How do those riders manage to do fast times early in the season? While the rest of us are packing in the miles and going slow some are turning out 20 minute '10's and 52 minute '25's. I never seem to get going until the tail end of the season and I started racing in March! But I never seem to have any speed 'early doors' as it were, It takes months of training and racing to hone my performance but by this time of year I've got my act together and raring to go when there are hardly any events to ride. After my top '100' a few weeks back I pinching Roger Hammond's Club Record for 25 miles in the BDCA '25' on Saturday afternoon, the event was supposed to be a 50 mile time trial but road works on the A50 meant this was no longer feasible so the event was reduced to a '25' this after it had been cancelled the first time because of the weather on 8th August. This was excellent news for me as quite a few riders were bound not to turn up as a '50' mid season looks attractive but at the end of September is not everybody's cup of tea
Looking at my '25' PB of 56.30 (26.55 mph) you would not have put the current record of 51.52 (28.92 mph from 1996) within my grasp but I had got within a minute of it last year in an event (also on the A50) which was deemed 'outside the rules' because the start and finish had to be moved (further than 2.5 miles apparently!) because of roadworks at short notice. Also (slightly apologetically) I now have a '50' and '100' time faster than my '25' I just don't ride that many and all the ones I do ride seem to be on hard days (or I puncture).
No such worries on Saturday, early fog burned of to reveal one of the most beautiful days of the year and as I sat at home watching the World's women's road race from Varese Italy unfurl, I had to bid farewell to Nicole and Emma and Sharon to make the start at 3.30. I went to sign on to find the event had been commuted and I along with several others were not best pleased as we had prepared for a '50'. There was nothing we could do the race was already on so I made the token gesture of removing my second bottle cage and waved goodbye to my distance aspirations for the year. I sat in the sun waiting for my time to go to the line, I had done an hour in the morning with a few hard efforts I knew I wanted to start fast but the prospect of a '25' meant an even more urgent beginning to my effort. When I got to the timekeeper the wind had dropped and the news from the early starters was tantalisingly promising.
I have Marina Bloom (Rugby CC) a minute infront, no slouch the last time we met I was throwing up at the side of the road in the 12 hour and we spent an hour in each others company as I suffered the worst of my half day misery. I had caught her in the first four miles as my pulse topped 160 and my speed over 30mph, I had to keep this up for the duration and the outward leg proved the tougher of the two with slight crosswind from the South. I was 15 seconds down on my target (5 min) man Charles Taylor (S Pennine RC) and I could see scratch man Barry Charlton 'on a bit of a charge' over half a minute up six minutes behind.
The second half was a blinder, my speed hardly dropped below 32mph as I engaged top and it stayed there (56 x 11) on the shorter return. I had caught my 2 and 3 minute men having a private battle closely followed by Marina's husband 5 minutes infront of her and a friend Paul Austin (Retford & Dist. Whs.) on his road bike because of his bad back (he thought he was riding a '50') I gave him a big shout as I passed ( he almost fell off his bike he told me later)
I was pushing all the way to the line and knew It would be close to the record (computer gone again!) but my final time of 50.46 (29.55 mph) was staggering, I coughed all the way back to the car, a 5 minute 44 second improvement a big chunk to take off in one go (more than I'd taken off my '100' time). Charlton ran out the winner 4th fastest of the year 49.14 (30.47 mph) Scott Povey (Shirley RC) already a 50 min man this year tantalisingly close to a sub 50 ride in 2nd spot 50.04 [ he came closer Last Sunday with 50.02 in the Port Talbot '25' while 'The Hutch' was doing a season's best 46.27 (32.29 mph)] and Taylor third 50.31 I'd managed to hold him on the way back. Marina best lady with 57.30 My time puts me in The top 15 fastest riders of the year.
So sorry Roger records are there to be broken and I had several attempts to crack the '10' in the season and while I set a PB I knew I would not get close again this year. And all this came out of the blue on a day when I thought I'd be riding an end of season event of no consequence, it had been brought to my attention that although this event was before the end of the month it was not a BBAR qualifier but I hope It's ratified as a proper 'Open' as there were quite a few PB's on the day for those that turned up.
