Map My Ride

Just signed up for MapMyRide.com - best site I've seen so far for this kind of thing, but there's still huge room for improvement especially in the speed and reliability of the interface...

Anyway, connect to me there... my username is substanceg

Also: anyone know the maximum length of route where it'll still calculate a profile? It's struggling a bit with my old Munich->Siena 800km tour :-)

5/7 Omega Thruxton Circuits

A large field lined up at Thruxton today of approx 80 riders, saw plenty of now familiar faces in the bunch. Decided to sit in for the first few laps then get up to the front if I was feeling ok.

First lap was comfortable with a few short lived attacks being made. With strong winds the bunch was stringing out considerably making it hard to react to any dangerous moves up front. 3 laps in I worked up to the front 10 and sat in where I could be closer to the action. A couple more attacks were made by riders in 2's and 3's but nothing stuck in the wind. I could see a move about to made by a group of strong riders as they worked their way to the front, waiting for the optimum time to launch off the front.

As expected the decisive move was made coming into the chicane before the finish, where the bunch slows down as people get closed out in tight corners. 2 guys launched out of the chicane closely followed by a rider that was in the break with me at Dunsfold and the week before at Goodwood. I jumped on his wheel and with the help of a tailwind we'd opened up a nice gap and started working together in smooth through-and-off.

After 2 laps of work in our quartet, one rider started to miss turns and soon after was followed by another. We continued to work in 2-up fashion into the wind and I was beginning to tire just as we were joined by a sizable group of 10 riders who'd bridged across. Our smooth breakaway was now chaotic, with riders sitting in, others opening gaps, others coming through too fast and dangling off the front. This larger group was now yo-yoing round the circuit and collectively we were losing our lead.

A few attempts were made to reintroduce some order but without any luck. I'd worked too hard once we'd been joined and should have recovered from the previous lap or so of hard work. With the yo-yoing and gap closing I was soon at the back and starting to suffer with another of the my original break companions. With 4 laps to go we were eventually dropped and I sat up and waited for the bunch. Having recovered whilst pootling on my own I sped up and dropped into the front 10 as the bunch steamed past. Necked a gel and a good mouthful of drink and waited for a move to hopefully take me back across to the break.

This was short lived as coming into the chicane a guy next to me in the bunch lost control, looked like someone had touched his wheel or bars, and he slewed into my front wheel. Hitting me seemed to keep him upright, but unfortunately in the process it caused me to slam into the track hard on my left hand side. I slid briefly and rolled hoping to avoid anyone behind riding into me. I managed to, but my bike spiralling didn't, bringing down an i-Team CC rider who landed hard and broke his collar bone.

For a minute or so I sat on the track watching the bunch disappear round chicane and my bike twisted up in front of me. Left leg, shoulder, hip and arm were all grazed and cut but nothing serious. My right knee had been hit by the chap behinds bike and was starting to swell nicely, along with a golf ball size purple bump to the left of my abodomen. Viv stopped and helped me up. The support car was soon to the scene as attended to the guy with worse injuries before cleaning up my cuts. The crash had split the bunch apart, creating 3 groups by the end scattered by the wind. For a first crash it wasn't too bad, no major damage and the bike was ok. Just need to replace the brake hoods, get some new bar tape and get the front wheel trued up.

This week I'd planned on Dunsfold, Portsmouth and the SL handicap on Thursday but I think I'll do better by taking it easy and having a recovery week. Its the Devil Ride next Sunday and I'm hoping my aches and pains will have worn off by then. Might do the handicap on Thursday to see how I'm going.

2/7 Surrey League Handicap Series #10 (Kitsmead Lane)

Arrived at Kitsmead Lane and surveyed what was a strong looking field of riders signing on and warming up. Wasn't feeling that focused after a shit day at work and other stuff going on. Whilst signing on I spotted Dan Lloyd chatting to some other riders, looked like he'd been out training. A few minutes later I saw him pinning on a number. Christ.

The circuit was flat and fast, with a long straight following the M3 followed by a left hand off a roundabout, a long straight descent, hard left turn and then two short kicks before the finish line. Tonights race was 30 miles and 10 laps of the circuit.

Ladies went off first, followed a few mins later by the 4ths and again shortly after by the 3rds as usual. In the 3rds we soon got a chase organised and started rolling through. Was feeling great at this point, heart rate sticking below 155 and riding smooth. After 3 laps we started to pick up people dropped from the first group, then a couple of laps later we caught the 4ths. On the 6th lap the E/1/2 group streamed past and after some shouting we managed to jump on.

Riding with Dan Lloyd in the train was awesome. He could have obviously ridden us all into the ground and disappeared up the road but he kept rolling through and occasionally dropping back to give people who were losing a wheel a push back into the group. About 30 of us kept together on the last 4 laps to the finish at a blistering pace. The race had started proper since being joined by the fast guys but I was still feeling ok.

Last lap and I made a few efforts to keep up in the front 10 knowing that once we hit the hard left turn into Kitsmead Lane that positioning there would select the final 10. I was in about 7th spot coming into the lane and swung out wide to get a good line through the corner. Inexperience got the better of me again, as opening up a gap on my left let a number of people through putting me into 12th coming out of the bend. Behind me someone lost their wheel on the corner and hit the tarmac bringing someone else down with them.

This seperated our group and held up those coming into the corner behind. I could see a top 10 slipping by and gave it full gas on the first rise only to have nothing left for the second one, losing another couple of places and crossing the line in 14th. Another chance for points missed, though on an occasion where I thought I'd be lucky to survive in the bunch. Was a great race and made all the better for riding in the company of a continental pro.

Next race is Thruxton Sunday, Dunsfold Tuesday then Portsmouth Wednesday (when the Zipps arrive...!!)

1 Daniele Santoni Pearson Cycles 1 1.08.54
2 Alexandre Guimaraes Private Member E
3 David Creeggan VC Meudon 1
4 Gary Dodd Sigma Sport RT EV
5 Steven Saunders Kingston Wheelers 1
6 Jonathan Lewis Charlotteville CC 3
7 Daniel Lloyd Cervelo E
8 Michael Staines Team Corridori 3V
9 Stephen Broomfield Addiscombe CC 3V
10 David Farmer Cycleworks.co.uk 3
11 Mark Spindler Twickenham CC 3
12 Darren Franklin VC Meudon 3
13 Jamie Shirlaw Liverpool Century J
14 Alan Buttler Brighton Mitre 3

30/6 Dunsfold Park Series #11

Tonights scratchicap race was predicably tough, especially in the heat with little wind. There was also a good turn out of E/1/2s so it was going to be a fast evening. It was the closest so far I've had a chance of a top 10, though on this occasion lack of experience let me down a couple of times. Along with Nick, Rob and Nathan I set off with the 3rds and within a lap we'd caught the 4ths. We positioned ourselves at the front of the bunch to pre-empt the increase in pace with the arrival of the E/1/2s.

3rd lap in coming down the back straight a small group of E/1's attacked together. My aim for this race had been to get into a breakaway so I lept after them. Behind me were 3 others, all strong riders. Once we'd regrouped and started working to get away I realised the quality in this small group. 2 elite guys who'd ridden the National Championships at the weekend, a 1st cat chap who was leading the series and 3 super strong 3rd cats. Shortly after Driss and Nathan bridged over to us. For a lap I was on my limit trying to keep up with this group who were putting minutes into the bunch.

Trying to do my bit I found myself doing through-and-off with guys I'd been watching in Abergavenny 2 days earlier, I could hardly believe I was there. Looking at my heart rate I knew it would be tough to maintain this level of excertion in a group this strong and I made my first mistake of the evening and lost the wheel I was following. It just needed one more big effort to keep it and I'd have had a great chance of a top 10 as this group were never seen again by the bunch.

