BDCA 50

After a rare weekend off racing last week, this Saturday was a 50 mile TT on the A50/6 Etwall course. I’d never done this course before, but it has a reputation for being fast. Before riding a course, I like to buy an OS Map of the area and try and memorise the route (I didn’t realise how important this would be). Despite being super fast, there is a substantial climb of 90m (called concrete mountain)

At the first roundabout, I realised the course wasn’t signposted. Although I remembered go left, I also realised how easy it is to start doubting your memory when you’re racing. I looked around a bit, and  with a significant amount of doubt, I just keep going. After negotiating a double roundabout, I was relieved to see the first marshall and I was on the A50 heading out towards Stoke. It’s a concreted dual carriageway and quite fast for riding a bike on. It’s also very noisy with cars going over the strips of concrete. It felt fast all day. Even up the long drag of concrete mountain I was going at 44 km/h. On the hill, I was a bit embarrassed to overtake my minute man (Joel Wainman, no.100) Joel is a real fast man, and I worried I might have set off too fast, but I felt I was still riding within myself. On the outward stretch, there were a couple of roundabouts to negotiate and I managed to avoid taking any detours to Lichfield or Uttoxeter. The final turn at Blythe Bridge was marshalled by a few kind souls standing on a busy roundabout all afternoon.

The leg back was even faster. Going down concrete mountain, the speedo touched 67 km/h (not that I was looking at the time). To make it 50 miles, there is a bit of a dog leg to Rochester. It was on the way back I took a wrong turning. I had in my head turn left on the A50. I turned left, but it wasn’t the A50 which I was expecting it was some other A road. I knew it was wrong, but felt terribly confused. I did a u-turn and went around the roundabout again – I wasn’t sure what to do – perhaps wait for a rider to come along and ask. But, the strange thing is going around and around a roundabout gave me just enough mental clarity to head for the A50, which was at the next roundabout 0.5 mile ahead. It was left here, I’d forgot about the penultimate roundabout. I had to come to an abrupt stop at the next roundabout because of cars. My momentum had been lost, but at least I was back on the right road. These last 10 miles were the hardest 10 of the race, I was starting to be a bit dehydrated and tired. It was a relief to see the finish line appear. I’d negotiated the course, and it was surprisingly fast.

50 miles in 1.41.12 average speed of 29.8 mph or 47.8 km/ h

I was caught in two minds. It was a fantastic ride and a pb by nearly five minutes. But, it had been hard negotiating the course, and going off course and going round a roundabout had lost perhaps 40 seconds or more and a bit of momentum. – A 30mph ride was close. In the end I decided to be happy. It had been great racing up concrete mountain. Plus I had a reason to think next time I can go faster! Back at the HQ I talked to Matt Bottril (the national 50 mile TT champion). Matt won the event in 1.36.45 – making it the 3rd fastest ever ride at 50 miles – which shows how fast it was. (G.Obree once had the competition record for 50 miles at 1.39)  I’d beaten quite a few good riders and finished up with 3rd (Though the result was massaged by the fact that many of the BBAR contenders had been doing 12 hour time trials the previous week and were slowed down by the miles in their legs.)

I’ve been off course in time trials more time than I care to remember, but it wasn’t a disastrous as the 25 mile TT which ended up being 34 miles! That was the only time I came last in a time trial. I’m glad I didn’t end up in Lichfield or somewhere today, it would have been a shame to miss out on a 1.41. And the moral of the story – Always memorise the route! and even if you think you know it in your head – when you’re racing it’s much harder to remember!

Photo: Thanks to WLCA. taken on H10/2 WLCA event. Sorry forgot photographers name, but it was printed by Jim Burgin.