Pedal Spanner

2011 Goals

2011-02-01T17:31:00.002Z

Well... it’s been a while... in fact, I'm not sure 20 months off the bike can be described as 'a while' even. It’s been an Eternity.

How much has changed since the summer of 2009 other than the growing amount of dust on my impulsively bought collection of bikes I wonder. For the Mitre, as far as I can gather from their excellent new blog http://www.mitreracing.co.uk, they have gone a long, long way since I departed after crashing out of racing, and cycling in general at Hove Park in July 2009. The membership has swelled, new seasoned riders have added to the depth of experience and the club has a new team racing focus. It’s this new approach detailed here http://www.mitreracing.co.uk/about/ that has been a contributing factor in getting me off my arse.

I made some errors in 2009. After all the hard work training in Feb/Mar/Apr and a huge amount of support from the club, I reached a period of peak fitness around mid-June, culminating in gaining my 3^rd cat license. The biggest mistake of the year was trying to drag that peak out like an elastic band. The excitement and adrenaline of racing in one of those peak periods is like a drug, you can’t race enough, 2 races in the week and one at the weekend would be common.

After being committed and focused for the 4 months previous, all the hard work on the turbo intervals, fitness tests and early morning rides, when it came to the culmination of that I stopped thinking and just kept racing. As I started to lose the edge after many races instead of acknowledging this and easing into a transition period of recovery I just kept at it. Crashing at Thruxton in June should have been my signal to start a recovery period, but stupid bloody mindedness and the looming Devil Ride sportive a week later kept me going.

My usually uncommon egotistical competitiveness for this particular event got me a Gold time, but also resulted in another crash at the finish after a gruelling ride, still carrying the injuries from Thruxton. A week later the same ego saw me enter into the June edition of Hove Park, eager to race in front of my Mum and Meg. In the warm up I was barely able to get my heart rate up and losing concentration crashed taking the wrong line into a sharp corner thereby undoing all the healing progress from the Thruxton crash. Stupidly, I raced anyway in what’s a hard race on a good day, lapped and dejected eventually packed after another serious crash involving another rider from Southdown Velo (who made a full recovery and completed the season).

I didn’t get on my Trek again that year and didn’t even update my training log with the result of the Devil Ride, let alone the abortive attempt at Hove Park. Reading back through those entries the weeks after Thruxton its seems so obvious I needed a break. But why did I carry on to self-destruction and ultimately complete abandonment of cycling? Until this weekend the Trek has been sat in my room gathering dust, exactly as it was after the crash in 2009 with the brake levers bent and bar tape ripped up. In 2010 I rode twice, other than a pootle to the comic shop on the Masi, once in Berlin for the Velothon in May and once in June for the Naked Bike Ride. What a season!

Realistically I can’t get back into training, or even riding (I know that’s stupid) without trying to confront why this happened. I can’t turn up at the club again and expect the same support on and off the bike and then just bugger off again.

Anyway, looking forwards. Only Forward.

Goals for 2011: If I’m fit enough to race in support of others towards their goals then that will be a bonus. But for now no more talk, just Ride my Bike, get fit, eat and live well...

Map My Ride

2009-09-14T22:19:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-07T11:50:00.002+01:00

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)

2009-07-03T08:56:00.003+01:00

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

2009-07-01T09:05:00.006+01:00

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

2009-06-23T08:55:00.003+01:00

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

2009-06-22T13:19:00.005+01:00

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

2009-06-21T11:37:00.002+01:00

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

2009-06-19T11:23:00.006+01:00

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

2009-06-17T12:48:00.002+01:00

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)

2009-06-15T15:17:00.008+01:00

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

2009-06-15T12:05:00.004+01:00

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

2009-06-12T09:41:00.002+01:00

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

2009-06-09T17:35:00.005+01:00

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

2009-06-05T09:08:00.005+01:00

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

View Lewes Crits in a larger map

Dunsfold Park Series #4 & #5

2009-05-20T19:57:00.004+01:00

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

2009-05-20T17:32:00.007+01:00

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)

2009-03-23T12:12:00.008Z

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!

2009-03-20T14:19:00.004Z

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)

2009-03-17T13:43:00.007Z

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

2009-03-16T11:26:00.002Z

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

2009-03-08T22:20:00.007Z

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

2009-02-23T21:47:00.010Z

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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Sechstagerennen 2009

2009-02-19T18:16:00.001Z

2009 Training Plan

2009-02-18T23:15:00.005Z

Since getting back from Wales I've been busy putting into action the things required to achieve what I discussed in those first couple of blogs. Its been a steep learning curve, learning the hard way after throwing myself into the first interval training ride of the year with the Mitre. The ride was such a system shock I had to spend a week off the bike. That was how not to begin a training plan... can't do it on motivation alone.

Initially I'd been using Peter Ward's 'King of Sports' as a guideline whilst also seeking advice from Mick at the Brighton Mitre. To assist in my own plans he invited me along to a meeting with one of the guys at the club who he has designed a training plan for. He'd created a very comprehensive plan, including interval sessions to improve weakness areas as well as improve strength, endurance and VO2 Max. VO2 Max... until that point I'd only had a vague idea of what it was, along with lactate threshold, slow and fast twitch muscle fibres, periodization... these were all words I would shortly being reading a lot more about.

It became apparent very quickly that to significantly improve at all this year I was going to need some guidance from someone who knew what they were doing. In the past I've got by with lots of miles and lots of climbing, though even after nearly 5000 miles of riding last year I still couldn't find that extra top end speed everyone seemed to have when racing.

Mick invited me to take a fitness test on his power meter trainer, the results of which would form the basis for my own training plan. I turned up at his house and grimaced as I watched his wife go through the same test first: 10 minute warmup, 8 minutes flat out, 10 minute rest, 8 minutes flat out. My turn came and whilst Mick and his mate looked on drinking beer I burst my lungs and heart out on the turbo. The purpose of the test is to take a fitness base line to measure against, but to also measure average, maximum and lactate threshold heart rates so training zones can be set. It wasn't long into the second test that I was redlining with my heart feeling like it was about to burst out my ribs and bounce out on the kitchen floor.

The results showed I was fit, but obviously had little experience of riding at consistently high intensity. My power and cadence were all over the place, dropping when the pain hit home and heart rate hit the roof, followed by a short recovery, then repeat. What should have been a smooth line gradually getting higher was a zig zag reflecting my physical discomfort above lactate threshold and position problems. The results of the first test are listed here. Plenty of work to do then...

Following the test Mick started putting together a periodized training plan to tackle the main issues - intensity and race fitness. In the mean time I had some reading to do. It was all well and good making big statements of intent back in January, but now I needed to flesh them out. First step was to purchase some books -

- Cyclists Training Bible by Joe Friel
- The Ultimate Ride by Chris Carmichael
- Cycle for Life by Nicole Cooke

The combination of these great books brought me up to speed on the many subjects involved in what a training plan actually entails. From body mechanics to nutrition and diet, training volume and intensity to overtraining and burnout, aerobic / anaerobic fitness and finally setting goals and the specific objectives to realise them. In addition to researching and setting goals, I decided that another area needed attention - bike position.

As mentioned in the previous entry my visit to Cyclefit was very successful (and highly recommended). In resolving issues with my shoes and cleats and pointing out areas for improvement with posture I've already found a marked improvement in pedalling and general comfort on the bike. Posture is a major area for improvement and to tackle this I've enrolled the help of Body Rehab in Brighton. Tonight was my first assessment and after a very thorough examination of my core muscles a number of exercises were prescribed.

Last week I began my training plan as compiled by Mick. The first 8 weeks concentrate on improving pedalling efficiency with fast pedalling workouts and improving of my lactate threshold using intervals in zones just below lactate threshold . Intensity of the workouts gradually builds over a 4 week block, the final week being a reduced training week where recovery is priority. At the end of the 4 weeks another fitness test is conducted to measure improvement. The next block is at a slightly higher intensity again, roughly an increase of 10-15% over the previous block of 4 weeks. These blocks then gradually shift from volume vs intesity to intensity vs volume as you approach peak fitness.

Much of the interval workouts require considerable concentration to maintain the correct heart rate zone, or keep a certain cadence. I've found this difficult to achieve riding out on the road with interruptions in traffic or punctures, so I've bit the bullet and bought a new turbo trainer. The Tacx IMagic VR is an awesome setup and I've connected up to my Trek in the spare room to a 24" screen. The long tedious hours on the turbo are now much more focused, having a wealth of data to concentrate on including power output, cadence, heart rate and speed. The analysis tools are great for measuring progress between sessions and spotting areas for improvement. In terms of motivation its invaluable.

The final step in this new world has been to set goals for the year and tangible objectives which can be achieved to realise them. My primary goal is to gain 3rd cat, though I'm also aiming for a gold result in a couple of sportives, to revisit the South Downs Way and complete it in under 10 hours, to complete my work commute in under 1 hour and finally to get over my fixed gear crash last year and compete in the track league.

With the lifestyle changes I've had to make completing these goals a reality, keeping motivated is key. For the first time I've found that a routine isn't a bad thing and is in fact essential! To help keep motivated I've set short term objectives which will contribute to the seasons goals and these are reviewed at the end of each training block. In addition to this I've been keeping a training diary to monitor heart rate, weight, aches and pains, workout results and race results. You can see it online here - http://pedalog.blogspot.com. This years goals and objectives are listed here - http://pedalog.blogspot.com/search/label/2009%20Goals.