About 2 minutes later the bunch caught up with me and I slotted in behind Nick Sky. I'd recovered soon after and the rest of the race was spent trying to get away again. Nick and I attempted 4 or 5 times without success, until the last lap where I made another mistake. Rob had moved up to the front and was going to lead me out on the last lap for the remaining points. I'd not realised there were still placings on offer, so when another suicidal attack was made coming into the bell lap I followed. Obviously we were both caught within a minute or so and I lost my position, merging back into the bunch on the outside. Coming into the final lap I'd lost Rob and was fighting for position on my own on the outside of the bunch.

I crossed the line with the bunch narrowly missing out on a crash with a guy who stacked it sprinting out for 50th position. Afterwards Rob had a chat with me saying I should have stuck to his wheel on the last lap as attacks that late in the race never come to anything. A tough lesson learnt and a great oppourtunity missed for points at Dunsfold. Nathan came in 5th after surviving the breakaway (though the bunch nearly caught them on the last lap) and Driss unfortunately punctured. On the plus side I'd achieved my aim of making a breakaway, although for only a short time it was awesome riding with guys at that level.

23/6 Dunsfold Park Series #10

Great conditions again at Dunsfold tonight, perfect blue skies and a little wind. If difference to normal the wind was in your face on the start/finish line. I took in a couple of laps to get warmed up ready for the start. I'd imagined a tough race tonight as most of the Mitre were competing in the inter-club 10 TT over at Steyning. Thankfullly I wasn't alone and 4 Mitres lined up on the start line.

Tonight was a handicap race with longer split times between the groups. Women off first, followed a few minutes later by the 4ths, then us in the 3rds, and finally a small but strong group of E/1/2's. The more experienced 3rd's in our group got us organised on the chase from the start line. 2 lines through-and-off and no let up until we'd caught the 4ths. 30 or so of us worked together in this fashion with a few getting a free ride at the back. Within 5 laps we'd caught the 4ths, ourselves being caught a lap later by the E/1/2's.

The organised chase for the first 20-30 minutes of the race was perfect warmup for the action in the second half. As the E/1's started to attack each other the race pace increased and being close to the front I'd managed to keep up with the quick changes in speed. Coming round the top for the 8th lap prime, one of the Wildside 1st cat riders came alongside Nick and myself saying that they were going to attack just before the prime and they wanted one of us to come along. I didn't need asking twice and approaching the prime sprint along with group of 5 E/1's we attacked off the front of the bunch. I must have picked up some prime points in the process as we opened up a tasty gap from the bunch.

Unfortunately our move was nulified by a quick organisation of the bunch and half a lap later it was altogether. Coming into the final lap it was obvious tonights episode was going to be decided in another mass gallop for the line. I'd positioned myself in the front 15 of the bunch but started to get boxed in coming up to the final bend before the finish. I spotted Thatch moving up and tried to follow but the gap closed up behind him as he powered off towards the finish in 10th place. I came a second later about 25th, my best result at Dunsfold so far. The other Mitre chaps all finished in the top 25, a good night all round.

Škoda Velothon Berlin 2009

Race report!



Came in place 4000 something. Time: 3h36m (120km/75miles). Considering I'd done the very minimum of training i.e. a couple of spins with MEAT and Siôn many weeks ago, I'm well pleased with the result. The road bike was on its first outing this year and it (she?) performed beautifully, shifting under load no problems, trusty handling, not a sound as we sped along. The main massive difference was riding in bunches almost all the way, I'd seriously underestimated the energy saving this brings you. I was lucky to grab on to a group of 10-15 riders who were riding together and just eating up the road ahead of them, when I was in that bunch no-one overtook us, we just devoured the slower riders, it was awesome. I took a short turn at the front and it was a fantastic feeling to be pulling along this rolling train. I was spent after a minute or two of this and the next riders took over at a crazy pace which I thought I'd never be able to keep up, but by the time I'd drifted to the back of the bunch, I could keep up again under the protection of the slipstream.

In the last 5km or so, my breath started running out, reminiscent of when I had circulation collapse many years ago in the alps, but I hung on to the finish line and at least I know I couldn't have given more. Managed to stay on the bike and not pass out and finished ok, so actually pretty well paced all in all.

The race was superbly well organised. Loads and loads of marshalls, good-natured spectators cheering us along almost all the way. Unfortunately, I did see the aftermath of a couple of crashes: cyclists with bleeding bodies being stretchered into ambulances. I read afterwards that there were 54 first-aid cases, of which 17 cases needed to go to hospital. Considering there were 12300 participants, that's not too bad, really...

The race was won in a mass sprint with a time of 2h46m. Erik Zabel strolled in 2 seconds after the winner.

It was a really great race and I'd definitely do it again. A couple of areas I know I can improve - apart from actually doing some training - are: switch from mountain bike to the racer a few weeks early to get used to the body position. The Trek fits me like a glove, but the handlebars are way lower than the Klein and a few miles into the race my neck really started aching and still hurts a day later! And, the main one which would've saved me 5 minutes or more was the constant need to pee when I'm on the bike. I don't know what it is, but I'm thirsty and drink about a bottle every 45-60 minutes or so, but it just goes straight through me and I needed to stop and pee twice in 3 and a half hours, which is a waste of good racing time. So any suggestions/tips/bizarre contraptions greatly appreciated...

See you in Berlin next time?

21/6 Surrey League Goodwood

A sizable field of 3rds lined up for todays SL race at Goodwood with blue skies and a little wind. At the start Mick identified a few people to watch out for and there were a few other strong chaps I recognised from Lewes Crits. It was likely that today would be decided by a winning breakaway and I was determined to be in it. I decided to shadow a particular rider and wait for his likely move early on in the race.

A few attacks went in the first few laps getting the race pace up early. In marking the rider tipped for a breakaway I missed out on an early move of 10 riders including Driss from the Mitre. They stayed away for about 3 laps before being caught. I latched onto several dangerous looking moves over the next few laps, though none had that kick required to open up a gap. As each contained some capable riders the bunch wasn't going to let us get away that easily.

With 3 laps to go I went for it on the back straight before the chicane and was joined by another rider. We'd opened up a good gap and continued our all out effort through the chicane over the finish line before sitting up for a breather. A minute or so later we were joined by another 4 and it was starting to look good to get our last minute attempt organised. Unfortunately the bunch thought otherwise and within a lap we'd been chased down and caught.

I was out of position coming into the final lap which effectively means the race is over. You need to be in the front 10 coming into the chicane to feature at the finish. With the bunch galloping towards the chicane for the final time, someone ran into difficulties and nearly caused a huge pile up, forcing many onto the grass to avoid a nasty crash. All in all a great race and the 40 miles screamed by at an average of 26mph. Next race is Dunsfold on Tuesday and I'm going to try and get to Portsmouth Wednesday.

18/6 Lewes Crits #3

Double points tonight and points mean prizes. The last of the series was set to be a close fought battle from the gun. We'd decided to mark the top 5 on the GC in pairs, myself teaming up with Martyn to mark #59, a powerhouse from Southdown Velo who lay in second place over all. We were slightly down on numbers tonight but everyone was fired up for the task of protecting Nathan's lead in the series.

Felt great in the warm up, even after Dunsfold, just seem to be getting stronger each race at the moment. However I was feeling aprehensive about the race and wondered if this would be one to many after 4 in 6 days. At the start line Martyn and myself flanked #59 on both sides and shadowed him during the neutralised start. My task on the first lap was to follow his every move and cover any attacks, whilst Martyn would lead out Nathan on the first prime. Other riders were responsible for the rest of the GC, and everyone else would cover any other attacks.

On the first lap we were up in the front 5 or 6 going full gas, even then a few attacks went in. The Mergler and Driss were up there chasing them down bringing it all back together once on Laughton Road. The first prime was fast approaching and a couple of miles out the bunch started getting twitchy as teams positioned themselves for the lead out. Several attacks went on Laughton Road, including #59 who I stuck to like glue.

