and then Comp records ..... and getting them !!

Strange 'owd week this one.... following on from recently getting very close to the club vets 10 record on the mighty V, I have been further frustrated by events being cancelled for roadworks, accidents and the like. I've had a few weekends of just training and have been raring to go. I rode a club event on the 010/5 on a tuesday evening recently and managed a very good 22.14 on the night to win the event, so I knew that not racing was probably doing me some good ! The O10/5 course is one that I really wanted to do this year and it was a nice night and an honest course - 2017 bucket list tick I'd say !

Moving on to the CC Breckland 15 - it had previously occurred to me that there was not a comp record for this distance and especially a men's team record. I had secretly been putting together a band in an attempt to take the 30 record but with our A event cancelled, we were left with no alternative but to take stock and look at what else is available. The CC Breckland 15 was to be our first crack at the title, and a back up at the Newbury 15.

It was a lovely night, and there wasn't a great deal of wind around - and given my luck with conditions and cancellations this year I'll take the smooth thanks very much. I set the wattage target at c.290 and aimed to keep above that - thing is though I did muller the first couple of miles and really had to scale things back at mile 3 - it felt good, but the intelligent me knew I couldn't hold it. Giddiness over, I settled well into the event and apart from the road surface throwing up lots of potholes to dodge, I got to the turn in good order. Double roundabout without incident, it was the long winding road home, knowing I was going well. It does make a difference and the ride back was less of a battle knowing that. I worked hard to catch my two minuteman and did that just before finishing under a bridge ?? in 35.39 - a time I will be claiming a comp record for, even though it was beaten just three minutes later. Lincoln Wheelers have hopefully set a team comp record too - I smiled all the way back to Lincoln, pressure off for the season :)

On Saturday, I rode on the E2/25 course for the first time at the VTTA Champs and posted a time of 52.34 to equal the club record on a hot but windless day. I rode the first half far too quickly and paid for it on the return - still a PB none the less. A rider was knocked off just three minutes after me and the race was abandoned so a pretty hollow victory for me personally. The race is being re-scheduled.

The O10/5
Temp 57f
Wind 6mph ENE
NP 312W
HR 169
Pos 1/8

The B15/1
Temp 68f
Wind 7mph NE
NP 303W
HR 175
Pos 21/40

The E2/25
Temp 72f
Wind 5mph WNW
NP 286W
HR 178