Entries Tagged 'timetrials' ↓

Saturday afternoon was the Oxonian CC 31 Mile ‘Hardriders’ event. It is quite hilly, especially in the first half. There are also quite a few sharp corners. The road surface had taken a real battering from the harsh winter. I opted to not use a discwheel, and made sure I had a spare tub and pump for any puncture. A few riders opted for an ordinary road bike.

Bike for race: Note how I squeezed a spare tub and pump into an old water bottle cut in half

I finished second in a time of 1.13.38 (av. 25.3mph). I was pleased because that was nearly 3 minutes quicker than last year’s time. The race was won by Team Raleigh rider James Stewart in a time of 1.12.25.

There were also a few trikes and 3up team time trials on the course. I have to say it’s quite a challenging course for a 3 up time trial!

When I was warming up, I got quite sweaty so I removed a few layers and got rid of the leg warmers. Into the race, it started raining – ‘The fine rain that soaks you through‘ – as Peter Kay would say.

Even though the temperature was in double figures, and the rain quite light – I got cold on the return to the HQ. You can easily be caught out how quickly you can get cold when cycling.

Riders leaving for race

Race roundup at CTT

Oxonian CC 31 Mile 2009

Returning from Race

This was a good weekend for cycling. Firstly, the temperature crept into double figures (10 degrees) in the first time for what seems like ages. Double digit temperatures mean racing in shorts, and the annual ritual of shaving the legs the night before.

The course was shortened from 10 miles to about 8 miles after some road works appeared in the middle of Woolhampton. There was a bit of breeze but, after about 10 years of riding over humps, holes and divots, the A4 has finally  been resurfaced. You can’t a lovely smooth bit of fresh tarmac – especially after all the potholes in the road elsewhere. Before my speedometer packed in half way, I was averaging around 29mph. I finished in first place with a time of 17.13. Second place was Steve Golla (Specialised, Sigma) and I think third place was Justyn Cannon (RAF CC) or Jesse Elizinga (Beeline Cycles)

Rebecca Romero on right, riding back after race

First women was Olympic pursuit gold medallist Rebecca Romero. After the UCI decided to scrap the 4KM Pursuit (btw see previous post for what I think on decision to remove individual track pursuit from Olympics) Rebecca is now aiming for the individual Time Trial for London in 2012. Given her athletic pedigree, she has a very good chance. I’d love to see her do well. It’s certainly inspiring to be in same race as Olympic hopefuls.

(Why do I do these early season races again?)

Last Sunday morning was my second race of the season – Banbury Star CC 23 mile hard rider event.

The course was undulating with a sharp 16% twisty climb in the middle. On the way out, you descend the rather tricky descent and on the way back you climb the hill (Edgehill) just when your legs are pretty tired anyway.

I took these photos after finish line. – Hence the smile.

I finished second in a time of 54.31. The event was won by James Wall in a very good time of 52.49.

I started my ‘warm up’ 45 mins before start. It was so cold after 15 mins I returned to car and put on a third pair of gloves, turned the engine on and defrosted my feet under the car’s heater. The car thermometer said outside -1. It’s not exactly Siberia. But, it’s not much fun when you have Reynaulds disease (poor circulation in hands and feet). All I can say is I’m glad I didn’t puncture in the middle of no man’s land….

Brave tandem pair

There were plenty of marshalls on the course with red flags warning you of obstacles like the tricky descent and random road furniture that seems to be all the rage these days. I ended up taking the descent quite slowly as I didn’t know it very well.

I was very pleased to come away with £70. – £50 for second and £20 for the fastest time up Edgehill 3.38. Many Thanks to the sponsor Tuffnells and Willoughby Cafe, run by a local Banbury Star CC member, and Banbury Star CC.

Continue reading →

Last Saturday, was the first race of the season. – A hilly 10.2 mile TT organised by Andover Wheelers. The course was shortened slightly due to some hedge trimming.  The hedge cutter was one of the few vehicles on the road. It was a very quite course in terms of traffic which was nice.

It starts with a pretty tough climb up Conholt Hill and then quite a fast descent. There’s another hill half way round, which seems to go on for a long time with a demoralising headwind. Then there is another fairly sharpish and fast descent. It’s certainly an interesting course with very little flat.

