Bring it on........................

Going back to review the tail end of the season, it seems like a long time ago to the National '10' but the day after I had an unusual occurrence a TT win! I rode the Coalville Whs 2 up (one rider a Vet - that's me) on the BH with Kelvin Southan (MG Decor) and we trounced the somewhat limited field due the the torrential rain on the tricky Gryffydam course (18.64m) used for last years CTT circuit Champs going over a minute faster than I did solo 45:44. Second place went to 'Roadmen' Jon Knapp/Andy Eagers (Derby Mercury) and Robert Stephenson/Neil Taylor of the promoting club who tied on 47:11

A day out at the BDCA

I did another wet Tuesday evening '10' (third in three days!) before lining up for the BDCA '100' on the following Saturday, this is a season target as a qualifying event for the VTTA BAR. At least I have a '100' under my belt (4:08:25 in the Anfield) but I was hoping to go considerably faster here on the smooth tarmac of the A50. I had felt a bit under the weather (all that rain) but I think with the big events you are able to stave off a few niggles but this is the start of an important few weeks as my recent block of training brings something to the speed game I hope to set a few PB's and even a Club record in the next month. Only hope my grumbled don't develop and I crash and burn, such is the fine line between pushing your body to the limit and not over it.

 I had a massage the day before as a treat, but it was probably a mistake not to do a ride or have it the day before as I could feel it in my legs all through the race and while it felt like the onset of cramp none materialised at all. I usually expect a few twinges in the last  ten miles as to push your legs into the red but I held back a bit and did not go as hard over the first half as I possible could have. 1:51:56 for the first '50' was still good. There was a North wind so it was pretty cold and several riders suffered from the cold in the second half, where your body generates less heat through the reduced effort and once the core temperature drops so does performance

Adam Topham (High Wycombe) the reigning BAR and in need of a good time as the BAR elect Richard Bideau (Pendle Forest) had broken the Competition Record for the distance a month before (3:18:54 - that's 30.1659 mph Av.!) he started 5 minutes behind me and came past at 23 miles going lickety-spit I get around on only the two (500ml) bottles of carb mix and two caffeine gels so I carry a third of water for extra weight and Fiona does give me a half bottle of coffee which does both jobs with 25m to go
I did relatively the same ride as last year 3:46:53 and only a minute off my PB, the difference was the number of riders going faster, I dropped from 17th this year to 24th, a ride like that 5-6 years ago would have garnered a top ten (even a top 6 in a BBAR event) Lots more younger riders in the event and some amazing times, The wheels came off Topham's effort in the second half but he still recorded 3:22:40 but he was beaten by the National Champion Charles Taylor (S Pennine) 3:21:31 the second and third fastest 100's of all time. Joe Skipper a 27 year old Tri Professional came in third 3:33:41

N & EM VTTA '25' Bert Christian Memorial - 54:03

I had a week to recover before the Stone Whs '25' a long time favourite at the end of the season traversing the same roads as the '100' it descends the 'Concrete Mountain' at the far end giving some of the fastest splits that get riders excited until the prospect of the ascent and if your effort is badly paced then a lot of pain to go with a dismal time. I try and keep it steady at the start but 9:26 is still well over 30mph so 8:50 is only slightly off 34mph and 10:07 through the turn without getting too out of breath, it looks to good to be true. And it is 11:50 looks pedestrian by comparison as you come into the Westerly wind but still only just outside 30mph for 20m. The CM is too long even to max out on, it goes up in stages and you have to go in and out of the red like intervals, not great for Old'uns 12:13 is the straw that broke the camels back and I finish with 52:28, fastest of the year by nearly two minutes and good enough for 13th in a classy field as the pure speed-men wilt on the hard return. Alex Royal (Army CU) wins in 48:17 but he is the only 30mph rider Lee Suthard (Weaver Valley) 50:33 and wile old fox Jon Surtees (Swift) 50:51
I had a dilemma a week later, to improve my '25' or my '50' time, Sat was an afternoon event on a new fast course in potentially warm (Indian summer again) but having done a 52 in the Stone Whs could I go better? I also could improve my relatively slow '50' more than a few minutes off my PB, last year I broke the CR in the Manchester event on the A50 (Again! ) But the Wheelers finally decided to stop promoting this end of season Classic as there are 'issues' with promoting so far away from their base. Events need fast (& safe) coursed to be popular but sometimes getting the support is difficult and another late season banker relatively close is replaced with an overnight stop for (potentially cold) Sunday early Breckland over at Attleborough on the A11.