Coming into the rise up to the prime, Nathan stuck to Martyn's wheel as he guided him through to the front. I was right on the wheel of my marker, but using his skill and experience he managed to shake me off, squeezing through the tightest of gaps by phyiscially brushing people aside with his shoulders. The gap snapped shut and I was left to see him get towed to the prime which he eventually won, pipping Nathan into second. Not exactly to plan so far.

Second lap it was my turn to get Nathan to the prime whilst Martyn covered #59. Several more attacks rained in on the Broyle but nothing dangerous as yet. Laughton road was another matter, with the One Life Fuga boys determined to get their man to the prime first, along with Bayeux Landcapes. In the 3 miles to the prime I helped close 4 major attacks down. By the time we reached the prime I was of no use whatsoever to Nathan. He contended the prime on his own but was swamped out by the small but strong organised teams. No points for the Mitre on prime 2.

Lap 3 was absolute hell. Chasing #59 around the circuit for 2 laps had left me with nothing left and after the prime I was 10m off the back of the bunch at my limit. Thankfully Nick Haskoll dropped back and paced me back to the bossom of the bunch. It took a mile and some last effort digs from to maintain his wheel. Once in the bunch I'd necked a gel and half a bottle and kept out the wind. Driss, Martyn, Mergler, Mick and Morgan were all up the front keeping an eye on things so I sat on wheels for lap 4 trying to recover.

Same as the first Lewes Crits, coming into the last lap I was fully recovered and started to work my way back to the front. Hitting the Broyle for the last time Martyn pulled up alongside and told me not to let anything get away. Seconds later Will Kemp from One Life Fuga (who eventually won) attacked strong and got about 20m off the front of the bunch and looked like he had the legs to keep going. A couple of Mitres tried to follow but faded, digging deeper again I managed to get over to his wheel and sat there. We dangled out front for a while but not for long, the other teams by now getting organised ready for the finish. Mitre shirts were appearing left right and centre, along with all the Bayeux Landscapes riders, One life Fuga and the 2 super strong Southdown Velo’s. The lone rider from Sigma Sport who won last week was also up there.

Last time onto Laughton road the race was really in top gear now. A few last minute attacks were made and with the Mergler we closed them down just as another fired off. Mick and Morgan both tried for the Mitre but faded, and the Mergler shortly after. The head of the bunch was made up of all the top 5 on GC plus me stuck to the wheel of the Sigma Sport chap. I knew if I could stay on his wheel I’d have a good chance of ending up in the top 10, if my legs held out. Will Kemp from One Life Fuga had a last ditch attack using all his remaining effort and opened up a big gap off the front. No-one appeared willing to chase, and in hindsight I wished I’d taken his wheel and not the Sigma Sport guys.

500m from the finish line, preparing myself for one last all out effort I could see the Sigma chap preparing to leap from the bunch. This time I was going to make sure I didn’t get boxed in and jump with him. Seconds later I hit a pot hole at 35mph. Front tyre blew out instantly as the rim slammed against the side of the hole. The bike sprang right into the bunch, but somehow I managed to stay upright leaning on a guy next to me. Thankfully he was strong enough to take the weight of my lurching into him and we both avoided a horrendous crash. Behind me were 2/3rds of the bunch travelling at over 30mph. I freewheeled to the verge and watched the bunch scream past, adrenaline rocketing wondering what could have been – if I’d been able to contend the finish and if I’d crashed.

Nick Haskoll saved me for a second time, returning from the finish with a spare tube and inflator. I got back to the Roebuck pub just in time to see the award ceremony where Nathan got a very respectable 3rd place overall. Will Kemp won the series with the Sigma Sport chap in second. I was now beginning to realise how lucky I’d been instead of being preoccupied with what result I could have got. People who were behind me when I’d had the blow out came up saying they were sure that me and everyone else were going to eat tarmac.

Next race is Sunday at Goodwood with the 3rds. Full results and more pictures of the race are here - http://ontherivet.ning.com/

16/6 Dunsfold Park Series #9

Got to Dunsfold early tonight with Martyn, sat in the sun taking it easy before getting ready to warm up. Mitre turn out tonight was myself, Morgan, Martyn, Driss and Paul Thatcher. Windy as usual but not too bad and blue skies. Tonights race was a scratch handicap and my first start with the 3rds. Of the 60 or so riders, the ladies went off first with about a minute gap to the 4ths, then us in the 3rds, then the E/1/2's shortly after.

I was feeling ok, legs good but could tell I was fatigued from the weekend. Couldn't get heart rates up high but was still able to get involved up front in chasing down the 4ths. Within a lap it was all together. Next 3-4 laps all the Mitre boys were in the front 20 working hard and both Driss and Paul had attacks after the primes. It wasn't until the 5th or 6th lap that a move went away with about 20-25 riders. At the time I was towards the back of the bunch having a breather from helping chase an early break so missed out on the split.

It took the group I was in about 4 laps to get organised in chasing the breakaway down. As it contained Driss, Martyn and Paul we didn't get too involved and just sat on wheels. A couple of riders tried to get things organised by zipping up and down the bunch shouting orders and eventually on the second to last lap everyone started working together. We caught the breakaway on the bell lap.

I came through to the front up with Driss and Paul and slipped into 2nd slot at the spearhead of the bunch. 3 guys were still away so the rest of the placings would be down to a bunch sprint. Coming into the final bend I switched to the front with Paul in my wheel and used my last effort to tow him along as fast as I could. With 200m to go I pulled over and let him steam past hotly persued by a phalanx of VC Meudon riders. He was swamped in the final bend and didn't make the placings, though I think Martyn got 8th or 9th.

Was a great evening, just what I needed after the weekend. Being able to stay with the bunch and get involved at the front on the final lap was good progress from my last race there in May where surviving to the end was my only goal. Next time the goal has be getting into a break. I like Dunsfold in that you have to mix it up with the Elites, 1sts and 2nds, it really pushes you to your limits right through the whole race. Although you have little chance of getting a top 10, each race you can set a new goal to acheive as the pressure to get a result is off. One week working on chasing, another try and get in a break, another try and steal a prime before the E/1/2's catch you etc.

I've got tomorrow off work and will get a good rest ready for the final of the Lewes Crits series. Its double points for primes and placings tomorrow night so its anyones for the taking. Nathan currently has a 6 point lead on GC which we aim to protect by dominating the primes and protecting Nathan till the finish.

14/6 Susie's Circuits (Thruxton)

Another perfect day at Thruxton, sunny and a light wind. Got changed and started to warm up slowly straight away. Started gentle laps in the 39 ring then up into the 53 after 10 mins. 15 mins to go started a few out of the saddle efforts, getting HR up to about 145-150. Had one last hard effort a few minutes before the race start. Looking around the other riders today was going to be completely different from Hillingdon. There were a lot of able looking people about and some strong turnouts from Fareham wheelers, Sotonia and Andover wheelers. A top 10 could be a challenge today. I was remembering my experiences from March where I'd ridden conservatively but not head the legs for the final sprint out of the chicane.

40 or so of us headed out into the first lap at a very steady pace. This was soon distrupted by 2 Bristolian's who considerably upped the pace coming into lap 2. I wasn't feeling great, but hovered around 10-15th position in the bunch keeping out of the wind. Soon after Claire appeared next to me, the organisers had let the womens start with the 4th Cat's as there were only 4 entries. This would later prove to be a big help.

The next few laps were pretty quiet, with just a few solo breakaway attempts being left to suffer before being swallowed up again after half a lap. Coming into the last 4-5 laps the Sotonia and Fareham Wheelers boys got active, having plently of riders they were able to launch a few attacks to up the pace of the race and let the other teams tire chasing them down. As these got more serious, Claire came to my aid and successfully chased down 2 concerted efforts by Sotonia and Fareham Wheelers.

On the 9th and second to last lap a potentially dangerous looking move of 3 riders formed just before the rise to the chicane. Having so far kept myself out of trouble and well below threshold the entire race so far I decided to close the gap and attacked out of the chicane. 100m or so later the move was nullified and the bunch back together for the final lap.

