Race Report: Kingston Wheelers Hill Climb

So today was my first Hill Climb for a while (obviously, season has only just started), and i'd chosen the Kingston Wheelers HC on Leith Hill. A popular climb in the Surrey Hills and one i'd only ridden a few times before hand.

The weather was great so I decided to ride down with Andy P from the club. Now according to Google this was just 37 miles so a nice warm up... Anyway, turned out to be 47 miles, so i'll be honest, not the best thing to do before a Hill Climb race, and my legs were certainly in agreement. 

Leith Hill:

 - 0.9 miles

 - 8% average

 - 18% Max

 - 371ft gained

 - 3:27 - Course Record

I had been sent the rider start sheet before (90 riders!), and looking down the list I saw some big names and fast riders. Namely Tejvan Pettinger, who is current national hill climb champion! Number collected and pinned on the jersey, time for a quick piece of cake (amazing btw) and a coffee and then off to start, and for a recce up Leith Hill. I was pleased I had done this as it was certainly longer than I had remembered, and with a gradient which wasn't constant it was going to be interesting to see how pacing myself would work.

1 minute to go. I wasn't feeling fresh, and apart from going absolute flat out I didn't really have a plan. 5,4,3,2,1.... I was off. Basically full gas, standing up, pulling up as much with my arms as I was pushing on the pedals with my legs. About 30 seconds in and the pain was well and truly there, the course was fairly poor condition at the bottom, and not that steep, it then ramped up towards a few houses and then flattens off, it was here I thought I had lost it, I sat down. I don't do seated climbing, unless it's bloody long or i'm knackered. The course then ramped up again to 11% around another corner and then a almost constant gradient with a small section peaking at 18% on the final corner. This was where all the spectators were (obviously) and I was gurning good and proper now, the pain was high, but I felt good. Not looking up, but putting in a final dig to the line and really just destroying myself. I crossed the line and was almost sick. Good, means I tried hard enough. 

I had no real idea how i'd done (Lucinda was borrowing my Garmin) and I didn't have a watch. Obviously phone was on for Strava, but I started that before I was off, and stopped a minute or two after crossing the line. Back down to the spectator's corner to cheer on the remaining competitors.

Back at HQ and all time times were being jotted down, and the top 5 rider's names being written down. Winning time was indeed Tejvan with a fantastic 3:27 (course record) and looking down the rider list I got to me. 3:51.6! Wow I was pleased with that, totally unexpected and better than I thought I would do given the times being quoted by other riders. This put me in 6th, so overall very happy with that. Conditions were pretty much perfect I think, warm, a slight tailwind and not a jot of rain or damp on the ground. 

Quick bite to eat and I set off to ride home... Another 47 miles... 

Think for my next HC in a few weeks I'll take it a bit more seriously. Mainly not riding there and back and maybe a few weight saving bits to be done to the bike. 

Strava Link:

http://www.strava.com/activities/199959863 

Thanks for reading

Race Report: Etape du Tour - Pau > Hautacam

The 4am alarm went off, and the cooking of porridge commenced, it was either Mountain Mayhem, or the Etape. This time it was the Etape, and this year the Etape was running from Pau to a mountain top finish on the Hautacam in the Pyrenees, taking in the famous climbs of the Tourmalet & (obviously) the Hautacam. A total distance of 92 miles (148k) and around 15,000ft of climbing!

This year however the weather wasn't looking great, and the few days before the event were spent looking at various weather forecasts and trying to work out just how many layers will be needed, how many gloves, and just how poor will the visibility descending off the Tourmalet be...

My bib number was 1128 (out of 13,000 entries), so had a 7:08am start time. Arrived into Pau at 5:45am, grabbed a coffee and went to my start pen, and waited with all the other 1000 bibs riders. It wasn't raining, but you could see the weather over the mountains, the cloud was low, and it was certainly going to be grim, very grim! 7:00am and the first riders went out, our group then moved down and at 7:08am we were off, a rolling start over the timing grid, and down out of Pau.