The race is very different to the Andover Wheelers 10 on the P613 dual carriageway course. That attracts an oversubscribed field of 270. A hilly 10 in the middle of February, attracts a somewhat smaller entry, can’t think why…. Well, I did my fastest 10 mile time on that course in 2008 – Andover 10

Event was well organised with a few photographers on route. It’s not much the most attractive time of the year to be racing (I was wearing 3 pairs of gloves), but doesn’t make a nice change from plodding around the grey Oxfordshire countryside on a slow winter training bike…

I finished first with a time of 24.05 ahead of William Girvan

photo top: Charles Whitton.

At the top of the hill – Dave Clarke left, Dan Fleeman right

It was the last race of the season at the weekend. A three – four minute climb on Pea Royd Lane, Stocksbridge. The hill was pretty steep all the way up, with a nasty turn half way up. Like all National Championships it was a good event, well organised by Thurcroft CC. The road is closed to traffic and there were quite a few spectators on the 0.65 mile hill. It’s the kind of hill that really makes you suffer by the time you get to the top.

On Last Hair Pin - Photo by Techno

I finished 12th,10 seconds off 3rd place but 32 seconds off the winner, Dan Fleeman. Dan rides for Cervelo, a top European road team. His time for that hill is amazing.

1  Dan Fleeman Cervelo Test Team 03:17.8
2   Matt Clinton MikeVaughan.co.uk 03:31.6
3   Jim Henderson Southport CC 03:39.4
4   Michael Smith Team Milton Keynes 03:39.9
5  Adam Pinder Blackburn & District CTC 03:43.1
6  David Clarke Pendragon Kalas RT 03:43.4
7  David Griffiths Paramount CRT 03:44.0
8  Charles Taylor South Pennine RC 03:46.0
9  Robert Gough Chippenham & District Wheelers 03:47.4
10  Mike Cuming Raleigh Avanti 03:47.5
11  Chris Myhill Peak RC 03:48.1
12  Tejvan Pettinger Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team 03:49.6

Full Results at CTT

Below is a video of event
Continue reading →

My last race of the year is on Sunday at Stocksbridge in the National Hill Climb. Just 0.75 miles long, but averaging about 15% and likely to be very painful, if I have any chance of getting in top 10.

The good thing is this week of training can be very light. I did one hill interval today, and will do another one on Thursday. But, apart from that, I will do little cycling this week, save a reconnaitre of the course on the Saturday before the race. The principle of tapering for a race, is well known these days. Usually, you are racing without giving your muscles full time to recover, but, hopefully by resting this week, I will be fresher for Sunday.

I won my penultimate race of year, this Sunday at Burrington Combe, organised by Bristol South. I finished 1st in 7.20, 15 secs ahead of local Bristol rider Luke Dunbar. But, unfortunately, this weekends race is a lot steeper and a lot shorter. – Just an explosion of power for 3 and half minutes, no time to get into a rhythm, just a fight against gravity!

O well, next week will be end of interval sessions up hills for quite a while!

Top of Climb from Jubilee Tower – gives great views over Morecambe Bay

After the wind of the previous day, conditions were much better, and a  light tailwind from the sea was very welcome after yesterdays headwind torture. It was a longer climb than previous day, about 1.75 miles of varying gradient, total height gain 183m. Steepest at the bottom (perhaps 14%) it becomes shallower at the top, with 2 sections of short downhill. Despite the gradient at the start, I sat down for virtually all the climb. Climbing in the saddle is a good way to make sure you don’t get carried away tackling the steep section at the bottom. I ride most  hill climbs by looking at the time. I have a rough idea of time the race will take and gauge my efforts by that. For example, with 4 minutes on the clock, I knew I had about 3 mins left to up the effort for the final section. On this kind of climb it is essential to have something in reserve, as you can really pick up speed and gain momentum on the flatter / downhill sections at the top (see pacing hill climbs). It’s not often  you can finish a hill climb in your 53 12 sprinting at 30mph. But, it makes for a picturesque finish by the Tower on the top of Quernmore.

At the top

I felt good during the climb and finished in 7.13 which took 10 seconds off Ben Greenwood’s course record from 2003. Average speed of just under 15 mph. It was great fun, at least when you get to the top and forget the pain of the climb. The hairpin descent was pretty tricky though – with a combination of carbon rims and ordinary brake blocks.

