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

Chasing club records...... and not getting them.....

Over the course of the past week I've had a go at a couple of the club records - the 50 and the 10. I was due to add the 25 to that yesterday, however, the event on the A25/11 had been respectfully cancelled just a couple of days ago.

First of the attempts was the 50 and that took place last Saturday. The club record is 1.52.42 and I felt in good enough form to seriously worry it on a fast course - the one I chose was the E2/50C near Cambridge - a course I knew well (or I thought I did ! ). It was a very hot day and the wind was a 16mph SW - which meant 25 miles of head or cross head. I wasn't worried at all about this as the course as some shelter and is fast in any conditions.

I started hard - too hard as it turns out and paid for it later on in the ride. I went through 25 miles in 52.35 and was on course - then three things happened - firstly I cocked up the top roundabout by assuming I knew the course without checking - turns out there is a section I didn't know about, secondly, I wilted in the heat and from the early pace - and then finally, the headwind did for me. 17 DNFs on the day due to it being a bit shit out there, but I battled on to a respectable 1.56.25 - good enough for 18th on the day - but outside of the record.

The second attempt came on the V718 this past Tuesday, where I would be attempting to better 20.37 on a decent night for the V. I was off at 7.53 on a lovely evening, and again, I felt good.

This time, I reigned it in quite early, learning from the weekend as again it was warm. I kept around 300W and worked on this to the turn. attacking the turn I ramped it up as much as I could on the return, but the backwind was never quite what I expected. No problem with my position or my pacing. a light night for traffic I suppose - but I just missed out this time round with a finish of 20.39 - just two seconds outside of it. So near !!

A PB of 46 seconds though - not to be sniffed at, and it means that I'll get another couple of rides on there this season. Bonus !

The E
Course E2/50C
Temp 24C
Wind 16mph SW
Pos 18/56
NP 249W
HR 175

The V
Course V718
Temp 23C
Wind 8mph SE
NP 303W
HR 176

Sportzmad 25

My second visit to the the hallowed mountain at Hirwaunjust outside of Methyr Tydfil to ride the fast R25/3H course – a course where the 2017 CTT 25 Champs are to be held, and a race I am working hard to reduce my PB to a level of being able to claim a place.

This weeks event was the Sportzmad 25 and I had been placed at no.97 which meant that I wouldn’t be starting until 12.37 so there was no need to camp over the night before like I did in April. Instead, I left Lincoln at five to seven and arrived fabulously early at the HQ at Rhigos Rugby Club leaving me plenty of time to relax before eventually going through my race day routine.  The weather was overcast, drizzly and most disappointingly – cold at 11c – although this would rise a little before the off.

A nice little warm up and then I was set on my way, aiming to beat my lifetime PB of 55.21 and better my last attempt of 55.30 on this course. All seemed well, with a backwind to the first roundabout and I worked hard, above my FTP, knowing that I’d get a breather going down the mountain – wrong !! A good block headwind of around 11mph meant that unlike last times freewheeling fun – this week see me pedalling almost all the way to the bottom – I think I reached a top speed of around 40mph and not the headstart that I would have wanted.

My power looked good and my cadence and heart rate were where I needed them to be but it didn’t seem fast at all and with the cold and the drizzle I guestimate I wasn’t even holding 25mph as I made my way to the far end of the course. Number 100 came past me like a train and this cemented my feeling. At the turn, once I had negotiated the slow climb and picked the right exit from the roundabout, I afforded myself a look at my average speed and was stunned to see it read 26.9mph.

Now I had the bit between my teeth, with a backwind and a PB to chase on the last 10-11 miles of the course and set about holding my target power. I huffed my way through two roundabouts without delays and still had a little left in the tank at McDonalds roundabout for a final throw of the dice. Empty I passed the finish and could only whimper ‘no.97’.

Job done with a new PB of 53.25 – I just hope that’s low enough to get me a ride on either Etwall or the E2 cos 7-8 hours of driving in a day is not so much fun as testing.

Time 53.25

Wind SW 11mph

Temp 13c

HR 172W

AP 285W

NP 285W

Bruce Kingsford TA National 50

My third trip across to Astley nr. Shrewsbury for the TA's National 50 time trial. On offer was the chance to retain the Bruce Kingsford memorial trophy that I won last year with my time of 2 hours & 18 mins.

Competition was hot this year, with a good standard of entry with winners of previous TA events all lined up for the start. 15 riders in total and the weather gods smiled upon all of us with a light North Westerly wind of 9mph and a lovely early morning temperature of 15c - which was a good job as we were starting very early in the morning at 7am onward.

I was last man as defending winner and had the luxury of starting at 7.30. My garmin would display just three items : Power 10s, cadence and heart rate. I knew whick level of power to aim at, I wanted to avoid the inevitable slide into low cadence and I wanted to make sure I wasn't pushing my poor little heart so fast. In 2015 at my first BK - I fogot my garmin and started the event like a 10 which was a poor pacing strategy.

Also, br removing speed, it helps because I don't panic or chase, and finally no timer so that I don't get panicked by time splits. It was a case of just riding and riding to power.

