How much cake to buy? is one of the great dilemma’s of being a race organiser. I bought too many and as a consequence am steadfastly working my way through 2 giant carrot cakes…. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. I’m fairly confident that if I keep a steady pace and disciplined approach, I will be able to finish by the end of the week. Alas, life isn’t fair, and I probably still won’t budge from 64 Kgs.

When other people organise cycle races, it always looks so easy that I thought I’d enter my own race and put myself off number 10.  As it turned out I didn’t want to ride. Off the bike for so long, plus I didn’t fancy racing with responsibilities of organising.

It’s a funny thing organising an event. Before race, you worry about things that might go wrong.  But, as soon as I started putting up warning signs on the road and actually start, it seemed to go quite smoothly.

For all the idosyncracies of cyclists, and time-triallists especially, they are a pretty good bunch of people – drawn together by a mutual fascination in racing up and down roads in search of that elusive pb. It was a good experience to be on the other side of a race. It definitely gives you an empathy with organisers. I have to say, it’s easier to race than to organise!

I was actually quite lucky to have two very good timekeepers from Didcot Phoenix CC. Tip for any organiser, always get your startsheet double checked by someone else before sending out!

The racing was fast and furious.  If you don’t get a ticket for box hill Olympic road race, pop along to the A40 one Sunday morning – there’s really not that much difference.

I had quite a few willing helpers from other friends in the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. Thanks also to Run and Become for offering some prizes. They are quite used to putting on running races, but a cycle time trial is quite a new experience for them. They asked a few questions like why do you race on dual carriageways? It’s one of those questions not so easy to answer. Though at least on a dual carriageway, you don’t have to worry about those pesky red lights..

The race was won by Danny Axford (Arctic RC ) in a time of 20.57. First women was Danuta Tinn (Maidenhead & District CC). Full results at Sri Chinmoy Races

The good news is the leg seems fine now. A couple of hill intervals on Saturday didn’t cause any problem, so it may be time to restart proper training. If things go well, I will be entering the Farnham RC 10 mile TT on Saturday – I may even offer to take any surplus cake off the organiser at the end of the race.

It is said that it’s much easier to give advice than to take it. I thought after recent accident and blood clot, I should take it fairly easy. But, the leg seemed to have fully recovered, and you soon forget about the past and your own advice.

I was out cycling towards Brill on my best road bike, there was a tailwind, there was a favourite hill and the temptation to stretch the legs and cycle as fast as possible is hard to resist. It felt good to get back into race mode, to cycle at the limit, not having to rely on one leg or worry about taking it easy. It’s good to cycle, it’s much better to cycle fast.

Unfortunately, my enthusiasm got  the better of me on the next ride. Doing 10Km at 48Kmph per hour (with tailwind), was fun, but the leg was rebelling the next day. Not quite back to square one, but it has enforced patience into my recovery – it will be a while before getting back to full speed and racing up hills with abandon.

How Much Fitness do you lose After 4 weeks off?

Fortunately, it seems 4 weeks off doesn’t really affect you too much. I think I’ve lost more at the top end. But, the basic fitness still seems there. I’m quite surprised at how resilient the body is in keeping good form, despite being inactive for 4 weeks. After assuming there was no point in entering National 50, I might have a look at the calendar and try and test where I’m at. Though, I realised after lengthy lay off, rushing into a 50 mile TT, may not be best approach.

A year ago, I wrote and published a book “Happiness Will Follow You” It is a collection of articles on meditation and ‘self-improvement’

I guess I could have included an article on ‘How to cycle on British roads and without getting mad at inconsiderate motorists‘ But, essentially it has nothing to do with cycling. Anyway, if you can stomach the kind of book which tells you how to eat garlic bread for breakfast with a smile on your face, you might possibly like this.

Amazon UK

• Happiness Will Follow You at Amazon.co.uk – £10.95 hardback – £5.95 kindle.

• Happiness Will Follow You – at Amazon.com – hardback $17.95

Some interesting comments from recent post – People hitting cyclists However, I hope it doesn’t put people off cycling, e.g. comment

I suppose I should not be reading these events prior to my cycling lesson tomorrow but one has to learn of the experiences.
Hmm I think I would change my cycling route in the same way one does when driving. But then wha t do I know. 