This week is the end of my first recovery week followed by a second fitness test Saturday and my first race of the season at Chertsey this Sunday. Will get a race report up Sunday night.

Cyclefit

2009-02-11T17:15:00.004Z

Last week I visited Cyclefit in London on recommendation from someone at the Mitre club. I'd been having right knee problems and back ache on long rides so wanted to get it sorted before doing any more damange. Cyclefit provide professional bike fitting services, including examining posture, muscle recruitment, cleat position, injuries and range of motion. Their website describes their service better than I can!

"Cycle-Fitting is the meticulous understanding of the intricate human interaction with a bicycle, with the specific aim of gaining efficiency, power and comfort for every rider. Because we are concerned with optimising human movement that is being applied to complex machinery, cycle-fitting readily draws upon from the disciplines of ergonomics, bio-mechanics and kinesiology. In the pursuit for performance and the competitive edge CycleFit will always place science, knowledge and discipline above notions of faith and tradition. This rigorous approach has made us largely exceptional in the European and UK Cycle Industry and an acknowledged world authority in the field of building optimum bike-to-human relationships."

Before the session I was asked to fill out a questionairre, detailing my cycling history, goals, injuries/pains and what bikes I'd like to be measured up for. Lastly I was asked whether I'd like the custom molded footbeds at a discounted price included in the session.

The fitting session lasted 2 hours starting firstly with a review of ranges of motion, focusing on the hip, hamstrings and pelvis. This was to establish posture and muscle recruitment in support of a fluid pedal motion. Following on from the anatomical review we moved to foot and arch-shape where the largest part of the session was spent aligning and balancing the foot in view of improved cleat position. During this session it was found that my feet both rolled inwards due to my poor arches and previous ankle and hip injuries.

To combat this effect, custom molded footbeds were created to provide better comfort, stability and power transfer. This was an extra part of the fitting session but I'd definately recommend it, so far its made the greatest difference to my ride.

Next step was to review my current bike position. I'd taken my Trek along with me, though not essential I wanted to get the most from the 2 hours. If you were going to go yourself you could always measure the key dimensions of your bike and they'd setup the jig for a review. I was videoed riding at a 85-95rpm cadence for about 10 minutes after which adjustments were made to the jig ready for the fitting session.

Once on the jig first step was to evaluate asymmetry. Whilst riding a steady pace symmetry was measured using a laser guide. I'd been aware before that my right knee sometimes skimed the top tube and this process highlighted that. Cleat position was refined in view of the changes made to the footbeds and the asymmetry evaluation. 2 wedges were added underneath my right cleat and one to the left to improve aligning / balancing.

Next step was to again return to the video after a few adjustments were made to the jig. This session concentrated on muscle recruitment and core-condition / posture. Quite quickly it was spotted that as I slouch over the bars, my gluts were hardly being engaged at all and the pedal stroke was primarily delivered by the quads and calf muscles. Slouching also impinged on the diagphragm and core engagement, causing my neck and shoulders to take the strain.

Without any adjustment to the bike, but just sitting with my spine in a neutral position I was able to increase power and cadence with little extra effort. An awesome discovery! The outcome of which was some prescribed exercises to improve core stability and posture.

The session cost £200 and was money well spent. Since applying the changes made to the jig to my Trek and Tricross I've had no knee pain at all even during high intensity, high cadence workouts on the turbo. If you have any problems at all and you are planning lots of miles this year I'd definately recommend checking them out.

Aggression

2009-02-07T11:15:00.002Z

So.... I moved to Bristol, UK a couple of months ago. Britain's first cycling city so it says. Massive funding for bike lanes and paths. Bike Friendly. Awesome. Just like Amsterdam. Would make a nice change from sharing bus lanes with buses and dodging blind drivers in Edinburgh.

Wrong wrong wrong. Edinburgh was a bike haven compared to this place. Bike City my ass. The bike routes are token efforts for the most part, as soon as there might be the slightest inconvenience to cars then the lane disappears, throwing you into a dual carriageway maelstrom or a multilane meat grinder. Either that, or the bike lane will be the bit with all the trees and street lamps in it making it worthless. Or the bike path will happily guide you across car lanes and multilane merges into the most dangerous part of the road.

To be fair some bits are good, but only when it won't cause the slightest hassle.

But the most striking thing by far is the aggression, not just from cars to bikes (worse than Edinburgh), but from the bikes too. Hardly anyone rides with lights, or stops for reds, or will minimise the room they take. Many cyclists will ride on the dual carriageway lane rather than on the massive smooth hard shoulder next to it, which I find unbelievably stupid. On a particularly dangerous bit of dual carriageway I was trundling along on the pavement, I know you're not supposed to but it was empty and wide and I was going slow with maximum pedestrian respect. The guy walking towards me shouted abuse and made his 2 big alsatians bark and jump at me. Never seen anything like it.

There are a lot of cyclists too, sometimes I end up riding in a herd of 10 in the central bits of the city. Nobody acknowledges each other. It's like being caught up in a civil war. Down here, bikes hate cars, cars hate bikes, bikes don't seem to like each other. Luckily my 20 mile daily commute and cross-USA action have made me about twice as fast as most commuters and I don't have to get stuck in it all, I just boost past on my silent racer like a falcon hunting pigeons. Mind you, an old guy on a knobbly tyred mountain bike did the same thing to me the other day. One day I'll be that old guy. Some day this war's gonna end.

Hell of the Ashdown 2009

2009-02-06T23:22:00.003Z

Last weekend whilst looking through the Brighton Mitre forum someone from the club had decided to pull out of the forthcoming Hell of the Ashdown due to the forecast horrendous weather. I'd tried to apply for the event in November, but was amazed to find it sold out in just over a week with 1000 entrants signed up. Weather forecast notwithstanding I grabbed the oppourtunity and took up the offer.

My time slot was 8:35am, same as a couple of other riders from the Mitre, Mike and Claire. Preparing with a good feed and good sleep the night before I felt surprisingly good at 6:30am Sunday morning, getting my kit together and noshing on breakfast looking at the weather reports. Can it be as bad as Yellowstone? No...

The start was at a school in Biggin Hill and I could see straight away it looked like a well organised event. I picked up my timing chip, said hi to the guys from the club and got the bike ready. It was cold but not too bad, my recent purchases of winter kit really paying off. Gloves had been the only item I've struggled with and on this occasion took 2 pairs of different thicknesses.

We set off from the start in batches of 8 to avoid conjestion, another good organisational idea. Although my hands were freezing from the off, that thought soon faded as within 2 miles of the start we met the first climb. Over the course of the 67 miles the route took in some of the major climbs of the area, including Toys hill, Kidds hill (The Wall!), Ide hill and 'Col de Goombridge'. Icy sections of the route had been identified the night before and the route changed accordingly.

It may have been this last minute change of route that led to our straying off course, along with at least 30-40 riders. Up until this point nearly all major junctions had been marshalled, including large red flags as warnings, but even so we'd all managed to miss a turn somewhere near Edenbridge. This led to 10-15 minutes of riding up and down, checking with other riders to try and get back on course. In the end we opted to head for Edenbridge where we all eventually found the route again. This was the only downside to the whole day and was unfortunate.

Riding in a 3 with Mike and Claire I was feeling pretty good, taking in Toys and Kidds Hill at a good steady pace. I'd opted to ride the crosser due to its easier gearing (48/34 x 12/27) and this helped with conserving energy on the climbs. I'd experienced some of the climbs last year on the Burgess Hill Rumble sportive so came prepared this time round. 40-50 miles in I wasn't feeling great, maybe because I hadn't eaten enough and had so far just replenished the stocks using gels and energy drink. After toiling up Ide Hill I scoffed a nana and an energy bar which seemed to do the trick.

As I've found before it wasn't until 50+ miles that I began to feel comfortable and strong, which bizarrely coincided with a change in weather for the worse. After crossing the M25 I knew we had another stinker of a climb to come, appearing in the distance the same time the snow began to fall. Of all the ride this is when I felt strongest, hitting the climb in the stinging snow hard. By this time conditions were deteriorating fast with snow settling on the road in a few inches. The last 10 miles to Biggin Hill were taken extremely cautiously at no more than 15mph.

We arrived together and clocked 4 hrs 27 mins or so, not bad considering the route problems and weather conditions at the end of the ride. In the school hot food was served in the canteen, proper school dinner style. Missing the sign earlier aside, this was a very well organised sportive and I'll be entering again next year.

Berlin 6 Day

2009-01-30T14:30:00.012Z

Think the Oktoberfest meets an 80’s German Rock Festival with jungle whistle crew crowd in a velodrome and you are somewhere near. I chanced across this event last year after visiting the Keirin Berlin track bike shop. After watching a 10 minute video collage of the 2006 edition of the 6 day event on their website I knew I had to check this event out. This year’s event was the perfect introduction - 100th anniversary and Eric Zabel’s last professional race.

Gwydion, Michal and myself had tickets for the ‘Golden Night’ events on Saturday, starting 7pm through to 1:30am, and the ‘Family Day’ on Sunday. The velodrome building is enourmous, housing not only the track but an Olympic size swimming pool. Inside was a labryinth of beer stalls, food stalls and bike sales, including the tempting track bikes of Cicli Berlinetta.

