The first race at Eelmore, under grey skies with rainclouds scudding across the horizon. Fairly strong headwind down the home staight, chilly and inhospitable weather. The evening didn’t start well with the organisers realising that they had been locked out of the circuit (well, for car access at least) so we all had to park in the car park and trudge all the way down the gravel path to the sign-on point.
The 3/4 race saw a large turnout (the biggest I’ve seen at Eelmore) of around 55 riders. It made for a nervous opening, with many seemingly inexperienced racers vying for position on the first few laps. I made sure to stay at or near the front for the first part of the race and stay out of trouble. It also meant that I could take the corners at speed and not have to sprint out of every corner, as is required if you ride near the back of the bunch.
Halfway through I made my main mistake – taking a breather near the back of the bunch. With the number of riders in the bunch , the speed on the back straight and the bunching on the headwind straight I found it really difficult to move up again. The bunch was not depleted at all (Eelmore is rather like Hillingdon in that with a big bunch it is almost impossible to get dropped) and some riders were showing signs of erratic riding. I get more and more pissed off when I see riders in the bunch, out of the saddle, looking behind them and swerving all over the place. You are not pros!
Just as I was starting to move up with about 5 laps to go I got caught behind a crash on the top hairpin – one rider had wobbled and taken down another VC Meudon rider. I just managed to avoid his bike as we all sprinted to get back onto the back of the bunch. At 2 laps to go there was another more serious crash on the home straight with about 4 riders coming down. Again this seemed like a totally avoidable crash that was probably down to inexperience, probably from just one rider who took out three other unfortunate riders. It’s fair to say that at this point I gave up, sat up and coasted the final two laps – no way was I going to get up the front from mid-bunch in a group of about 50 without exposing myself to far too much personal risk.
I think over the last few years I’ve seen one crash at Eelmore on the hairpin. In one race this year I’ve seen two crashes. I feel that standards in races generally are really slipping and I have to say that I put the blame squarely on riders who seem to have little experience of group riding. Riders who want to race should have plenty of chaingang miles under their belt before they even contemplate turning up on the start line. It’s an important fact to remember for existing club riders too – we all benefit from making the group rides as inclusive and welcoming as we can.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Thursday, 7 April 2011
House!
Well it certainly feels like summer out there at the moment. It will be a rude shock when the spring weather returns and the arm/leg warmers have to come out again, but for the moment the whole of London is enjoying an early respite from the long, cold winter we’ve suffered. And predictably, with the rise in temperature, the aircon in the office has packed up!
It’s funny how the rise in temperature makes you remember all the sensations from summer riding. Bottles of water that warm up within half an hour, the dry ragged throat from commuting too fast down the Embankment in heavy traffic, the splat, splat of bug-hits on your face as you go past hedges and bushes by the side of the road – all sensations that are strangely welcome after a winter of picking through ridges of frozen slush, clothed in three layers of windproof attire with gloves so thick that you can barely change gear. Roll on summer!
I’ve done no racing since my last update – as usual the rash of early season races ends and there is a fallow period before the crits all start up. I’m as yet undecided whether to go for Palace or Eelmore this year as the main mid-week race. Both are infinitely preferable to Hillingdon though! Hog Hill would be good too, but it’s just to much of a schlep in the evening and I seem to have nothing but bad luck there – broken wrist, broken wheel, etc. Thankfully my Enve wheel has been returned from Wheelbuilder.com in the US – it needed a brand new rim, which was rather expensive, even with the crash replacement discount. Can’t recommend Wheelbuilder highly enough though – quick, friendly and professional. All I need to do now is do justice to the fantastic set of wheels.
