Review of the Year 2015 - Through the Winter

TL - It's been friendly

A bit late to do a review of last year but it's been languishing in my drafts waiting for a few of the Best all Rounder results. It was my 11th full season of racing, I've been racing longer as a Veteran than I did as a Schoolboy/Junior and Senior in the 70's and into the 80's.

With the opening of the Derby indoor Velodrome I had the opportunity to race through the winter for the first time, its was a new adventure trying to sustain my fitness in the winter months. It all started well as I had the form from the World Masters to carry me through to Xmas but then a long break (Velodrome a Multi use venue so used for the Panto!) and this meant many hours beavering away on the turbo to sustain a bit of fitness for the New Season mid January and not putting weight on (always my weakness)

Devil and Panto Season - He's behind you!

When we did reconvene it was not as bad as I anticipated although as the ten weeks progressed I could feel my age as the youngsters got to grips with early season training camps and I hung onto their coat tails. I managed a decent few placings before Xmas but after results were thin on the ground and I had to be content with thin pickings as the eager youngsters trashed my old legs and poor recovery

Derby 'A' - 2015 Result

On the whole its been good, after a frantic few weeks and a fair few crashes as riders got used to racing (many had only just passed their accreditation and never raced before) things calmed down a bit as the message that it was 'Track League' and nothing much at stake but plenty to lose.

The standard of racing has been very high with four groups
A - Experienced
B - Less fit and riders moving up from
C - New to Track and
D - The only Women's TL in the country.
Riders just had to find there level (which was largely self determined) and there was a bit of swapping around as the most oversubscribed (B's) had some searching for a ride and a reserves policy was brought in. I had trouble getting a ride in the A's some weeks as riders had 'block booked' entry at the start of the season and the FCFS policy worked against riders who could only enter a week or two in advance. I'm sure these things will be sorted out in advance.

Charlotte Parnham Winner Sam Westwell and Julie Scales

I rode in the A's and had to compete with riders a third my age, these are the future stars and are fast and fearless so I tried not to get too involved in the mass finishes. I resolved to clip off with a few to go or stick with the leaders as the race disintegrated and get my points through attrition rather than mixing it in the sprints. I was largely successful in as the evenings went on and I was able to read the racing and pick my opportunity


So the organisers and volunteer helpers who had never been involved with TR before got used to the format and jobs necessary to get through 16 races an evening, It was always a pretty late finish (10pm). Some of the final races were commuted if accidents took up time or the 'whips' did not rule with a rod of iron (carbon these days) And after all the chat and the analysis I was usually the last out the building (getting my bag locked in on the final evening!) 

Derby TL Winners -  and A's - Perrett (Headnor Cl)- Lowe (Raleigh GAC) - Minting (Neon Velo)

Just a round-up of the TT season, I had my region VTTA dinner and PP in January and won the Local Nottingham & East Midlands BAR for the 4th time in a row also taking 11th in the National BAR (down from 7th the last three years) but I also took the local Hermes '100' and the Joe Bains '30' for the first time for my Club Record 1:03:16
We were mourning the recent passing of Joe Summerlin who had done so much work in the region (and nationally) on the VTTA, BC and CTT front including drug testing. It was Joe who always handed you over to the testers who turned up on spec and did not know the riders and Joe made it his job to know everybody. On this issue there was much musing as three riders were caught and banned for various drug related incidents during the season so even on the domestic level (whatever the rights or the reasons) riders are still doping and still being caught

National VTTA 3 Distance BAR 11th

 The only other highlights 12th National VTTA '25' on the Uber fast R25/13 in S Wales where the fifty percent of the field that started got drenched 54:15 and 15th in the National VTTA '50' on the A3 Liphook course nr Petersfield 1:49:56

VTTA Nat '50' - Winners

The only CTT National I rode was the National '10' on my local Wolvey course, going back two minutes on the previous year (like everybody else) I was 81st (up two places) overall but 2nd in the 50-55 age group missing the win by 14 seconds o7ò