There was also a Peace Race stand in the Velodrome selling memorabilia and books about the race. I started leafing through one of the books, looking at pictures of the 1950's and 1960's and the chap behind the counter asked my nationality. After some amusing pigeon german and gesturing I explained my connection to the race. The chap turned out to be Horst Schafer, proprietor of the Peace Race Museum in Magdeburg. He's invited me over to see the Museum next time I'm in Berlin where I'm planning on donating some of my father's Peace Race medals.

I thought the atmosphere in Manchester was electric, but here it was on another level. Everyone seemed to be issued with yellow whistles which were blown at every oppourtunity, in time to the music or when a rider put in an attack. Another difference to the Manchester velodrome was that the public were allowed in the centre of the track, the longer circuit allowing for more room in the middle. This space was filled with more bars and a VIP area, complete with cheer leaders. We spent the whole 2 days in this area only using our seats for a couple of hours... it was heaven, beer, track bikes and cheer leaders.

Some of the performances were amazing, seeing a 3 minute 3 man track stand face off in the mens sprint final and Zabel and Bartko winning the Madison. I can't recommend a trip to a 6 day enough, Gent is supposed to be another event renowned for its party like atmosphere. In the mean time we're now looking forward to biggest event since the Olympics at the World Championships in Poland. We'll be seeing the events on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March. Only down side I can see is that no booze is allowed in the Velodrome...

Berlin 6 Day Site
Saturday Photos
Sunday Photos

King of Sports

2009-01-17T19:52:00.004Z

Under the circumstances it’s been a very positive start to the year. It’s hard to explain but I’ve come out of the dark weeks of December more inspired and motivated than ever before. During the last month I’ve become to know a great deal more about my father’s past through speaking with his old team mates and friends which has greatly contributed to this feeling.

Understanding his achievements in light of his disabilities (not that he would ever admit to them) has inspired me the most. Looking back at old photos of Dad competing against able bodied men, and getting consistent results, it does make me wonder how he would have fared with today’s Paralympics cycling. At the funeral it was an honour to meet so many cycling greats from the 1950’s and 1960’s and out of a day of mourning came inspiration, talking to cyclists in their 70’s who still get under the hour for a 25 mile TT.

To the untrained eye, the hotel where refreshments were served after the funeral would have appeared to be full of old people. But closer up you could see life bursting out of the room, friends exchanging experiences and banter, contemporaries looking wide eyed at legends and the humbleness of champions.

I’ve never really had any ambition in work, but talking to inspirational people such as John Woodburn, Geoff Wiles, Wes Mason, Stan Brittain and Ray Booty for the first time ever I’ve felt an ambition growing, to simply be fit and healthy into my old age. For this to be a reality it obviously requires an immediate lifestyle change.

Through this whole experience I’ve looked on my own life and lifestyle with different eyes. Last year was my most active but only until the autumn, where I soon fell back into what has been the norm for most my time in Brighton – late nights and lots of drinking. I’ve known it’s needed to change for a long time and now this has been the catalyst. It’s a rare opportunity to start a new year in relative good shape and I’m committed 100% to laying the ground work in 2009 for a year of competing in 2010. This will start with working on diet, nutrition and a training plan for the next few months, followed by sessions at the track to improve handling, technique and sprinting.

I’ve been reading an old book of my Dad’s for training advice and though it is over 40 years old it has strong messages regarding cycling in general. These following paragraphs could not sum up my thoughts regarding cycling and its effect on my life better:

King of Sports by Peter Ward

To the younger riders I would say: learn to like cycling for itself, for the beautiful country side you can see, for the good companionship and for its health, economy and peacefulness. From the elation you feel at the view from the top of a big hill you have climbed to the scalp tingling speed of the descent. Cycling can be all fun, all adventure. It can bring personal achievement and fitness that can never be found in a stuffy car or on a noisy motorcycle.

Not enough thought is given to the subject of fitness in later life. Many of the forty plus cyclists give the answer. Their healthy lungs and supple limbs are a glowing example to many of their short winded, lethargic contemporaries.

The path to success is there for everyone, but only those with courage will continue alone in the dark, only those with intelligence will chose the correct turn at the crossroads, and only those with stamina when the going is hard will arrive at the summit.

What is the reward, and is it worth it? To have an object in life is to live. No humdrum routine for the would-be top individual. For the ambition to become a top athlete and to that end to develop the body and mind is, in my opinion, far superior to becoming a top business executive suffering from the many ailments that are often compatible with overwork of the mind and neglect of the body.

The essential clean living, correct eating and exercising required to get to the top gives a man the appreciation of the true values of life, for few true athletes are concerned with keeping up with the Jones’s.

2008 Retrospective

2009-01-04T18:03:00.039Z

2008 was an absolutely immense year for cycling. Personally, it’s been my biggest year of cycling with many new experiences, but it’s also been the first time many friends and colleagues have seriously taken to 2 wheels. Inspired by other peoples efforts or the Olympics, they’ve bought bikes and started riding to work, entered sportives or just ridden for general pleasure. Looking back through the months I think there have been 2 catalysts to this surge in cycling interest, in my own life and outside.

Firstly the impact that Kelvin’s pan America ride had on the many readers of his blog still amazes me. When I returned to work I found that 4 people had started commuting at least 3 times a week to work, 25 miles each way. Within a month of our return I’d counted 5 new bike purchases amongst my friends and colleagues, 3 of them buying Tricross Sports identical to the model that carried Kelv nearly 4,000 miles. All were inspired directly by reading the Only Forward weblog.

Secondly, obviously the massive successes in Beijing elevated already successful riders to household names, bringing British cycling to the forefront on an unprecedented scale. This was preceded by Britain’s best individual results in the Giro and Tour for decades, not to mention total domination at the track World Championships. Awards at the Sports Personality of the Year and the host of MBE's and CBE's. 2009 is going to be another amazing year, but for now I’m going to look back on 2008.

January
2007 closed on a low note, the annual Boxing Day ride held religiously now for the last 4 or 5 years was taken up by myself and Kelv. Riding out of Llanwnog on our mountain bikes we aimed for the trio of lakes north of my parents place. We bearly got 2 miles, myself struggling with a bad cold and low fitness. A week later, full of New Year promise and Kelv planning a long distance tour somewhere, we rode from Brighton to George’s near Orpington, Kelv on his new pannier laden Tricross. An inspiring 120 mile round trip under crisp blue winter skies through the Ashdown Forest started the new year well, but for me it wasn’t to last.

February
That ride in January was to be my last for nearly 2 months. I can't remember touching the bike at all in February!

March
Kelv’s long distance trip thoughts were now a reality. The week before he flew to Florida a gang of us gave him a send off in the Peak District with Mountain Bikes and Booze. By mid-March he was riding out of West Palm Beach heading westwards destined for the Rockies. In the mean time I was desperately trying to sell my flat to fund a new bike purchase and a month’s leave to join Kelv in the USA.

April
Finally the sale completed and my trip to the USA became a reality. First thing was to spec out a dream Tricross and get the Specialized Concept store in Birmingham to build it. The first test ride was a 60 mile loop out into the snow through Llawr-y-Glyn, Staylittle, Dylife, Machynlleth, Corris, Tal-y-Llyn, Dinas Mawdwddy and fast home along the A470. Back in Brighton I tried the new steed off road, riding the Downs Link home from work and discovering a taste for the speed and handling of cyclocross. Preparations for the USA continued learning from Kelv’s experiences of what to/what not to take.

Meanwhile Kelv had crossed Florida and Alabama and through the course of April passed through Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and finally Colorado. In 6 weeks he'd travelled nearly 2000 miles and crossed the dreaded plains, the toughest section of the whole tour.

May
The month that changed everything. Meeting Kelv in Boulder I eased into what was to be life for the next month. After some tough training rides in the mountains around Boulder I was off, heading for Wyoming on my own whilst Kelv took a well earned rest in the SUV with James. This was the toughest ride I’ve ever ridden and will be for some time. The mental and physical challenge of 120 remote, windy, hot, relentless miles to Laramie totally changed my perception of long distance riding and showed me the importance of maintaining a positive and strong mental outlook.

The next 4 weeks we experienced some of the most epic rides of our lives, almost on a daily basis. The trip culminated in a 3 day break in bike friendly Portland where I succumbed to the high quality bike porn and treated myself to a singlespeed Swobo. Read the full story at http://dog-solitude.blogspot.com

June
Coming back on a high from the USA, I returned to a new world - Meat, Sammo and others had started riding the 25 miles to work inspired by our tour, Jammer was eyeing up a Tricross of his own and the Bowden bought an Allez. 2 days after landing myself and Meat drunkenly agreed to enter the Brighton Naked Bike Ride, where we finished in first and second place (though it wasn't a race). By mid June 4 of us were riding to work together and the Swobo was converted to a commuter.

The Devil Ride sportive was looming on the horizon and training was stepped up. I rode with Rob to complete his first 100 mile ride, taking in Lake Vyrnwy, Bala Lake and Trawsfyndd Lake on an epic ride. I also had my first fixie crash, riding the Swobo to Machynlleth on the mountain road, lost concentration and travelled through Talerddig through the air.