The non-bike related news is that we have finally got a house. After several attempts on other properties where we were outbid (significantly outbid as well) we have finally purchased a house in Wimbledon after a protracted negotiation period – from initial offer to exchange was nearly three months of nail-biting, faffing, firing solicitors, finding and hiring new solicitors, juggling finances and dealing with the mortgage companies. It finally all came together last week so we celebrated with the bottle of champagne that has been chilling in the fridge since January! Now begins the process of engaging builders, sourcing kitchens, deciding on windows and room layouts and sorting out the garden and storage. At some point I’ll have to seriously start considering bike storage as well. There’s a lot of work to do over the next 5-6 months before we are able to move in. Exciting (and expensive) times!
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Hog Bloody Hill
My hate affair with Hog Hill continues...
Mission to get over to Hog Hill for the 3rds/4ths race on Saturday – it takes so long to get there! Turned up with 10mins to spare, after obligatory faffing realised I was late to get to the start line. Joined in at the back of a fairly big field just in time. Fields at Hog Hill always make me feel old – av. age must be about 12.
Lap One – starting at the back meant I was on numpty alert and there were plenty to get past. One guy had a bike with a clunking noise like a lorry – surely you would notice that and fix it?
Lap Two – terrible cornering on the fast corner, spot another few numpties to avoid, down the hill, swoop round the corners at the botttom in the middle of the pack. On the straight at the bottom two idiots decide to dance, collide and swerve all over the place. Idiot One manages to ride away, Idiot Two swerves into my front wheel, his rear skewer scything away like something out of Ben Hur. Cue horrible noise – scrape, ping, scrape, ping, ping, crunch, ping, ping, wheel totally gone, just manage to stay upright and that’s the end of my day. My (still very new) Enve wheel now has 5 broken spokes and is about as true as a banana, but thankfully the rim seems to have escaped damage.
Really pissed off – all that effort for 1.5 laps of racing. Had a hissy fit and refused the offer from organisers of a replacement front wheel.
Edit: no, rim isn't OK. Small cracks in carbon, back to USA for crash replacement scheme - costly but a bit cheaper than a new wheel. I'm wishing evil thoughts on the idiot who swerved in the first place and caused all the damage.
Mission to get over to Hog Hill for the 3rds/4ths race on Saturday – it takes so long to get there! Turned up with 10mins to spare, after obligatory faffing realised I was late to get to the start line. Joined in at the back of a fairly big field just in time. Fields at Hog Hill always make me feel old – av. age must be about 12.
Lap One – starting at the back meant I was on numpty alert and there were plenty to get past. One guy had a bike with a clunking noise like a lorry – surely you would notice that and fix it?
Lap Two – terrible cornering on the fast corner, spot another few numpties to avoid, down the hill, swoop round the corners at the botttom in the middle of the pack. On the straight at the bottom two idiots decide to dance, collide and swerve all over the place. Idiot One manages to ride away, Idiot Two swerves into my front wheel, his rear skewer scything away like something out of Ben Hur. Cue horrible noise – scrape, ping, scrape, ping, ping, crunch, ping, ping, wheel totally gone, just manage to stay upright and that’s the end of my day. My (still very new) Enve wheel now has 5 broken spokes and is about as true as a banana, but thankfully the rim seems to have escaped damage.
Really pissed off – all that effort for 1.5 laps of racing. Had a hissy fit and refused the offer from organisers of a replacement front wheel.
Edit: no, rim isn't OK. Small cracks in carbon, back to USA for crash replacement scheme - costly but a bit cheaper than a new wheel. I'm wishing evil thoughts on the idiot who swerved in the first place and caused all the damage.
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Dunsfold 3rds, 6th March
Ah, back to road racing, and back to Dunsfold – one of my favourite road courses. We had three other Dynamo riders in the first major race of the season, up against strong teams from (in particular) Addiscombe and Kingston Wheelers (the organisers, who had flooded the field with about 11 riders in a Dynamo-style points mission). I quite like the fact that we no longer field the biggest teams in races as we don’t get moaned at so much now.
Weather – chilly but bright (and, more importantly, dry) with fairly light wind. Preparation – poor. We spent the night consuming cocktails, wine and overly expensive food to celebrate my wife’s birthday week extravaganza (as she insists on calling it) so I think it would be fair to say that I wasn’t feeling on top form come 7am on Sunday morning!