Power to the people

19:57 PB

 Power meters seem to be all the rage for fast times these days, giving the riders an indication of the power necessary to optimise their training and racing performances. I told myself I'd look into it when I no longer managed a personnel best during the season in a time trail. It looks like my money is safe for another year as I scraped a PB by the smallest of margins in the evening City RC (Hull) '10' on the V718, a long way to go for an evening race and the last one I had a late start and it was cold, I got back home after midnight so an early start just after 19.00 was also a boon for a bit of heat still in the day
I'd only done 23:11 in the previous evenings Hinckley club event so the expectation of going 3 minutes faster seemed an impossible prospect, but this course is so unusual, fast it seems under any conditions as my local course so slow. After a modest first five miles in 10.00 dead  I stormed home in 9:57 and a nervous wait to see if the timekeeper gave me the benefit of the single second.

I had a trips to different sides of the country next, first the Shaftsbury '50' at Newmarket with an overnight stay with friends in Bedford. It garnered a hard ride on a terrifically windy day. I was inside 53 minutes at half distance but the slog back saw me drop to a disappointing 1:50:46 as I'd eased off in the first half to give myself a better chance to battle the wind in my effort to negative split more of my rides. On this day I was well wide of the mark.

VTTA '25' dashboard fare

The next weekend required a visit to South Wales for the VTTA National '25' necessitating another overnight stop in nearby Neath. I rode down the course on the Saturday evening where Michael Hutchinson set competition record 45:46 in 2012 and Matt Bottrill went 3 seconds faster two years later. It was a lovely breathless evening warm and I touched 40mph on the start hill so I was expecting a great event with all the top over 40's in the country. I was alarmed and dismayed to be greeted with strong winds and lashing rain when I arose the next morning

VTTA '25' wind & rain (Photo - Kimroy)

I was off early at No 10 so I was waiting outside the HQ with the organiser when the slightly worse for wear local opened up at 6.45 swearing he was doing us a favour, 'it' not having to be open for another 15 minutes! Some of the locals had already decided not to start but us far travelling guests to this lovely corner of the country had to make good on our commitment to the cause. After helping to setup a few tables and lay out the numbers I was off to get ready parking at the finish as I figures I'd need to get into the car as soon as I finished as the temperature still not above ten degrees. The only problem with this a five mile ride to the start, half of it up the start hill in a torrential downpour. I made it to the start with a couple of minutes to spare having given myself an adequate 25 minutes but I was blowing a bit but I was WARM! Alarmingly only one rider in the top ten had started, the race was a bit of a blur as my visor fogged and the motionless trees that lined the lush valley and had been a picture the night before were a streaked and cloudy mass. I finished with 54:15 good enough for 12th on Standard (+14:24) and 9th fastest, longer travelling even than me Derek Stewart (Deeside Thistle) won on Standard so the Champion with a plus of +20:26 and late starting  Brian Sunter (Condor RC) second once again +18:58 with a handy 56:11 at 72 years Gavin Hinxman (Kettering CC) who had travelled down on the morning fastest in 51:09 and third on Std +16:17

VTTA '25' Hinxman Stewart and Sunter Team (Bynea CC)

Although I did not find the roads busy or dangerous the result sheet showed only 61 from 157 entrants had started. a record number of DNS for my racing career

I was in London in early August for the Epsom '10' on the course at Rusper back half a minute on last year in similar conditions 21:47 not able to turn around a 11:18 first half despite the 10:28 second half. I think I was still fast asleep, after another early rise at 4am. I went back along the course after I'd finished to give fellow SWRC rider Fidel Gonzales a shout to the line and he recorded a PB 26:10. Event won by Simon McNamara (South Down Bikes) 20:24

LFCC '10' last corner 21:50

Next morning was the VTTA National '50' on the A3 in the Surrey hinterland, Alan joined me this time (4am again!) but this time it was foggy and cold and I needed some warming leg rub before heading off Brow Hill to do two laps between Petersfield and Liphook. Despite a very even ride over the whole distance I found it difficult to get going 54:39 at half way as the sun gave a bit of muted heat away and I struggled to find any rhythm. Maybe I should stick to all fixed or gears as the chopping and changing between styles of racing play havoc with your pedaling tempo and you find yourself unable to settle. I ended up with a slight improvement for the season 1:49:56 Winner was Brian Sunter 1:50:57 (+44:46) a National record for a 72 yr old. Kevin Tye (Velorefiners) recorded a spectacular 1:40:57 (+40:24) fastest and second on Std.