I finally pulled my finger out and joined the Brighton Mitre, payed for a racing license and started joining their regular training rides. Wednesday evenings were spent at Preston Park as a spectator watching the track racing, Thursday evenings on the training chain gang and sundays on club runs. It would be a month or so longer before I tackled my first 4th category race though.

July
Gwydion's preparations for the Devil Ride included a nice new Trek and a grueling 100 mile loop of the Berlin Wall. I joined him later in July on the Swobo to repeat the slog, discovering the cobbled tracks and forest single track on the outskirts of Berlin. Plans hatched for the Midnight Maurweg, an underground singlespeed race around the historic trail.

Training continued with Jammer and Meat joining the fray on matching Tricross's. A wet weekend in Wales gave us a taster for what was to come in August. Meat's plans for a Peace Race inspired tour of Germany and Poland led to him being loaded down with panniers as a trial run. In hindsight maybe taking him up the Devil's Staircase was a little overkill as preparation for the long flat roads of Poland...

The bike upgrades and purchases with the Devil Ride as an excuse when into overdrive, including 3 brand new bikes and 2 complete bike rebuilds. The Trek received some attention, getting new wheels and a new 10 speed group set ready for racing action with the Brighton Mitre. My old Peugeot which I'd leant to Sammo benefited from a complete Dura Ace upgrade.

August
The Devil Ride was upon us, 100 miles of wild, wet and windy Wales and the climax of months of training, bike upgrades and purchases for many of us. Bob, Darren, Jammer, Gwydion, Jeff, Gwen, Kelv and myself set out from Builth Wells into an almost instant 25% climb, followed later by the Devils Staircase and the Gammalt. A tough but immensly rewarding day for all of us.

This month also saw my first and last races of the year, competing at Dunsfold and Goodwood as a 4th Cat with the Mitre. Dunsfold was a baptism of fire in a tremendous headwind, not to mention mixing it with the 1st and Elites once we were caught. Averaging 25 mph on the Goodwood racing circuit was a real eye opener.

The Burgess Hill Rumble sportive closed what was a very active month on the bike.

September
The Trans Cambrian was to be my last sportive of the year and other than a few training rides with the Mitre the bike didn't see much action. It was great to hit the roads of Mid Wales again, riding out of Rhayader on the back road to Llanidloes, followed by the toughest section of the sportive past Clywedog, then over the mountain road to Machynlleth. The last 50 of the ride were through amazing scenery, past Nant-y-Moch and into the Elan Valley.

Jammer was unstoppable on his Tricross, hitting the Guildford Cycle Challenge and making plans for the Southern Sportive.

October
Since returning from the USA I'd contemplated riding the South Downs Way in one go, covering 100 miles from Winchester to Eastbourne. Realistically October was to be my last chance with the days getting shorter. Having no great experience of riding the Tricross off road, Kelv and I tackled a few routes to give it a trial run, firstly on the Downs Link and later on the Kerry Ridge Way.

I'd decided to complete the south downs ride for charity and raised £650 for Diabetes. This was a major factor in keeping me going on the ride after some major mechanicals and a lot of riding in the dark. Kelv performed admirably as team support, bringing new tyres, clean socks and food and drink at points on the route. Of the 14 hours it took to complete the ride 4 hours were done in the dark with a Maxx Exposure Race light guiding the way.

November
Other than blasts around Brighton on the Swobo I didn't touch any of the bikes this month. November was a spectator month, catching 2 days of the Track World Cup at the Manchester Velodrome. Along with Meat and Chet we witnessed a GB Team at the peak of their performance, winning 90% of all gold medals at all levels, junior, men and women. Chris Newton delivered a lesson in how to totally dominate a points race, Pendleton was unstoppable, Kenny unbeatable and the Olympic Academy riders Armistead and Blyth outclassed their more experienced opposition. An awesome weekend.

December
Due to my fathers deterioating condition I spent all but 10 days of December at home in Wales. The bike was my escape and the hills around Clywedog a place to think and clear my head. Along with Curly Bob we braved the sub zero temperatures to venture out on to the mountain road to Machynlleth where we froze. New Years Eve was spent blasting around the Cli-Mach mountain bike trail near Corris, Bob on his single speed MTB and me on the Crosser.

On December the 21st Dad passed away, closing the book on an unbelieveable cycling career spanning 70 years. Beginning with touring as a youth with the Long Eaton cycling club it wasn't long before he was racing, competing ferociously on the track and winning many medals. Following a couple of years riding the Tour of Ireland he was invited to join the GB Team at the Peace Race as mechanic in 1955.

This began his long and varied career with British Cycling as mechanic and later team manager, taking him all over Europe on 8 Peace Races, the Tour de France, Tour of Sweden, Tour of Poland, Tour of Morroco, Tour of Algeria, Tour of Tunisia, Tour of St Lawrence (Canada) and many more. In the 70's he moved into race marshalling, becoming head marshall for races including the World Championships, Milk Race and National Championships.

He will continue to be my biggest inspiration.

2009...
This has got to be the year where I give racing serious focus and I'm setting my sights on the Hove Park series organised by the Brighton Mitre. Sportives wise, I'm looking to ride the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and the Tour of Ireland, both of which also require considerable training. The next few months should be interesting if I can stay focused, but I feel with my dad's passing I owe it to his memory to try my best.

2009.

2008-11-30T17:41:00.004Z

As the days get colder I find myself drifting into Spring 09.

2008 was a resurgence for me, perhaps the best cycle fitness I have ever had - only contested by the early 000's when I raced a mtb season in Colorado.

I, along with a long list of virgins tackled one of the UK's hardest sportives, and in my opinion which counts for nothing, think we all did very well. Silver medal times etc. I got excited by the event but did no more. I now live near Dunsfold where Al' did his first road race and feel I need to join a team soon even though the weather is bad.

I was cruising round Cyclesport.org in work on Friday trying to find events that CycleSurgery can be involved with, a series to back etc and it got me thinking of my personal agenda.

Epic Cycles (Devil organiser) Spring challenge in March, North Cornwall Tour in April, Gran Fondo Cymru in May, Tour of Pembrokshire/Dragon Ride in June, Devil/3 Counties Challenge in July... You get the drift, min of 1 a month from March to Nov.

I also want to do some mtb stuff, and Etape Caledonia which we might be involved with as we now partner McMillan.

I currently time trial 12 miles per day for my commute and plan on upping the mileage whenever the weather allows and I can get off work in a reasonable time.

So the question is - anyone going to join me or have enthusiasm for doing something big for 09'?

we can do our own event such as 24hrs of trail centres in Wales or whatever. But lets set some targets early...

Chiltern 100

2008-11-12T17:35:00.003Z

Still off my bike unfortunately with a knackered ankle which is still swolen 6 weeks after I cracked it, hopefully I'll be back on by xmas. For those of you interested in Sportives, check out The Chiltern 100, which is right in my back yard, you may even have a place to kip if you promise not to help me get rat arsed the night before.... yes Bert, I'm looking at you!

2009 Tour de France

2008-10-23T21:42:00.010+01:00

Moving on from the gravitas of my first Pedal Spanner blog, which was universally accepted with silence, a few more upbeat thoughts, about next years Tour.

The route was announced yesterday, and what a mouth-watering prospect it is.

Once I'd dusted down my anorak and digested the facts, it occurred to me that, given the whole of Europe to play with, why this sort of thing hasn't been tried more often.

As far as the route is concerned, these are the highlights:

A 15km Grand Start time trial in Monaco, partially following the Grand Prix circuit. How good is that! Not a kilo or 3 for the pursuit guys, nor a full on time trial for the specialists, but a true spectacle and should be really special.
A stage finish in Barcelona. Blimey. I've been following the Tour since I was 13 or so (thanks Alf)! and the one to win for the spinters was always Bordeaux. Think of it as the Wembley of the sprinter's world. But Barça! What a stage to win.
The route is usually clockwise (Alps first, Pyrenees next) or anti-clockwise. Next year it is a sort of figure of eight. The usual final day procession into Paris, with the Malliot Jeune sipping Champagne within the peloton, is somewhat uncertain. Because on the penultimate day, the riders tackle the mighty Ventoux, absent from the calendar for a few years, and the site of Tommy Simpson's heroic/foolish death in 1967.
The Team Time Trial returns - again, why has this been dropped for 5 years? So it may not have the spectacle of a Sprint Finish, but it's more interesting than a 200km slog through Flanders.

Add to that the potential return of Lance Armstrong, the subsequent question of who will lead the Astana team, and the report today from Mark Cavendish about winning the Green Jersey, and I must admit I'm quite looking forward to this!

Ghost Bikes

2008-10-10T12:17:00.005+01:00

I'll announce my entry to Pedal Spanner with an article you may find somewhat macabre.

The phenomenon of Ghost Bikes came to my attention a week or so ago, by way of a Guardian feature

I was immediately struck by these spectral images, and the lives that had been lost. People like you and I, bikers. Somehow it's harder for me to relate to a car crash victim. Many are innocent of any irresponsibility. Some are caught up in a calamity not of their volition. Others again may be unfortunate victims of mechanical failure. But most in my view were the victims of their own speed.

Whether driving or riding around the country, I have often seen the wilted bunches of flowers pinned by the roadside, where people have lost their lives in cars, and thought it the saddest thing on earth. So often these ad hoc memorials mark where young men died. Having a good time, out for a laugh maybe, carefree.