Firstly it is quite rare. Most of the time you can cycle without incident. Despite it being very rare, the chances of having things thrown at you are higher if:

• You are wearing lycra.
• You cycle fast
• You cycle on busy roads / dual carriageways.

If you dress in normal clothes, if you cycle slowly, I would be very surprised if anyone leaned out of the window to spray a water pistol in your face. It’s no guarantee of course, but there is an element that if you look like a proper cyclist, you’re more likely to attract attention. I might speculate that if you are a racing cyclist, cycling along at 20mph, it’s more inconvenient for a motorist to pass you. If you’re doing 10mph, it’s easier.

We are always judging people on their appearance, so it’s nothing new if motorists judge cyclists by the way you look. There is anecdotal evidence that motorists give some types of cyclist more room. i.e. if you don’t look like a cyclist, motorists pass with a little more care. If you look like an old lady wobbling around on a 3spd, cars may give you more space as they go past. A humorous blog from: Telegraph

…On the way to work I sometimes pass the same lady cyclist. She looks as though she’s pedalling through treacle on a ladies sit-up-and-beg bicycle.

She struggles along wearing a rainjacket over a pleated skirt, and she wears a white helmet which looks like half a large billiard ball attached to the back of her head.

I’ve always thought she was in the wrong gear – mechanically and sartorially – but thinking about it more carefully, she justifies No 1 son’s theory.

Unlike the other cyclists in their helmets, rucksacks and leggings who look the part and merge with other road users in morning traffic at comparable speeds, this lady’s very obvious because she’s slow, looks a bit inept and quite vulnerable. As I pass, I do give her an extra-wide berth so she must have The Look just right.

Now, if you happent to be old lady on a Vintage 3 speed, you’ve probably got lots of experience to tell me otherwise. And I’m not going to start getting a blue rinse hairdry, just to see whether motorists give me a little more space.

Also, going back to recent post – Cycling a question of perspective there is always a choice how we respond to sharing the road. If we become fearful of bad incidents, we can easily put ourselves off. On the other hand, we can remember that mostly cycling is fun and safe.

So there you go, cycling is less dangerous than walking, and when you walk around town, you don’t feel obliged to wear a pink wig, wicker shopping basket or helmet, in the hope a bus won’t drive on to the kerb and knock you over.

Related

• Cycle safety
• Death rates by mode of transport
• Cycle stats

Anyway, it’s good to be making progress. Two weeks ago, I could only stand on one leg, so it’s nice to be already cycling 15 miles – nice and slow. Yesterday was 30 miles. And no longer do I have to experience the indignity of being passed on my commuting bike by old ladies with sit up and beg bikes. (not that that bothered me at all.)

When the weather is so wet, you need to be fairly motivated to go out on the bike training. The problem is that with bad leg, the motivation is not there as much. But, that’s probably a good thing, it will make me more likely to listen to my own advice and ease myself back in gently. Perhaps as my leg gets better, the weather will also improve….

My calf tear turned out to be a blood clot (DVT). Four doctors in UK and US thought it was just muscle tear, but the ultra scan showed a blood clot. Apparently blood clots can be quite serious if they move up from legs to lungs. (though clots in the lower leg, are much less likely to move) The nurse in the DVT clinic told me no cycling for 2 weeks. I didn’t have the heart to say, I’d just had great fun cycling to hospital, racing a taxi up Divinity Road with one leg. If there is a record for one legged cycling up Divinity Rd hill, I probably have it. Though I guess this is a reminder some things in life are more important than even hill climb records, one legged or two.

It will mean a good 4-5 weeks off the bike, and another 3 months of visits to doctors for blood tests and medication to make my blood have a higher INR – which means the blood clots less easily – so it’s not good news if you get a cut, harder to stop bleeding. But, this helps to defuse current clot and prevent a repeat.

