Newport Weekender

I rushed down to Newport Thursday afternoon to see the much anticipated BC Time Trial Champs around Celtic Manor, by the time I got there it was raining and a walk up the steep (1:4) road to the resort/start/finish gave some indication of the task on the 13 mile course covered twice and the information that the hill up the other side to the 2011 Ryder Cup course was steeper!

Wiggins catches Bottrill for 2 minutes at 11 miles

There were quite a few non starters on the ramp but all the favourites were here Millar, Dowsett, Geraint, amateur Bottrill and of course Wiggins smarting from being left out of Team Sky's TdF team. Jayson Boutell (Velopro) set the early pace off No 2. 30:02 for the first lap and then Russell Hampton (Athlonsport)  the first man inside thirty minutes with 29:34, Team Raleigh Mark Christian 29:01 bettered that. The favorites came through as the rain hammered down Bottrill already caught for 2 minutes by 'Wiggo' who was storming came through in 28:51 Luke Rowe 28:34, Wiggins 26:29  a good 30 seconds clear of the Welshman 'G' 27:07 and final rider Dowsett 27:32. Millar had already packed by this time feeling unwell and picked off by 'G'

'Wiggomania'

In the final analysis Wiggins was too powerful for all the other contenders on a course not best suited to the bigger rider, Ex National Hill Climb Champion Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughan) said to me at the finish the hill was so steep that in the rain out the saddle his back wheel was slipping and in the saddle he was pulling a 'Wheely' up the climb. His time 53:56 was well ahead of 'G' and defending Champion Dowsett who was under the weather but put up a good defence

1 Bradley Wiggins Sky ProCycling 26:29 53:56
2 Geraint Thomas Sky ProCycling 27:07 55:04 @ 1:08
3 Alex Dowsett Movistar 27:32 55:17 @ 1:21
4 Luke Rowe Sky ProCycling 28:34 56:55 @ 2:59
5 James McLaughlin Guidon Chalettois 28:24 57:16 @ 3:20
6 Matt Bottrill www.drag2zero.com 28:51 58:03 @ 4:07
7 Mark Christian Team Raleigh 29:01 58:12 @ 4:16
8 Russell Hampton Athlon Sport – Cloud 9 Telecom 29:34 59:15 @ 5:19
9 Joe Perrett Team Raleigh 29:26 59:29 @ 5:33
10 Gruffudd Lewis Pedal Heaven-Colbornes 29:54 1:00:11 @ 6:15

Earlier in the day Emma Pooley (VC Norwich) won the women's event in 30:18 by nearly a minute fron Pearl Izumi pair of Kate Archibald and Dame Sarah Storey. In the Espoire event 18 year old Scott Davis (Madison) 27:45 (Only beaten by three of the Elite) he won by over a minute from Owen Doull (AN Post) and Dan McLay (Lotto) who had plenty of practice beating me in recent Tuesday evening 10's.

1 Emma Pooley VC Norwich 00:30:18
2 Katie Archibald Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International 00:30:57
3 Dame Sarah Storey Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International 00:31:09

1 Scott Davies Madison Genesis 00:27:45
2 Owain Doull An Post – Chain Reaction 00:28:09
3 Daniel Mclay Lotto-Belisol U23 00:28:44

Essentially I was here to ride the British Masters Track at Newport Velodrome, I had the Scratch race on the saturday afternoon, no heats and only a 30 lap final which plays into the sprinters hands so it was essential that the race was hard. Ralph Carter (London Dynamo) had a long solo break after 10 laps and we left him out there until Peter Ettles (Sandy Wallace) made the connection to him too dangerous to let go so I helped close the gap and we were all together with 10 to go.

At six to go Ian Greenstreet who had been very quite made a solo break and had fifty meters and the bunch was in a line about to break apart, there was a brief regrouping Ettles went after the leader and when local Courtney Rowe (Cardiff Jif) and father of  Sky pro Luke took up the charge for the line with two to go I was on Sprint winner Adrian Dent's (Team Terminator) wheel in forth in the bunch, thinking I had the perfect spot when without warning he swung out of the line unable to take the pace any longer, I was lucky not to come down and lost a few lengths which I only had just over a lap to close and by the time I got up to Courtney's wheel the race was over the line. Ettles the winner from Greenstreet and my racing pal Adrian Ward (Shaftsbury) Bronze coming around the tireing Welshman and I was 5th.