Interesting to note my stats. for the event pretty much the same as last weeks '50' Av. HR 155 Max HR 165 but rpm 88 as opposed to a paltry 82 last week so I'm not as much of a grinder as I thought. On the way home Alan phoned to say Nicole had won the World Championship - Perfect day!
Saturday, 27 September 2008
Monday, 22 September 2008
YRC '50'
Final events in the 2008 British Best All Rounder were completed this weekend (I have re-scheduled BDCA '50' next w/e but not BBAR qualifier) so while Paul Alderson was doing a 200 mile round trip to the Severn RC event on Sunday I had a second 250 mile trip up to North Yorkshire in two weeks for the Yorkshire RC event on Saturday afternoon.
The day was glorious and sunny for a change and I got quite excited at the prospect of not getting wet in a race (last time 27 July). No hold-ups on the way there so plenty of time to get ready and to the start. Once on the way in the race it was obvious not a 'float' and I had to struggle with the cross wind to keep up a good tempo, my pulse was above 90% from the start and there was no point where I felt comfortable or 'ontop' of the ride. I went through 25m in 56 minutes so I knew a PB was out of the question but I pressed on for a placing, I tried to pick it up on the fast sections and not loose time on the tougher parts but I was going so far into the red that I knew I would pay for it later, sure enough in the end the body said enough and with average pulse of 154 and max at 167 this felt like a '10' or '25' effort I was way over my normal comfort zone for the longer distances
I ended up in 6th place with a time of 1.52.10
I was interested to see what Ex. Comp Record holder Andy Wilkinson (Port Sunlight Whs.) would do and he didn't disappoint, his time of 1.41.44 was a clear winner in only his 3rd or 4th outing of the season. This ride was done on a mountain bike with triple chainset (in this respect he was copying myself who used one in the early season) modified with aero bars and TT wheels. He had ridden this to 283 mile win in the W Cheshire 12 Hr. (to make up the team!) and only lacked a '100' mile time which would have put him in the top 5 of the BBAR.
Photo's courtesy of cyclingimages.co.uk
The day was glorious and sunny for a change and I got quite excited at the prospect of not getting wet in a race (last time 27 July). No hold-ups on the way there so plenty of time to get ready and to the start. Once on the way in the race it was obvious not a 'float' and I had to struggle with the cross wind to keep up a good tempo, my pulse was above 90% from the start and there was no point where I felt comfortable or 'ontop' of the ride. I went through 25m in 56 minutes so I knew a PB was out of the question but I pressed on for a placing, I tried to pick it up on the fast sections and not loose time on the tougher parts but I was going so far into the red that I knew I would pay for it later, sure enough in the end the body said enough and with average pulse of 154 and max at 167 this felt like a '10' or '25' effort I was way over my normal comfort zone for the longer distances
I ended up in 6th place with a time of 1.52.10
I was interested to see what Ex. Comp Record holder Andy Wilkinson (Port Sunlight Whs.) would do and he didn't disappoint, his time of 1.41.44 was a clear winner in only his 3rd or 4th outing of the season. This ride was done on a mountain bike with triple chainset (in this respect he was copying myself who used one in the early season) modified with aero bars and TT wheels. He had ridden this to 283 mile win in the W Cheshire 12 Hr. (to make up the team!) and only lacked a '100' mile time which would have put him in the top 5 of the BBAR.
Photo's courtesy of cyclingimages.co.uk
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
GHS Final 11 Sept 1976
I just noticed Tom Nason In the GHS Final in N London on Sunday, when I raced as a schoolboy, we rode as a team in the GHS final in 1976, we used to compete for our schools in those days and myself, brother Phil and Steve Gowar (in my year at Dunraven in South London) Together we had won the team in the English Schools Cycling Association National Championship 2 months earlier with a National Record so we had high hopes to repete this in the GHS
I was 'allowed' to use a 93" top gear for this event, I was only 14 and 6 months old compared to Steve just comming up to his 15 year and Phil nearly 16 (believe me it made alot of difference in those days). The course was the 010/2 on the A1 near Chesterfield was possibly the fastest course in the country at that time, this is what it said in my racing diary about the event
The wind was going the wrong way for superfast times, started very slow and dident get going till about 3 miles. Realy tried hard and fought the headwind. Coming back was a real flyer and I had to keep twiddling to the finish. Was fairly pleased with my effort though we lost all hope of the team when Steve puntured. Though we would not have won it from the Hendon
Local boy Ian Gilbert won the event with 22.28
Self 25.37 (my PB was 25.24 done on a 81" fixed in the ESCA final)
Phil 23.39
Steve DNF
We had beaten the Hendon in the ESCA event but they had some good riders Steve Bent I remember but they were all Phil's age, Steve and I would not get another chance to compete for the GHS although we did defend our ESCA team title in Liverpool the next year with a very young brother Alan.