If I'm driving, these roadside reminders do make a difference, because there is no way I want my life to end in violence, followed by violets. Horrific as the wayside flowers are, I then discovered Ghost Bikes.

Originating in the States, the phenomenon has spread rapidly, and it was the UK sites mentioned which drew me in and made me take notice. Places I have lived in or am living in now, places where family are, places I have cycled through. Some of the Ghost Bikes are tolerated by the authorities, whilst others are dismantled and some vandalized.

They serve as a painful reminder of how vulnerable we are as bikers, constructed and tended with the same care as the flowers by the verge, but more lasting and for me at least, more poignant.

More information and a map of locations are at www.ghostbikes.org

Ride on.

Ride Safe.

BFF London 08 - I wanna ride fixed

2008-10-05T17:37:00.001+01:00

This week I have been at the bicycle film festival It was a mixture of watching cool movies, schmoozing and standing around on a street corner in the freezing cold valet parking bikes. All part of CycleSurgery sponsoring the event.

I was really blown away by the popularity of the fixed crowd – commuters and enthusiasts, turning up on their classic Italian frames, Bob Jackson customs or unrecognisable stickered up steeds, covered in gold plated cranks, anodized rims and circa 1970 Campagnolo brakes. It was really making me think of how the mod scene must have been in the 60’s. We were parking up a 300+ bikes for the busy showings and it was awesome looking at the bike porn and chatting away with people about how the scene is developing. Not one person was in a rush, rude and many people donated half full bottles of whiskey, (full & unopened) cans of lager etc for standing out in the cold and watching their bikes…

I watched a film called Fast Friday which looks at the Seattle fixed gear scene and a monthly event ‘Fixed Friday’ it was really inspiring. I don’t think I will be growing a handlebar moustache and riding without a helmet – but I am drawing closer to the point of choosing which SS to buy for the road (to go with the Surly 1x1 mtb when funds become available), and thinking that riding fixed will happen sooner rather than later.

All I ask is for you to come visit me in hospital.

Also watched Waffle bike - worth a look...!

South Downs Charity Ride

2008-09-29T11:43:00.003+01:00

I’ve just spent the last 4 days in Wales, visiting my Dad who’s recently been admitted to Shrewsbury hospital. He’s not been too good lately, suffering from a severe infection which has left him weak and disorientated. At 86 years old and suffering from Diabetes these infections take their toll, but seeing him yesterday before I left for Brighton he was almost unrecognisable from last week. His strength and recovery never fail to amaze me and he has put this down time and time again to his years of cycling. Reading his early years memoirs on his blog will give you some insight into this seemingly endless supply of resilience. Things are still not great, but we’re currently waiting on a decision for him to be discharged and sent home.

A couple of weeks ago I’d decided to raise some money for the Diabetes UK charity by doing a sponsored ride. After returning from the USA I’d been pondering riding the South Downs Way in one hit, from Winchester to Eastbourne and this seemed like a challenge worthy of the cause. I’m planning the ride for Saturday 25^th October and will be starting out from Winchester at 6:30am and getting into Eastbourne in the dusk at approx 18:00-19:00. The last couple of hours will be in low light so I’ll be investing in some good night riding lights, probably the Race MaXx 2. If you’d like to sponsor me you can do so online through justgiving.com. I’m aiming to raise £500 over the next few weeks so any amount donated would be very much appreciated.

For one reason or another I’ve not been out on the bike as much lately, so I’ve got 3 weeks to get back into shape for the ride. To help with training I’ve given the Swobo a makeover, converting it to a cyclocross steed for the winter months with more ergonomically designed bars, stem and a pair of Michelin Cyclocross Mud 2 tyres. I took the new set up for a spin off road in Wales this weekend and its great and flies up hill. Descending is a little dodgy as the frame geometry isn’t really designed for bumpy single track! I’ll mainly be using it on the Downs Link to ride home from work where it performs perfectly on the slight gradients.

Next month I’ll be returning with Das Swobo to Berlin to tackle the Maurweg once more, though this time starting at Midnight… yes yes! the Midnight Maurweg will happen!! :) Not sure how to tackle there not being a ferry yet or not being able to see any signposts (which are bad enough in daylight), but these are all minor details :) Meat's in, who else?

I am a 1x1 convert

2008-09-21T12:00:00.002+01:00

Pedal Spanner started strongly, however it appears the winter season has kicked in and no contributions, so I am going to slip in my first 'spannerblog'.

I have gone from cycling for fun to function. I now commute 6 miles each way to work. This weekend I sold my car and promptly invested in an engagement ring! - removing the temptation as the light gets less and the temp bar drops (man is it cold in the morning). so what does this mean for my cycling? I now start out of the gun at 8am and quickly get into a 20mph groove, and do not go below for 2 miles until I reach Guildford 'City' centre. Here I disect cars and risk death for 2 miles, accelerating hard and I feel it is helping my breaks. However, about this stage my lungs are normally wheezing so badly, I think it is the mixture of the cold and no proper warm up that makes a few puffs on the ventolin essential to keep breathing. the final 2 miles are a pacy burst to the industrial estate, then a mile cool down with some sprints, 1 past an abbertoir which is pretty nasty when you are trying hard to fill your lungs with fresh air!

I love cycling in to work. I love not needing a car. I love working in the cycling industry, looking at bikes all day and making phone calls to the top marketing peeps from all top cycling companies. I feel lucky.

I also feel compelled to let you know a perverse act I am soon to perform. I am going to sell my Trek full suss and buy a steel Surly 1x1 SS MTB (in orange). I rode one last weekend in Wales, and it was so amazing, I had to push up some hills but the whole, no need to worry about what gear you are in, whether your chain will slip, cleaning all cables after the ride, corroding linkages in the susspension etc. it was awesome! it was brutal, it was unforgiving but the most back to basics fun I can remeber on a bike. I may tire on a 5hr epic, but how often do we do them any more.

I suggest you all give it a go. I was in the 'right' gear for about 5% of my ride, but it didn't seem to matter, see some mud - go fast so you don't get stuck; see a hill - go fast so you get momentum to get up it; see a downhill - attack then enjoy a break and the thrill!. Get home, blast with some water, lube the chain, put in bedroom all shiny and don't worry about the shifting next ride etc... I am a convert :)

just as a riding update. Soph has been coming to see me evry weekend so squeezing a weekend ride has not been appealing, but as she moves in with me next weekend then Sunday morning rides will become the norm, MTB and Road - very excited, it looks like Godalming is a hub for cyclists.

That's it for my first spannerblog, hope it didn't bore you all too much...

Guildford Cycle Challenge

2008-09-09T23:46:00.007+01:00

A month on from knackering my knee in the Devil Ride, I've moved my saddle up a bit, bought a more comfortable one, and invested in some Schwalbe Stelvio 700x25 road tyres to replace the 700x32 Borough CX tyres that come as standard on the 08 Tricross sport. While Bert and co were attacking the Trans Cambrian, Katie and I decided to do a more local Cyclosportive, the Guildford Cycle Challenge, run by the Charlotteville Cycle Club. They had three distances on offer: 28, 56, & 83 miles, so we went for the 56 miler, hoping my knee would hold out. Despite the terrible weather on Saturday, Sunday had only a few patches of light drizzle as we drove the 40 miles from North London to Guildford, and so we set off with the 08:55 group in good spirits.

The first 26 miles or so were great, the legs felt good, average speed was slightly better than expected. However, at about 27 miles we rounded a bend to find a 21% sign.. for some reason I'd misread the website, and set off happy in the knowledge that the steepest climb was 7.5% (I've since realised that was for the Southdowns Challenge, on 21 Sept). Coming around a corner to clap eyes on that put me straight into denial... "We probably turn off before that", I muttered to Katie. The road steepened to about 10% and then tailed off again. More denial... "Looks like that was it, perahaps someone defaced the sign, there's no way that was 21%". Of course the proper hill was around the next bend, and I counted more cyclists on foot than on wheels. Luckily I've a 11-34 cassette, and a 30t grannie ring, and Katie has about the same, so we both manage to stay on our wheels to the top, where the photographer is waiting - perhaps you can detect the smile in the second photo is more of a grimace. The remainder of the route was reasonably hilly, with a couple more significant climbs, and I used them to try getting out of the saddle a bit more on the shorter ones. It certainly makes a big difference to my overall progress, and provided I don't do it too often it doesn't seem to kill the legs too badly (a full length sportive might be a different story though).

We finished up very low down in the rankings, but had a good day out, and will probably enter the Southdowns Challenge in 11 days time - anyone up for that?

Trans Cambrian

2008-09-09T14:30:00.005+01:00

It was with some trepidation that I drove back to Wales this weekend, literally to the heart of the storm that was lashing the South West coast. I'd decided to stay with Kelv Friday night at his new pad in Porthcawl which just happened to be at the focal point of all the weather warning reports I'd heard before leaving. Bridgend under water, A470 closed, Taff close to breaking point. I did begin to wonder if we'd make it at all whilst sailing down the M4. It was looking like it was going to be yet another wet and windy affair.

Thankfully the weather lifted later that night, allowing us to venture out onto the rocky seafront at Porthcawl armed with a bottle of port. Kelv had been leant a book by his new boss with the subtext 'An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life'. We celebrated his recent life changes and his return to work by burning it on the beach. I've never burnt a book before. Another perfect evening of sportive preperation.