This time round wasn't going to make any mistakes. I'd kept in the front 5 coming into the last lap and positioned myself at the left of the bunch to be well out of the wind as we approached the rise before the chicane. To my right in a wheel length echelon were 3 others lead by one of the strong Bristol South CC lads from earlier. Coming into the base of the rise he attacked and I slipped past the others and glued myself to his wheel. This is where on the last 2 races I'd made my mistake.

Instead of opening up my sprint, I kept in the saddle and a centimetre from his wheel in front. As we approached the chicane two or three others came through on my left and right handside, but not fast enough to get past. Coming out of the chicane I could see my chance for a top 5 slowly slipping by with riders in my peripheral vision, though as yet none had come past. I was waiting for someone to power past at any second but as yet no one seemed be to closing. I put my foot down and got a wheel length on the Bristol South chap, but wasn't going full gas saving a final effort should there be a last ditch effort from someone.


With the finish approaching fast I instinctively kicked for the line, still expecting to be overtaken right at the last second. Freewheeling I couldn't believe I'd won it. I was so sure someone was going to overtake in the last 25m, I was still in disbelief. The Bristol South CC guy got second, about a bike length from the rest of the bunch sprinting after us. He rode over to congratulate me, saying he'd thought I'd win it after he saw me warm up earlier!

Technically the race couldn't have gone better. I'd only excerted myself once in the whole hour when closing down the move on the second to last lap. I'd bided my time when the final move was made on the rise into the chicane and kept the bunch at bay just enough to have another kick left should anyone pop through in the last few metres. Unknown to me the whole sprint was caught on camera by one of the British Cycling photographers.

Claire had rode an awesome race as well, getting 6th over all and 2nd out of the women. Having her there for the last few laps closing down attacks and offering some protection was a great help. As the weekends results began to sink in I was amazingly happy. I'd still not fully taken in getting 5th the day before at Hillingdon and getting a win the next day was better than I could have possibly imagined. I'd wanted to get my 3rd Cat with a win, not a few points here and there but I'd always known it would be very hard to achieve.

As a coincidence I now move into the Peak period of my training program which takes me right up to the Devil Ride before 2 weeks off in Wales and France. This next week has 3 races, this Tuesday at Dunsfold, Thursday for the last of the Lewes Crit series (currently 15th on GC) and Sunday is Goodwood.

13/6 Minet Park Grand Prix - Hillingdon

01:50pm - Race - Minet Park Grand Prix / 4th Cat Race / 1 Hour + 5 Laps (Hillingdon)

Got to Hillingdon circuit in good time and started to warm up. The circuit wasn't what I expected, was thinking more along the lines of Cherstey but instead it was more like Hove Park. During warmup I checked out the other riders. A far number of hairy legs and pot bellies around, but also a few handy looking people. Never judge a book by its cover I thought...

25 or so signed on for the race in glorious sunshine with a slight wind. The circuit really suited my abilities with its sharp fast corners and slight rise to the finish. Looking around the start line I figured of the 25 it would come down to about 6-7 of us at the finish.

First 30 minutes was relatively un-eventful. Heart rates were ok and I sat in the front 1o up on the bars. A few tried to get away but it was pointless, the fast laps meant that once into the wind they'd soon tire and get caught. I was feeling great and as the half hour approached was starting to feel restless for some action.

A couple of guys had attacked of sorts coming up the rise and had opened a 50m gap on the bunch. I decided to bridge over, but saved my move for the series of hard turns after the finish line. Cornering in the bunch was shakey and slow for a lot of riders and I knew I could easily open a gap without expending much effort. With 30 minutes to go I attacked off the front of the bunch coming into the first bend, took it at full speed shot straight past the 2 guys out at the front. Went flat out for the next 100m and sat up to see what response I'd got. The bunch came up shortly after, with one guy wheezing saying to slow up as we'd still got 30 minutes of racing left. During that effort I'd reached a new max heart rate again at 190bpm.

15 minutes later I'd recovered and gave another dig in the corners again, this time using almost no effort to get another 50m gap. This created more of a reaction this time round as 10-15 riders reacted and chased me down. 10 minutes later another guy did the same and in following I was up at 100% effort again. The combined efforts of both these attacks was enough to shake the dead wood from the bunch leaving about 10-15 of us for the last few laps.

A few more attacks rained in, but they were all left to dangle about 25m off the front, the wind and the rise to the finish line soon tiring them out. On the second to last lap a serious effort was put in by a Brixton wheelers chap and an independent and they started to gain some ground on the bunch. Coming into the base of the climb I decided this was looking a bit dangerous and did a third max effort to bridge across, reaching 103% max HR. By the last lap we'd been caught and it was down to about 7 us for the sprint finish.

One poor chap had made a mistake in the corners, coming out into the wind on the front. The worst place to be on the final lap. He kept weaving and slowing up trying to get someone to come through but he was stuck there. Looking over my right shoulder a chap was there grinning like a fucker at me, I'd not seen him all race at that point and I knew he'd been biding his time. I was in 2nd place, fighting for the wheel of the guy in front it with another rider. Coming into the rise 150m from the finish line he started his sprint and I reacted, jumping past the guy in front. As expected the smiler came past both of us, but was beaten on the line by a Dulwich Paragon rider. I came in 5th place, about 2 bike lengths behind.

I should have won, no doubt about it. In my impatience for the race to start proper earlier on I'd made 2 maximal efforts and a 3rd covering an attack in the last 10 minutes. Coming into the sprint I was in a perfect postion but just didn't have the legs for another hit.

Positives to take away was being able to reach new maximums and recover, and positioning for the sprint. Negatives were impatience and too aggressive riding wasting energy. Still, 5th place is 5 points towards my 3rd Cat license. It also felt great being able to influence the race and watch peoples reactions. 5 more points to get and its Thruxton tomorrow.

Results

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Lewes Crits #2

Got to Lewes nice and early and rode a full lap with Martin and Driss. Felt good in the warm up, did a few digs on the back lane. Felt calm and collected waiting in the carpark listening to the Commissaire reiterate the rules of the road to us. At the start there was no loitering at back this time, almost all the Mitre was assembled at the front of the bunch from the start.

The neutralised start was a little longer today, just over a mile and the lead car only pulled away after we turned onto the Broyle. A young lad got disqualified straight away for attacking on the wrong side of the road, crossing the double white lines within 30 seconds of the race starting proper.

Coming down the Broyle on the first lap there were 10 of us on the front controlling things as a small breakaway involving at least one Mitre rider pulled away. We were sitting comfortably coming into Laughton Road letting other riders chase the breakaway and give us a free tow. A strong wind was on our backs pushing the bunch along fast. It was going to be a very quick race. Unfortunately about 250m from the small roundabout is where my evening changed fundamentally.

Almost right in front of me Martin hit a massive pothole, wrenching his wheel and bars sideways as we raced along at 30-35mph. In front of me all I could see was his bike spinning along the ground as he tumbled into the hedgerow. Slamming on the breaks and skidding I somehow managed to avoid the bike and another Mitre body sprawled in front of me, but had a feeling someone was about to plough into the back of me. Seconds later I was out of the melee, sprinting for what was left of the bunch disappearing round the corner. The crash had split the bunch in half and we'd not even completed 1 full lap.

At maximum effot for over a mile myself and a few others chased the bunch, just about tagging on as they took the left turn to head up the small rise to the prime. Devilish timing, as the bunch surge in speed meant we had to jump again to keep up. Heart rate was hitting 98-99% after the chase from a standard start after the crash, so this second maximum demand on the body was a tough one. Nick Sky offered a wheel but I couldn't match his pace.

