South Western Road Cycle

I'd  ridden to stay with an old college friend near Oxford the day after my ten mile PB, I could feel the racing effort in my legs as I towed along my winter bike with panniers and mudguards (weather has been that unpredictable I thought it best) and made it there just over four hours for the 75 miles. I sat in the garden & looked at the route to Plymouth, first week of the holidays its bound to be busy on the roads where ever I go but I plumb for heading south to the coast (Portland) and then along the Jurassic coast Lyme Regis, Exeter and then Teinmouth and Totnes, I'd look at the route back in a few days.

Heading South into Oxfordshire

The Chapel at Abbotsbury (Jurassic Coast)

Once past Swindon (M4) and Marlborough on the old Bath road I was onto the Salisbury Plain where the odd military tanker passed me but no sight of the tanks (must be well camouflaged) and a few attack helicopters watching my progress to Salisbury for lunch (55m) I pressed on to Blanford (Forum) and Thomas Hardy's (Tess country) memorial just before Dorchester. The last part to Weymouth was getting busy so it was great to get a dedicated cycle path the last five miles which i shared with a couple of Triathletes and commuters as well as people out for the evening, no potholes, parked cars or annoying sudden ending just like being on the continent, Magic!
I stayed at the Youth Hostel on Portland in the old Military Police station the whole area was military until a few years ago as the 'functional' housing attested but there was lots of new apartments being built on the strength of the Olympic action to take place in the area in a years time. 115m in 7Hr

Chesil Beach to Portland in the distance

I knew the next day along the Jurassic coastline would be the hardest so as I retraced my steps along the narrow connecting sandbar to the mainland and climbed along the ridges overlooking Lyme Bay to the West and it tries to rain on me, after ten miles the road took a sudden right and climbed for ten minutes (in bottom gear 39 x 26) to a viewing point along the straight of Chesil Beach to Portland Bill, it was a good view but I could have done without the drop in speed as it put me under 13mph for the only time in the ride, this was supposed to be a ride done at tempo to help my time trial preparation at these speeds it wasn't going to do the business. The morning continued with annoying traffic on twisty roads until just outside Bridport where a lorry had broken down on a particularly narrow hill road, I passed every car,van & lorry that had passed me in the intervening journey and 5 miles of traffic in the other direction standing outside their cars and calling "Whats up"? "At least two hours" my gleeful reply, revenge as they say is mine! I know the names of these towns & beaches from childhood holidays Branscombe, Beer & Salcombe.  Lyme Regis a bad climb to get into and out of does not reward (similarly Dawlish later) but just a haven of tourist tat and traffic, I didn't even bother to unclip. From Sidmouth I move inland and the roads flatten out as I steer through the Exmouth delta, I stop for a delayed lunch and then take the flatter coast road to the Teign Estuary which has the feel of the highlands but I'm coming into commuter traffic around Torbay and my solitude does not last for long. Last part from Dartington is all uphill to South Brent where I am staying with Dan & Lou for a day before the journey home but for now I can rest, its been a hard day 95m 6:30

My day off I get to sit on Bantham Beach next to Burgh Island and watch the crowds mill about doing the holiday thing, I'm never here in the summer and these beaches are never full like today, Dan is a surfer but the surf is non existent so we have lunch and I head off to visit friends in nearby Noss Mayo & Newton Ferres. The next day the effort to get here has begun to kick in, it's funny how it takes a day for your legs to realise they can relax, I guess that's why the tour riders ride on the rest day, your body needs to know its got something to challenge it, maybe its psychological but I'm in two minds as I have put my body under allot of stress in the last week but as I said before you have to just go for it. I would like to go back via Bristol or Bath to cut across the traffic that flows to the SW but only accommodation at Salisbury means its the dreaded A38/30/303 route, eventually I leave after lunch hopefully the traffic will drop away and I will get a good few hours. And that is the way it pans out after a frantic couple of hours at 20mph through Exeter to Honiton once I get onto the A30 and on the way to Chard & Crewkerne its almost pleasant. By Shaftsbury which was the last major climb of the day It had turned into a pleasant evening and I met up with a couple of riders and was able to tag along all the way back to Salisbury. 120m 6:30