The next morning I had the Pursuit, I was still a bit 'shocked' from my first track race of the year (could have done with a heat!) my time 2:30.421 only good enough for 7th behind Ettles Mark Wiffen (Tavistock Whs) and defending Champion Greenstreet. Now Wiffen a man on the comeback trail had placed second in the Sprint on the Friday and was having a go at everything, I knew the name as an Ex Leicester  Zenith rider and a handy pursuiter in his day but the remarkable thing about his ride was that he did it on without Aero bars just took the spacers out to get a lower position, the 'Ride of the Weekend' for me.

50-54 PointsResult

In the afternoon we had the 15KM Points (60 laps - 6 sprints) race, always a favourit for me and a chance for me to use my stregnth as the race progressed and after a few hard races. I sat out the first couple of sprints which were terifically hard fought Carter and Ettles taking an early lead. Because there were only twelve entries our race had been combined with the 55-59 race making a round twenty and it was the Pursuit winner Graham Barclay (Team Leslie) from this age group that took a flyer away on his own, I went after him and settled until Ettles got up to me and we shared the points as another group of five making two groups on either side of the track. This group of eight eventually lapped the field but I missed out on the next set of points as a rider from the bunch was away so I had no option if I wanted a medal to go for the final sprint as I knew I did not have enough points from my sprints although I had twenty from gaining a lap.

50-54 Points Podium

So without hesitation and with nine laps left I attacked again, I'd attacked after every sprint to keep the break away so one more time and I made sure I had nobody with me for while its nice to have company it can complicate things when you just need to go flat out. Within three laps I was half a lap up and I saved a bit from then on as I knew gaining a lap was not possible and the finish would be tight, as It was I held out without trouble speeding up on the last lap to hold off a speeding Ettles and Carter who ahd taken the Silver and Gold, I held the Bronze on 'countback' over Steve Clayton (Litchfield) with the same points but by virtue of my better placing in the final sprint

During the lunch hour we had dashed out to see the BC Professional Road Race come through Celtic Manor after an hour of racing, Luke Rowe was off the front the bunch was already well split up and Geraint who had un-shipped his chain on the hill was chasing like mad (he did so for the rest of the race) o7ò

Bronze Boys

BC Time Trial Report

BC Road Race Report

Lap it up!

So you get to bed at one O'clock and rise at six after the most momentous day of your racing career, thinking you have no more to add but I still have a point to prove.

Steve Clayton takes some points in one of the
ferocious sprints o7ò

The Points race is my favourite event and with the confirmation from my brother that he had never seen me win a race in the style of the night before. Phil had spent the last lap thinking I had blown my chance victory would slip by once more. Thanks brother! No heats in the morning so we could all slope off to get a bit more rest, Adrian was not riding, he was off after almost grabbing a World medal, with no racing for ten weeks and a chest implant and other undesirable interruptions to his season he had finally diagnose a heart fibrillation issue he has had since childhood. He has the satisfaction of heart surgery to come and the knowledge he will be back stronger next year

Going for broke in the break

The reality was that I got ten minutes lie down before the evening session and only ten minutes on the track Claire (Hands on Recovery) gave my legs a rub in her new occupation as a masseuse, the last time we met I was screaming down the A50 in the BDCA '100' "Go Claaaaaaaaaaaaire!"

It's ten O'clock at night before the twenty four riders take the starters gun, I have only one plan wait until the last third of the sixty lap race, ignore four of the six sprints and then go for broke and gain a lap. A lap gain is worth ten points and that might be enough to get me a medal, last year I had seven points the same as the third place rider, but he had gained a lap in the race. I figured after last night I would be marked out the race, so it was "Shit or Bust" (it's a plumbing term!) as my dad would say, I always go better at the end of the race. The first two sprints are red hot anyway, I just have to mark the breaks and make sure nothing gets away so I roll through a few times to make sure the speed does not slow.

Result!