Good luck to Tom (No72) on Sunday
I was 'allowed' to use a 93" top gear for this event, I was only 14 and 6 months old compared to Steve just comming up to his 15 year and Phil nearly 16 (believe me it made alot of difference in those days). The course was the 010/2 on the A1 near Chesterfield was possibly the fastest course in the country at that time, this is what it said in my racing diary about the event
The wind was going the wrong way for superfast times, started very slow and dident get going till about 3 miles. Realy tried hard and fought the headwind. Coming back was a real flyer and I had to keep twiddling to the finish. Was fairly pleased with my effort though we lost all hope of the team when Steve puntured. Though we would not have won it from the Hendon
Local boy Ian Gilbert won the event with 22.28
Self 25.37 (my PB was 25.24 done on a 81" fixed in the ESCA final)
Phil 23.39
Steve DNF
We had beaten the Hendon in the ESCA event but they had some good riders Steve Bent I remember but they were all Phil's age, Steve and I would not get another chance to compete for the GHS although we did defend our ESCA team title in Liverpool the next year with a very young brother Alan.
Good luck to Tom (No72) on Sunday
Swift Therapy for '100' Blues (in the style of The Sun)
My season long course of Hundred mile aversion therapy was successfully completed at the weekend, the distance I find most difficult to do well , with my seventh and final session in the Team Swift '100' event in North Yorkshire. After competing in four '100's on fast roads the last couple of years I decided to ride on a greater variety of courses, this summer usually meant a hard slog around 'B' roads in variable weather conditions to good results but very slow times. The one exception to this being the N Midd'x & Hert's which I won and gave me a time of 3.54 for my BBAR, before the weekend I was placed 15th in this competition which requires a '50', '100' and 12 hr. to be completed with 0.016mph improvement on last season thus far.
Sunbathing Yorkshire style
There have not been that many fast '100' mile events this year so far and quite a few riders had alot to gain (more than me) in this the last event of the year, and a potentially fast one I did a PB and broke the Club Record in it last year. As Fiona drove up the A1 two hours North of Leicester the sky became quite blue and the sun came out, quite at odds with the flooded fields and swollen rivers, they had obviously had alot of water in the last couple of days. The organisers had made provision to use another (slower) course should this one on the A168/19 on the edge of the N. Yorkshire Moors prove un-usable on the day.
I sat in the car park sunning myself thinking back to last weeks Inter-Club when we all got drenched (once again) and my last dry race over a month ago, where had the summer gone? A short ride to the start I had Carl Ruebotham from the promoting club 5 mins infront and Paul Holdsworth 5 Min's behind, I would use these two as my target men try and not get too far behind the former (currently third in the BAR) and 'have a go' at beating the latter who had caused me so many problems in the Nat 12 Hr. I started fast under the impression that the wind was from the South and I had a steady climb up past Knayton to the turn at the A684 at Ellerbeck, on the return south I realised I had a following wind and my speed hardly dipped below 30mph (56 x 11 x 110 rpm = 42mph) back at Disforth (34m) the first lap completed I was only a minute down on Ruebotham so I knew I was going well, my computer had packed up (again) so I only had HR and my clock to guide me on my race, I was up on Holdsworth by a minute. The second circuit I felt the gentle climb up to the far turn alot more and the wind was getting up, the weather was deteriorating and large black clouds were hovering over the moors.
