably good considering the pounding they took in the last five miles yesterday but that's improved fitness as well. As I ride up to the start I bump into my old friend Andrew, he has taken a few hours off to ride out and support me, I'm in a bit of a pre-race frame of mind so I hope he does not think I'm rude, its difficult to be easy going and race ready at the same time Fiona knows well enough to leave me alone in the hours (and days) coming up to a big event but I've had a good result yesterday so I can afford to have a bit of a chat. The start is one of the highest points in this part of the country and you have a panoramic view of the National Forest (most of its oak cut down to make the Tudor fleet but Abraham Derbys' smelting process took its toll of this area and its now has several large quarry's now the mining at nearby Coalville has ceased)

Waiting for the Off

The course has an uphill start (inner ring!) but then drops for the next few miles and my speed is over 40mph I dare not look down at my computer above that on aero bars as the road surface not the best. A left turn and the course is 'Rolling' I should have done my practise lap at nearer race pace as its difficult to get my tempo right over all these obstacles and the final part is up a steep hill and I'm in too big a gear and its not so smooth for all the spectators who have gathered here. There are a few cheers of "Go on Colin" well it is my local event, I didn't realise I was so well known. The second lap I get better, smaller gears, attacking the slopes and over the top, my legs feel OK but I think my HR is down as I lack that extra bit of power to smooth out the effort and get the best out of myself, it's all preparation and practise so no matter how well you focus performance suffers
In the end my time is about what I'd expect so after yesterday that's a bonus, I'm second in my 50-54 age group behind Kevin Tye (Velorefiners) who has won this six years in a row (and World age related TT Champ last year) so its to be expected, Michael Hutchinson, now 40! is the fastest of the Veterans and second Overall 43:17 Best on standard is 63 year old Chris Scawn (Plymouth Corinthian) 46:14 (+12:56) I'm 14th overall and 13th on standard
Fastest is 'Man of the Season' Matt Bottrill (drag2zero) racing on virtually local roads 41:50, a tie for 3rd place between Dave Crawley (Wrexham) and Brett Harwood (Terry Wright) and 4th Russell Hampon (Athlon Sport) only a second back so almost a three way! o7ò



Stone Wheelers 25 Result

RTTC British Circuit Champs Result

Don't Panic! - BDCA 100

I have a one time opportunity for a hundred this year, it's the BDCA on my local course near Uttoxeter, it's also the last chance for any aspiring BBAR riders to make an improvement so the field which is limited to ninety riders is stuffed with fast riders wanting to make a difference to their season

Indigestion at the start

As its my one and only '100' I have to take a cautious approach to the effort and I have to get around to qualify a ride for my VTTA (Vets) BAR, the weather has been looking good all week and come the day its cool and light wind from the North which will make a cross wind most of the time, good for this course. It begins to rain as Fiona and i drive to the HQ at Etwall, Fi is my helper for the day and as one of the more experienced ones has numerous other WAGS to help with their duties of handing up bottles and 'hollering' from the sidelines. Fi does not come to many races these days but the course here has a dog leg off the 
main road which makes an excellent staging post for support where she can see me 5-6 times in the race and have access to nice toilets and a McFlurry from the facilities on the main road.

Steady on the way out (10m)

I get under way at one o'clock and after a few more spots of rain it turns into a glorious day with even some sunshine later in the race, difficult to know what to eat for a mid day effort, breakfast was hours ago and I need to keep eating up to the race as with a four hour effort you can easy run out of energy. Riders these days sustain themselves on almost a liquid diet albeit with carbohydrate added and gels on top, you might get a fancy for a banana but with times ever faster you are on the road for less and its a balancing act. I have half a sausage sandwich, BIG mistake!
I trundle out along the A50, I have a schedule for 3:52 a time I have not achieved for a couple of seasons so I need to get up the far end (25m) in 57 minutes (that's over 26mph Av.) to get to half way inside 1:54 so no hanging around. I have Ian Greenstreet (Newbury RC) 4 minutes behind to keep an eye on, we race track and TT's together, he beats me in the shorter ones but in recent years he's started beating me at the longer distances, we are the same age and been racing since the 70's, we go back a long way! I can feel that sandwich working its way back up! Thankfully I have to drink plenty in the first hour to get ahead with my liquid feeding and after a while the sausage admits defeat and retreats to my stomach. Sometimes you have to have to train your constitution as well as your legs

At the Blythe Bridge turn Ian is only 10-15 seconds up and my legs feel good, 25 miles come up soon after (55:40) unfortunately my tyres feels a bit soft, Its one of those things that I cannot tell if its the front or the back or both! but it feels a bit suspect. I carry on to the dog leg to Rocester, Fi will give me a bottle on the way back, I should have told her to get a wheel but I have been flying down the mountain at break neck speed (40mph) and It still feels OK, however going around the small Rocester roundabout I can tell it will not last, in fact it almost bottoms out. Ian is only another 15 seconds up so I have to get to the car without an impact puncture. There's lots of cars all of a sudden and handling the bike is tricky on the narrow aero bars and a softening tyre, I have to go up a gritty channel the inside of a long row of cars. Please don't puncture! I see Fiona and divert to the car, the spares are pumped up and I grab a bottle as well, I loose maybe a minute or more but my heart is racing and I need to get back on the course, I pass a couple of riders I have passed already and I have to stop myself panicking and going too hard, its only 40 miles gone and the hardest part to come.