I have been building my fitness towards the end of the season so the National '10' promoted by my second claim club Hinckley CRC on my local Wolvey course at the end of August is an obvious choice to judge my fitness for the Worlds in October. I ride their Tuesday evening '10' most weeks for training and I've been trying to beat my times on here from a few seasons ago. My best ever 22:01 August 2011 had seemed a long way off but in recent weeks I'd got within 20 seconds of this and then last week 22:02 On my computer I had 22:00.6 but on this occasion the timekeeper took the second away so I will have all to play for in doing my first sub 22 minute ride on the a course that should give a more accurate position of riders in the country than the super fast 'V' The event closed on 21:00 and I'm off number 62 as opposed to 55 last year (riders go off in descending order of time) o7ò

22:02 on the National course

Hull (City) RC '10' Result here

VTTA Nat '25' Result here

VTTA Nat '50' Result here

Leicester Forest CC '10' Result here

National '10' Start Sheet 

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

Roll with it

As before its a late start for me but last year I was into June and did not give myself enough time to get race ready for the British Track Masters at the end of the month so this year I got out and rode some evening 10's on 92" fixed just to ease myself into it. Times were pretty slow but trying to spin that gear at 100RPM is like being punched in the stomach so I just had to lean on the ropes and take the blows. My first open was the Nottingham East Midlands VTTA '25' on my local Six Hills course (A46) just North of Leicester, It was sunny a brief interlude between the rain making it the wettest month since the early 30's. I put my gear up to 95" as its nearly all DC but 'roll'in' and a stiff breeze was going to make it tough in places so I thought best to not make it too hard for myself. In the end it was the faster sections that were more painful (note to buy some more chamois cream!) as I nearly topped 150RPM on the down wind downhill sections Ouch! 58:10 good enough for 10th overall and second Vet on Standard, won by Phil Hunt of the Nottingham Clarion 55:31
Second event came after a two week break and a week in Devon schlepping up the hills when I should have been honing my speed but no worries its all training at this stage still. Sunday 1 June arrived like the Summer was here, Movistar professional Alex Dowsett had broken the 10 Competition Record the day before 17:20 on the E2 at Newmarket but the Sunday was also hot and windless. The Nottingham Clarion '50' I have ridden numerous times and its 2 1/2 lap course on the Vale of Belvoir is flat and well broken up a good thing in the windy Midlands, I was on gears here but with no 'form' I set out to keep my gears low and attack the second half. A brief ride to the start and a few efforts tells me that it may be too warm for just the one bottle but its all I have as I sit on the line with sweat dripping down my nose (riders were actually warming up on their turbos!) I find it difficult to hold back once out on the road and maybe I started too fast but by 15 miles I was blowing a bit into the wind on bumpy B roads, I eased off a bit but still trying to keep up my 90-95RPM and attack every incline and hard section. I allowed myself to put the gears up a bit on the fast A52 section between Grantham and Nottingham. A car came the wrong side of an junction island so I was faced with an on coming car on the second lap, that and another trying to run me down on the longest straightest Long lane because I was passing another rider made me feel a little concerned
The first half 57:20 and I could feel the un-natural pressure in my arms and neck from the position and the effort, I'd got to the HQ early and remembering I'd put my most aero position on for the last race of last season I'd raised the front end a couple of inches but my saddle was a bit too sloping and I kept having to push myself back as you tend to draw yourself forward with higher revs. It was now mid day and very hot, my bottle was nearly gone and a second gel just to smooth out the last half lap effort but the finish came along too soon before I got all my effort out and coping with a newly 'dressed' road surface (Why do they do that?) and a bit of headwind I was over the line and done. My time 1:55:59 is two minutes faster than I've been on here before but 93 RPM Av. is tidy and good enough for 6th place, the best over 50 rider and contented with my effort. Winner was local Scott Walker (MG Decor) 1:47:33 o7ò

Zipp action o7ò

Nottingham Clarion '50' Result