Leaving Salisbury YHA last push

The last day was a retrace of my journey to Swindon and then a hop onto the Fosse road at Stow but the weather had turned for the morning and I had my cape on for an hour and I was glad of mudguards but I was more miserable as I was into a headwind and would be all day,  these days prepare you for the mental as well as the physical duration of the 12 hour and if the day is bad then it's difficult to put a positive spin when you're tired. The reverse  way across the Plains I had a black hawk helicopter for company only added to my paranoia and I could hear firing in the distance. Once onto regular roads I perked up a bit and my speed picked up over the last two hours as I was determined not to be under 17mph, I stopped at a pub for coffee and got a whole cafetiere for £2.20 the bargain of the week with my hot X buns my staple for this sort of thing. I made it back to Leicester to greetings from Fiona, I have survived (1 x punt) and although pretty tired I feel better than I have in ages, my back and torso have taken a pounding from the pressure but my legs feel remarkably good, now have two weeks to finish preparation half day event. Some hard work to take on a bit of speed a couple of more events and a taper and 12 hour here I come 120m 6:50 (Total 550m)

Out of the Blue

A good weeks training or at least three back to back rides during the week allows me to break a personel best out of the blue in the Wolds RT '10' on the super fast A63  Hull course. As a prelude I did a 22:33 in the Hinckley CRC Tuesday evening event on 87.5" gear (that's 56 x 17) I'd under geared by accident thinking I had something in the low 90's so my 105 RPM felt fast (and uncomfortable) and I was less than 30 seconds down on road man Ian Bibby (Marshalls Pasta) fresh from being battered by the Sky boys in the Professional Road Race where he was 'best of the rest' (5th)
Three hours on Wednesday and an hour and a half around the lanes at 22mph on 81" fixed set me up for the weekend, I've not been able to string together anything like that consistency in training so my riding (both training & racing) has been all over the place, inconsistent with no solution to be found, maybe the '100' last weekend 'unblocked' something because although I still felt a bit fragile my legs were strong.

20:16 of all out effort in the Wolds RT event

A ten mile race is as fast and as flat out as you can go in a time trial, it was a little windy and the early riders who know about these things put it 30 seconds to a minute slow, no matter the conditions I've come a long way and It's my only ride of the weekend and tomorrow I'm off to Devon for a week on my bike to prepare for the annual fiesta that is the 12 hour. I did no formal warm up apart from ride to the start at nearly 5 O'clock (but that is 5 miles) there is still some heat in the day so by the time I get to the timekeeper I'm nicely warmed up and relaxed.
It's a downwind start and I put all I can into it and use the top only a couple of times as there is hardly any variation in the elevation so nothing to go flat out and I'm there at the turn, Matt Bottrill (i-ride) my 2 minute man is only 10 seconds faster (so 20 seconds overall) and by the time i get around the two mini roundabouts and down the slip to the five mile point its 9:29 (nearly 32mph Av.) the return further and into the wind but it does not blunt my speed too much, I see Ian Greenstreet (Newbury RC) my minute man some way ahead but I'm too absorbed to get a time check the effort is too distracting and I do not look at my numbers for fear that they will not say what I want to see, there is no point its a full on effort and nothing to be done but put it all in.
The finish flag is there all to soon but it takes ages too, the effort subsides and you hear your own breathing from out of the vacuum that is the envelope of time trial racing, adrenalin and concerntration keep out the pain of the effort at bay,  I could have tried harder, everybody thinks that, It's a PB but I don't know by how much? I catch Greenstreet on the way back to the HQ he is 20 seconds off his 20:25? and we must be close, at the result board 20:16 (29.6mph Av.) better than I anticipated, some good scalps too, still nearly two minutes behind Hutchinson (In-gear) the winner in 18:25 Under 23 James Gullen (Wallis) a good second 19:14 and Bottrill third this time a holiday taken the edge off his form 19:23 he took a little more out of me on the way back but I was out there for longer 10:47 (27.8mph Av.)
On the Sunday body feeling the day after the event, i pack my panniers and ride to Clanfield near Oxford on the first leg of my trip to Devon to get in the miles in a last desperate bid to get ready for the Breckland 12 hour on the 14th August, the Saturday ride has given me a lift and I have to weigh up taking it easy and building on that success or pushing the boat out with a bit of extreme touring and hoping my body stands up to the challenge, in the end I plump for the latter, I need some time off from work and as I cruise down the Fosse Road towards Swindon the sun is out and the prospects for a good week to follow.

