You never make the same mistake twice.

Attempt 3.
After last weeks efforts,  I was looking forward to this Saturday's race.
The night before preparations of curry night were replaced by an even less suitable event of a wedding.  I foolishly didn't eat anywhere near as much as I should have done. Combined with a gentle mix of Hoegarden and gin (Not literally) and little sleep, I wasnt feeling exactly chipper.
When I arrived at the bowl, I met up with James for his first race and Simon who was suffering with some sort of lurgy.
The race this week was going clockwise, on the warm up Simon suggested the best place for the final sprint. After a quick bite to eat before the start, we lined up and set off.
Pace started high, higher than the previous weeks anyway. I spent the first 15 minutes or so riht at the back, surges down the bottom and stalls up the incline stared to prove tiring so I made my attempts to bunchnup into the group.
After 20 minutes, I had drank almost half my water. I coudnt rid my thirst and my mouth was sahara dry! I reached into my pocket for a gel to see if that might help, even psychologically.  But my pocket was empty, i had left them in my bag. No bother, I'll manage. The pace steadied after 30 minutes so I was able to settle down a bit. Time went by and not much of interest happened, after a while I realised that James was missing, I assumed he was just behind me or out of sight.  Turns out he punctured half way through so had a rotten start to his racing career.
Simon made a break towards the end, I was mid pack and saw the oppertunity to go with him. One other chap came with us and we gained a few seconds. It didnt last and shortly after the 5 lap board came out.
The group surged and stalled repeatedly around the circuit. A helpful fellow (I imagine seasoned racer) was calling out to the group to keep safe and not squeeze thriugh the gates.

Once the bell went, the group wad still large,  the pace was increasig and most people were clinging on.  There was a breakaway with Toby holding the front, he had done so for the last two laps or so but they were caught on the last lap.
On the bottom straight I moved up the inside to try and consest the sprint. As we rounded the bend to start the incline, the pace ramped up, and wheels were everywhere, I was boxed in, the guy in front must have thought he'd get a better line on the verge, swooped back onto the track and caused me to brake. Shortly after another fellow somehow hit the deck. By this time the group was spread out, I was nowhere near the front so after dodging the chap on the floor, decided to just get finished.
Toby appeared to my side and told me abour his breakaway antics. We crossed the line together to wrap it up in ?th position. Not placed but still upright so cant complain.
Met up with James who told me of his puncture, Simon who had a rough ride due to his lurgy then shot off home.
Next week its the Icknield road club TT. The course would have been a nice loop round our local roads, but now turned into a nasty loop around cheddington thanks to the road works on Hemel road. On top of that I'm first out so its a week of training on the new bars and having a spin around the course.

Sid Latchford memorial TT

Normal Sunday morning again. Up, brekkie, pre-game, get my bottles ready and head out the door. This mornig I was heading to the HHCC sid latchford memorial trophy. A 21.5 mile hilly TT from Great Gaddesden, down to Dagnal, round and up bison, down and accross up the Downs, back down, accross and over to Ivinghoe Beacon, down to Dagnal again and back through to Gaddesden. Tricky route but one we cover regularly wih the club so hopefully nothing too shocking.

So there I was on my way to Hemel when I realised I had forgot my helmet, so turned around and head back home. By the time I reached the start, signed on and pinned my number I didnt really have time to warm up so I'll just prep the bike and have a quick bite to eat. Hmm, where did I put my water? Im sure I did it and had it all ready to go on the counter... on the counter! "Amy? Is my bag in the counter? Are you dressed? Could you do me a favour?"
Speedy Deprez arrived 20 minutes later,  7 minutes before my start. Deffo no time to warm up so off to hq for a pee and line up on the start.
Ooh looky I left a banana in my pocket, I can eat that. Whats this peg? Guess I pulled my jersey off the washing line a bit too quickly. Good job aswell cos that could cost me valuable seconds.

5,4,3,2,1 off I go. Quick burst then just sit on the aero bars (which I only bolted on yesterday) keep it steady and dont blow out too soon.
Afer a mile or so I could hear a rattle from the new bars.  The clamps were onto my bars but the extensions were loose. I had forgotten to tighten them up so now they were rattling around sliding back and forward and generally getting on my tits. Oh well, if I shove them right in they dont rattle but I cant use them either.
By the time I reached the bottom of bison, and started on my way up, I realised I had never been so tired at the BOTTOM of the hill. I dont think ill be breaking any records today.  At the top my first rider passed me, I had towed him all the way up and then he just slid past like a big beefburger, cheeky devil. I knew bison was the worst and the other two are nice and steady so I could keep a steady pace from now on. Downhill I would coast a bit but otherwise no letup. 

For the flat straights I had managed to solve my tt bar issue by jiggling them into position and pulling hard on them to keep them from falling out, come the hills I would jiggle them back in to hold them in place. They only came out once so I'd say success.
I knew at the finish I could give it some beans because the last bit is flat and we had the wind behind us, I'll go over the last little hillock and then give it a bit of welly,  round the next bend for the final attack.
So up the hillock, and start to wind it up and get ready for the attack at the end. before I knew it I was past the end... I hadnt even wound it up yet, oh well at least I'm not dead.