Fresh from another soaking
I asked Fiona for coffee as my legs felt tight from using a big gear into the wind (I was using my 50 inner!) The caffeine helps I find but we missed three times and we were in a torrential downpour by the time she got it to me. The rain was bouncing 6 inches off the road and was very soon awash and I was riding the ridge in the tarmac to keep out the worst, it continued for 15-20 minutes until I reached Disforth for a second time I was 2 minutes down on Ruebotham but well clear of all my usual rivals, I was pulling clear and knew I was doing a good ride but this is where things can go wrong as your effort and your pacing have to equal to your physical and mental preparation. The final time to the final turn at 87 miles I just put it in a big gear, not my usual style (70rpm) but I had the strength for it after a long season and I suspect that my computer reading 20mph was wrong but I pressed on regardless, I was utterly soaked but it had stopped raining. Going into the final turn I saw Ruebotham and I was level (he must have had trouble?) The roads up this end were rivers of water and I was frightened I might puncture as there was grit all over.
On the way back for the final time I was getting cramp in my thigh (not now!) I had to put my gear down and 'spin it' out a bit but on every rise I could feel it there like a snake waiting to sink its fangs into my leg. Fiona was jumping up and down at the side of the road, she does not usually get this animated but she sensed that I was onto a ride, the cramp meant the finish came along before I could get it all out and 15 minutes inside my start time meant 3.45.55 I almost couldn't believe it as my computer has gone wrong so many times recently and given me the wrong data
New PB and a Club Record by over 5 minutes
Riding back to the HQ the River Ure in Ripon had burst it's banks and we had to detour everybody in their wet racing gear, but nobody wanting to ride their best wheels through the mire (Vince Macklam had broken his leg in 3 places last year hitting a drain on flooded roads riding back to the HQ after winning the Yorkshire '50') luckily Fiona had given me a top, I was still a bit stunned by the time, I'd taken another 2 minutes out of Ruebotham in the last 13m downwind leg! I'd beaten some top riders. Special mention does have to go to Barry Charlton (Lyme RC) who did the fastest '100' of the year a spectacular 3.32.23 puts him in the top 10 of all time in what was far from perfect conditions. He even put over 5 minutes into 2nd place Ian Cammish (The King of the '100's) having his best season for years at 51 and looking like being runner up in the BBAR.
Sunbathing Yorkshire style
There have not been that many fast '100' mile events this year so far and quite a few riders had alot to gain (more than me) in this the last event of the year, and a potentially fast one I did a PB and broke the Club Record in it last year. As Fiona drove up the A1 two hours North of Leicester the sky became quite blue and the sun came out, quite at odds with the flooded fields and swollen rivers, they had obviously had alot of water in the last couple of days. The organisers had made provision to use another (slower) course should this one on the A168/19 on the edge of the N. Yorkshire Moors prove un-usable on the day.
I sat in the car park sunning myself thinking back to last weeks Inter-Club when we all got drenched (once again) and my last dry race over a month ago, where had the summer gone? A short ride to the start I had Carl Ruebotham from the promoting club 5 mins infront and Paul Holdsworth 5 Min's behind, I would use these two as my target men try and not get too far behind the former (currently third in the BAR) and 'have a go' at beating the latter who had caused me so many problems in the Nat 12 Hr. I started fast under the impression that the wind was from the South and I had a steady climb up past Knayton to the turn at the A684 at Ellerbeck, on the return south I realised I had a following wind and my speed hardly dipped below 30mph (56 x 11 x 110 rpm = 42mph) back at Disforth (34m) the first lap completed I was only a minute down on Ruebotham so I knew I was going well, my computer had packed up (again) so I only had HR and my clock to guide me on my race, I was up on Holdsworth by a minute. The second circuit I felt the gentle climb up to the far turn alot more and the wind was getting up, the weather was deteriorating and large black clouds were hovering over the moors.
Fresh from another soaking
I asked Fiona for coffee as my legs felt tight from using a big gear into the wind (I was using my 50 inner!) The caffeine helps I find but we missed three times and we were in a torrential downpour by the time she got it to me. The rain was bouncing 6 inches off the road and was very soon awash and I was riding the ridge in the tarmac to keep out the worst, it continued for 15-20 minutes until I reached Disforth for a second time I was 2 minutes down on Ruebotham but well clear of all my usual rivals, I was pulling clear and knew I was doing a good ride but this is where things can go wrong as your effort and your pacing have to equal to your physical and mental preparation. The final time to the final turn at 87 miles I just put it in a big gear, not my usual style (70rpm) but I had the strength for it after a long season and I suspect that my computer reading 20mph was wrong but I pressed on regardless, I was utterly soaked but it had stopped raining. Going into the final turn I saw Ruebotham and I was level (he must have had trouble?) The roads up this end were rivers of water and I was frightened I might puncture as there was grit all over.