Pete with the bottle, me with the flat (35m)

In the haste to get a wheel my computer is now not registering so I only have the daytime and heart rate, I go through 50 miles and Ian is now less than two minutes behind (1:50:05 - but I don't know this) I am more composed and its the second lap so I know what I am up against and I just press on. Back up at the far turn Ian is only 20 seconds behind, either I have slowed or he has chased me down, I use my HR to make sure my effort on the mountain has been progressive and not too feeble but still I have to stick with my race as Ian powers past seemingly going several miles per hour faster. Ian's best is not inside 3:50 and he has caught me for at least 2 maybe 3 minutes at 75 miles I seem to be on schedhule. I pick up going down the mountain as I know that the hardest part of the race is over, I have taken a couple of gels and I have another to get me to the finish, I have two bottles and I drain them both before the Rocester roundabout, Ian is about 40 seconds up but I still feel good and I take a final bottle of water from Fiona.
Now getting back on the A50 I see a rider in front, my vision is a bit blurry but he has unusual white overshoes like Ian, another couple of miles and every uphill I gain a good deal, as I approach I see it is Ian, overcooked it catching me and now paying the price in a bad way, I pass him but he passes me back and we get into a bit of a race. I don't want to get into a race situation I just need to finish,

Fiona shows how to hand up a bottle in style (85m)

It's a shame as I feel good but the onus is on the caught rider to drop back in these situations. This is an important race and there are observers out to see that the racing is fair and above board, already this year one of my counting events has had a 'pacing' inquest which delays the result while the whole thing is investigated. I drop back 20 seconds and just bring my race home, I hope I have a good enough time to improve my Vets Standard and my clock suggests I'm ten minutes inside my four hours but sometimes these things are out if your watch does not tarry with the timekeepers, it can be minutes out.
The first indication that things might be better than expected is that Ian says he has taken 10 minutes off his PB 3:41:34 , so that makes me close to my PB four and a half minutes down even with a delay. 3:46:13 is less than 20 seconds off a PB set six years ago, I never thought I would attain that sort of result on a diet of ninety minute rides and hardly any long distance racing. Its over 26.5 mph all the way, I have given myself a week to write about this as I was a bit depressed at going so close I got it a bit out of proportion what a good ride I had done. With all racing seconds are the battle and when you give them away cheaply its hard to take when you have done all the work but don't have the result, I had a better result than I planned or hoped for but. Still not satisfied? What's wrong with me?

'Baz' Charlton on his way to 25mph ride (with Fiona)

Mind you when I look at the other times coming in it is evident that it is a super fast day BBAR elect Adam Topham (High Wycombe) 3:26:44 is the third fastest of all time and there are a slew of PB's to match. Best of all was Barry (Baz) Charlton (Swinnerton Cycles) breaking competition record on a trike, and being the first rider inside four hours, a little harsh on Dave Keene who set the record in 1996 with 4:00:01 but Barry's 3:58:19 almost gives him the set with '10', '25', '30' & 12 Hr. only Glen Longland's 50 mile eludes him and that may be how it stays as he announced that the trike had been sold and he'd bought himself a new Giant 'Trinity'

I have to be satisfied with having a near nine minute improvement in my VTTA plus to 1:12:30 which should boost my 3 distance if I can improve my '50' in a couple of weeks on the same course o7ò

Pictures - Martin Purser/Fiona



BDCA result VeloUK

Early Morning Ride Video

Music - Propellerheads - Winning Style

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

Bikes of the Day

Main Course - National '10'

Training bike 'Lloydy'

Traditionally the National 10 Mile Time trial is the first big event of the 'Testing' season but this year its at the tail end and on the fastest course in the country or a version of it, the powers that be decided for reasons of their own to turn it off the fast dual carriageway and do the last mile along a bumpy B road so that it can finish near the headquarters, this will entail riders to negotiate a slip road a turn and a roundabout (together) when coming to the end of their ride so should be interesting. My last four rides on the traditional version of this course 20:08, 20:07 last season 20:13 and 20:08 this season so while I am informed that I have not experienced it under 'Superfast' conditions (apparently) they have been consistently fast. Now when I saw the National was going to be the tail end of the season a month or so before the World Championships my major objective of the year I planned to target the event as the start of the build up to the main course.

Oldskool style (and time) 23:38 (Pic Taceys Photos)

By way of preparation I had a full Bank Holiday of riding, first the local Leicester Forest CC '10' on A46 Six Hills. and then the VTTA National '25' at Newmarket on the Sunday early! They had tried to run this earlier in the season and it was cancelled half way completed by one of those torrential rainstorms in June. I had not entered the original event, this was to be a complete re-run.