Hitting the Broyle I regrouped with Viv, Mick, Nick Haskoll and 4 other riders. We worked hard through-and-off for a lap to close the gap, but slowly started to lose our number. After a lap of chasing just Viv, myself and 2 others were left. The bunch was at 50 secs and unknown to us speadheaded by what was left of the Mitre chasing down a breakaway. There was no way in hell we were going to catch them.

The last 3 laps were spent riding at threshold, snatching chances to recover as the less experienced in our quadsome took long turns on the front. Coming to the finish we had our own competition, me leading Viv out down Laughton Road for a sprint finish. Unfortunately he was pipped at the line by a last ditch effort from one of our solo companions.

All in all a very tough evening, one of the toughest for some time. Heart rate was good but the early maximum efforts really ended my chances of getting involved later on. My biggest regret is not throwing every last bit of effort into latching onto Nick Sky's wheel to stay with the bunch after the crash. Its easy to think in hindsight but at the time telling your body to go beyond its limits for a third time in as many minutes isn't so easy. Thankfully Martin and the others involved in the crash weren't injured, though his bike came off worse - snapped top tube!

Hillingdon on Saturday is going to feel my frustration!

Bike Radar Live

As my somewhat lame season of cycling continues(in comparison with Mitre Bert) I found myself at Donington Race track for Bike Radar Live on May 30th. The concept is as follows: Bike Radar – an umbrella brand for all the major cycling magazines brings together 4X racing, XC racing enduro style, hot laps around Donington race circuit, BMX, bike demo’s etc. It worked too. Great fun, amazing weather and lots of smiley faces and interesting tan lines.

I was there to do my first 100 mile Sportive of the year. At 7.30 when I woke up it was already getting hot – it went on to be about 29C which was a little harsh. Considering the Sportive started at 8am and I needed to eat, build my bike and register I realised I would be cutting it fine! Due to a delayed and staggered start I was able to make it to the last but one start time.

I rolled up to the line with Cliff, a CycleSurgery colleague who was riding with me and Geoff Thomas – the Pro footballer who suffered Leukaemia, recovered and read Lance Armstrong’s book, next thing you know he rode every stage of the TDF and is now a big name in charity cycling & fundraising.

As I rode off the start ramp I knew it would be hot, fast and I knew that my poor preparation meant I had no food or energy gels to help me round the next 100 miles.

I was somehow feeling good – considering the campsite was situated directly under the landing strip of East Midlands Airport and I had only 2 hours of non interrupted sleep. I rode past lots of people and then about 7 miles in I caught a group of very motivated riders, I settled into their rhythm and we were really moving, I stayed in the front 6 riders, doing my turn frequently and dragging the group at 23mph average. At one point on the front I caught this guy who had a funny retro team kit and no socks on, his riding style was really peculiar and he really stood out, I later found out that it was Graeme Obree – who has twice broken the world hour record and is famed for being the pursuit champion on a bike made of washing machine parts… I digress and I spat him out of the group. No respect from our train!

At 40 miles there was a road split. Here I realised that turning left takes you 20 miles back home to complete the 60 mile route, right is the 100 mile route – My train veered to the left and I was the only one turning right! The penny dropped that I had been in a group – all shaven legs riding at a 60 mile flat course pace and I had to go 60 more miles through the peak district… whoops.

The route was good, and on my own I quickly latched onto a group of riders from a Derby based club who were riding together. We worked well and when we reached the 60 mile checkpoint we were the first people in. This was my first opportunity to re-fill my water bottles and pick up some gels. There was no free food available and I believe that this had a big impact on my next 40 miles.

From this point we were deep within the Peaks, we went up 1 in 4 hills and soon after we rode through Hartington – home of smelly cheese I was spat out of the back of the group along with another guy who had also been hanging on by the skin of his teeth. We worked together and managed to ride quite well, however I was longing for the 80 mile checkpoint and hoping that solid food and plain water rather than PSP would be available as the heat was now properly blazing.

A 2 minute stretch, a handful of sickly PSP strawberry bars and fresh water refill were a welcomed addition, the full on headwind for the final 20 however was not.
For reasons of vanity I had done without gloves so my hands were raw from the sweaty hands rubbing on DA hoods, My body was depleted of anything useful and I have never needed a pizza so badly! I arrived at Donington race track and somehow managed to sprint round the race track – that tarmac is so amazing to ride on!

As I went the wrong way for 3 miles at one stage and had to turn back my ride distance was 106 miles, and I finished in 5hrs 52 in 22nd place.

This ride was brutal – not due to the terrain, but due to the scorching heat and the punishing first 40 mile pace, however I was pretty impressed with my bodies ability to cope and I feel that without the 6 mile diversion and if I had a bit of cake stuffed in my pocket I could have done even better.

All this positive talk will be lost in my next post as this weekend I tackle the infamous Dragon Ride in South Wales. One of 3 European Grand Fondo’s and 3500 entrants taking on the 117 miles and 3000m of climbing. My legs are protesting already

4/6 Lewes Crits #1

Absolutely awesome race tonight. Felt good in the warm up and ready to go. We'd fielded 14 riders out of the 50 places in the series so there was plenty of activity from the Mitre right from the off. At the start line I found myself near the back of the bunch, but was content to sit there saving energy whilst attacks from Nigel, Wil, Nathan and Martin started on the first couple of laps.

Coming into lap 4 my heart rate was looking healthy, sticking well below threshold around 145-150bpm for most of the race so far. Folloing Mick's wheel I'd headed up to the front of the bunch where Wil was attacking again. A couple of others followed so I got a free tow to the front about a mile from the 4th and final prime.

With two guys ahead I stuck to their wheels coming into the hard left corner before the rise up to the prime. Accelerating out of the corner we'd already created a sizable gap from the bunch and the sprint for the prime was between the 3 of us. One chap was stronger and opened a 15m gap in front of me, but I'd dropped the other rider with 500m to go to the line taking the prime in second place. In this sprint uphill I'd discovered another new maximum heart rate with my HR monitor chiming at 102%. We sat up to recover, long enough to get a drink in and a gel, before grouping together to try and breakaway.

It was pretty clear that I was too cooked to be involved and shortly after got caught up by the bunch. Digging in as deep as I could I managed to tag onto the end of the bunch with my heart rate still up in the high 170's. Heading down the Broyle I just about survived and clinged onto the back of the bunch trying to recover. The gel seemed to do the trick and coming out of the roundabout onto the last lap I regained a few places up to the middle of the bunch.

Last lap I was fully recovered from the prime sprint, though still out of position. Coming into the roundabout I was second from last in the bunch and had a lot of work to do. Feeling strong I was able to accelerate out of the roundabout again, past the whole bunch and drop into the front 10 riders. Nick Sky was away on his own so I slipped into 7-8th spot and sat up. Nick was caught with about half a mile to go so I turned my thoughts to the sprint.

Up until this point I'd been in a good position, but as we neared the slight rise to the finish line riders began overtaking and starting their sprints on the other side of the road. Interesting move seeing as the finish was on a blind summit, but the roads were pretty quiet. I was getting boxed in on the gutter side, but was waiting for a gap to open up as the riders in front reacted to the attacks on the right. Unfortunately this didn't happen, probably people were reluctant to follow wheels on the wrong side of the road! The chap in front of me sat up, effectively ending my involvement in the sprint. I coasted over the line at the rear of the bunch.

All in all was an awesome race, most enjoyable yet. It was good to keep cool in the first few laps, keeping heart rate down, ready for a maximum effort on lap 4 to get prime points. Even better was being able to recover sufficiently for 2 all out efforts on the final lap. It was a great night for the Mitre, Nathan getting 1st, Driss 5th and Martin 4th I think. Add my prime points and we are looking good to win the series!