On the way back for the final time I was getting cramp in my thigh (not now!) I had to put my gear down and 'spin it' out a bit but on every rise I could feel it there like a snake waiting to sink its fangs into my leg. Fiona was jumping up and down at the side of the road, she does not usually get this animated but she sensed that I was onto a ride, the cramp meant the finish came along before I could get it all out and 15 minutes inside my start time meant 3.45.55 I almost couldn't believe it as my computer has gone wrong so many times recently and given me the wrong data
New PB and a Club Record by over 5 minutes
Riding back to the HQ the River Ure in Ripon had burst it's banks and we had to detour everybody in their wet racing gear, but nobody wanting to ride their best wheels through the mire (Vince Macklam had broken his leg in 3 places last year hitting a drain on flooded roads riding back to the HQ after winning the Yorkshire '50') luckily Fiona had given me a top, I was still a bit stunned by the time, I'd taken another 2 minutes out of Ruebotham in the last 13m downwind leg! I'd beaten some top riders. Special mention does have to go to Barry Charlton (Lyme RC) who did the fastest '100' of the year a spectacular 3.32.23 puts him in the top 10 of all time in what was far from perfect conditions. He even put over 5 minutes into 2nd place Ian Cammish (The King of the '100's) having his best season for years at 51 and looking like being runner up in the BBAR.
Monday, 1 September 2008
Bank Holiday Racing x 3
A week after the 12 Hour I felt like a little light sport so I'd entered three events over the holiday weekend! We had a bit of a mad dash back from Devon on the Friday, while we were packing up the car Phil Rayner and partner came past, we were having coffee on the (raised) veranda when we saw them on bikes below us, our friends own the last house (The Point) on the dead end through Noss Mayo so we knew they would be back in 10 minutes. "You riding the LVRC National on Sunday" just down for a couple of days visiting family. Strange co-incidence but this part of Devon is like Piccadilly Circus, if you wait here long enough everybody will eventually go past.
VTTA National '50' on the Saturday at Cranage just north of Holmes Chapel (Circuit that goes around Jodrel Bank Observatory) I was one of the favourites, the event was delayed by two hours while traffic lights were cleared off the course so I didn't start until 5 O'clock, I fell asleep in the (warm) car and only woke up with 10 minutes to get to the start. Three laps of a 17 mile course I started well but came up short on the last lap as the rain poured down and the wind got up although I beat all the late started unusually the winning three all came from the front half of the field who had calmer conditions, my time a modest 1.58.00 good enough for 5th place.
The LVRC Nationals on the Sunday only started at 11.00 so I had a bit of a lie in on my usual Sunday morning not having got in from the previous day until 9.00pm. I decided to have a bit of a 'sit in' for the first lap but the course around Napton in Warwick shire (beware places that have windmills on their town signs!) is pretty tough. I knew the course from two years ago when I was just getting fit and I had trouble on the hills, make sure to be at the front on the major climbs to be at the back at the top. A group of 8-10 went away immediately and it took a lap for up to get organised but soon it was through and off for everybody, except those who had men in the break (lucky bastards!)
Andy Eagers (Derby Mercury), Malcolm Smith (Fenland Cl.) and Simon Day (Go Sport) were the main agitators having missed the move but everybody did their bit and my legs coming back to life I was feeling OK, a big lap of 20 miles and the back half was up and down all the time like a Roller Coaster, gradually the group got smaller and the big hill at Priors Marsden really tested the legs. Last time up the hill and we had absorbed the break, Eagers and Paul Stubbs from the promoting MI Racing made a break, I got up to them but had twinges of cramp so took it easy up the climb being the last man to get back in the dwindling bunch over the top. The two leaders had 30 seconds and the bunch was at sixes and sevens over the chase, we were all pretty knackered but then I had another attack of cramp in both calves and thighs both legs and it was agony, I could not continue with the bunch and by the time i recovered they were 30 seconds up the road. I chased to the finish but never regained the pack Stubbs won it from Eagers and Ex-Pro Steve Marrows (GB Fire) winning the bunch sprint, myself about 15th.