I'd signed up for the Trans Cambrian after completing the Devil Ride, relishing the oppourtunity to enter another event in my old back yard. At 6:15am Sunday morning Bob's brother Darren and myself drove down to Rhayader in a light drizzle. It was steadily getting warmer and the forecast was promising - a million miles from the severe weather on Friday.

Clive greeted us at the start and we signed on and received our timing chips. Organisation was spot on, plenty of parking and a quick and simple signon process. We wanted to get an early start and headed out with the first 10 riders of the day tackling the first climbs out of Rhayader towards St Harmon. Looking at the route it was clear that the hardest climbs of the ride were confined the first 30 miles. The road to Llani via Pantydwr and Twlych has a good number of testing climbs to get the legs warmed up, but the real beauties were still to come at Clywedog.

The only slight hitch of the day was in Llanidloes, where the clear and well sign posted route was confused by a route indicator for another event. This unfortunately caught out a few people I met on the ride costing them a few miles in the wrong direction. I looked like it had been added after the event sign posts had been placed, as the rest of the route was perfectly sign posted, including caution signs and marshalls on the major road junctions.

Climbing out of Llanidloes it was amusing to see some names painted on the road a la Tour De France, stating 'Sean is Gay' and 'Go Llani Go' amongst others. At the top of the first climb I was suffering badly, nearly threw up and couldn't get into any rythym whatsoever. Perfect timing to be photographed by the now familar sight of George Burgess. Friday nights shenanigins were paying back heavily and I couldn't get comfortable, had knee pains, aching back and feet and a persistent headache. Heading past Clywedog I remembered I'd managed to avoid riding up Bwlch-y-Gle nearly my entire time living in Wales, only tackling it once when I was 19. Today there was no escape and I plodded up with empty legs.

After Clywedog the majority of the big climbs were out of the way and I began to recover from the tough start to the morning. I was now on well ridden roads heading from Staylittle over Dylife to Machynlleth - my training route when I'm home in Wales. The last climb out of Dylife was completely obscured by cloud which was a real shame, the scenery up there is some of the best in the area and Cadir Idris and Snowdon can easily be seen on a clear day. Dropping out of the clouds there's an awesome 7 mile descent into Machynlleth on the valley floor below. Ahead of me there were 2 other riders and we were the first to reach the food station just outside Mach.

Mach to Talybont was fast and flat on good surfaces and the weather was starting to improve making the Nant y Moch section the most enjoyable of the whole route. The scenery up there is awesome, almost alpine in places. I overheard a couple other riders saying it was the most spectular sportive they'd entered for scenery. They continued to be blown away by the route, heading then to Devils Bridge, Cwmystwyth and finally the Elan Valley. I rode the last 30 miles with a few guys from Stoke who were motoring along trying to make up time for their wrong turn in Llanidloes. I finally started to feel good towards the end, spurred on by my parents who'd been out and about on the route all morning.

At the finish within seconds of scanning my timing chip I was presented with certificate and timings, followed by a drink, sandwich and event tshirt. 10 minutes later I was enjoying a well earned cuppa and a leg massage. Perfect. After the glorified informal ride that was the Burgess Hill Rumble last week, it was a great feeling to be back participating in a superbly organised event. I clocked 5 hours 14 mins - 16 minutes off Gold and 15 minutes within Silver. It had been a great day, awesome scenery and well organised. The food stations were also very well stocked with a good selection, though I was first to reach both so not sure how much was left later in the day!

This week I'll I've got training Thursday and then my third race of the year Saturday at Hillingdon. The Southern Sportive is on Sunday... can I make it three sportive weekends in a row?? We'll see...

A Rumble in the Hills

2008-08-31T20:47:00.005+01:00

After the series of mishaps which plagued the start of my day I began to think maybe I wasn't meant to ride in the Burgess Hill Rumble sportive today. Not only that, my lack of preperation for an event hit a new low and I still now don't know how the hell I managed to make it to the finish line. A week spent boozing nearly every evening with my Brother culminated in a 4am jaunt to the Volks on Friday after a double figure session of shots. Riding high on a bitter wave of self destruction it seemed logical to continue the trend and go out last night as well. Why not. What the hell.

So when I woke this morning at 7:00am to the sound of thunder and realised I'd set my alarm for Monday and not Sunday I guessed it was going to be a challenging day. Already 30 minutes late for registration in Burgess Hill, I fought with the idea of just sacking it off and going back to sleep. But, I'd got things on my mind and the only cure for my woes was to translate them into miles. In a rush and still dazed from 5 hours sleep I left the house without breakfast, forgetting my arm warmers, energy bars, cash card, long sleeve top and sunglasses.

Driving to Burgess Hill through the eye of a lightning storm I did seriously question what the fuck I was doing, straining to see the road ahead in the monsoon downpour. Lightning was striking closer than I've ever seen and water was starting to build up on the roads. Thankfully by the time I arrived in Burgess Hill it had lessed to a normal downpour, but I still sat another 10 minutes in the car pondering whether to turn round and go straight home.

The only thing which stopped me was having so much on my mind. I figured if i did drive back to Brighton I'd end up going for a ride anyway later in the day to get my head straight. So i got out the car, put the bike together and rode the mile or so to the start line. On arrival I realised I'd left my phone and photo ID in the car so couldn't register. Another 2 mile round trip later I was at the start and really wondering if I was meant to ride at all today.

I'd entered the 95 mile Classic Ride organised by SRS-Events. Though the route was good the organisation wasn't up to the standards of the Devil Ride, even down to having no timing chips. I reset my computer and set off pretty much straight away getting into a good group of 5-6 riders who were prepared to work together. The first 30 miles or so were fast and undulating and I felt surprisingly good cruising along at 20mph+. The first major climb of the day wasn't too steep just long and with a nice smooth surface. Once into the Ashdown forest things got a little more challenging, not least the road surfaces. With so much rain the roads were very slippy and there were a few crashes.

The second major climb was like something out of the Devil Ride, a mile long monster with 16% sections where many had to walk due to lack of traction. At the top was a food station and I ransacked its stock of flapjacks and bananas with a crazed look in my eyes, muscles and veins pumped from the intensity of the climb. From then onwards I was flying and left my group, joined and dropped others along the way until 30 miles out I was on my own. With the exception of the devious addition of the climb out of Ardingly I was at top speed for the last section getting me into the finish in 5 hours 45 mins. Here's the full route.

Getting back to the car I reflected on the day and was glad I'd decided to ride regardless. The troubles of the morning had been flogged over the 95 miles and now didn't seem quite so all consuming. The bike is tremendous for this. Unfortunately though, the bike took a bit of a hammering today with so much shit on the roads. It'll need a full service to be ready for roll for next weekends challenge: The Trans Cambrian...

This time I'll try not the spend the whole week drinking, eating takeaways and worrying about stuff I know I can sort out myself. Hopefully.

The joys of searching for a new bike

2008-08-25T07:50:00.005+01:00

I own three bikes at the moment - the Trek and Klein above (the Vitus was sold a couple of years ago, but it looked so nice, it would be a crime not to show a photo). The third bike (not pictured, for reasons that will become apparent) is my "city bike" which I bought in Munich from a bike workshop run by long-term unemployed people (e.g. people with learning difficulties). The bike is a bastardised mutant accident waiting to happen. It's a kids steel frame with strange size wheels, 5 speeds and brakes that just emphasise how disturbingly loose all the bearings are. The wheels are the main problem - when I got my first puncture, I took off the tyre to reveal that the shop had stuffed a way bigger old inner tube inside. I bought new tyres recently and because they are non-standard, antique sizes, they cost me EUR 29 - each. The whole bike only cost EUR 25!

So, I'm in the market for a new city bike. I toyed with the idea of an ultra-minimalist single speed. But then thought, ok, well, I'm going to need lights. Plus a rack would be handy. And, if I'm going to cycle to work on it, a chain guard would be practical. Actually, there are a few small inclines on the way to work, so rather than sweating up them on a single speed, a few gears would be nice, just to pootle along... You get the idea - a horrendously practical and uncool city bike, the kind I used to laugh at a few years ago.

Now, I have to swallow my pride and go shopping for "sensible" bikes and wear my blinkers to try to ignore the carbon-fibre fixed wheel courier bikes with custom paint jobs displayed in the window. I'm trying to think of a way to at least salvage a semblance of coolness from the situation - e.g. buying a Moulton or something, but I think it's a lost cause. Any suggestions gratefully appreciated!

Track Bonanza!

2008-08-19T17:03:00.009+01:00

Britains massive successes at the Olympics seem to have caused a surge in new memberships of the BCF. Its certainly been an eye opener seeing how many young riders there are getting involved with Track racing at Preston Park and whilst I was visiting GT at Maindy Pool in Cardiff.

Seeing little kids confidently handling their fixed gear bikes was definately inspiring. Though I think I'll be leaving it until next year now, I'm still tending the mental wounds of a 30mph crash riding fixed down Talerddig a month ago.

If you can't get enough of the Olympic track cycling at the moment, tickets are on sale for the Track World Cup in Manchester at the beginning of November. The event is the first of the World cup series where elite riders compete to earn points towards the World Championships. World and Olympic champions will compete in 17 seperate events over the 3 days. I've bagged tickets for the Saturday and Sunday.