More pictures and results here - http://ontherivet.ning.com


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Dunsfold Park Series #4 & #5

Tuesday nights couldn’t be more different now than 2 years ago. Instead of slogging away on the decks working through a six pack of red stripe, Tuesdays now involve slogging away in the wind and eating handle bar tape. The Dunsfold Park Series of 15 weekly handicap races started a few weeks back and offer awesome training and race experience. Last year my first ever BCF race was at the last of the series and was a baptism of fire. As usual it was a windy affair and I lasted 7 laps in the bunch before getting spat out to solo ride home. It was an unforgettable first experience, dealing with riding in a bunch of 80 riders at speed, learning to shelter from the wind, dodging cones, pot holes and dodging riders dodging the same.

Dunsfold #4 - 12th May

I’d missed the first few Dunsfold’s with being away in Belgium and the USA so my first return to racing after a 4 week break was last Tuesday. Severe winds were lashing the course though this time the wind direction was different, with the usual slog down the back straight being a eased by a tailwind. As a result the start/finish line was into a headwind so from the beginning it was heads down working hard. A change from the norm was the organisation of the handicap, this week the 4th Vets went off first with a 2-3 minute lead followed by the 4ths, then 3rds, 2nds, E/1s. The larger field of 4V’s were soon disappearing round the first bend before we set off guaranteeing a high heart rate start to the race chasing them down.

Of our group of 10 or so 4ths only myself and 2 others were willing to work to chase them down. In the strong head wind we barely made 50m on them before they regained the deficit once into the tailwind. The first 3 laps I spent at 97-98% of max HR and knew I was on borrowed time. With no more helped being offered from our group I slowly lost contact and spent a lap on my own trying to recover. Soon afterwards I was picked up (literally!) by a group of 2nd/3rds and buried myself to catch their wheel. The remaining 5 laps I was able to recover enough to work with this group, soaking up other 4ths and 4V’s who’d been dropped. The winning break of E/1’s was long gone and our bunch came in equal 42nd place. It had been an insane race with riders scattered all over the course individually or in small groups, people getting lapped, people packing.

After 4 weeks off it had been exactly what I’d needed to catapult myself back into racing. Average HR was 95% of max for the whole race, my hardest workout yet. Unfortunately because I was so concerned about the amount of energy I’d expended I over ate in preparation for Hove Park on the following Friday and spent the whole race with stomach cramps. Getting the diet / recovery balanced correctly when racing more than once a week is proving to be tricky!

Dunsfold #5 - 19th May

This week was all about survival (actually, all Dunsfold’s are all about survival!). A sunny evening guaranteed a big turn out with 80+ riders. The wind direction was back to the usual, tailwind down the start/finish line and what felt like a headwind for every other section of the circuit. In warm up I could barely reach lactate threshold even during max efforts so I knew this was going to be a painful evening. This week the 4ths weren’t separated and we started off together at a steady pace.

The splits had also been changed from the 2-3 minutes of last week and before the first bend we’d been caught by the 2nds & 3rds. Before we’d reached half a lap the E/1’s caught up and the race started proper, head down chewing bar tape into the wind. Still struggling to kick in my engines I hovered around the rear 3rd of the bunch for a couple of laps before eventually getting that feeling of daylight slowly growing from behind. Thankfully Mick and Viv from the Mitre were near the back and opened up a space for me to slip into out of the wind.

The next 5 laps were groundhog day. Clinging on by fingernails to the back of the bunch down the long back straight trying to keep out of the wind, digging deeper into depleted reserves each time, snatching at chances to recover and freewheel as the race pace waxed and waned. Then down the finishing straight, the tailwind helping to regain position in the front 3rd of the bunch before hitting the bend and smack back into the wind. Snot and spit on my face, gloves, thighs, grabbing moments to sneak a drink, the position gained on the finishing straight slowly slipping by as the bunch powers into the wind at 25mph. Coming into the home straight clinging onto the wheel in front it’s time to repeat the whole process. Recover. Position. Pain. More Pain. Even More Pain. Repeat.

Add to this dodging cones marking the route flying into the bunch left, right and centre, plus riders dodging the same, people screaming to hold your line, people swearing, snot rockets zipping past your glasses and then Bang! Speed increases 5mph again and your scraping the energy barrel for a response, legs screaming, snot streaming, eyes blurring. 30 seconds later its back to normal and you’ve survived another kick in pace.

Miraculously I started to recover more each lap and found myself hovering around the front 20 riders for the last few laps. I actually began to think I could get a good finishing position but the final kick of speed into the home straight left me with no response and I cruised over the line with the back markers of the bunch.

Though some may see Dunsfold as boring, riding 10 laps round a bleak airfield, it makes for awesome racing and an unsurpassed workout. This week my average heart rate was down just below lactate at 89% of max. Though I couldn’t get going it felt like a better performance on last week finishing with the bunch. The rest of the Mitre riders did well, all surviving to the end.

E-tack Caledonia

So I have still not done any races – hence limited input on the spanner. I did however head over to Dunsfold last night to check out the action. It looked frantic at times but was also a very strange experience, with a mass of riders cruising round the circuit in a pack, then the occasional straggler who has been dropped looking ill and travelling around a 1/3 of the speed. I will take part next week for sure, as long as I can find the £25 entry fee!

This weekend I took part in the Etape Caledonia. It is the UK’s only closed rode event and this year had over 3500 entrants. The course is 81 miles and travels along a pretty flat route, with 1 major climb at about 50 miles in.



I was riding as an invited guest of the organiser so I was trying to get a feel for the event. I was amused to find the event called a race on every form of documentation – very different to the Devil ride which is not a race. I repeat. The Devil ride is not a race. Entrants were not incredibly sociable, in fact generally took a big dislike to my chatting on route so my objective of having some fun changed at about the 40mile mark when I decided to ride a bit more aggressively.


I continuously bridged mile long gaps on my own to get into a train at a speed I was comfortable with, but always found the pace to be a couple of mph too slow – with over 30 miles to go I was bridging gaps at 27mph with no help and I feared I would never survive! Needless to say I eventually found my rhythm and within the last 20 miles I found a group of 7 who seemed motivated, we worked hard for each other for a little while before our group became 4 and then after I lead up a hill we were a 2 man break with 10 miles to go. Not very sporting I know and I am sure many will frown at this behaviour but riding at a slow pace just to keep a group in-tact surely cannot be a wise strategy?

My result is as follows:

Overall position: 51
Gender position: 50
Male 30-39 position: 20

My time: 4:07:12

Winning time: 3:44:05

I am pretty pleased with that. Without my slow first 40 miles chatting I would have beaten the 4hr mark I am sure.



Now I must put this result into context. The event was sabotaged this year! Some local folk who have been against their freedom of movement being taken away decided to get revenge on the organisers and put carpet tacks on a 10 mile stretch of the road. 1,000’s of people were affected. If was crazy. While I was surely one of the few lucky entrants who avoided a flat I stopped on several occasions to provide tubes and assistance to the British Ski Team who were riding our bikes and wearing our jerseys.
I can see why the locals were upset. Some of the villages we passed through are very isolated, so up to 4 hours of road closures is a royal pain in the ass, it affects their ability to go to church, they claim it has a detrimental impact on tourism and they just don’t like it. Yes to bikes, No to closed roads the signs say. The organisers claim they should be happy with 5000+ people bringing in over £500,000 to the local economy, raising over £260,000 for Macmillan and for putting the area on the map. But obviously this is not the case.

Anyway I had a fun time. It was 500 miles each way so I think I would rather do a race in Belgium next time, but a great experience all the same.

In the lead up to the 2009 Devil ride my calendar reads:

Etape Caledonia – Done
Bike Radar Live – Next Weekend
Dragon Ride – 14th June

Then I have 1 month of nothing so I will be looking for something 28th June – any suggestions?

Thruxton 4th Cat Race (22/3)

Sunday was my second outing in a row to Thruxton for another crack at the 4th cat race. Weather was almost identical to last weekend, though this time there was a little more wind. Myself and Morgan would be racing again with Claire racing with the women in the E/1/2/3/4 race. This week however we'd have Dan with us who's been out photographing the Mitre on various training rides and club runs for a photography course project. This weekend he'd get chance to snap some action shots of us racing.