Ben Luckwell (Sports Beans) won the A race from Geoff Giddings (MI Racing) and Roy Chamberlain (Team MK) Phil Rayner packed last time up the hill "Too Hilly for me" never mind at 44 he will be in the B race with me next year.
I had entered a 2 Up on the Monday, I probably would have given it a miss if it had been solo as I could feel the effects of the cramp from the day before, but my partner (Triathlete Mark White) and I had unfinished business after our one second miss in the Zenith event a couple of months ago. It was another miserable morning chilly and brisk for the Coalville Whs. event over two laps of the Gryffydam circuit (25 miles). We had a good first lap catching out 2 minute men just after the first lap but I was suffering and we could not shed them and they stayed with us until the finish
Mark and my time of 57.51 only good enough for 5th on the day behind Matt Botrill and Geoff Platts (De Rosa) 53.06 (new course record) 2nd Wayne Randall (Planet X)/ Nigel Haigh (Sportscover) 54.26 I went home to have a lie down
VTTA National '50' on the Saturday at Cranage just north of Holmes Chapel (Circuit that goes around Jodrel Bank Observatory) I was one of the favourites, the event was delayed by two hours while traffic lights were cleared off the course so I didn't start until 5 O'clock, I fell asleep in the (warm) car and only woke up with 10 minutes to get to the start. Three laps of a 17 mile course I started well but came up short on the last lap as the rain poured down and the wind got up although I beat all the late started unusually the winning three all came from the front half of the field who had calmer conditions, my time a modest 1.58.00 good enough for 5th place.
The LVRC Nationals on the Sunday only started at 11.00 so I had a bit of a lie in on my usual Sunday morning not having got in from the previous day until 9.00pm. I decided to have a bit of a 'sit in' for the first lap but the course around Napton in Warwick shire (beware places that have windmills on their town signs!) is pretty tough. I knew the course from two years ago when I was just getting fit and I had trouble on the hills, make sure to be at the front on the major climbs to be at the back at the top. A group of 8-10 went away immediately and it took a lap for up to get organised but soon it was through and off for everybody, except those who had men in the break (lucky bastards!)
Andy Eagers (Derby Mercury), Malcolm Smith (Fenland Cl.) and Simon Day (Go Sport) were the main agitators having missed the move but everybody did their bit and my legs coming back to life I was feeling OK, a big lap of 20 miles and the back half was up and down all the time like a Roller Coaster, gradually the group got smaller and the big hill at Priors Marsden really tested the legs. Last time up the hill and we had absorbed the break, Eagers and Paul Stubbs from the promoting MI Racing made a break, I got up to them but had twinges of cramp so took it easy up the climb being the last man to get back in the dwindling bunch over the top. The two leaders had 30 seconds and the bunch was at sixes and sevens over the chase, we were all pretty knackered but then I had another attack of cramp in both calves and thighs both legs and it was agony, I could not continue with the bunch and by the time i recovered they were 30 seconds up the road. I chased to the finish but never regained the pack Stubbs won it from Eagers and Ex-Pro Steve Marrows (GB Fire) winning the bunch sprint, myself about 15th.
Ben Luckwell (Sports Beans) won the A race from Geoff Giddings (MI Racing) and Roy Chamberlain (Team MK) Phil Rayner packed last time up the hill "Too Hilly for me" never mind at 44 he will be in the B race with me next year.
I had entered a 2 Up on the Monday, I probably would have given it a miss if it had been solo as I could feel the effects of the cramp from the day before, but my partner (Triathlete Mark White) and I had unfinished business after our one second miss in the Zenith event a couple of months ago. It was another miserable morning chilly and brisk for the Coalville Whs. event over two laps of the Gryffydam circuit (25 miles). We had a good first lap catching out 2 minute men just after the first lap but I was suffering and we could not shed them and they stayed with us until the finish
Mark and my time of 57.51 only good enough for 5th on the day behind Matt Botrill and Geoff Platts (De Rosa) 53.06 (new course record) 2nd Wayne Randall (Planet X)/ Nigel Haigh (Sportscover) 54.26 I went home to have a lie down
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