In the end I do both, It's sunny and hot alright but just too windy again to better my 52 but I do my second fastest of the year 54:03, all my time was lost in the first half and I was playing catch-up in the second as I head for 7th. Ian Guilor (Mapperley CC) 51:42 wins it from Ian Dalton (Cherry Valley) 52:03 and Adam Coffey (Alford Whs) 52:06 close behind in third. Ron Hallam (S Pennine) sets an age Std. record for 85 years 1 :03:23 that's a +23:32 needless to say he won from 60 years young Geoff Platts (MG decor) who could still bash out a 52:57 for forth overall but still not be within five minutes of Ron on Std.

'Big' Ron Hallam (S Pennine) 1:03:23 at 85

 The next morning I am up at 4am staying with the Hopkins in Kings Lynn to lessen the travel and Peter who has been away from racing this season will be my 'second' and hand me a bottle If I need it. As it turns out its very cold, only made better by the lack of wind. this is what we used to call a 'float' but its too cold to get going  and while I give it everything from the gun and I get the better of the wind which rises
 later I can only go through 25m in 54:14. Adam Topham has another chance to retain his slipping BBAR crown having failed last week in the Yorkshire RC event to overtake Bideau by .009mph with an amazing 1:38:10 (the fastest of the year) here he was again with another tilt, he sure was going down fighting. In the end he went back another two minutes 1:40:08 but still a 30mph ride on a cold morning. I was one of the early starters and my 12th place 1:49:48 was my fastest of the year by a handful of seconds. Peter Harrison (GS Henly) and Ian Holbrook (Stone Whs) also looking to improve their top 10 BBAR places with 1:44:20 and 1:45:06 respectively

The Mercia '30' is my final TT of the year and a few days before the World Masters Track, I've been off the bike for a week with a bad head-cold so my 'taper' for the Masters has started early but all the work is done and I just need to recover from my malade and the Mercia event on my favourite A50 will give me an indication if I am over the worst. I have done three evening Track League meetings at the new Derby Velodrome in preparation for the Masters so I'm hoping a bit of track speed will rub off on my TT'ing (but more of TL later in the year) I've not ridden a '30' for a couple of seasons, a bit of a curates egg of an event but today there are two! The Leo is a traditional Record breaking event on the A14 at Newmarket and this year it has been revised and much is expected but just too far to go when you need to be resting up. I set the Club Record here before and I will need to go close to my season '25' time to beat it.

This has the benefit at least of being mid afternoon and its mild and windless, I try and keep a lid on my 'good legs' gears down a bit so I hit all the tough sections hard and the 'dog leg' to Doveridge which give us the extra five miles is a tough section with a bad road surface. We get a brief rest bite coming back to the A50 as the wind seems tougher than expected but on the A50 trans-versing the Midlands the direction is crucial and the direct Westerly today is blowing down the gully of a road making life and faster speed difficult. 33 minutes to 15 miles is not auspicious 27mph but then things begin to turn and so does my speed. I come back at a few seconds over 30mph and break the Club record by seven seconds 1:03:16 10th place. Steve Irwin (N Lanc RC) is the winner 57:46 and the only 30mph all the way (31.1598 mph actually) followed by local Baz Charlton (lyme RC) 1:00:22 and Paul Flemming another half minute back in third 1:00:52

There were more spectacular results in the Leo event, Stuart Birnie the long distance specialist who I'd put over five minutes into last week in the Breckland 1:00:47 and ten riders inside the 'hour'. Winner Matt Smith (Velocity) 56:49 thirty years ago that would have been a good result for a '25' The topping on the cake , my good friend Rachael Elliott (Newbury RC) broke Competition Record for the distance 1:03:29 beating the 1999 time of Jill Reams by a minute and a half, a sound beating! o7ò


BDCA 100 Result here

Stone Whs 25 Result here

Breckland 50 Result here

Mercia 30 Result here

Leo 30 Result here

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