After looking at the profile, the first half of the ride was mainly flat, however did include 5 hills, 2 of which were the Cat 3 climbs of Chemmin D'Ossau and Cote de Benejaq. The pace was fairly hot from the off and groups were quickly forming, of varying sizes. I managed to get into a good group of 5 riders, and for the first 10 miles we were alone, and all seemed to be working well, taking turns on the front, that was until we caught another group of about 15. The group was now 20+ with two people taking turns on the front, me and one other daft french man. We then proceed to tow this group for the next few miles until I found I was the only one doing the work... I sat up, looked around, looked around again and nobody was going to come through, sod this I thought! So off I went and let the group work on their own. After 2 miles I was predictably (and thankfully) caught by a quick group of 4. We had now passed the first feed stop, the weather was looking ominous, and up ahead I could see Miles Butler (from from club), he set off in the same wave as me, however a few minutes earlier so nice to see I had gained a bit of time. Up to this point, apart from a few climbs the route had been mainly flat, and fairly fast at around 21mph average for first 45 miles.

I was feeling strong, had 2 gels upto now and seemed to have my clothing right (for now) For the next few
miles upto the Tourmalet I rode with Miles which helped, and was nice to see a friendly face and was good to chat about the climb and the route so far. Miles thankfully gave me some tips, and what bits were hard, and what to expect... The rain, or rather low cloud was now setting in, and we were onto the Tourmalet. A 10.7 mile climb at 7% average, Miles and I rode together for the first few miles, however I was starting to feel it a bit, and decided that maybe not trying to follow Miles' wheel was the best idea... I settled into a rhythm and for the next  section felt good, I was now at the 4k to go sign, and also the feed station! I was hungry, and needed some food, so dived in and grabbed Pizza and a glass of coke! That was the right move, for the next 4k to the summit I felt great and passed everybody, I was quite clearly just hungry. The rain was now hard and consistent, I was soaking, I did have my gloves on but not my jacket. The summit was horrible. Windy, heavy rain, no visibility and cold, around 5 degrees! I stopped, pulled my jacket out my jersey pockets and tried to put it on. Couldn't feel anything now, hands were wet, in fact my jacket was also wet. A few spectators helped me put my jacket on, zipped it up and told me to be careful! Their warnings were right too, god this was truly scary, and the first corner off the summit was a very tight hairpin. I negotiated this fine, however the three riders behind me didn't and all went down. I gave myself a talking to, it was not worth the risk flying down the descent at top speed, so I took it steady, very steady! By now I couldn't feel my fingers, my legs were cold and my body was shaking so much I couldn't really control the bike. I was however still moving, and still on the bike, which was a positive... I was also on my own, with the odd person going past me (crazy speeds) as I got further and further down I could see a glimmer of blue sky, and what's that? The sun? It was still cold, but there could be light (sun) and the end of the tunnel.

Now on the lower slopes on the Tourmalet and there was a small group of 3 riders in front of me, I got on the back, however the road spray wasn't nice, and to be honest I needed to get the legs moving again. So I went past and span the legs, just needed them to move again, it was still raining and I just wanted to get onto the Hautacam, the final climb of the day, where I would hopefully get warm again, maybe...

Just 10 miles left! I was near to the bottom of the Hautacam, which was 8.6 miles at 8%, I felt good and stopped at the food stop, some more Pizza and a load of coke, bottle fill up and I was off again. I felt fresh and started the pass lots of riders, the crowds at the bottom were amazing, lining the road in true Tour style. To make it even better the weather was getting better, the sun was out and the jacket and soaking gloves were off... I could see riders ahead who passed me on the Tourmalet, I then passed them, and I kept on passing riders, I still felt good, I shouldn't feel this good should I? As Miles had correctly said earlier, the Hautacam is quite undulating, so a section may average 8% for the next 1km, however within that section parts could be 12-13% which after 80 odd miles hurts. 5 miles in (up) and I the cloud came in, it was getting cold and that meant the rain was coming again... Not to worry, almost there I told myself, just 5 miles (I kept on converting that into running time, I reckon that's how long it takes to ride up here) 3K to go! That's less than 2 miles... Well these next few Kms hurt, it was cold again now, and raining, I was in my lowest gear, spinning, (well not really) standing up, sitting down again, anything to try and ease the pain in my legs... I was still passing everybody, which was a huge confidence boost. 1K to go, what? This averaged 9%... I was hurting now, but I clicked down a few gears, stood up and pushed. The metal barriers were lining the road now, I could see the finish, 200m, 100m and there, DONE! Whilst I was happy to finish, I was mainly wet, very wet, very cold and wanted to get off this mountain! Quick dive into the food tent, and a chat with Miles who just beat me by half a minutes and it was then back down the mountain to collect my medal and EAT.