Past the middle of the race, my legs are getting twitchy and I go for some points with twenty to go but I only place fourth and with a rider ahead I strike out, this is my time to go and it takes me two laps to find a lull in the pace to break from the pack and get up the 'road'. I catch two riders Gerry Cross (Manchester Whs) and Nigel Stephens (Finchley RC - Adrian's heart consultant, always good to know there's a doctor on board!) I know I cannot take a lap on my own so I pitch in with them, we do half laps but its a bit slow, I'm chomping at Gerry's heels every turn but i have to bide my time, we have a third of a lap and getting onto the next sprint. I lead out for a full lap and take the points, we almost have the bunch at a third of a lap and I begin to calculate can I get across the gap on my own before the end, the bunch will speed up with three to go and we will not bridge the lap so I have to go soon. But when?

Final Sprint - (Pic Steve Walton) o7ò

The bunch splits ahead and they draw away, I think I have to go, then it comes together and we are in the same straight, one more turn and we are on, five to go, I have my lap now I need to get up for the final sprint, my place may be down to how high up the finish I am so I head straight for the front just as the wind up for the final sprint begins, I have no time to gather my breath or thoughts at this stage its truly 'eyeballs out' Toth my lucky Canadian leads again (Damn! he's good) I come over the top, over Ettles the European Champion and I place second, a couple of riders up the track but I've done what I set out to do, I have absolutely no idea who has won, where I am placed?

My breakaway companion Dr Stephens
 Bronze and Silver for GB o7ò

As I circle the track brother Phil holds up two fingers, is it second? it is second! UNBELIEVABLE! Perfect tactics, from me and only last years Champion has beaten me, Stephane Le Beau the Canadian, he went for the lap just before me and mopped up the points ahead of me, he gained a lap on his own! And then attacked at the end to get second at the finish What a rider, What a Boy.

My position last year Gerry Cross 4th place o7ò

The Doctor has taken the Bronze by virtue of one more point on the penultimate sprint, Gerry is 4th he did a valiant ride but loses out this time. We are the only ones to take a lap, all other activity in the race is as if nothing, this race was won (not lost) in the last 20 laps, I think Le Beau had the same tactics as me but he can do it on his own, he is supreme in this respect.

The Podium - Parkinson with Le Beau (CAN) &
Dr Stevens (GB) o7ò

Stephane was second in the Individual Pursuit an event he won last year, he and I pass pleasantries at the podium, we both have a Gold and Silver (he went on to get Bronze in the team Pursuit) I'd like to think my 8th in the Individual trumps his 18th in the Scratch but I'm happy to share top billing in this age group with this superb athlete, even more so when he tells me he goes up unto the 55-59 age group next year.

Silver smile o7ò

The British riders have done well, two medals here and two in the Scratch (six in the top seven) We miss out in the Pursuit Ian's 4th one down on last year Adrian Dent (Team Terminator) holds our end up in the other events with Silver in both the 500m TT and the Sprint (Gold in the Team Sprint)

I was convinced to ride the Cossavella 10 mile race to finish the Championships on the Saturday, it was a super fast race with all the best riders from the week in every age group. I just tried to keep well up but at one third distance one of the Argentineans (of which there were a few!) made a somewhat sudden and unusual blocking manoeuvre while one of his team mates was away and brought one of the Americans down, unfortunately I could not avoid him coming down the track and he took my back wheel away, I was sent tumbling into the infield in a heap. I got up quickly and was back in the race in no time after straightening my bars and finished with the main bunch after leading out the winner John McClelland to the bell as there was a genera consensus that we did not mind who won so long as it was not an Argentinean! Job done! o7ò

