LRRA 10 Champs 2017

After last years effort on the trike it was time to have another stab at the county championship on two wheels. My last effort was in 2015 when I managed a very good for me 22.32. Today then, I had my eyes on the prize of going faster than that and placing well in the championship. A 21 would be nice and after last weekends trike offering I genuinely felt that it might be a possibility.

The HQ was at Gunby Hall which is a national trust property, and the course is coded the C10/9 - an honest out and back 10 course which benefits from a gift hill finish as the cherry on top of the icing on the cake.

Wind was quite light at 10 mph, and as a south westerly should have assisted out and then been a cross head on return - which didn't always happen but we'll come to that.

I was off at no.82 and I seemed to be warming up for an eternity before being ready to go. When I did though, my power was through the roof as I tackled the early unulations - today I had ave power, cadence and heart rate showing. I could see good power and decent cadence, my HR was climbing already into the 170's so yes, I think I started too hard.
Having made my bed, I attempted to lie in it as best I could and powered up to the first roundaboutin a PB 310W.  I had been held up by some traffic, and also didn't feel that I'd got that much of a push, it was easier in some sections and harder in others.

The return with my HR sitting already in the mid 170's was hard for sure - but I kept trying to keep the power above 300W and keep moving forward. The back 5.5 was the same as the first half - good in places, windy in others - I found the course a complete mish mash today !

That gift hill though, a welcome sight after 9 miles and I attacked it knowing that every second counts. About halfway down I could see flashing emergency vehicle lights and then I could see an ambulance and police car just before the finish - I slowed down and drifter thinking that the event had been abandoned only to be waved around the incident and onward to the finish.

A dulling end to a good solid ride. My 22.18 was more like 22.08, but I placed well, and on a better day that performance would have been good enough for that magical single carriageway 21.  Onward and upward - the Bruce Kingsford Trike 50 next weekend !

Course C10/9
Temp 14c
Wind - SW 10mph
NP 313W