Back at race HQ, I bumped into James (who gave me the optimistic outlook on my not dying situation) our other LBRCC man. He hadn't had much luck either, new equipment and a late night meant a less than 100% on the day. We popped in to the hall to check our times, I was hoping for 1:05 time as It was a hilly course. James managed 1:04:50 (46th of 62) and I posted a 1:00:03 (30th). Well chuffed for the both of us, though a bit miffed about the 3 seconds cos I could have shaved that off if I knew where the finish line was. In any case, plenty of oppertunity to improve on our times and looking forward to next year. Fastest time set was 50:03 so only 10 minutes to find somewhere! 

Sam Williamson at HHCC put on a great event, I cannot explain how fantastic the marshals were, also getting some support and a few cowbells up he hills made it a great day all round.
Back home for a sausage sandwich.

Drawing curtosey of Eleanor Williamson

Photo thanks to Simon Hemmington

Race Two at the Bowl

Week 2 at the bowl started on Friday night with the Club ‘Celebration of spring’ Curry night. Not quite perfect timing but we must prioritise and in a club centred around social activities, curry comes first. Quite rightly so. and with curry, one must partake in a beer or two. As I haven’t been drinking all year, other than a gin or two these were my first beers and I don’t think they went down as well as they used to. All this meant I woke up with a bit of a grumbly tumbly.

No bother, we must persist and this week its serious. I cant turn up and crumble like I did last week. People know I’m racing, Amy is coming with me (though going to ASDA rather than cheer on from the start) Dave and Tracy will be there too giving me some support so I gotta at least finish. And that’s todays goal. Get to the end, don’t do anything stupid and stay out of trouble.

After arrival and registering, I had a bit of time to get ready and warm up, not long after, there was a bunch of folks shouting looking for me because my licence was still only a ride and not race. I had to do a little bit of talking and waving of printouts but all was well and I was allowed to race. More importantly (I thought) I could earn points. We all know points mean prizes.

After a quick chat with Dave, I hustled up to the start, thankfully woth a bit more knowhow from last week. Also there were only 45 riders rather than 80 so I was already feeling better about things. The event organiser came up to the start/finish and belted out what was going on. 50 minutes of racing then 5 laps to finish on. I must say the organisation this week was much better than last. I felt much more comfortable also thanks to spotting another Lbrcc rider Simon who has raced quite a few times and gave me a few word of advice before we set off.

And so we were off, nice steady start, not too speedy as there were a few bits of dampness around the bend at the bottom of the track. 20 minutes in, Toby reveals the pace has been 24mph, afterwards I think the pace actually drops and the odd surge means the pack is in constant flux. Inside, outside all over the place. After a while I find myself on the outside with a big gap in front of me, pop myself into it and I’m on the front again. Bollocks! I am not making the same mistake again, just as I do find myself on the front, the 5 lap board goes up, Double bollocks! I decided if I’m on the front, I’m certainly not going to try. Either people will pass and problem solved or everone will slow down too and no worries anyway. 2 and a half laps later someone must have decided that my 15 mph Saturday morning stroll would not do. Perfecy, nice recovery for the last few laps, I’ll just tuck in here and hold for a bit.  I quickly realised that with less than 3 laps to go , no-body was going to let me just ‘tuck in’ after half a lap and a squeeze at the gate I had managed to get back in the group around the middle of the bunch.

2 lap call went out and pace was picking up a little but still manageable. We rounded the bend at the bottom and one fellow thought he would have a little nap, leaned up against someone, sliced across the entire track and finished up in the bush. Luckily, I just got past his back wheel before a jungle of bikes appeared to my right.  I glanced over my shoulder to see half the pack stuck behind the crash, many on the floor and a number of riders in the prickle bush… do we stop? Slow down? Carry on? The riders in front didn’t even turn around, crossed the start/finish for the bell and picked up the pace to what I would expect for a last lap.

Ok then, better get back on them and see what we can do. Around 20 riders were left and the increased pace was thinning out the group. No problem, I can stay with this, bend, downhill, bend, straight, bend, uphill by now we were down to around 8 riders going up the wee hill I though now, surely, is the time to make a move. MOVE, my legs were not as keen as I was to move. Either way, I think I was up front, Legs very quickly failing me. I must get out the saddle and bloody move, nope, legs are definitely spent. Anyway, try your best dig deep and if you need to… shout. As I shouted my way over the finish line, three other equally tired fellows were ahead/beside me. bugger, off the podium but hey ho, fourth aint bad.

Catching up with the others, quite a few had been caught up in the crash, Toby had hit the deck, Simon was right behind with many of the others too. Realistically would I have 4^th if everyone was there? Probably not. I would like to think top 10 as the last lap really spread the group out but who knows? I look forward to finishing with the whole lot see how we manage.

So then back home and get some soup. 