So that's that Etape done for the 4th year now. This was the second hardest ever (2012 anybody?), but I was very pleased with my time and stats, which were:

 - 5:46:00
 - 238th
 - 16.1mph Av
 - 92.4 miles
http://www.strava.com/activities/168520104

On reflection as I knew what 2012 was like (wet & cold) this year I made sure I had enough layers, so base layer, jersey, arm warmers, gilet and jacket was just enough, how people were descending in just a jersey and no gloves I don't know. I suspect this could well have been the reason only 8500ish finished!

That's it for another year though, thanks for reading.

Race Report: Mountain Mayhem

For the last month i've been looking at the weather forecast around the area of Stoud in Gloucestershire with much anticipation. Mountain Mayhem could be fun in the dry, but if it rains forget it, 24 hours of broken bikes and misery (remember 2012?) awaits you...

Thankfully the only thing I had to worry about was seeing through the dust, the sun was out, it was hot and dry. In other words perfect conditions for a solo attempt at Mountain Mayhem.

After leaving a busy London on Friday afternoon, I arrived at Kemble (by train) in just 1 hour 15 minutes, was then picked up by Jack (who had a team of 4) and then drove to Gatcombe Park. Camp had thankfully already been set up, and after unloading my kit and bike we settled down to eat Chilli and chat about the race! Early night was on the cards I think.

We woke up to beautiful blue sky and sun pouring into the tent, so it was time to get up and start the endless faffing, tyre changes, bike fettling, worrying and eating that comes before a 24 hour race. By chance we had pitched up next to my usual team of 4 (Bolsover Cycling Club, of which I have two friends in the club) Pete, having done every single Mountain Mayhem, and many as a solo rider had some good tips for me, the main one being get yourself set up in the solo tent and drink and eat loads!

Doing MM solo, and usupported will be hard, but i don't think I fully appreciated just how hard it would be... especially as the solo tent only had me and two others riders setting up for the race (and it stayed like this) Everything was now in place and ready for the 12 noon start, which consisted of a 1k run to separate the field.

On the start line and the  claxon went off. Obviously doing solo I wasn't going to sprint off at 6 minutes miles, especially as running in carbon soled cycling shoes isn't that easy, or indeed comfortable. We all then arrived back to the start and collected our bikes and I was off. Each lap was 7 miles long on a mixture of double track, grassy fields and tight singletrack, however in these 7 miles there was 1,000ft of climbing! Yes 1,000ft... My tactic for the race was to break the 24 hours into 4 lap chunks, so 28 miles. With the aim to then quickly get into the solo tent at the end of lap 4, grab some gels, refill bottles, eat something and then head out again for another 4 laps.

Out on the first lap and apart from being dusty it was clear that the course was very different from last year, and actually very fast. The first few miles were mainly double track descents, and small climbs with a timed Red Bull section towards the end of the 3rd mile. However after the Red Bull section the course changed and you were either going up on grassy climbs, or going up on double track, so fair to say the second half or last 3 miles were quite tough. Although it was dry and dusty some of the climbs had loose rocks and stones, which as the race progressed will be easy to lose traction on. However the section along the lake was brilliant, fast and narrow singletrack, which then ended with a tough singletrack climb, when you then hit the final two climbs before the Kenda decent. They were tough, with a loose double track climb, followed by a steep, loose and potentially muddy singletrack climb, if you got up here you were very nearly home... The course then wiggled it's way up through a grassy field, along teh edge of a hill before making it's way through the campsite and around 0.6 miles from the finish. My furst lap was 48 minutes, with a 5 minute run at the start, I felt good and pushed onto my second lap with no drams and clocked a 40:54 lap. At this point i was starting to think, first of all, maybe I was going to quick, and secondly can I really keep doing these climbs for 24 hours! To make matters worse I snapped a spoke and lost a chainring bolt on the first lap, not quite sure how this happened, but I just decided to push on and not worry about it... 4 laps done now and I was out of fluid, bananas and gels (as predicted) so I pulled into the solo tent to stock back up. Off out again for another 4 laps. I was now slowing down purposefully, and clock a 42 on my 5th lap, with my 6th, 7th and 8th all roughly being a further 2 minutes slower, which I was fine with. 8 laps done and it was now about 6pm, so back in again for more food and stock back up on fluid. I had instructed Jack to drop my lights off around 7pm, along with 5L of water, so unfortunately on my next 4 lap session I had to pull in around 8pm and out the lights on the bike, it was starting to get dark in the woods, and under race rules lights had to be on the bike from 8:40. 10 laps done, lights on, and out for a final 2 before a 9pm (roughly) and 12 laps big bowl of pasta. Lap 12 hurt, I had lost my energy, ran out of water and on the climbs I had nothing. I wasn't stopping though, and I wasn;t getting off my bike, just stand up and keep pedaling. You can do it, I kept saying to myself, trying desperatly to look forward to cold pasta and weetabix, not very inspiring at all...