2 x 100 = ~

Easy as 123 - Getting ready for the worst of it

Things go from bad to well not worse but lets say underwhelming, last week I had the National Championship '100' on the A168 on my favourite course from Dishforth up onto the North Yorkshire Moors at Northallerton X 3 circuits, an afternoon (going into evening) event so no getting up early for riders and helpers (Fi likes this one as well) we have all day to get ready and get up there for my 3 O'clock start time.

At the Southern end sunshine, in the distance rainstorms

My back is playing up but it does not seem to affect my riding so some gentle stretching in the morning on top of a moderate week pointed to a good race for me and the other 150 riders in the Team Swift promotion, it is a bit breezy but the curved course along its 17 mile length can be deceptive and as we have a downwind start it's all to play for, I have 'Mr Chainring' Nik Bowdler (Farnborough & Camberley) two minutes behind so my 21:45 first 10 miles looks OK but my legs not so fluid and when I start the ascent up to the turn Nik catches me and my legs do not feel like they want to pick up the challenge. Turning into the wind always a bit of a shock but you have to meet it head on with a bit more concentrate effort and of course suffering, strangely my legs feel better making more effort but progress is hard won and the time taken is making me doubt my ability. 24:18 is not a good return for all that investment and the balance of certainty that there will be a profitable outcome, doubt creeps in like a serpent, silent and deadly, you put all thoughts to the back of your mind and continue for 24:18 but coming directly into the wind at the home turn and my speed is blunted still by the creep up the slip road where we are met by 850 riders in the Ripon Triathlon all going around the same roundabout from the other direction, it's a right old kerfuffle, luckily most know the way to go. I have another chance at the downwind section to halfway but my legs are like iron (and not in a good way) after the hard pull and it seems speed has been the casualty of my overexposure to the cost of the race 24:28 its not enough to sustain such an investment and over the next few miles my race plan goes the way of the wind and the rain that has been lashing the far turn, when I get up the top its strangely calm as it often is after a storm with huge puddles in the road although I have seen none of it and barely a drop of water has fallen on me. Fiona is there is the roadside and having passed the 50 mile point in 1:59:40 I pull up and stop DNF its not many times I have had to utter that and it sounds as bad as it feels but the though of going on is worse, there are always times in a long race when you could stop but you don't let it become a reality because you know that dealing with the consequences is tougher and less certain.

Derek Parkinson fills his bottle on the move

 We go and cheer the riders for the remains of the event in the sun at the other end of the course, struggling to take bottles on the slip road into the wind (feeding only allowed off the main road), eventual 6th Derek Parkinson (Cleverly RC) even fills his 'onboard' bottle as he goes along in a bizarre act of It's a Knockout proportion. Kevin Tye nearly coming to grief as he almost comes to a standstill and making a meal of his ride as well. Michael Hutchinson (In gear) runs out the Champion for the sixth time 3:24:45 even though he went off course because he missed the turn in the rain and had to run back up the slip road, he matches Kevin Dawson (Sportscover) for wins but Dawson 3:35:43 after winning the team RAAM in a near record time a few weeks back only good enough for 4th the Utag pair of BBAR champion Julian Jenkinson and Stephen Whitwick 3:32:41 and 3:33:28 respectively


A week later and I have the North Middlesex & Herts CA '100' on the F1/100 on the A1 at Tempsford, a pre race '25' on the Saturday was a wash out cancelled before a rider had gone to the line with constant rain all morning so I had the opportunity to watch the Tour stage in the afternoon at my 'digs' for the weekend in Bedford. I went for a ride around part of the 'New' course I won this event a couple of seasons ago and the course has had numerous incarnations over the years of this one of the most famous courses but the event has to be off the Main A1 by 9 O'clock which presents a problem for a '100' and we always have to use the side roads for the finale.

Come the morning 6.15 start windy but thankfully no rain, we trek up and down between Buckden and Biggleswade six times and then off along the new dual carriageway A421 and back along the lanes through Gt Barford to the Black Cat roundabout, this part was directly into the wind and we did it twice and my sagging legs were overcooked by now. All hope of a sub four hour ride went out the window after a distinctly average 1:58:19 at half way but after being in the same position last week I have to dig deep to avoid the same outcome, I don't want to become a serial stopper I do stop at 80 miles a stop to pick up a bottle which did not help my cause but when you are un-supported it's necessary,  I was annoyed to see that another rider (presumably) had helped himself to half my spare bottle, this has only happened once before when they took the whole lot! I know riders get desperate for a drink in a race but this is beyond the pale as it does not take any effort to leave a spare bottle on the roadside (protected from the traffic spray) especially in multi lap courses like this one, I left another on the finishing circuit but had no need of it as it was not hot and I barely got through 2L and a gel every 25m