The Sunday features a special Japanese Keirin Association invitational Keirin race. Riders from Japan and the rest of the world will be battling it out for a massive cash prize. If its anything like the Japanese Keirin Championships it'll be one of the highlights of the weekend...

The Goodwood Gallop

2008-08-17T20:47:00.005+01:00

This week has to have been one of the busiest weeks on the bike I've had since touring in the USA. Devil Ride last Sunday, racing at Dunsfold Tuesday, training Thursday and today my second taste of racing at Goodwood racecourse near Chichester. Thursday's training ride with the fastmen from the club was a blistering 40 mile loop around the Sussex countryside in team time trial fashion. It felt great being able to tear along with some of the most experienced and respected riders from the club and it set me up nicely for the race this morning.

The only slight spanner in the works was my works sports day at Charterhouse school in Godalming on Saturday. The obligatory night out before the sports day was a shot fuelled rampage around Guildford (which from what I can remember just seemed to be a few chain bars in the middle of a dual carraige way). Even with hangovers we managed to dominate the Netball at the sportsday (yes, Netball...) and beat every other office to win the trophy. If road racing doesn't work out its nice to know I've another sport up my sleeve (or should that be blouse?) Hmmm...

I left for Goodwood this morning with one of the other 4th cat riders from the club ready for the 9:30am start. We had about 20 mins to warm up and check out the racecourse which was a world apart from Dunsfold. The shorter 2.3 mile lap was of smooth tarmac and not the potholed patchwork of the aerodrome. After brief instructions from the officials to not wander onto the operational airfield in the middle of the track we set off for 14 windy laps. First few laps went pretty smoothly with no serious breakaway attempts until just past the finish line on the 4th 2 guys managed to get away. We'd been advised that in some of the 4ths only races generally no one takes charge to organise the chase and today was no exception. The 2 guys ended finishing 2 minutes clear of the bunch. I talked about this after the race and both thought that we didn't have the experience to just ride up to the front start the chase, but I guess everyone is thinking the same.

That aside, it was another good day for experience, good and bad. On the good side I was feeling fresher than last Tuesday and managed to position myself into the top 10-15 for the last 5 laps. On the bad side I had my first near crash, touching wheels with a guy in front when a gust of wind took him across my front wheel. The sound of a our Fulcrum zero's slicing together at 25mph is one I want to forget in a hurry. We somehow managed to stay upright and continue, though a few laps later another guy must have hit trouble and was being treated on the side of the racecourse for what looked like a broken collar bone.

100m from the finish was a tyre chicane which added a bit of spice to the final gallop before the sprint for the line. After 13 laps I'd got a good idea of where to be heading into the final straight and which line to take through the chicane before the finish. About 1km from the finish the strongest riders were dragging the bunch along at 30mph into the final bend and I'd used all my remaining strength to stay with them into the chicane. About 35 headed the line in front of me but I managed to overtake a few who blew up in the last 50m. The other Mitre riders did well finishing in the top 20 or so. The last Goodwood race is in October and we've decided to work together and try and get away ourselves...

There aren't many more 4th cat races this season so I'm going to try and make it to as many as possible. Along with the 2 sportives and the cylcocross season coming up it looks busy the next couple of months!

Caerphilly Mountain

2008-08-17T16:52:00.002+01:00

After having no plans to ride today, due to assumption weather would be poo, plans changed and persuaded the Ferg to go for a spin. Rather shocked to receive a positive reply from Bertrude to my asking if he had raced today (at 11.25AM) and also having seen the team pursuit boys destroy the WR again excuses seemed weak, and lycra was donned.

Nothing remarkable about the ride except the ascent of Caerphilly Mountain, which is real stinker. I'm not sure exactly how steep (very) / long (not hugely) it is, but I can't think of much steeper (last few hundred metres of galibier?? Porlock Hill??) I had lower gears today and was down to under 6mph at times. Fergus managed it with 1 stop compared to 2 last time, and considering his smallest gear is prob 39x25 that's good going. I'll have to drag Bertrude up there sometime and see what he thinks of the brute.

Great to see Bert having a crack at racing. I didn't actually realise he could physically get out of bed before 11AM on a Sunday :-) Having done a few Handicap races (Abergeveny) many years ago I remember how hard they are, and the horrific rise in pace when the E/1 group catch you. Find a nice 4th Cat only race with a few hills and I reckon he'll be right up there at the business end.

On the new bike front, Colnago seem to have some new models for 2009 so I suspect that's where I'll be looking. The x-bike will do fine over the winter though.

10 to South Africa

2008-08-17T16:35:00.002+01:00

One of the better Berlin radio stations is running a competition to send 10 people to South Africa next year to compete in the "Cape Argus Pick'n'Pay Cycle Tour" in Capetown. Last year they sent 10 folks to New York to compete in the marathon and I took a look at lucky selected people and they were all old fogeys like me, including a Johnny Foreigner with a sporting injury - so I'm in with a chance!

I've just got to negotiate the entry form with strange questions, such as "What is the name of your inner pig-dog?" and a section to come clean about my arthritis, but it looks do-able. I just need to find a half-decent photo that will convince them to take me. Any suggestions from my facebook account, or from The Police 1984 tour archive, warmly welcomed...

Chwareon Olympaidd

2008-08-17T15:24:00.002+01:00

Just a quick post to highlight this nice article in the BBC's Olympic coverage...

Wales is renowned for rugby union and male voice choirs, but the land of our fathers can now sing about its cycling achievements.
The 'Taffia' in British Cycling's backroom team are responsible for GB's domination at this year's World Cycling Championships and their great haul in China.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/cycling/7533548.stm

Dunsfold Park Series #16

2008-08-14T00:00:00.002+01:00

After a week delay incurred by the Pedal Spanner incident last Tuesday, I finally popped my racing cherry last night at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey. It probably wasn’t the best timing after a 100 mile sportive 2 days before, but as the last race of the series and with a good turn out from the club I thought I’d make the effort. Dunsfold Park is a 3 mile circuit 10 lap race on the same airfield where Top Gear is filmed and is organised by the Surrey Cycle Racing League.

It was with some apprehension that I rode out into the relentless wind for a recon lap with a chap from the club. He guided me round, pointed out the various cannonball sized potholes and other hazards and explained how to position myself in the bunch on the various bends to get the most protection from the wind. It was defiantly going to be a tough evening and my legs weren’t feeling quite up to the 10 laps ahead. As the juniors set off we warmed up at the other end of the airfield, cruising along with intermittent 100m bursts at full speed to get the legs prepared. I signed on and was issued No 262 from the 4^th Cat list (for some reason all I could think about from then on was Messerschmitt’s strafing the airfield as we tore round).

It wasn’t long after that the 4^th category riders were called to the start line. I was advised to stick close to the Mitre members and obviously remember the guidance from the test ride earlier – don’t get on the front, but keep close, don’t drop too far back, remember positioning into the corners and the movement of the group in relation to the wind. Approx 20 of us started off with a few minutes lead over the 2^nd/3^rd cat’s, followed shortly after by the 1^st and Elites.

The first lap was spent concentrating on putting into action what I’d been told, keeping a wheel and not opening gaps and finding a nice big bloke to sit behind on the long headwind section. Before I knew it the 1^st lap was nearly complete and things were winding up for the first prime sprint. If I remember rightly a small breakaway formed with one of our club getting a few points. The speed gradually increased on the next couple of laps and I got more accustomed to riding at pace with the group.

On the 3^rd or 4^th lap the 2^nd and 3rds caught us like a freight train and the whole group reacted to jump on. As I’d been warned, the speed of the group pulsed from cruising at 20mph to 30mph+ as attacks came in. I repeatedly grit my teeth and remembered the maxim ‘if you’re hurting, it means everyone else is, hang on and it will ease up again.’ Riding into the wind on the aerodrome straight was tough and on a few occasions I found myself out of position, knowing I wasn’t helping myself or anyone else. After a few more laps I got accustomed to slipping back into the protection of the group.

By the 7^th lap I knew I was going to struggle to maintain the speed we were tearing along at and I was struggling to maintain the wheel in front of me. On a couple of occasions I misread my position in the bunch and found myself at the tail end clinging on. This continued into the finishing straight where with a strong tail wind the bunch was roaring a long. Instead of having time to recover I was putting all my reserves into maintaining contact with the group and on the last bend before hitting the mile long stretch into a head wind I dropped off the back. There was no way of catching the group on my own into a strong headwind, though I spent half a lap trying. Another Mitre rider got dropped shortly after so we teamed up and rode the last lap and a half helping each other to the finish line. There's no results posted yet, but I'll be in the last 10 for sure!

As a first experience of racing it was absolutely awesome, even though the wind and aching legs from the Devil Ride made it a bit of a baptism of fire. To be honest I was just happy to finish let alone anything else. It had been a great learning experience and I’ve got a good number of things to brush up on before my next race. I think the biggest learning point was maintaining an awareness of where I was in the bunch and not dropping back to far.