Of course though, given all this science, I again started off far too fast and caught my two minute man within 10 minutes who himself is a fast man who has beaten me before.
I needed a word with myself, and managed it finally as I took on the first section from Ternhill roundabout up to Prees Island for the first time. On the way back, power dropped and cadence rose, so I knew it was super fast and very much wind assisted. On my closest rival , I guestimated that we were around level so all was good. The eventual winner of the event, however, seemed to be miles ahead and making it look so easy !

At about halfway, the course slows noticeably and it became harder and I genuinely thought I had bonked following the fast start. Round the bottom turn and all to do, the power rose again, especially on the return to Prees Island into that headwind, and I kept it steady just blindly trusting that power figure - I was having to work very hard though whereas it had seemed relatively easy earlier in the event.

Round the Island and this time I looked at the average speed - 23mph !!! WTF !! That was an immediate pick me up - I also got a time check over my rival and it looked like I was 45s ahead - decision made, I had 14 miles to go to the finish and I wasn't going to lose 2nd place, so head down and keep working. Those last 14 miles seemed to take fowever and the last three really were an eternity.  Finished empty with a club record 2.08.39 and two silver TA medals - a better weekend than I had imagined.

Pos. 2/15
Time 2.08.39
Temp 15c
Wind 9mph NW
HR 170
AP 265W
NP 265W

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

City RC Hull 10 on the V and a new club record

The new trike arrived this week, complete with single drive, just 6 gears and a 55T Chainring. I have managed to get out and ride it a couple of times and I know that it is a quick barrow ! Adjustments are still being made though and I'm sure that I've not yet got the seat high enough.

All that being said, I did my V02 intervals on it outside on Thursday evening and they felt really good, so I headed to Hull with the notion that I could at least trouble the club 10 record by getting close to the 20.47 mark that I had failed to achieve on my last two trike visits (22.54 & 23.08 respectively).

My warm up had gone well and apart from having to dodge a quick shower by jumping in the back of the car - I had plenty of time to amble down to the start !

I was away by 3.57 and enjoyed a relatively busy dual carriageway as I made my way toward the turn. My garmin displayed three things - power 10s, cadence & heart rate and all three looked on track as I headed into what I thought should be a cross headwind but didn't seem to drag as it should.

The 55 tooth chainring was superb and the gearing was just right as a result, I had enough at the bottom and enough at the top. I hit the turn and made a concerted effort to work hard up the ramp and not dilly dally at the roundabouts - of course I had no average speed readout at this point but I was actually ahead of schedule at the turn.

As with most trips to the V, the back 5 is the fastest and I was nearly maxxing out with the cadence at some points. It felt fast, but I just kept working thinking I was there or thereabouts and every second counts. Having a power meter on a trike is very useful and I found myself working consistently to my target power whereas I would have been all over the place usually.

I finished strongly but daren't check the ride time until I was rolling into Newport. 22.05 - a new club record and VTTA NM age record - I'll take that !

NP 310W
HR 173
TEMP 16c
WIND SSW 11mph

A busy bank holiday of organising and racing...

I managed to cram quite a bit into this weekend, with organsing the TA East & Lincoln Wheelers Old Skool event on Saturday and having a bit of a back to back racing for the Sunday & Monday on the V718 both days which is my absolutest favourite course in the whole wide world....

Saturday - V728 - VTTA National 15 Champs
This one was held on an extended remix version of the V718 course which added c.2.5m both ways towards the Newport turn off. There was a howler of a wind blowing from the South Easterly direction at 20mph, and that made both the start and the proceeding 2.5miles to south CAve really tough. I could see my power and could hold it steady and I could also see my minute man, himself a decent rider, edging a little bit closer. In fact he was an excellent carrot and I managed to catch him before the turn, so I knew I had a decent pace going out.

Up and over the turn smoothly, I made sure to be careful as I made my way up the gears for the super quick backwind section. My only problem came as I span out and couldn't spin fast enough to take the power any higher. I was strong and kept moving as quickly as I could and attacked the Welton Drag as hard as I could.  All out, I went for the line and was pleased to be rewarded with a 33.34 in poor conditions - 35th on scatch on the day.

Sunday - V718 - Mike Dixie - Tandem Trike
The super fast tandem trike pairing of myself and 70 year old Pete Holland met up early at the HQ at Newport and set about modifying Pete's tandem so that we could have a comfortable ride and attempt to take the Lincoln Wheelers tandem trike record which stands at 23.45 and has done since 1996.

We don't train on it together, preferring to just race occasionally. On this occasion, we chose the may-day Mike Dixie event that we usually ride solo.

We started well and got a good understanding almost straight away, I'd push on and occasionally Pete would rest and free spin. It worked well and we made good progress against the still windy but better than yesterday 12mph wind. Overall, we needed to maintain an average of 25.35 miles per hour and it was looking good at the turn (bottom of at 23.8mph). the turn was very slow though and it was down to 23 on the way down, but I thought it was still doable.

Riding back was like treacle in parts and I could feel the pedalling get harder as Pete tired in the second half. We did give it our all though and really went to town in the last mile getting up to 38 miles per hour and eventually only missing the record by two seconds !! Grrr !