With 10m to go the eventual winner Jeff Jones (Chippenham & Dist) came flying past (as he had done through the whole field) like a hot knife through butter, his eventual 3:39:43 amazing for the day and almost 20 minutes faster than the next man Paul Gamlin (Avonlea RT) 3:58:11 with Dave Johnson (VC 10) 3:58:29 only just behind, I came in 5th 4:03:15 after a race long battle with Tim Davis (Icknield) my 2 minute man. SWRC had another rider in the event Matthew Eckford but I only saw this at the result board, so his 4:30:37 (2:13:27) commendable on this difficult day, I must have caught him at some point, I hope I gave him a shout.

Un-assisted in the NM&H '100' (Pic - David Jones)

Masters Track

Always feels like a week off and a bit of a holiday but in reality track racing at this level is the most stressful type of racing that I do, I'm in the twilight of my years in the 'D' (45-49) age group so it's been getting tough the past couple of seasons, falling on my head last year didn't help matters so this year the target is to get in the top 6 and avoid anything nasty of the ripped skin suit/damaged body variety.
First up the 15KM Scratch race, DNS last year as I preferred to hang out at Newport A & E with all the drunks and teenage mothers in flip flops, but this year we have to ride a preliminary round as there are more entered than the track will take (26) but at the eighth hour they relent and all 28 who sign on find our self up first. I forget to put my gear up thinking I will have a nice 'ride in'  on 90" but the race is run off fastest of all the finals 19:16 (slightly less than 30mph) and I find myself under geared, no chance of getting up in the sprint on this I think and with two away with 10 to go but I (and many others) think a break of three still away and nothing to go for so I surprised myself to get up for third in the bunch sprint with a bit of elbows and a switch inside as the front of the bunch fan out I nip on the inside but its as far as my legs will take me and I end up 5th, Winner is Steve Clayton (Litchfield RC) in an all new white strip instead of the usual blue and yellow so nobody knows he's up the road and Jeremy Greengrass (Vortex) a new name to me taking the Silver and Trevor Burke (Finchley) the Bronze to match his third that afternoon in the 750m TT.