All Photo's Larry Hickmott - VeloUK

VeloUK - Day 6

MASTERS TRACK

Points Podium - cdp, McCaw and Cross

Like last year these series of events at the Newport Velodrome (Felodrome for Welsh speakers) were my first target of the season so while its nice to have a bit of racing in recent weeks with no pressure on the results here no place to hide as the best in the country come together to race for the Masters Track Titles. It's promoted by London based Graham Bristow (Norwood Paragon) who I've known since my early racing days, Graham has a passion for the track cycling (and for motor pacing in particular) and promotes the Good Friday meeting as his father did before him. Its always good to see some old faces Dave Rowe (34 Nomads) back on the track after a nasty fall at the Worlds Masters last year that saw him with bad neck injury, even though he had only been able to get back on the track in the last month here he was to give it his best which in his case is usually pretty top notch, not bad for a rider approaching his seventieth birthday.
I'm with Adrian Ward on the Friday as he is in the Sprint but has to sit it out after an arrhythmic attack just before his ride, It's something he's had all his life and has learn ed to control but when he has an episode and his PR goes up over 220BPM then he just has to take it easy (lie down basically). So this gave me the opportunity to watch some racing I do not usually see, I'm giving a hand to Dubai based and Ex Phoenix (Kent) rider Martin Stephens, he is second fastest qualifier with high hopes of a medal but looses out to defending Champion Ralph Carter (London Dynamo) in the semis. Also in the semis Brad Thurrell one of the outstanding sprinters of my youth making a comeback, Adrian Dent (Terminator) wins it from Scot Ivor Reid (Clachnacuddin CC) and Carter third in a three up final!
Adrian has a 500m TT the next morning so while I go out on the road he prepares for that, The champion as last year and a repeat of the sprint but this time Stephens getting an excellent Silver and Reid third. The 10Km Scratch race has the biggest field of the weekend with all the sprinters and endurance riders up on the track, 24 in total and Ettles (Sandy Wallace) is off from the gun like he never finished the 500m! So even though we've warmed up legs go to jelly until its under control, Nigel Stephens (Finchley RT) takes a flyer and is away for over 20 laps on his own, it's a tremendous effort and at one point is about to lap the field but once the bunch takes on some momentum he is pulled back inside the last 10 laps and its building for a sprint finish, Ian Greenstreet (Newbery RC) strikes for home a long way out but is brought back and I get into position in the last kilometre on local rider Courtney Rowe (Cardiff Jif - Father of Sky Pro Luke Rowe) Ettles leads out fast and hard and although Courtney has won this before does not have the speed to come over him, myself likewise further up the track with even further to travel can only manage third. Until we come to a halt and find that Steve Clayton (Litchfield City) had sneaked away in the brief lull and taken the win so I have to be satisfied with 4th.

On the Sunday I have a double helping of racing Pursuit in the morning Points in the afternoon (evening as it happens!) It's only 2Km but the most pain that can be had on a bike, short of hill climbing and being hung drawn and quartered, William Wallace chose the latter over a spin around Meadowbank. There's no defending Champion so as the runner up I get the home straight final heat, No Pressure! I'm up against Carter, Greenstreet bangs out a time that would have won last year in the second heat so I ignore the remainder and try to focus. In the gate the twelve seconds count down and you are away, the rise itself does not feel good at all. Why would you practise these? I'm glad it's over soon enough, I could tell I was down at the bell but in the end my time only 1/10 sec slower than last year, only good enough for 6th this time though Greenstreet wins it from Ettles and Clayton. All these riders have come into my age category this year, my one year grace from these tyrants which proffered excellent results last year is over, I have a job on my hands to compete with these guys now!

Our 15Km (60 laps) Points race is early evening, it's a long weekend of preparation and recovery for 6 sprints, there are allot of potential outcomes for this race so you have to have a plan, mine is to be as aggressive from half way and test the riders who are all feeling a bit jaded. There are attacks for the first two sprints Phil Watkins  (34 Nomads) and Steve McCaw (Sandy Wallace) take these but It does make the pace hard so I get my chance early and I'm away, the Pursuit winner Greenstreet gets up to me and we share the work and I take the win at the next points (ian says he is being generous), McCaw makes a fantastic effort to make the half lap we have gained. With three of the strongest riders it's inevitable that we will lap the field and we do so before the next sprint. I now have to mark these two as my main rivals for the medals, I get 2 points in the next sprint and the others miss out, I know it must be close between McCaw the Veteran Hour Record Holder and myself, I can only go for the final sprint as final placings count where riders are equal on points. In the lull Clayton and Jerry Cross (Manchester Whs) gain a lap but it is so quick They gain no points and I am only paying attention to the others. Greenstreet and then McCaw slip off the front by 50 meters but I hold my position as I know it will all come together for the sprint and I need to be in the mix to be up for the points and as we wind it up the two are swamped, I am on Rowe's shoulder (again!) and cannot overtake but good enough for 3rd place and 2 Pt's. In the final count I miss out by a point to McCaw that early win put him in a commanding position, Greenstreet looses out for the Bronze by being too far back in the final sprint and with 4th place and one point going to the Manchester man.
I really enjoy the racing here and a bit of success makes it all the better, It's hard and aggressive racing with no quarter given (apart from Ian in the third sprint) but It does not feel crazy or dangerous as this group of riders I have been racing against for the past 5-6 years are all experienced and like to make the racing tough without making it desperate. Looking forward to the Europeans in September

Masters of the Universe

A terrible week at work compounded by bad weather meant I'd only done 30 miles on the bike up to the Friday and even a ride before I set off  for the British Masters Track Championships was thwarted by the rain and wind so I arrived at Newport 11pm somewhat unprepared. The previous weekend had almost been as bad and I rode the Walsall RC '25' on Etwall and then a more local  Hinckley CRC '25' in the wind and then wind and rain to undistinguished 57:12 and 1:01:06 respectively on my 94" fixed that was supposed to prepare me for the challenge of racing on the boards at high speed.