The irony is that blood test and haemophilia are my worst phobias. I have no fear of death, but mention blood tests, syringes, and bleeding, and something subconscious leaves me a quivering wreck. If you know about George Orwell’s Room 101, I know exactly what I would face – repeated blood tests. In the past few years, I’ve even said to myself quite a few times “I’m so fortunate not to be a haemophiliac” – So it’s an irony I’ve ended up on the Haemophiliac ward. Anyway, like most things you fear – what you repeatedly face – you find they are not so bad after all. Blood test are becoming routine, if I can’t enjoy them – at least they don’t leave me feeling like a ghost, devoid of life energy like the first one did.

A Note on Blood Clots

Some people are more predisposed to blood clots – often the elderly.  (DVT is one of those things you read about and presume can only happen to other people) In my case the cause of the blood clot was the twin factor of suffering an accident a few hours before a seven hour transatlantic flight. I don’t think there will be any problems in future (as long as I don’t have another accident the morning of the flight). But, I might invest in some of those DVT socks just to be on the safe side.

Re Planning the Season

The season was definitely going very well. In particular, I really enjoyed some of the longer hilly time trials, like the Circuit of the Dales and Buxton Mountain TT. With some of my best ever form, I was planning to enter national 50 and National 100 later in the year. I think I would have had a reasonable chance of a top 10 position. Now, I will have to leave these for another season, leaving no clear goals until the hill climb season. The good news is I don’t think 5 weeks off will adversely affect the hill climb season later in the year. I’m sure I can reach peak performance for the end of October, even with quite a lengthy mid-season break.

Surprisingly, I haven’t been too put out by the abrupt change to season. In one sense it’s disappointing, but I haven’t thought too much about it. Fortunately, there are quite a few other things to do apart from cycling. It’s actually nice to have a bit more time for other things. (Also probably helped by the fact it’s raining cats and dogs and it’s not exactly inspiring to go out on the bike this morning) Part of me feels aggrieved for slogging through the long winter, only to be off bike now the ‘nice weather’ comes – but to be honest, it’s not an impossibility Jan and March may prove to be the best months of the year in terms of weather!

Well, if your slogging through the rain, at least be thankful you haven’t got your leg up and a pair of arms full of needle holes – there’s always someone worse than you!

p.s. if my mother reads this. I wasn’t really racing up Divinity Road on the way to hospital, I just put that in for artistic effect.

My 1983 Trek, New York looking pretty nice and clipless pedal.

‘Aye, Captain, that’s the old peg leg, I’m pulling along.’

The only problem with clipless pedals and one legged cycling in New York is that drivers are impatient at the best of times. When they have to crawl at 5mph, because someone is cycling with one leg, they have great difficulty coping.

With a lowest gear of 42*21, it can be challenging getting up certain climbs. It is the first time in many years, I have had to get off and push because the hill was too steep. There’s probably a lesson in humility somewhere there.

It is pretty frustrating to be laid up, when you’ve spent all winter getting very fit. The weather here has been ideal for cycling, but I shall just have to see how long the recovery process takes. But, for now the bike and the clipless pedal is a great saviour for a bit of movement.

The old war wound. – My scar is bigger than your scar kind of thing. I would be tempted to use the word narcissist, but I don’t know what it means or how to spell it. That is not actually the problem, but, a calf tear which seemed to develop a couple of days later – strange.

After racing down sweeping descents in the Yorkshire Dales and Peak District at high speeds, I came a cropper on the shortest of recovery rides a couple of days ago. I was flying off to New York in afternoon, but wanted to have an hour of spinning legs after race before the long flight. Out of nowhere on a silly little corner, I fell off, landing quite hard on the old knee. It was a bigger gash than usual road rash, but knowing I had a plane to catch I managed to get back on bike and cycle home before, the leg ceased up / I fainted in side of road at sight of blood.

Not so inspiring, but a reminder that a light bit of rain after many days dry can leave a film of oil on the surface, making corners especially dangerous.

All I can say, is that I was very lucky to get an aisle seat on the side of bad leg. Not the most comfortable of seven hour flights….