By the way, even if you don’t like the idea of racing, the Trough of Bowland / Quernmore is a very beautiful place for cycling. From the top you get a great view of Morecambe Bay or the Forest and moors inland. It is quite hilly, but, apart from the odd motorbike

Thanks to Alistair Hodge and Lancaster CC for organising the event.

Picture top: Jubilee Tower photo by Coradia 1000

Picture middle www.sportsunday.co.uk
Photo bottom: John Thurm

Related

• Hill Climbs

Despite the first signs of autumn colour, this weekend was, a ‘float weekend’ – A day when weather conditions are perfect for cycling (no wind, right temperature 15-20 degrees) leading to fast times and personal bests all round.

My race on the Bentley course was interrupted by roadworks so the course was changed to a hilly version. The 25  mile race was a real test with a couple of long climbs around the village of Four Marks. My speed was varying between 13mph on the climbs and 43 mph on the descents. The average ended up being just under 27mph with a time of 55.22. When I left the clubhouse, I was the fastest out of 120. Which sounds a little bit more impressive than it actually was. Some of the really fast guys had gone over to South Wales for a 25 mile race which starts at the top of the hill and finishes at the bottom. Now, with a course description like that – a race down a long hill, we might actually get a few more people wanting to do a time trial.

But, to be fair, there is 23 miles of flat in between. Nevertheless with a height drop it does make the course faster than others. There were several rides under 50 minutes. Tom Yeatman set a new junior record of 50.04. And David McCann set  a new competition record of 45.54. Breaking Chris Boardman’s 16 year old record. Chris Boardman’s record was set on the A34, which is now one of the busiest dual carriageways in the country. Michael Hutchinson had come very close on different occassions and just missed out again with a 46.04. He must be one of the few people to be really disappointed with a time of 46 minutes for 25 miles.

The time trial season is coming to a close and I am switching my focus to hill climbs. Two times a week I am doing hill intervals. Generally, this involves racing up hills as fast as I can 3 or 4 times. There is probably a more scientific way of training, but, if you’re going to do hard intervals you might as well have the satisfaction of getting to the top of a hill.

I don’t know whether I could be a cyclist in Scotland, where it has rained every day for the past two months (article at Independent) I don’t mind a bit of raining, but, I think every day during summer would get pretty tedious.

After a lousy summer, we’re having a pretty good September and this weekend was very nice for cycling. My new bike frame brought me good luck in helping me to win a 10 mile time trial, somewhere near Coventry. The final mile was on a road by an airport with many gliders taking off into the sky before descending. It was somehow a sharp contrast – gliders, gracefully descending without a breath of effort as we raced into the long home stretch. I’m sorry to say that the theme for Top Gun came into my mind whilst cycling along the road – though in the film I think Tom Cruise was on a motorbike rather than pushbike…

My time was 22.17 on a fairly sporting course, with little traffic.

Racing along the A1 Great North Road

Legend has it that the infamous highwayman, Dick Turpin, escaped from London to York in 15 hours up the Great North Road. The 409 mile road has been in existence for many years – dating back to the Roman times when they built their roads nice and straight. These days, the Great North Road is not exactly a place for riding a horse, but, we still have a few cycle races on the sections of A1 which are not yet a motorway.

The race organised by Bedfordshire CC was early Sunday morning; traffic volumes, at that time are not too heavy, though by the end of the race there is a fairly steady stream of traffic. The idea of cycling on such a busy road is not everyone’s cup of tea. But, when you are actually racing it feels safer than it looks. It is less stressful than cycling through busy city centres – squeezing in between parked cars. Of course, the feeling of relative safety may be misplaced because vehicles are moving pretty quick, and any accident is more likely to be serious given speed of cars.

Racing past the mass ranks of spectators

The road surface is nice and smooth, which makes a big difference when your tyres are pumped up to 140psi (10 bar). A few minor inclines prevent it being really quick, but, because of traffic you do go faster.

I think I finished 5th out of 100+ on the start sheet in a time of 54.31. I enjoyed the speed of the race, though I do find it difficult to raise my heart rate early in the morning. Though to put the average speed in perspective, they say Ursain Bolt reached a speed approaching 26mph in his phenomenal new 100m world record of 9.58 secs.

25 Mile Time Trials