The major difference this weekend was how I was feeling. Friday nights fitness test was about purely surviving the 2 8 minute tests, being too tired to concentrate properly on breathing or pedal stroke I just wanted to get it over. It had been a hard week with a few late nights and it really showed on the test. I'd improved on the last test but not by the same margin from the test before. On top of that I was very pleased to be attending James and Katies amazing wedding at the OBE chapel at St Paul's. This combined with the culmination of the 6 Nations ruled out any kind of rest and recovery prior to the race Sunday.

Sunday morning I was feeling the effects of the £11 cognacs Kelv bought at the wedding along with only few hours sleep. Struggling to get breakfast down again I wondered if I'd be in for a repeat performance as at Darely Moor. Booze (pretty much anything more than a couple) and racing definately do not mix at all. What would normally be uncomfortable becomes excruiciating as your whole body screams at the effort. Once I'd picked up Dan and we were on our way however I was starting to feel a little better.

At Thruxton I signed on whilst Dan started snapping some behind the scenes pics and then warmed up. Next time I'll definately take the turbo for warming up, there isn't enough room at the aerodrome for a proper warmup, especially with 50 riders all trying to do the same. This weeks plan was pretty much the same as the last, though I wasn't sure how much effect the wedding hangover would have. Things to concentrate on would be spending more time in the bunch until the last lap to either hang on or conserve energy.

From the start the race felt completely different from last week. No pointless attacks, no bad handling or shouting and no crashes. The race felt more organised and was definately a lot faster. Already on the first lap coming up the climb my heart rate was starting to climb way above lactic threshold. Sit back, hide away, recover. 5 or so laps in I was actually starting to feel ok and was able to control my effort keeping heart rate just below anerobic effort except for the climb. Some serious attempts to break away started now and one chap actually kept clear for 3-4 laps before being caught. A good effort considering the wind.

2 laps to go and 3 strong guys made it away. The rest of the bunch would now be playing for the last 6 point placings. Penultimate lap I manuevered into the front 10 alongside Morgan, who was looking pretty comfortable. This time I managed to bury the urge and kept back behind wheels. Heart rate bobling around threshold. Last lap.

Another guy goes for it with intent and manages to dangle about 25m in front of the bunch. He's strong enough and keeps there as we hit the base of the climb. Things start to kick off, I hit the gas 100% and take the 4th wheel on the climb and things are looking good positionally, but then, bang! legs are shot again, exactly the same point as last week. As I come into the chicane 15 or so pass by, then another 10 coming into the finishing straight. Thinking fuck it, I get out the saddle and put everything I've got into a final pointless sprint. This effort smashes what I though was my maximum heart rate by 5 bpm's up to 101%. Cross the finish line almost throwing up.



Once I'd recovered I started to play back the race in my head. Not a bad effort considering how knackered I'd felt and a definate improvement technically and tactically than last week. Was also good to know that I can push through what I thought were my physical and mental limits, even though on this occasion there was no need. Back at the car Morgan produces some more great cake and we talk over the race over a cup of tea. Dan gets some more great snaps before we head back to Brighton.

That'll be my last Thruxton and last race for a while, this weekend I'm going to Poland for the World Track Championships with Meat and Chet, then the following weekend is Belgium for the Tour of Flanders sportive and a weeks training. Reports for both will be up on here soon!

Dan's flickr photo stream is here - includes snaps from recent training rides, club rooms, coffee stops, hill repeats and Thruxton.

BCF Race report and Photos.

L'Eroica!

No, its not some Spanish porn site, L'Eroica is a vintage sportive on the gravel roads of Tuscany, trying to recreate the 'heroic' era of cycling. The route features the grueling, relentless dusty tracks that criss-cross the region. Don't expect power bars and energy drinks at the feed stations either, instead you'll be presented with a selection of meats, breads, olives and wine.

Unfortunately due to the huge amount of entrants last year (3000), this years edition will be restricted to 'heroic' bikes only. The definition of heroic appears to be anything pre-1987, with externally routed cables, toeclip pedals etc. So get rumaging around in the shed and dig out your old steed, or your Dad's, or your Granddad's if it comes to it.

Sportive is on October 5th. Gwyd, if you can find a bike, I'm sure you can perfect a fantastic heroic facial hair design for it!

http://www.eroica.it/index_en.php

Thruxton 4th Cat Race (15/3)

Sunday was a perfect day for racing with little or no wind and perfect blue skies. Todays destination was Thruxton aerodrome near Andover for the 10:15am 4th category race. This time round I was joined by fellow Mitreite Morgan who would be back on the bike for his first race of the year. His late start to the racing season was due to his time being taken organising the very successful Punchuer Sportive.

Arriving at Thruxton nice and early we had a 40 minute warmup after signing on. The circuit was fairly similar to Goodwood in that it had a chicane in the last 100m before the finish line, but prior to this there was the addition of a short rise. Morgan and myself had received plenty of advice of how to tackle this race and the following was going through our mind repeatedly whilst warming up:

"...Thruxton is a two sprint effort. Keep to the right as you approach the hill and go hard as you hit the bottom. You want to be in the top 5 as before the chicane as the bunch will naturally swing over to the right as they approach the chicane so if you are too far back you'll get swamped. You then need to go again, immediately as you exit the chicane. It's a long sprint but the bunch will be compressed through the chicane so most will be out of contention immediately. Keep close to the wall as it curves rounds to the finish so that's the shortest route to the line. Plus if anyone tries to come inside you can plaster them to the wall..."

The good weather gauranteed another large turnout with a few teams fielding 8-10 riders. Undaunted by this I waited at the start line going over aims for the race. One of the mistakes I'd made at Chertsey and Darely Moor were to waste too much energy holding a good position from the start. This time round I was going hide away in the bunch for 8 of the 10 laps, then start playing for position into the penultimate lap.

David arrived whislt I was warming up having driven down from Oxford to see me race. Was great to have another spectator there to cheer me on, or not, seemed to remember him saying I had more points on my driving license than my racing license!

As we started off a chap attacked immediately right off the line. The majority of riders didn't appear to be particularily phased by this, though some chased off like dogs after the rabbit. They were all caught within 500m from the start line. Other people continued to give it a go trying to get away, but no-one gained more than 30-40m on the bunch before being slowly reeled back in. Thruxton looks like a very hard place to breakaway and you've got to question the thought process of the guys making these attacks so early, especially as the bunch was crusing at 27-28mph without much effort.

Along with the suicidal attacks in the early stages of the race there was also some horrendous bike handling. Along with the usual crossing of lines, braking or riding into closing gaps, the middle of the bunch kept closing up on the chicanes and corners completly shutting out those behind. This caused a few people to hit the grass or the concrete corners as they ran out of space. Finally this unfortunately resulted in a bad crash on lap 4 taking out 4 riders. I saw one chap at the end limping back to his car covered in cuts and mud. I managed to avoid most of the trouble keeping up in the front 15-20 or so.

Leading into lap 8 pretty much everything had gone to plan, keeping out of trouble but not too far back to have to work hard getting to the front. Heart rate had been steady around 165-170, hovering around lactate threshold. Coming into the penultimate lap I latched onto the wheel of a chap I'd seen racing before who I knew was a good strong rider, who towed me up the rise and through the chicane into a great position in the front 5.

More last ditch attacks rained in on the penultimate lap and once more I was caught out expending too much energy holding my position when again the bunch finally joined up together. I'd hit my max a couple of times and had no time to recover coming into the final lap, though still sitting fairly comfortably in the front 10, though on the left side of the bunch. The advice about holding the right line through the chicane was chiming in my ears and coming into the climb for last time I was getting boxed in way out on the lefthand side.