The next morning we have the 3Km Pursuit and again have to go early just after 9.00 to make way for Points race heats after lunch (you guessed it straight to final) so I find myself up against 'in form' Ian Greenstreet (Newbury RC) in the third last heat so at least the judges rate me top six but you still have to do the ride and with my form I'm not confident. on 96" gear (put up 2" that morning but somewhat less than the 99" 'experiment' last year) I'd practiced my starting the previous Sunday (x12... Ouch!) to improve something which you basically only do 2 or 3 times a year, so all that you have learned you forget in the intervening winter, I'd watched one of our Olympic Track Champions Joanna Rowsell (Horizan Fitness) in our club '10' going away like a metronome a couple of months ago and decided I could improve. To be fair if you have time to look across the track you're either not trying or so good like the defending Champion Tim Lawson (SIS) who had just sold his company (SIS) for 7M the previous week, I hope he was celebrating because with a broken hip courtesy of a 'crit' crash he was not defending which left the field wide open for the mere mortals Anyway I was into my ride trying not to pass out under the stress of it all while still keeping composed and a reasonable line. I was clock/lap watching from half way as the tourniquet of pain that is the Pursuit starts in the legs and gradually moves up through the body until the brain is like an ice cream dropped into a hot pan almost certain to turn to liquid in an instant, with two to go I got a sight of Greenstreet entering the straight which put me two seconds up and I thought I was doing badly, Adrian my man on the line had been a blur and I'd not got any of the message that I was up from the start and only pegged back a bit at the end. I felt better for I was sure Ian who has been banging out 20 minute 10's would beat me easily, in fact I had him down for a medal but in the end the Gold went to Last years Bronze Peter Georgi (Giant RT) 3:37:069 Trevor Burke was up place in Silver 3:37:331 and Peter Ettles (Sandy Wallace) 3:38:863 My 3:43:014 was good enough for 5th just behind the Ex Scottish hour record holder Stephen McCaw (West Lothian Cl) I wonder who holds that now?
The final event of the weekend and my personal favourite the 20Km Points race, 80 laps of wheeling and 'dealing out' the tracks very own justice. You make the race hard and everybody will know they have been in a race, a bit of pain adds to the frisson of danger that make for a good race. Sprints every 10 laps (5,3,2 & 1) but gain a lap and it's 20 so choose a strategy that suits, 1's and 2's could settle this one if you want to stand on the podium and with so many good riders in my age group it was looking a tough prospect.
The first couple of sprints always a bun fight so I usually sit them out but a group of six away and two riders bang inot each other and fall from the top of the track, Philip Watkins (Ex Old Ports & first time on a 250m track!) goes down the track to avoid them, and what do you never do on a banked track? Never try to go under a falling rider, Phillip went straight over the top and crashing heavily. To be fair he got straight up but the Cardiff Jiff rider with the 'right angle' disc wheel did not come off so lightly, the race was neutralised for what seemed like an age but we did eventually get going with the break sneaking half a lap in the process. The result of this delay was the break were gifted a lap by the judges and the rest of us now had to play catch-up. I picked up 3 points at the next sprint and went on the attack but Greengrass who nabbed the win from me was less inclined & sat up, I continued for six laps on my own getting half a lap until a group of four got up to me but I was blowing hard and had to use all my reserves to 'get on' but a couple of laps later I was taking the sprint win and getting my reward for being out in front but it was hard won. We were eventually pulled back and the same two Ettles & Greenstreet with Watkins and the only rider from the first 'break' Tony Nash (Scunthorpe Poly) taking a lap in the next sprint. On the penultimate sprint  I got up for another 2 points, Greengrass beating me again! while McCaw away on his own and then the final sprint was again fast and dangerous with me using my elbows but nothing doing but it always pays to get up in the finale as on equal points position counts. I knew I would be well out of it with at least ten getting a lap, but old habits die hard
Nash was the clear winner with two laps gained but the first group had gained their lap without a sprint so none had gained any points and hardley any in the race, so it went with the smaller second group that took a lap to take the placings Ettles & Greenstreet, I was happy for them as they made the race when it was looking bleak and the riders who profited from the sloppy judging got nowt! I was 10th with 10 Pt's. enough to usually get you a medal but not on this occasion.
So a good weekend of recreation, I'd come through unscathed and with 28 BC points enough to retain my 2nd Cat licence, so not all good! Next year I go up a category......................................Phew!

Results here

Mid season blues

My blogging like my racing has been inconsistent this year, so here is an update for the last few weeks. On the 18th June we had a team in the local National '50' Jonathon Thomas along with Keith Garbutt promoted by the Charlotteville CC on the A31 (Bently) course near Farnham, both brothers rode out although not together, Phil feeling it was too far for his new found 'fitness' for the bike and rode from Guilford Alan thinking it was not far enough in the light of recent rides rode both ways.

Jon gets his breth back

The Farnham roundabout

I'd put in a hard week training but just to emphasise how fragile my fitness was I barely managed 19mph around Richmond Park the day before (it was windy!) and though not fully recovered you never know on the day,  I'd had a massage in the morning but it all looking a bit delicate
There was a hard pull into the wind to start the race and It did'nt help having the (10 times) champion Michale Hutchinson (In-gear) two minutes behind me, he closed the gap in under 7 miles so my hope to last out ten was shattered before I even had a chance to get into my stride. The pattern of the race was set and I allowed myself to loose concerntration on the second lap to finish just outside 2 hours, Jon better than of late 2:01:10 after being only 20 seconds at half way and Keith a PB 2:03:07


Hutch is the master at this distance and ran out winner again but it was mighty close , 15 seconds down on Matt Bottrill (i-ride) at half way he pulled out a lead in the last 10 miles to win bt 14 seconds, Andy Wilkinson down for the weekend to recce the 24 hour course took a magnificent third spot and 'local' Steve Dennis (E Grinstead) 4th. The womens event won by Julia Shaw (Drag2Zero) the previous day after being delayed for 30 minutes due to thunderstorms.

Keith (camera shy)

The next weekend I had a bit more of a rest and only a '25' on the local (for me) A50, South Pennine RC promotion with a full field of fast man and my 52:54 only good enough for 25th place and on form Matt Bottrill course record 47:33 followed by Planet X duo Lee Tunnicliffe  48:54 and Ian Cammish 50:06 split by Joel Wainman (Swift) 49:04

NB Hutch beats Bottrill's course record with amazing 46:48 in the Belper RC event a week later