I needed that food! Ate load and instantly felt better, legs had energy and was looking forward to now cracking on with the night session! Another 4 laps in the bag now, with my first lap being a 46, and remaining 3 a 51, 53, and then a 2 hour... 2 hours you say! Well what happened was during my 4th lap I hit the wall, I was just under 12 hours in now, being on my 16th lap and up to this point feeling strong. I slowly wound my way up the final climbs and heading to find my tent, I just needed to sit down for 30 minutes! I sat in the tent, cold and wrapped in a sleeping bag, unable to sleep, but unable to get on my bike. It was a dark moment, and one all 24hr solo races will understand... After giving myself a talking to, getting some knee warmers on I unzipped the tent and headed into the darkness for another 4 laps, these will hurt, but I told myself that the next time I went into the solo tent, roughly 4 hours time it will be daylight, and you'll have survived the night! My 17th lap was ok at around 52, but it then hurt and my 18th was nearly an hour, 19th was not fun, and again I hit the wall, and had to venture back to the tent for another sit down. It was now getting light, and after another talking to I headed out, no lights, no knee warmers and Oakleys on. It was nearly the end (well kind of) My target was 24 laps, and I was all set for 25 laps, potentially 26 (what a horrible thought) As is often the case I was running through various scenarios in my head, and based on my current lap times after my 20th and 21st lap I was looking to come in just before 12, so that means 26 laps! HOWEVER laps 24 and 25 were hell. I was now going so slow that these were just over the hour mark, and I knew as I completed my 24th lap and headed out for my 25th i'd have to post a 58 minute lap... I tried, but to be honest I just didn't have the mental capacity to do this. I was exhausted, having only "slept" (you never really sleep) I knew this was going to be slow, but I also knew that I wasn't getting off my bike, I will keep going and will ride all these climbs like I have done for the past 24 bloody laps! I was VERY happy to finally get onto the grassy final climbs, having managed to negotiate all the climbs and descents upto this point with no liquid or zero energy... Riding through the campsite and the clock struck 12, it was over! I crossed the line about 2 minutes after 12 having completed 25 laps! I just stood there, tired, unable to sit on my saddle, and soaked it all up. Kind of sad it was done.

Throughout the race I didn't really know how I was doing, and not seeing anybody I knew for 12 hours was hard. A few people told me I was 7th, which was encouraging, but I knew those 30 minute breaks will have lost me a few places unfortunately. Results however confirmed and I came 10th having done 25 laps in 24 hours and 2 minutes, which is....

175 miles
25,000ft of climbing

Overall very pleased, I learnt quite a lot for my next solo 24 race, mainly I need a support crew, I think I could have potentially pushed myself a little more, but hindsight is often a wonderful thing. Thanks to Pat for organising the event, great course and venue and thanks for the weather! If it had rained i'd probably still in out there, lost in a bog or trying to pick up bits of broken bike.

Thanks for reading if you got this far!

Strava Links:
http://app.strava.com/activities/156924566
http://app.strava.com/activities/156924578
http://app.strava.com/activities/156924601
http://app.strava.com/activities/156924721

Race/Training - A TT, Another TT and a Few Crits

It's been a while since I have last updated my blog, number of reasons I guess but mainly because i've been doing a fir bit of riding and racing.

I've raced at Cyclopark, done the club TT, raced at Crystal Palace, done another TT at the Velopark, raced at Hog Hill and raced at Hillingdon.

The first race in May was the SERRL Summer Series Round 1, in Kent at Cyclopark. A very wet 27 mile ride out there after work, followed by the race. An E1234 handicap race, and despite truly awful conditions the field was still around 50 strong, with a few notable riders, mainly 2 Richarsons Trek riders and 2 Pedal Heaven riders. A few laps in and I was feeling good, and went off the front down the back straight hill, only to be caught by the 2 Richardsons Trek riders and the rest of the E12 group. The front group was around 20 strong now with 1 Richardsons Trek rider having ridden off the front. Final bell went at 11 laps done, and I moved up to the front again, feeling good, but then a memory lapse of concentration coming into the 2nd to last corner before the final straight I seemed to loose a good few places and was around 10th wheel back. Going up the hill the group seemed to slow, I took advantage of this and moved around teh outside, and the perfect time the remaining Richardsons Trek rider started the sprint, I got in his wheel and contested the sprint, nobody came past! I couldn't believe it and I managed to bag 3rd. My best result for a while, very please, muddy, wet but still great fun.