Winner - Matt Sinclair 19:46

I rode a single fixed in both events my steel 'David Lloyd' (Lloyd'y), a modest 92" on my training bike with 'non aero' as there was a Road bike prize and I did not want to stuff my legs, it was important to get two hard rides without overdoing it as this would be my first back to back racing of the season. The only race wheels I have for the Saturday are over 30 years old 28 spoke Campag SF, my best track wheels in the day, elliptical spokes and super-light Argent 10 rims (can you feel the nostalga?), the front tyre (a Clement No6) still shellacked on (Google it!) for that real Oldskool experience. Advanced in their day but would I be able to compete with geared riders on their carbon aero road biked and wheels (No Disc or Tri bars allowed)

'Bands' get an outing

I wanted to change the bars and stem to get a better racing position (on the drops!) but the stem stuck fast, I did a nice warm-up on the rollers and it felt great that gear spinning around at 110 RPM. The race however was another thing, strong cross-winds made it tough both ways on the DC section, some were having problems with their deep rims, not me on my 'skinny' Mavics. I was off number 50 so I knew I would be caught by David Mead (Hinckley CRC) who usually beats me by half a minute or so in the Tuesday evening 10's but without the aero aids he was on me at half distance. To be fair I struggled in the conditions and did not get into my riding even though I was not over-geared and even the fast last 3 miles was a struggle, my time 23:38 only good enough for half way down the 100 rider field but I did manage to get third on the Road bike event and got my entry back, so a result of sorts I don't think I could have bothered the winner Matt Sinclair (Lutterworth) 19:46 by a second from Brett Harwood (Terry Wright RC)


On the Sunday I rode my Pursuit/Fixed Time Trial bike an alloy Cervelo SL which is 'Super Lite'  it comes in only 80 grams over the UCI minimum weight for bikes and makes a lovely 'stiff' TT bike and this was the first time this year I've stepped the gear up to 106" (56 x 14). The conditions for the 6.30 start were not ideal (cold, windy and early!) at least I was off in the last half hour (125) and had time for a 10 mile warm up on the roads this time as the organisers did not want riders disturbing the locals with Turbo's or Roller's at this un-earthly hour.

VTTA 'NuSkool' (Pic Kimroy)

It was a bit of a struggle going out, I could see I was not handling the uphill sections on the bigger gear and then not able to take advantage of the downhill until the way back when I got into my stride and managed a 30mph last five mile split (9:47) But I'd lost too much over the rest of the ride my dad's maxim "You only ever loose time!" ringing in my ears, still 53:30 good enough for 10th overall but only 16th on VTTA Standard (+14:56) Defending Champion Rob Pears (Pro Cycling) went fastest 49:46 at only a year younger than my 25 years but could not match the 'Old Guys' and 6th on Std +18:18. Local 84 year old Eric Marsh (Cycles Uno) +22:11 was the winning plus (1:03:21) over a minute ahead of Scot Derek Stewart (Deeside Thistle) a mere youngster at 78 with 58:22 but Brian Sunter (Condor RC) 54:33 at 71 only good enough for third +20:03

These are the times you need to win at this level, Rob Pears would have to break Competition Record to win today, on a slower/harder course where he is on the roads longer and the 'Old Geezers' suffer more power loss than the younger man they are clear winners even though the Standards have been adjusted (from their 1943 original) in the past few years to allow the younger man to be more competitive as riders are better even though they are getting older.

So the National '10' is this Sunday and I'm off just before 2.00pm No 55 of the 150 man field (Juniors and Ladies at Alcester) so that means there are 95 riders faster than me at the present time (or the time of entering, rider No 2 did a 19:11 in the Swift Charity '10' on the Championship course last week!) so a place in the top 50 could be considered a good one. I would still like to break Roger Hammonds club record 19:49 but that would require half a mile per hour improvement in speed to shave off the twenty odd seconds (two a mile!) needed to go from my personnel best. I would like to be within two minutes of the winner, the last time I managed that of last man Michael Hutchinson was 2010 on the windiest day I have ever raced and that too was on the V718, he just scraped a 30mph ride with 19:57 and I did 21:34 so maybe I should wish for tough conditions but that would mean my ambition for the club record would go out the window and it seems like I have been trying to attain that for most of the ten years since I came back to racing

The march of time

If you look at my times over that time, there have been a few 'wobbles' but I have steadily got faster over the years, despite the encroaching age I still feel I can do it. Roger was a 21 year old recently crowned World Champion and had all the same aero advantages that we have today (aero bars, helmet and disc wheel) but had to negotiate the six roundabouts on the Rusper course (twice) to achieve the feat. I think he was studying at Brunel University when he was racing in the club, going over to Belgium to race in the summer months and I do remember him and Steve Gowar riding (& winning) the Divisional Road Race Championships around Lingfield in SWRC colours circa 1993. I however am also a newly crowned World Champion and when I saw him at the BC dinner where he was being invested into the 'Hall of Fame' I had a quite word with him and shook his hand hoping a bit of Hammond magic would rub off.  o7ò

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