The problem is that although knee is getting better, A bad pain in calf muscle developed a couple of days after crash. It means I’m lying low in a New York room at moment. It’s funny how you can go from flying around on your bike at tremendous speeds to having to hop around on one leg.

Related

• How Not to fall off a bike 
• Cycling accidents

Tips for avoiding falls.

It is based on an 11 mile circuit starting in Longnor, climbing up to to Axe Edge before long descent back into Longor.

After riding the Circuit of Dales last Sunday, it didn’t do much hard training in week before. It was more a few recovery rides, giving me time to enjoy the Yorkshire Dales (photos coming soon)

After a great spring and the ongoing threat of draught, an unexpected snow storm earlier in week threatened to cancel race. Fortunately, the roads were cleared for Good Friday. But, driving down from Yorkshire, I came over Holme Moss (one of highest A roads in England. At the bottom was a sign saying ‘road closed’ But, like most other motorists (and a few interpid cyclists) I didn’t believe it could really be closed so kept on going. Anyway, there was really a big snow drift right at top. It was closed for good reason. I’m afraid I just ploughed on and was relieved to get through the snow (don’t try this at home, as Blue Peter presenters would say).

Holme Moss – with snow on the road. – scene of many great cycle races.

With the journey taking longer than expected, I didn’t have much of a warm up time, and decided to wrap up well – leg warmers, thermal underwear – everything. The snow drifts at the side of the road were a  visible reminder how cold it could be on the Peak District moors.

The first 4 miles are mostly up hill – climbing 150 metres with a few false flats. I was often in 42*21 and on last lap 42*23. The climb was made harder by a pretty strong headwind. At the top, there was a bit of a sidewind, which made me regret using a discwheel. Then there was a long fast descent into Longor. I really should have ridden course before hand, as on first lap, I had to take it quite cautiously. I even got stuck behind a caravan on the first descent, and nearly slipped into Jeremy Clarkson mode of  ‘berating caravan drivers’ – though I can hardly blame someone from taking it steady on those roads.

It’s a hard course to pace yourself because there is no steady rhythm to slip into. You can be grovelling in lowest gear or pretty much freewheeling down fast descents. I went as hard as I could on the climbs, without blowing up and then concentrated on steady descent. I didn’t want to take any undue risks.

Inevitably, I tired a little on the 2^nd and 3^rd lap, but had some confidence after the 50 mile circuit of the Dales to know how hard I could go for a long time trial. Although I got slower on the climbs, I saved a little bit of time on the later caravan free descents.

It was another great event by Buxton CC. (Buxton CC also put on the hill climb at Long Hill, and I’ve got to know some of the Buxton locals quite well). It is quite an attractive circuit and made more interesting by the snow lining the roads. There was also a bit of flood water on higher sections, a rare sight this year.

I finished second behind Matt Bottrill, and just ahead of the other hill climb specialists Gunnar Gronlund and Matt Clinton.

It was a generous prize list, and the £50 for 2^nd place,  definitely helped fill up the petrol tank on the way home!

MEN
Lap 1, Lap 2, Lap 3 Final time
1 Matthew Bottrill www.drag2zero.com 00:27:59 00:29:17 00:29:18 01:26:34
2 Tejvan Pettinger Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team 00:28:38 00:29:14 00:29:29 01:27:21
3 Gunnar Gronlund RST Racing Team – Trigon 00:28:59 00:29:32 00:30:03 01:28:34
4 Matt Clinton Mike Vaughan Cycles 00:29:01 00:30:33 00:30:13 01:29:47
5 Charles Taylor South Pennine RC 00:29:47 01:30:12
6 Simon Bridge Manchester Wheelers 00:29:48 00:31:05 00:31:15 01:32:08
7 Tom Stewart RST Racing Team – Trigon 00:30:01 01:33:04
8 Lee Baldwin Buxton CC/Sett Valley Cycles 00:29:36 00:31:16 00:32:20 01:33:12
9 Simon Dale Nottingham Clarion 00:31:02 00:31:57 00:31:53 01:34:52
10 Sam Clark Buxton CC/Sett Valley Cycles 00:31:01 00:32:11 00:32:44 01:35:56