A few days later and it was the club TT in Hertfordshire, Brickendon to be exact. Beautiful weather, and potentially perfect conditions meant that times were going to be quick today. A large field of around 50 riders started off from 1pm. I was off towards the end at 2:40pm mainly because I had a quick time on this course before. A PB of 21:47. I was running a standard road bike (Giant TCR Advanced 1) and a skinsuit, no other aero additions... The first 3 miles is a long downhill section which I covered quickly, the second third was a flat section along a very poorly surfaced road, I managed to get into a good rhythm and was going well, that was until I hit Robins Nest. A 1 mile climb, averaging 4%. Usually I can climb this well but for some reason I was struggling today, couldn't settle down and knew I was loosing time here. I pushed on and into the final 2 miles I knew I wouldn't be hitting my PB today, annoying, but you can't PB all the time... Into the final mile, a short downhill followed by a 0.3 mile hill climb to the end. It was at this point my minute man Jason Crewswell passed me! I knew he was onto a storming time! I crossed the line in 22:12, not a disaster, and bagged me 3rd.

The day has finally arrived. The first Crytsal Palace Crit race, this for me, marks summer racing and a series I loved last year. Weather was great and I was really looking forward to this all day! The usual social and chat at Cadence Cafe and then it was onto the park for the race. A 0.8 mile circuit, with plenty of twists, corners and a small drag onto the finish straight. Such a fun course. This was a 3/4 race with around 50/60 riders. The pace, as is always very quick from the off, and for the first few laps I was struggling to get a good position within the bunch. A few more laps and the group had wittled down to around 15 with Jason going off the front again, the bunch didn't seem that interested in chasing, so I went onto the front and slowed things down a little, give Jason a chance. That seemed to work well. 2nd to last lap and a Dynamo rider jumped off the front, at the bell for the final lap it was clear that both Jason and the Dynamo rider were clear, and it was going to be a sprint for 3rd. Coming up the final small climb and leading into the finish line sprint I went for it, was on the front and going well, however sat down just a little too soon and 4 guys went passed. I managed to bag 6th, which I was quite pleased with! Only a short race this week at 38 minutes, mainly due to fading light though. Onto the next one!

A week later and it was another Crystal Palace, or was it... The rain had indeed stopped play, so it was off to Lee Valley Velopark for the first of the summer series of 10 mile TTs. After a fairly steady weekend, I felt good and although conditions were not ideal was keen to try and better my previous time around this course (part of the Duathlon) and also see if I can beat my 10 mile TT PB. I went off, again Giant TCR road bike, no skin suit and nothing aero at all... It was a simple 10 laps around the twisty but great fun Velopark course. A few laps in and I was feeling great, pushing a big gear and knew that I was going well. In the end I crossed the line in 23:52, which was 3rd fastest of the night, and a new PB on this course by 50 seconds, and a new 10 miles TT PB of 40 seconds! I was very pleased and can't wait to get back there!

Thursday means Hog Hill and the ELV handicap series, a new format for Hog Hill consisting of a 3/4 race and a E12 race. The field was huge, around 60 3/4 riders and the pace was good from the off. After a few laps I was in the front bunch and taking turns on the front with a few other riders, at which point 5 riders and myself managed to get away, we worked well together for a lap, however 2 of the riders took off, leaving the remaining 4 to try and work together which we did for about half a lap, however for some reason I stopped concentrating out of one of the corners and was then playing catch up. I was in no mans land, and it hurt! After a lap of doing this, and working out I wasn't going to get back onto the break I slowed down, just as Richy (another LP rider) came across from the bunch to help me... Unfortunately the efforts were fruitless and we were back with the main bunch, with 4 riders currently away in two breaks. There was now around 30 minutes to go, and after my earlier efforts I was starting to feel the burn in the legs. I kept on pushing and always gained placed up the climb, and felt good. I was back on the front again and despite a number of attacks nobody else got away, and at 5 laps to go the pace went up again. At the final bell I moved up within the group only to get boxed in on the final climb, very annoying given I was actually feeling ok for the sprint. Managed to finish around 15th, no points but great training!