The big chap I'd latched onto to get a tow and some time to recover now started to tire and I was loosing further ground coming into the base of the climb. At the same time a big attack went in on the far right and I could see my oppourtunity to get even a top 20 spot fade. Finally he drifted to the right just enough for me to shoot past, hitting the climb at top speed and crossing the whole track to the right and join the 5th wheel heading into the chicane. Unfortunately this maximum effort to get into the chicane in the top 5 was to be my last one, as once the second sprint for the line started I had nothing left in my legs, drifting in at about 35th spot.

The result aside this was technically the best race I'd ridden so far, keeping my heart rate low for 90% of the race, chosing the good wheels to follow and getting into a position to contend the finish when I needed to. The only issues were again overcooking it slightly on the penultimate lap and not having the legs for the second sprint for the finish line. That aside it was a great race, if a little hairy at the beginning. This week is a recovery week and I'll be returning to Thruxton this Sunday to give it another go.

BCF Race Report


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My 2009 challenge

After the Devil Ride last year, I said I'd never do it again. But by the time the entry form came round for 2009, I'd forgotten the miserable slog over windy, wet, barren mountains in the Welsh "summer" and was really tempted to try it again. Luckily, in the meantime, a shorter, flatter alternative has come up and it starts on my doorstep...

The Skoda Velothon Berlin is a 120km ride starting and ending in the centre of Berlin and taking in the Brandenburg countryside.


I'm looking forward to checking out the route at a gentle pace sometime in the next few weeks as I start to build up my fitness from zero.

It will also be very interesting to start the race - the expected number of participants is... 15000!

Darley Moor 3/4 Cat Race

Back in January I'd booked a weekend at the Gables cottage in Alstonefield in the Peak District. This weekend coincided with an annual reunion of Peace Race riders not far away in Fenny Bentley plus there was a 3/4 cat race at Darley Moor on the Saturday morning.

Friday morning I'd just landed in Gatwick after a week in southern Spain training with the Brighton Mitre. Our last night had been spent sampling the local homemade wine and needless to say Friday was a bit blurry. Getting up at 5am with a few hours sleep followed by a 6 hour journey back to Brighton wasn't the best preparation for a race. Jo picked me up from Gatwick with the intention of us both driving straight to the Peak District, but as usual I'd forgot something - this time my racing license...

Friday night in Alstonefield was a quiet one, having one drink in the George next door to our cottage with my Mum, GT, Jo and Jo (Jo Jo Jo). They'd all planned to come to Darely Moor to watch me race the next morning so I got to bed early still feeling knackered from Thursday/Friday.

Saturday morning I was up at 7 to get some breakfast, check over the bike and get ready nice and early for the race. I was feeling shattered, no appetite and a little sick, not a great sign. The weather however was great, light wind and sunny. Darely Moor motor racing circuit was only a few miles from Alstonefield and GT came along to the start to give some support.

We arrived at the windswept circuit in plenty of time and I signed on and picked up number 81. Another big turnout with 70+ riders on the sheets, this being a 3rd & 4th cat race. There were some very strong looking riders milling around and I knew today was going to be hard. Mick had raced here and gave me a low down - it was a fast circuit, windy and suited breakaways, the bunch was generally well organised though didn't favour a chase very often. There were also a few technical sections to negotiate, a tight hairpin and a few shicanes. I'd time for 3-4 warmup laps during which time the wind started to pick up. On the 4th warmup lap I was breathing hard and feeling groggy though not too bad not to start, though I knew it was going to be a painful morning.

I pulled up to chat to GT before the start, he'd been talking to another rider from the Derby Mercury about how he thought the race would unfold. His view would be that a break would happen coming into or out of the hairpin. He was absolutely right, later I saw it happen and the same rider went on to win. At the start line I surveyed the large field looking for any familar faces from my time riding with the Beeston road club a few years back. None to be seen unfortunately but I did see a huge range of club jerseys from Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby, Ashfield etc.

Soon after we were underway and not before I'd even clipped in there was a crash behind. Appears someone lost balance or something clipping in, taking out an unknown number of riders. It appears later that as the front 50 or so got away unscathed, a good number of people were off the back from the off. Unaware of this I raced off with the majority of the bunch into the first corner. Feeling a little better I was able to position in the front 10-15 heading into the hairpin without any problems. Keeping this position however would soon prove to be very hard as on the second lap the first series of serious attempts to breakaway rained in.

The same chap GT had spoken too before the race was repeatedly attacking along with a couple of other very strong looking riders. For a short time I was able to see all this action at close range, until on the 6th lap when he finally successfully made it away with 2 others. By this point I'd completed lap 6 at 98% heartrate almost the entire lap. My legs were shot and as the bunch pace pulsed again I was rapidly going backwards, hanging out of the back on a yoyo.

I tried a few times successfully to get back and up into the front 3rd of the group, but as soon as the pace lifted again I was straight out. On the 3rd attempt I was suddendly listening to only my own gears whirring away whilst watching the bunch disappear into the hairpin. Looking back I expected to see another sizable group, but the track was completely empty. Where had everyone gone?! Completing a lap on my own I began to realise that many had been dropped already or packed altogether. Coming into the home straight I could see a straggler, so putting the urge to pack as well to one side I focused on catching him.

I'd caught him and saw there were still 15 laps left. We had a quick chat and decided to work together in not being lapped and managed 5-6 laps together before I left him and went on to catch another pair. This continued right to the end of the race, catching up with ones and two's, recovering then hopping over the next group. I'd figured there was no point packing, it was a nice day and a good workout blasting round the track. Shortly after the lead breakaway steamed past looking like a very well oiled machine. Minutes later the bunch poured past, I moved over to let them past without hinderance.

At the finish I pulled over opposite my Mum, GT, Jo and Jo who'd been spectating near the finish line. I felt pretty gutted that they'd had to see my get dropped and spend the majority of the race riding on my own, but they didn't seem to mind. That aside, I was another great learning experience and a very fast race.


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Chertsey 4th Cat Race 22/2

This weekend Claire and myself headed up to Chertsey for what would be my first race of the year as a 4th Cat. After hearing numerous tales of crashes and other shenanigins in the 4th Cat races I was eager to stay out of trouble and make it to the finish unscathed. Last year I'd only experienced flat out blasts around Goodwood and Dunsfold, so the couple of short climbs and descents at Chertsey sounded like they'd add a bit of spice. I was still feeling the effects of a fitness test the day before, but the good results were keeping my spirits high.

The start sheets for the 4ths were chocked with over 90 names and another 30+ for the 3W/4W race. Before we got underway, the field was split into 3 groups for a few 'training laps'. Each group was taken round the circuit a couple of times to give the many first timers a chance to get a feel for the course, spot holes and advise on general racing etiquette. It also served as a great warmup as we'd arrived late for the start.

We were finally underway and the large field headed into the first bend. Judging by the number of shouts and complaints to hold lines most of the advice given on the training laps had been instantly forgotten. After 2 or 3 laps I'd seen a couple of guys hit the gravel and heard a few spokes and wheels touching behind, so it wasn't long before I was putting the advice I'd received into practice, keeping in the front 10-15 and out of the troubles behind.

The short sharp climb really added to the race and I found it a great spot to reposition into the front 5-10 ready for the fast descent and then chicane into the home straight. I practiced this tactic on the last 7 laps, easing off just enough to not end up on the front but be in a good position for the long sweeping bend heading to the finishing straight. On the penultimate lap this worked out perfectly again and I was starting to think about the finish.

Heading down the finishing straight and into the final lap however I wasted too much energy trying to stay with the front riders. This effort proved pointless as by the time we reached the banked left hand bend the bunch regrouped again for a final breather before all hell let loose on the climbs. In hindsight I should have saved myself for the climbs and positioned then where I was at my strongest. Instead I struggled over the final lump almost at my limit whilst watching 30+ riders stream down the descent. Claire and myself crossed the line together in 40th and 41st position.

Although we didn't feature in the sprint it was an enjoyable race and great experience. The couple of short climbs seemed to suit my capabilities and I'll be looking forward to giving the circuit another shot soon!

Results


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