Silver,  Bronze and  4th - Almost a set

I could not face the 500m first thing on Saturday morning and sat it out thinking that the 10Km Scratch race would get me in the mood for racing, I went out for a 20 mile spin late morning to ease my legs off but it was still blowing a gale outside our little Velodrome bubble but I could not face being inside with dozens of other riders and opted for the lanes around the stadium which were quite and flat.
The Scratch race in my new 50-54 age group was a fairly tame affair. with only twenty riders and fairly tactical, although (Ex Old Ports) Phil Watkins and Mick Davis (Loughborough) made a valiant attempt to get away the bunch kept them in sight and nullified the move with 3Km to go, a new name to me but he had won the Sprint the previous day Ralph Carter (London Dynamo) and Jeff Baird (G S Metro) had a go but it came apart under the pressure of the finish with only Carter off the front doing a strong ride for a 'Sprinter'. Trevor Burke (Finchley RT) went after him, I was a bit slow off the mark and he had 20 meters on me but I made my way over the top of all the other riders at the bell in an effort not to become trapped on the inside and led out the sprint with 500m Silver medallist Ivor Ried (Clacknacuddin CC) a black clad shadow on my wheel and despite my best efforts he pipped me by less than half a wheel, Trevor had an even closer winning margin (Photo) over Carter on the line.

2Km Pursuit

I was pretty pleased with my effort, a bit of inattention and leading out Ried for the last 3 laps cost me a medal but as my coach (and father) used to say, in the last 3 laps only go past people, let them sort their own race out. I had a disturbed night probably the result of too much excitement and stimulation, coffee and red wine not helping. The 2Km Pursuit the next morning was an event I'd never won a medal at so with the reduced distance and no specific preparation to speak of I was in the dark as to how I would compare.
The judges rated me for a medal as I was in the penultimate heat against Carter but in the home straight so third seed, I only had a 95" gear on as getting away the key and so it proved, my 'lineman' had me up but Carter came back and was up with 3 to go, I put in my customary strong finish from 3 laps out, I was level with 2 to go and pulled out a second to record 2:28.745 to Carters 2:29.619, the final heat was an easy win for Burke 2:25.040 and as his opponent Davis could only manage 6th fastest and no other rider had beaten my time I had the Silver and my first Pursuiting National medal.

There was a long wait until the Points race in the evening so I went out for another 20 mile ride at lunch and those Pursuits surely take it out of your legs. There were only 15 riders for the final 15Km event, sixty laps and six sprints to decide a winner, I always sit out the first as they are always too hectic but I may have to revise this as there is little enough to get your teeth into. I went away with Davis after Baird and we made a trio but the speed was not enough and even though I won the next sprint easily we were pulled back, Burke took my 'softening up' to his advantage and went for a lap and nobody could go with him, he was the class rider of the weekend in our group and this effort to lap the field in less than ten laps netted him his third title of the Championships. I attacked allot to make sure there was no chance for others to recover and even though I only missed getting points at one other sprint I was pipped for the Silver by one point by Carter, I think as Burke had the lap he did not contest the remaining sprints that vigorously and that made it difficult for me to contain Carter even though I got up for 2nd place in the final sprint (with one away) and him out of contention but I had my second podium spot for the weekend.

15Km Points race

Full Masters Results here

Last Hurrah!