Hillingdon was the final race, a 2/3 race on the fast and flat course. The weather was great and despite a busy week and not liking Hillingdon I was pleased to be racing. As is often the case the pace was quite quick, with attacks going off the front every single lap, and the pace on the final straight often being a full on sprint out the bottom corner. Before the race I had told myself to stay near the front, mainly due to the fact that Hillingdon is often a crash fest. And true to the rep, 5 riders went down, including one LP rider, they were thankfully ok, but all had to pull out, and I was pleased this happened behind me. I tried a few attacks but as with other moves by other riders none of these actually stuck and with 5 laps to go it was clear it will be a bunch sprint, not my ideal but all the same i'll give it a go. At the bell the pace went mental and I was quite far back, however coming into the final bottom corner I had moved up well and was feeling good, well that was until a rider touched my front wheel causing me to break! Riders went passed and I knew I was out of it. Rolled over the line around 20th, so way out the points!

So that's all the races in May. Some good results and some not so good results. For me though one of the main benefits of racing is that you can treat each race as intense training! You can do sprints around Regents Park or on the Turbo as much as you want., but to really replicate racing and training for racing there is in my opinion nothing better than racing! Bike handling skills that are honed during races are again something which are very hard to practice, obviously racing will clearly help this. Race tactics are another skill which I have really been try to concentrate on, understanding it's not the best idea to sit on the front of the bunch, unless you intend to try for a break. Also learning what wheels to follow and who is riding strong is very useful, and can really help your race placing when going into a break or a sprint. The more you race the more you get to know who are the riders to watch! A tactic which really paid off during the SERRL event and also, to a lesser extent at Hog Hill.

Over & out.

Race Report: Lee Valley Velopark Duathlon

There is nothing better than an evening race in spring and summer, tonight was no different, as it was off through East London to Stratford, and the home of the Olympics for the Capital Tri Duathlon Series at the new Lee Valley Velopark road race circuit. A 1 mile course with twists, turns, a hill, and a bridge. 

The Duathlon tonight was a "sprint" I'm not 100% what that actually means because I certainly wasn't sprinting, but the distances were:

2 mile run

10 mile bike

2 mile run

Lucinda was also racing tonight and we arrived with plenty of time, which was probably as good thing, as it's not the easiest place to find, and when you do find the Velodrome, actually finding the entrance wasn't a doddle, never the less we got set up and lined our bikes on the track in the transition area. There seemed to be a big field of around 50 riders/runners? There also seemed to be alot of people who looked like they knew what they were doing...

So it was off on the first run, down a slight hill and under the bridge, instantly a group of around 10 runners went off the front and the pace was just too hot, no way could I match that! I was around 12th runner in at this point and after a few hundred yards seemed to find my rhythm and stick to it, no idea what pace that was mind as I don't have a watch (later found out I did a 6:08 minute mile average for the first run - fastest ever for me) after the first lap legs were not feeling great, but the pace seemed consistent, and I also appeared to be running with another chap who was matching my pace well, which I guess helped a little as there was no way I was letting him pass me now. As we climbed the hill I put in a little more effort to try and dislodge my fellow runner, this seemed to work, although legs didn't really thank me for it. Into the transition area and it was a speedy change of shoes, helmet on, and off on the bike.

WELL my legs felt awful! How was I going to keep the pace high. Couple this with having not ridden the course before, the first few laps were a bit slow (annoyingly) However after these laps I seemed to find my rhythm and was working at a constant 25-27mph. I was passing everybody, TT bikes, tri suits, commuters... I felt good now, and more importantly by the 5th lap had passed all but 1 of the guys who was in front on the run. I was closing down on him though, and each lap I was reeling him in. I dug deep and on the final lap, just as we entered the transition area, and he got to his bike I passed him, and jumped off my bike. He wasn't expecting that! 

I left the transition area in 1st position, with this chap around 30 yards behind me. Now unfortunately the bike is my strong point, and not the run, so I knew full well that there was NO WAY I could keep 1st position, and true enough, by a third of the way around the first lap he passed me. I tried to match his pace, but that was both stupid and impossible, this guy was quick. I resigned myself to the fact that I was not going to catch him and found a comfortable pace. At this point I was confident that 2nd was bagged, yet still pushed on at a good pace, all be it slightly slower than the first run. Final lap of the run was good and after the strange sensation of feeling like you're not moving as you've just been flying around on the bike the pace was good.

I crossed the line in a time of 49:35 (official time will be a minute or so higher due to transition area) but most importantly I crossed the line 2nd. Pleased (and surprised) with that.