WOMEN
Lap 1, Lap 2 , Final time
1 Sarah Storey ForViored 00:31:10 00:32:09 01:03:19
2 Lauren Creamer Abergavenny Road Club 00:34:21 00:35:01 01:09:22
3 Jack Robinson Seamons CC 00:34:58 00:35:36 01:10:34
4 Sean Davenport Seamons CC 00:35:33 00:36:29 01:12:02
5 Joanne Blakeley Seamons CC 00:36:30 00:38:39 01:15:09
6 Nicola Soden Champion Systems/Maxgear RT 00:38:13 00:39:52 01:18:05
7 Viv Slack Manchester Wheelers 00:38:38 00:39:56 01:18:34

Matt Bottrill’s Bike

Trigon Racing TT bike

Related

• Photos and report at Velonet
• Buxton Mountain TT

The Circuit of the Dales is a 50 mile hilly time trial through some of the most scenic parts of the Yorkshire Dales. It includes nearly 1000 metres of climbing and a mixture of road surfaces – from flat tarmac to roads so rough it could be almost Paris-Roubaix. There’s nothing really steep, but it is constantly rolling and very challenging.

Ilkley CC riders warming up before the start

The sun shining on Sedbergh. (photo Andy Davy)

Many years ago, I used to cycle around this part of the world. Not in a race, but in Sunday club runs with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and the views. This time was a bit different to say the least. Fortunately, the weather was good, a bit cold at the start, but sunny and low wind. The course was shortened by 1.5 miles due to road works, so we started just outside Ingleton. The first section was to Kirby in Lonsdale and then up the valley to Sedbergh. I used to visit Sedbergh quite frequently, in my youth. I was always told we had a famous relative  from Sedbergh. His name was Adam Sedgwick and was an important geologist. (I guess he’s famous in geologist circles).

Anyway it was great fun to be racing through the centre of Sedbergh’s one way system. Out of Sedbergh there is a very rough road which was uncompromising on a disc wheel blown up to 9-10 bar. From Sedbergh to Garsdale there is some spectacular scenery (and quite a bit of climbing) After passing Garsdale and under the famous Settle Carlise line, there was a nice fast descent into the bottom of Wensleydale.

On the last drag to the finish

On the outskirts of Hawes the road starts to climb. Here, at 35 miles I was pretty pleased, with my time. I had averaged 43 Kph, and was pretty hopeful to break the magic 25mph barrier. But, the last 14 miles or so, were quite different( I averaged 34Kph for last section). From nowhere, there seemed to develop a strong headwind. Combined with a remorseless climb and tired legs, I soon found myself in the bottom gear grovelling up the climb to Ribblehead. On paper, it’s not a spectacular climb, just 100 metre ascent at an average of 4.4%. (average speed of climb was 25kph) But, I don’t think I’ve been slower in a time trial. The problem with the Ribblehead road is that it is very exposed and there are several long drags with a few false flats. The great momentum of first 35 miles evaporated; it became a struggle to get to the finish. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if it has been REALLY windy….

Finally I got to the iconic Ribblehead viaduct. There were  hundreds of motorbikes revving their engines and passing me with annoying ease. Even after Ribblehead there were still a few difficult miles before the finish.

Ribblehead a nice sight for sore legs.

Ribblehead Viaduct.   Chantry Bee (using creative commons)

I really enjoyed the ride. It was quite a challenge, with a little bit of everything from 50mph descents to 10mph grovelling up hills into headwinds.

I did actually even get time to admire the scenary a little when racing. My legs were definitely tired the day after. It was great to see so many riders (124) enter this difficult race. I would like to come back and try and squeeze under two hours for the full 50 miles.

Thanks to Nelson Wheelers and all marshalls for putting on a great race.

Great ride by Richard Handley Rapha Condor Sharp – I’m sure he has a great future. The Circuit of the Dales has quite a roll call of former winners including: Chris Boardman, David Lloyd, Gethin Butler, Kevin Dawson, Andy Wilkinson

The current record holder is three times winner Mark  Holton in a time of 1.56

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