It's a month since the BDCA and I had two weeks anxious wait to see if I could improve my '50' time, In the intervening week I began preparation for the end of the season as I have the World Masters Track at Manchester (Oct 10-15) I will be riding the 3Km Pursuit (Mon) the 20Km Points race (Wed) and the Scratch race (Thurs). I train and race quite a bit on a fixed wheel during the season to keep my hand in but I have been inspired to do a bit more in the longer distances as one or two of the other top Testers have been getting good results most noticeably Scott Povey who has been going better this season than ever, the second fastest '50' of the year 1:40:08 and even broke into the BBAR in 6th place, he didn't ride the 12 Hour on a fixed but I would not put it past him in the future

Scott Povey (Pic Andrew Kiss)

I'd entered the Echelon '10' on what I thought was the National course from 2010 and what I thought would be a good 'fixed' course and put a conservative 106" gear on (56 x 14) I usually use 93" or 96" for my evening 10's but on a much slower course and I manage 100RPM for a short 22 most weeks. Here I thought was a chance to let loose and get a bit more power on the go. When I turned up I realised it was a different course with the first 4 miles on 'lumpy' B roads into a stiff headwind so I put the gear down to 100" and after a good warm up on the rollers was left freezing at the start as i miscalculated the 4 mile ride to the start which was only about 2 miles and reached allot quicker on a 100" gear! Needless to say the first part was deeply unpleasant and at one point I was going uphill at what seemed like a ridiculous cadence to be racing a fixed and everything I hate about riders who tell me they only have 120" gear on today "And I was twiddling my N*** off!"
The first 5 miles was looking like a disaster at 11:36 and I would have been better on gears as I turned onto the A46 at Salford Priors and got a bit of a tailwind, coming home was all that riding a fixed should be, I'm not saying I would not have gone faster on gears but so enjoyable as I sped along the gear dragging me up the inclines and encouraging me to put in some nifty footwork on the downhill. I finished with 21:21 so 9:45 for the second split for 5th place behind Jon Simpkins (Drag2Zero) 19:59 and that gear cost me dear as I was only a couple of seconds off 3rd as they were tied on 21:20

Came up short in the Sever RC 50 (Pic Andrew Kiss)

in the Severn RC event on the A419 between Cricklade and Cirencester, I only needed 32 seconds to make the top 12in the BBAR which may seem little to ask but as I'd already broken my PB in the season a might taller than I was able to reach in the end of. I came up a couple of minutes short of my target with a 1:49:40 which was still a good ride (7th) behind the flying Scott Povey (i-ride) 1:43:12 and Jeff Jones the BBAR elect 2nd this time 13 seconds behind. The course is exactly two laps of the same roads so my 55:09/54:31 splits was a good effort on a chilly morning with the odd splash of rain from the passing showers that plagued the late season, I missed riding the Stone Whs. '25' on the Sat to give this event me every chance of doing what I needed to do but despite a valiant effort it was not to be and I will have to settle with what I have.
The next day we were off to France for two weeks holiday and the Masters the week after I get back so it was into the car with turbo and bike and one on the back for good measure, I had a couple of days off cramped up in the car as rest bite but when we got to St Astier (Nr. Duras) an hour east of Bordeaux we were greeted with blue skies and balmy temperatures, I hear it was spectacular here as well but the blessing for me was NO WIND or only a moderate amount so I could do a decent amount of speed work on the road without knackering myself to go with the Turbo clatter and French roads Mmmmmmmmmmmm! Smooth I just want to get off and lick them!

To be honest the heat was almost too much for the turbo even though I kept it to the evening and outside the sweat was pouring off me and one time I did it in the rain until the water made my my power meter fail and I was still like I'd been swimming so it was 20 minutes in a cold shower to cool down or sweat all evening and leave a damp patch on the sofa. I just did 30 miles every morning and 45 minutes on the turbo in the evening and that was enough, a couple of rest days

Fool's Gold - 'Madchester'

Euro Masters Track

The British masters track had been a bit of a disaster with my self inflicted accident I just about scraped through without any permanent damage but looked forward to these races after a holiday but only a few days on from riding in the Pyrenees to 3 Km pursuit on the Thursday a bit of a challenge. Unfortunately I was pitched against Tim Lawson (SIS) the winner of the British title in the qualifying round and had to suffer the ignominy of being caught while doing a PP of 3:38 (good enough for 6th place) but then being disqualified for not dropping back twenty meters, the same thing happened last year with Tim who can put in a 1:9 first kilo but finishes with a 1:14, me I'm starting with a 1:14 so out of the reckoning and don't even get to keep my time unsatisfactory all around.
Pursuit:- Ettles - Lawson - Burke