The circuit looks great and for crit racing will be great fun, certainly looking forward to that. There will also be a Tuesday evening TT series which I'll try and get to when Palace isn't on because of the rain.

Training Week: Ayrshire Alps

Usually in March and April cyclists travel abroad seeking sun, hills and a tan. Lucinda and I on the other hand decided to head to Scotland, and the county of Ayrshire to be exact (where Lucinda's parents live) for a week of riding in the Ayrshire Alps.

The Ayrshire Alps is the UK's first road bike park, and like many mountain bike centres the climbs and routes are graded from green (easy) to black (hard) there are also 4 recommended routes, ranging from 20 miles to an epic 90 miles. All of which take in some (or all) of the climbs below. 

Day One:

There is no other way to say this. The train from London was at 5:40am, early indeed, this did however mean we would be in Glasgow by 10:30am! Once at Glasgow it was onto another train to Ayr, a regular and quick service taking just 40 minutes. Then from Ayr it was a 15 miles ride to Base Camp (Lucinda's House) Given we'd both been sat on trains for 6 hours and the early start this was going to be a slow ride, thankfully the weather was good though, and we arrived just in time for lunch and an afternoon or doing nothing, well apart from planning the rides for the following week.

http://www.strava.com/activities/130806732

14.9 miles

703ft climbing

1:00 hour

Day Two:

What was that sound? Ow yeah, rain. Today we would be riding the Dailly 7up. One of the longer rides in the Ayrshire Alps, taking in 7 summits in the area. Now for some real hill riding. A short ride to the start in Dailly, and we started climbing instantly on a 1.5 mile climb averaging 7%, this was a good indication of the type of riding and climbing we'd be doing over the next week, long climbs where you can get into a good rhythm. After looking at the route the previous night it was clear the second half will be more of a challenge than the first, with the hardest climb in the area being the 5th climb of the day. Nic O Balloch, a 2.4 mile climb averaging 7%. The weather though was now getting worse, and as we climbed up through the clouds I couldn't help but think the decent will be COLD. I was right, especially as the decent was 5.2 miles long, which i'm sure would be fun in the dry... Overall though a great first day on the bike and back to warm up by the fire with coffee, very nice indeed! 

http://www.strava.com/activities/131138349

59.6 miles

5,364ft climbing

4:24 hours 

Lucinda climbing into the cloud:

Day Three:

Today started a bit different, and after looking at the weather forecast last night we were glad. A bright blue sky greeted us, and it was beautiful! Out nice and early with the plan to do 2 laps of the Shark circuit, a 20 mile loop taking in two tough climbs, Hadyard Hill (3.4 miles at 4% average) and Glenalla (2 miles at 5% average) first time around was to get used to the climbs, with the second time where we can both put in a solid effort, and see just where we stack up against the locals... I felt great on the climbs, legs were really strong and the new bike was proving to be an incredible climbing machine. I was pleased to see I managed to get the KOM on Hadyard Hill... After the second loop was done, I did the route in reverse, again putting in some big efforts and just generally enjoying the incredible scenery! Think I might have got sun burnt today....

http://www.strava.com/activities/131451017

53 miles

5,027ft climbing

3:34 hours

Nice morning view:

Day Four:

We woke up to yet another glorious morning, with today's plan to tackle the Classic route. A slightly different route which did many of the climbs in the first half, but then went down to the coast at Girvan in the second half of the ride. Out of Dailly and up Hadyard Hill, Nic O Balloch and down into Staiton again, truly incredible scenery and almost as important the roads were in such brilliant condition, even though these were very small single carriageway B roads, because of the wind farms and logging activity in the area the roads have to be good quality, great news for anybody cycling on them. A lunch stop in the little village of Barr and we have a problem. Lucinda's gear cable has just snapped! No spare gear cables anywhere so rescue arrived and it was off to the bike shop to fix it. I carried on to complete the ride, and was glad I did as the route down to the coast for the second half was great, very different to the mountain climbs of the first half, but still a few climbs to keep you awake.

http://www.strava.com/activities/131845182

82.3 miles

6,600ft climbing

5:15 Hours

Blue skies and sea

Day Five:

