Zenith 2 Day - First past the post

After an Easter weekend riding to London & back plus a spell in the North Downs on Saturday going to help in the Club Open '10' at Farnham I was ready for a spell of racing, I rode the Thursday evening crit at Mallory Park and took a right pasting in the wind and finished a lap down (but still not last) and then had to get ready for the Nigel Meason 2 Day promoted by the local Zenith CC at Walton and on roads just South of Leicester

It was a day for kites and not for bikes

Race always starts with short TT (2.7m) but this year non aero equipment ONLY so on your road bike which was fine and democratic but into a gale of a headwind pretty uncomfortable for all concerned, there was much coughing and spluttering in the car park afterwards, I managed 7:25 for 40th place (same as last year) I think my days of getting up in the top twenty gone! Hill climb specialist and fair tester Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughn Cycles) came out on top with 6:42 easily beating Mike Dales (Velo 29) 6:53 a second ahead of Jamie Scott (Colbert RT) and and Darren Bell (Ellan Vannin - IOM) tied for 3rd

In the afternoon a 65 mile jaunt around the lanes Bruntingthorpe/Gilmoreton/Kimcote, always a bit busy with local afternoon traffic and farm vehicles and a small group of nine get away after half distance and finished a minute up on the bunch (me) with several little groups in between clipped off on the last lap Steve Guymer (Active RT) the winner from Russ Falder (Mammoth RT) who took the overall lead as Clinton was stuck in the bunch and Matt Foston (Langdale RT) third, I managed a bit of a sprint for 12th in the bunch which made me 35th on the stage and (still) 40th overall

Conrad gets to flag the race in
on the Saturday


Next day we had a circuit based on N Kimcote/Shearsby/B'thorpe and  I had to start on my super light TT wheels as I noticed my back tyre a bit threadbare and with no glue in the cupboard not able to fix another, sure enough just completing a lap I broke a spoke on the hill up to the finish and had to wait for service, there had been an accident with a rider in the ditch so I had to wait over a minute and then get going. I had a tow behind the service vehicle up to the crash victim but he could not hang on to the car so we set off in pursuit of the bunch, I cannot deny I did hang on for a bit (well alot!) but there was 5-6 cars behind the bunch and I could not get through them all in the cross winds and it took me nearly a lap to finally make contact with a bit of a slingshot from the service car up the feed hill but my legs were in shreds and my careful plan to ease my legs into the second day now gone to pot. I took a caffeine gel (meant for later in the race and lots of drink) I managed to remove my arm warmers in the lee of a hedge out of the wind but the battle continued at the front of the bunch but I was on the back of the front half when the race split, a rider had a near miss when his left crank came off at 35mph thankfully he did not but everybody had to fight around him and the pressure was still on the front again and I was drifting dangerously near the back now as the feed hill approached, the speed went up and the bunch was blown apart at the back as riders sat up, although I carried on for half a lap doing bit 'n' bit hoping that the pace would ease with 3 others but the bunch had gone and I continued after a bit with another rider James Rutherford (SIS) surely the oldest man in the race at 55 as our two younger companions turned off for the HQ

It's the first time I've not finished this race I could see I would not have had the condition to go all the way, as I watched the race progress and the bunch disintegrate in the wind and only 40 risers finished in two bunches a couple of minutes apart. Graham Sumner (GB Fire) won the stage and second in the race clipping off the front on the last lap with Dieter Drodger (Team CF) who is the overall winner. J Shirlaw (Herblife) third o/a

Below Parr

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

Heading out wrapped up on the second day

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

Bunch strung out on the main hill past the feed station

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

Full Result Here

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

Stafford CC National '10'