The 20Km points race a different challenge altogether, we were the only age group to need heats to qualify for the final, only a couple to be eliminated from each 10Km heat and with only four sprints there was some panicky moments (Clayton) but all those that qualified scored at least a point. With numerous closely matched riders it was always going to be a 'burn up' and a terrific race, I sat out the first couple of sprints always fiercely contested, with a lull in the pace I then took my chance to get away, Ian Greenstreet (Newbury RC) always a rider with similar ambition was soon with me and we worked for the next 8 laps where I took the 5 points and we kept going with Trevor Burke (Finchley RC) and Peter Ettles (Sandy Wallace) getting up to us in time for the next sprint where I took another couple of points. I was blowing and sat out the next sprint and was just pipped half a wheel by Ettles for a point on the next sprint taken by Steve Clayton (Planet X) who also took the next from a group including a German Michael Blasczyk, Ettles and Greenstreet which put them all in contention for the medals but the race was very close and I knew a few more points or a win would get me in the medals, Working my way up through the field on the penultimate sprint was nigh on impossible as the sprints were being contested from 3-4 laps out and the pace made it difficult to move up let alone get in the top 4 places for points. After the sprint I took my chance to break away, I held a quarter of a lap and Blasczyk made it across to me and we stayed away to the bell where I jumped him for the win, unfortunately a French rider Jaques Suire exploded out the bunch and caught me a bike length from the line reducing my 5 points to 3 and I missed the silver medal my 10 points only good enough for 4th. Ettles taking the Gold with 14 Pts. from Blasczyk and Clayton both with 11 Pts. Blasczyk getting the verdict by virtue of his higher final placing.

Result tells the facts but not the story

After the race I apologised to William Fotheringham (Halesowen C & AC) who I'd (accidentally) ridden over at the British Masters, he looked a bit battered. I felt good that I had tried my best and put up a good defence of my title, in the light of recent events a single point at half way and the final charge for the line would have made me second, together they'd have won it for me but that's racing and it's always good to be in a closely contested race. Everybody who had been in the final knew that it had been a race worth winning.

Testing Track and Taking Time

After a difficult couple of weeks racing which saw me visit the Newport casualty department on Saturday night (think ER meets Gavin & Stacy!) to have my head examined after taking a tumble and banging my head (No Hat!) on the roads while warming up for the British Masters 10Km scratch race. My 'over the bars' incident saw me sitting out the afternoon race while my track 'buddy' Adrian Ward (Shaftsbury CC) did an fantastic ride and just missed winning in a blanket finish but the title went to local rider Courtney Rowe (Cardif Jif sic), Trevor Burke (Finchley RC) the bronze.

I was deemed not to have suffered concussion but it was after 10.30 before we got away and after super gluing a head wound and giving me a tetanus the nurse instructed me "Don't do anything strenuous for 48 hours" I proceeded the next day to ride a 3000m pursuit for which I managed a PB 3:40:911 but only good enough for 6th place (same as last year) won by graduate to the 44-49 group Tim Lawson (SIS) in new record time 3:30:260 from last years champion (& ex-record holder) Peter Ettles (Sandy Wallace) 3:37:861 'roadie' Peter Georgi (Epic) 3rd 3:38:350
Then later on the Sunday a hotly contested points race which saw some full blooded racing and me ride over William Fotheringham (The Journ'o in the Halesowen C &AC) at 30mph with one foot unclipped, I used him as a handy footrest but Adrian Adgar not so lucky and there were several other incidents it left everybody a bit nervous and I could only manage 8th. Georgi the winner from Ettles & Lawson So I returned home to lick my wounds and prepare for the National '100' the next weekend in Suffolk.
I did not do the ride I thought I might and I could only manage to scrape inside four hours by a second after a promising morning was disrupted by windy conditions and I found I could not keep up with my early pace and I faded in the second half. Not that this stopped Michael Hutchinson (In Gear) who won the event and made a clean sweep of all the National 'distance' TT for the second year running, his 3:23:04 less than a minute outside competition record was a truly amazing ride on a tricky morning on the A11 between East Harling and Browick just outside Norwich covered four times. Second was Julian Jenkinson (UTAG) 3:38:54 and third Andy Bason (Team PR) 3:39:32 a long way back.
The National '100' was tough going

Photo - Dave Jones
National '100' Result Here

Masters Track Results Here