As a 4^th cat rider there are only a handful of races I’m eligible to enter before the season finishes in October and I’m going to try for as many as possible. The next is at Goodwood this Sunday, Alfold in Septemeber followed by a couple at Chertsey and a closing race at Goodwood in October. Then the Cyclocross season starts... I spent all that cash on my Tricross for a good reason :)

Excorcised

2008-08-11T23:07:00.011+01:00

It's over, the Devil Ride demon finally ousted after a day of pain and suffering in the mountains of Mid Wales. It was an epic day with no prisoners being taken from the onset. The first climb reared up less than a mile out of Builth Wells with a 25% ramp welcoming the first riders out of the start point. Rain, hail and wind plagued the first 40 miles through the hardest sections of the route making climbing on the steepest sections tricky. I lost traction on spots of tarmac a few times on my pro race 3’s and had to chose a line carefully. Descending was equally as tricky though having knowledge of the roads was a big bonus.

I can definitely recommend riding as much of the route as possible a few weeks before to gauge how to pace yourself, when to eat and to concentrate on recovery. Knowing that in the last 30km there was a 10% climb (which I’m sure was at least 20%!! They must have run out of signs!) helped to plan food intake to have enough in the tank for the finish. The only mistake I made was after completing what I thought was the last climb I mentally switched off contemplating the rolling ride back into Builth. Instead there were a couple of final short sharp climbs in the last 10km to keep people on their toes.

I was surprised to see so few people working together on the course of the route. It seemed to be predominantly individuals, or a small groups riding without any co-operation, even in the strong winds. I was lucky to get chatting to a chap in the last 40km and we decided to both work together right to the finish. I was still feeling strong from Crossgates so did enough work to get us over the 10% climb out of Newbridge, but then needed a pull myself for the last few climbs. Working together we managed to get good times – myself on 06h29m59s getting Silver and the other chap who was in the next age category got within Gold by a few minutes. Not bad for a team effort! Check the results here.

My parents were out on the route at various points doing a great job in providing feeding station like facilities for our group, with many riders slowing down thinking (some hoping!) it was an official stop. The facilities overall were excellent, plenty of food and drink at the feeding stations and a well sign posted route. As my first experience of a sportive it was awesome and off the back of it I’ve entered the Burgess Hill Rumble at the end of August and the Trans Cambrian a week later. The Trans Cambrian looks tough as well, Rhayader to Llanidloes via St Harmon, then via Clywedog and Dylife to Machynlleth, back via Nant-y-Moch and the Elan Valley. Its not quite as much climbing as the Devil Ride but looks just as challenging. Next time I'll try and not spend a week drinking 7% cider as preparation...

The Devil is in the detail

2008-08-09T22:46:00.007+01:00

Its 10:50pm and the Devil Ride is now under 10 hours away. I can gaurantee that there are a good number of us still awake in Mid Wales at the moment pondering what the hell we have let ourselves in for tomorrow. In these last few hours the thoughtprocesses will be going into overdrive, some of them now way too late in the day to consider: have I trained enough; have I got enough food; did I bring the right clothes for this beautiful August weather; is my bike gearing finely tuned; are my brakes ok; have I checked whether I need new tyres/blocks/chain/cassette; have I got tools/tubes/spares; do I know the route; do I know where the start is, the feeding stations...

I'm reading 'King of Sports', a textbook on road racing written in the 60's by Peter Ward. Though its dated there are many chapters which still are just as relevant today. The eve of the first sportive I've ever entered probably isn't the best time to start reading the chapter 'Preperation'. The opening paragraph doesn't bode well: 'Try to get to bed early the two nights before the event'.

I'm not sure 4am and 2am fall into that category. Though it doesn't mention whether drinking 3 bottles of wine or numerous pints of Guinness is unencouraged. This week has been disasterous for preparation. Impaling my thumb on a Shimano derailleur at the beginning of the week has kept me off the bike and in the Pub. Anyway didn't Landis claim his stunning victory was because of his couple of beers the night before?

At 8am tomorrow I'll meet the rest of our group that help form the field of 500 entrants. Its the first road sportive for most of us and having only ridden mountain bike sportives before I'm not sure what to expect - will people work together? how are the open roads going to cope with so many riders? My biggest question is how long is it going to take. I've never ridden anything flat out without essential stops before so can't gauge it.

The medal categories certainly look challenging on this course - 6 hrs 12 mins for a Gold, 7 hours for Silver. Thats bastard quick, maybe 17mph average. I rode a 20 mile section with Gwyd this afternoon, from Nantmel joining the route through Abbey Cwm-hir. There are a couple of climbs on that section which are testing but don't even register on the route profile map! Its going to be very very interesting reaching there tomorrow with 80 miles in the legs, plus there are at least 2 15% climbs in the last 15 miles...

Shaven Haven

2008-08-08T14:50:00.004+01:00

I woke this morning at 8am and knew something wasn't quite right. My lower left leg felt kind of numb, but soft against the sheets at the same time. On inspection the memories of a few hours earlier came back. Whilst under a blanket of booze after 3 bottles of wine and no dinner, I'd agreed to let a friend wax half of my left calf. I'd been babbling to her about techniques for this bizarre tradition after being haranged by come of the Mitre club for having wolly legs. My first race is on the horizon so drunkenly I agreed that it was now or never. Whether it was the wine or what I'm not sure, but the waxing experience wasn't anywhere near as painful as I'd expected. Surreal yes, painful no.

Unfortunately, I think she was either freaked out or bored by the time the front half of my leg looked like I'd sat alittle too close to the fire. So I returned home with only 15% of the job done. With the Devil ride in 2 days I decided I had to finish the job myself. There were 2 options, wander into a local boutique and explain that I was skinned whilst half-asleep by crazed women and needed a clean up job, or get in the shower and do a diy job. I decided on the latter after playing out the many boutique scenarios in my head. All ended in horrendous embarrasment infront of a gaggle of beautiful blondes.

An hour later I staggered out of the shower, knees bleeding, looking almost like Neo when he's woken from his coccon pod in the Matrix. Without the tubes and red goo shit. And I left my eyebrows alone. Its been an interesting experience no doubt, discovering the difficulties of dealing with knees, and receiving advice from my ex-girlfriend on the benefits of regular moistourising and exfloliating. Dear God.

The next stage is to get my story right. 'Why do you shave your legs?'. The age old question. I can't say other than peer pressure and not wanting to be the odd one out. I read a good article on another weblog titled 'Why do cyclists shave their legs: the only explanation you'll ever need.' You decide...

Back in the saddle

2008-08-05T11:05:00.002+01:00

Bertrude asked if i wanted to contribute so here goes...

I've ridden 3 times this past week after my enforced 6 week break due to Mr 'I just didn't see you' leaving me with broken elbow, rib and deflated lung. It's good to be back on the bike and I'm not feeling too many resulting issues except an elevated fear of traffic at junctions and feeling out of shape. Hopefully both can be overcome quickly.

Using my cross bike on the road is like long distance travel in a landrover, compared to the sports car that was the Colnago. I'm waiting until I know the outcome of the insurance claim before investing in a new steed, and will probably just ride the cross bike the rest of this year. Bertrude's recent pillage of wiggle for enough gear to kit out a small pro team has shown the way, though my innate dislike of spending money means it will inevitably be a more considered process.

Had a mildly concerning event on the ride with Ferg last night. He crashed a couple of years ago while decending after having a speed wobble. A similar thing happened last night, though at relatively low speed. I'm not sure what causes a speed wobble, but I suspect his bike (2nd hand off e-bay) might be out of line, maybe from a previous crash... He didn't crash this time, but it was disconcerting to see from behind.

It looks the next ride will be with Bertrude, Vetinary Beale, and Fergus on Saturday morning as the weather looks set sh*tty until then.

The Spanner Bites Back

2008-08-04T17:28:00.002+01:00

Welcome to the Pedal Spanner, a space dedicated to all things biking and inspired by the epic Only Forward. With Kelv’s 3,500 mile trip coming to an end so did the shared contributions to his tour weblog. It seemed a shame for the trip to end there, when it really was starting a new chapter in many different ways. And so the Pedal Spanner came to life to continue the journal…

Completing my small part of Kelv’s trip across the USA massively inspired me to ride my bike more. It totally changed my perception of long distance riding, introduced me to single speeds, to touring, to the dangers of being unprepared, to American waitresses and to feeling fit and living healthily. Since coming back from the USA I’ve done something I should have done years ago – joined a cycling club and got my racing license.

This first post isn’t quite what I imagined. I was supposed to be pondering the next phase in my cycling life, my first competitive race and the whole new bizarre world of shaven legs. Instead I won’t be doing either. Instead of racing tonight and struggling with my razor I’ll be sat at home staring at my bike and my bandaged thumb. Within a few hours of this blogs creation, the Pedal Spanner name had already jinxed me.

I hate removing pedals. Every time I do it I think, this could really work out bad if the spanner slips like that again. So last night helping Chet fit his nice new Speedplay X2 pedals it happened. Spanner slipped off the pedal, Thumb met front Derailleur, track glove started seeping blood out of the 5mm deep gash. A couple hours later I was leaving Casualty with strict instructions to keep the thumb straight and the dressing dry. So no racing tonight! Hopefully it should have knitted itself back together by the time I roll up at the registration for the Devil Ride on Sunday.

The Devil Ride looks like about the hardest ride a lot of us will have ever attempted, 100 miles and 10,000 feet of climbing in deepest Wales. The last few months has seen a flurry of training activity from those of us entering the ride, along with some serious component upgrades and a few brand new bike purchases! I’ve used it as an excuse for new wheels, new 10 speed drivetrain, new pedals, new shoes… I’ll have to wait and see whether they make the Devils Staircase anymore bearable...