As yesterday's ride had to be cut short due to mechanicals (now fixed) we headed out towards the coast to do the second half the classic route, then back to Barr for some lunch, well that was the plan, so not a big ride as Monday would be the biggest ride of the week. Another great day of weather, a few stops for photos and snacks and we got the Barr a bit earlier than we thought... So we decided to ride up Noc O Balloch and then straight back to Barr to meet Lucinda's parents for afternoon tea, which by the way is a great mid ride snack! Setting off with a stomach full of coffee and cakes though, interesting. Despite this I wanted to

 put in a big effort up Glengennet (1.6 miles at 6% average) as expected didn't feel that great during the first few hundred yards, but something seemed to click and the legs felt great, I kept pushing hard alternating between out the saddle efforts and seated rhythm climbing. All seemed to work out as I bagged the KOM, happy days. 

http://www.strava.com/activities/132245851

61.5 miles

5,178ft climbing

4:28 Hours

Nic O Balloch summit

 Hill Top Smiles

Day Six:

The final ride of the week, also the longest ride of the week. The Omnibus 8 which essentially takes in all the climbs of the Ayrshire Alps over 90 miles, a true all day epic in the mountains, great! Yet again, somehow the weather was great, and the ride start off with a nice 13% kick which thankfully flattened out and took us over and down to Barr, then back up Glengennet, Glenalla North, Nic O Balloch, all the classics and then down into Straiton for dome lunch. We then headed East, directly into a nasty headwind which made going down hill quite slow, especially after cake at lunch! Thankfully we headed West once we hit Dalmellinton, tailwind assisted of course now! Some rolling hills and we were nearly back and done, apart from one final climb, Wallactown (1.5 miles at 7% average) having ridden this earlier in the week I knew what was needed and was keen to get the KOM, however a long week and day in the saddle wouldn't help. I went hard on the bottom half of the climb, and got into a good rhythm and cadence. Nice to see it paid off and I got the KOM. All down hill from here and it was back to the house for a pint of Tennants in the sun. Perfect. 

http://www.strava.com/activities/132677101

83 miles

6,700ft climbing

6:40 Hours

Lucinda on the climb out of Barr. 

So there we go:

354 miles

29,567 ft of climbing 

24:45 hours 

The Ayrshire Alps really were brilliant, great climbs, great roads, simply breathtaking scenery and very easy to get to from London!

More information can be found on the Ayrshire Alps webiste: http://www.ayrshirealps.org/

and if you're in Barr please go to the community shop and cafe, great place! http://www.barrvillage.co.uk/

Race Report: Westerly CC TT (10.6) - Hillingdon

9th April was the first Westerly CC evening time trail of 2014 held on the Hillingdon Crit circuit in Hayes, West London.

The Hillingdon circuit is a 0.96 mile circuit, so in order to complete the 10 miles needed you ride around for 11 laps. So the actual race distance is 10.6 miles...

I wasn't feeling great on the day, which was probably down to the 40 mile chain gang on Tuesday evening, so I didn't have the freshest of legs, couple this with the 15 mile ride out there from work I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of a time. However I was on the new TCR and in the skinsuit so equipment wise I was prepared. I'm still yet to get a TT bike, and at the moment i'm quite enjoying doing TTs on the road bike! I have been offered a great deal on Rob Moore's old TT bike though, with a disc wheel too....

Anyway I arrived in plenty of time despite heavy traffic and was ready for the 7:15pm start. I was 8th rider to go off, from a field of 30 riders, the majority of which were on TT bikes or had some form of aero advantage (deep rims, extensions, pointy hats etc...) and after a quick few laps to warm up I was queuing up to set off.

5,4,3,2,1 GO. Always takes a few laps for me to get into a rhythm and keep to a consistent speed however by the end of the first lap I was feeling good and keeping to a consistent speed around 26mph. I knew I needed to maintain this speed if i was to be within a shout of my previous best time... 5 miles in and I was at 10:40 and feeling the burn, just a few more laps to go.... The back straight, where you can usually go flat out seemed hard work on the night, mainly down to the headwind & side wind that hits you on the North of the circuit, this however this therefore did make the gradual climb away from the start a little more bearable, with 8 miles done my legs were now really burning! 9 miles in and I put in a final big effort and maintained a  higher speed for the final lap of 26.2mph, however I must have faded in the middle and had a slower lap in somewhere as the overall average was 25.8mph over the 10.6 miles which was 24:40 and put me in 4th position overall and fastest road bike of the night. Winning time on the night was 22:37 by Dave Spragg.

Overall quite happy with my performance given fatigue, conditions and start of the TT season. 12 seconds off last year's best time of 24:28, but this was in August at the end of the season, so peak fitness.

I'll be back in two weeks time with fresher legs to try and beat that!

Strava data:
http://www.strava.com/activities/128568640