Thanks Dave for the Photos

My First Race

I am reluctant to even mention this first instalment as it shows me up as the sore loser I really am.

The day stared off like any other cycling day; up on the first alarm (no snoozes today), kit all ready laid out, bottles, gels and what not all packed in my kit bag. breakfast down me, quick 'Pre-Game', bike in the boot and we're off.
This is my first race and until now i had never even been to MK Bowl so was unsure of what to expect. I arrived to a clobbering fellow opening one of the gates with his range rover, no direction given as to where to park, go or not to go so have a quick spin round and eventually park on a verge somewhere. I'm already kitted up so I head for the sign on area to get my number and find out what to do!
up to now my Membership has been a BC ride and the race licence hadn't come through yet so I had to convince the guy I was allowed to be there.
a Bit more faffing around deciding what to take from the car and i was on my way. once I found the track I had a few laps, get ready and warmed up. everything was picking up nicely. the course is relatively flat with a bit of an incline before the finish (anti-clockwise). after a bit of warm up and a chat with some friendly faces, people started to congregate up around the start/finish line. one kind chap pointed out that i had pinned my number in the wrong place and if I wanted to "mix it up" I'd need to move it so they would see the number.
"Pants... better move it cos I'm gonna be right up there" (Fool) so anyway, jersey off ready to shift my number then a big shuffle in the group ready to go... no time , jersey back on.
through the pack of 80 riders! a fellow at the front said a few indistiguishable words to the group, blew a whistle and we were away.
click, click, click pedals, wobbles stalls everywhere, how the hell am I gonna get to the front with all these people in my way I thought, no matter, I'll just whizz past them on the first few laps, they wont be going that quick yet.
they WERE going that quick! I spent 3-4 laps just getting up with the lead group, around the outside, squeezing past riders gates and grass verges to make up places.
After catching up, things settled down, pace was high-ish but manageable, some of the surges at the front meant the lead group was minimised to maybe 40 or so. this I can deal with, still around the outside I though I need to get over so I don't end up doing extra mileage and killing myself out in the wind. about 25 minutes in, I was in a nice comfortable position, coming round to complete another lap up the ramp, the pack seemed to open up like the red sea... "ooh look" I though, I could just nip through there and 'll have a jolly good position ready for the end. my jolly good position turned into the slap bang front with not a soul to take cover behind, bugger.
"maybe if I put a bit of effort into it I'll catch that guy up there and I'll be dandy". too much effort and not enough dandy meant i was just getting more and more tired, a quick glance over my shoulder to see how much time I had gained (Yeah right) revealed a hunting group of riders 3mm from my wheel. every one of them thinking who the hell is this mug?
The only thing I could do is relax a bit and get back in the pack, reserve some and then tray again later on. some folks came past, some more folks came past and then no-one else came past. whoops, think i better keep up with them.
I think by this point you have already guessed what happened next, I didn't keep up with them, I got further and further away eventually to the point where they were about to go out of site. there is no way I'm going down like this, I'd rather quit...so I did.
Peeled off next lap stuck my bike in the car and drove home in a sulk like a little girl.
Turns out that my saddle had been dropping all the way through the race and ended up about 2 inches too low. I'm telling myself that was the only reason why I failed so miserably.
people may have had worse days but they weren't me. this was the worst day ever.

Quote of the week: " Just because you don't win, doesn't mean your not a loser"

Welcome

Hi there,
Thanks for taking the time to come and have a look at what's going on in my corner of the world.
This year sees my cycling bumped up to the next level, up to now its been mostly riding to work now and again, to and from the train station and generally tootling around with the local club LBRCC.
there has been a single attempt at competitive cycling last year thanks to the club Time Trial. This involves a 10 mile ride on a set course. one man at at time, timed against yourself, other competitors and ultimately the world...
I had ridden along the course a number of times and was aiming for a sub 25 minutes. I had borrowed a pair of TT bars to bolt on to the old bone shaker (Thanks Dave) and with a bit of practice, managed to hold on without wobbling about all over the place.
Incredibly I managed on the day to post a 24:29 time, placing me 30th of 45. something I was quite chuffed with considering some of the competition. (real bikes and real experience).
and so... 2014 will hopefully be a glorious mix of racing/pacing and chasing.

Already thanks to the guys at bespoke cycling and David Le Grys' legro training. I joined a group of newby track cyclists down at Calshott velodrome. Nobody had ridden a track before and very few had even ridden on a fixed wheel so there was much to learn. Thanks also to the fantastic training and guidance from the Hallam family, everyone there was putting in great lap times and having a hoot whizzing round the tiny Calshott track. i do believe the competitive side* in me was in full flow.

coming up will be a series of spring races at MK Bowl, a couple of TT's booked including Hemel Hilly TT, then its onto the Thurday night Summer series at the bowl. come along and cheer if you wish, i might even give you a wave.
stay tuned...
Tom

* My competitive side unfortunately takes up 90% of my being and cannot be quashed unless volleyball is involved.