We set off at a fair pace and before long a break of about 8 riders had gone. They didn’t build much of a gap initially but, over the course of the next 2 laps, they started to remain out of sight for longer periods of time. This is always problematic (out of sight, out of mind) so a few of us went to the front to up the pace and begin the slow process of dragging them back. I knew that the Addiscombe riders in the break were handy, and also that AndyL from Wheelers was up there, so the ‘engine room’ of the break was well served.
After about two and a half laps of solid effort the break was caught – unfortunately in the process I had tired myself out a little too much. I still haven’t got the balance right between trying to drive the pace and sitting in to recover, and was continually worried that with only 3 or 4 of us working in the bunch we might never catch the break. With hindsight I should have realised that the break weren’t working too well together.
So there I was, resting mid-bunch after some quite concerted effort, thinking “I bet another break goes, should try and get forwards” when another break went! Final lap, stuck mid-bunch, no chance of getting over to it, game over for this non-sprinter. I rolled over the line around 20-something – two of the ‘Mos got in the top 10, so not a bad outing overall.
So on the one hand it was a good workout, I felt I raced reasonably well and can certainly ‘read’ races better that a few years ago. On the other hand I do too much work to benefit others, so I’m not really much of a racer!
And in other news, one of my sons told me that he didn’t want to go out riding on his bicycle on Sunday afternoon because a) it was cold, and b) he was scared of falling off. On the one hand I was relieved that I didn’t have to go on a post-race bike ride, but it doesn’t reflect too well on me, does it?!
Weather – chilly but bright (and, more importantly, dry) with fairly light wind. Preparation – poor. We spent the night consuming cocktails, wine and overly expensive food to celebrate my wife’s birthday week extravaganza (as she insists on calling it) so I think it would be fair to say that I wasn’t feeling on top form come 7am on Sunday morning!
We set off at a fair pace and before long a break of about 8 riders had gone. They didn’t build much of a gap initially but, over the course of the next 2 laps, they started to remain out of sight for longer periods of time. This is always problematic (out of sight, out of mind) so a few of us went to the front to up the pace and begin the slow process of dragging them back. I knew that the Addiscombe riders in the break were handy, and also that AndyL from Wheelers was up there, so the ‘engine room’ of the break was well served.
After about two and a half laps of solid effort the break was caught – unfortunately in the process I had tired myself out a little too much. I still haven’t got the balance right between trying to drive the pace and sitting in to recover, and was continually worried that with only 3 or 4 of us working in the bunch we might never catch the break. With hindsight I should have realised that the break weren’t working too well together.
So there I was, resting mid-bunch after some quite concerted effort, thinking “I bet another break goes, should try and get forwards” when another break went! Final lap, stuck mid-bunch, no chance of getting over to it, game over for this non-sprinter. I rolled over the line around 20-something – two of the ‘Mos got in the top 10, so not a bad outing overall.
So on the one hand it was a good workout, I felt I raced reasonably well and can certainly ‘read’ races better that a few years ago. On the other hand I do too much work to benefit others, so I’m not really much of a racer!
And in other news, one of my sons told me that he didn’t want to go out riding on his bicycle on Sunday afternoon because a) it was cold, and b) he was scared of falling off. On the one hand I was relieved that I didn’t have to go on a post-race bike ride, but it doesn’t reflect too well on me, does it?!
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Time passes...
Where does all the time go? As usual, my planned (cycling) activities have taken a back seat for some altogether more important tasks, mainly work-related. On the plus side we are also creeping towards a house purchase which was agreed in principal at the end of last year (which means that I may just achieve one more of my 2010 goals, albeit a little late). We have also organised and run a school parents’ quiz, which was a lost of fun! I think the evening went really well, with the one or two obligatory hiccups, although these went largely unnoticed by most of the teams (partly due to the large quantities of alcohol involved).
I managed to get to Hillingdon again for one of the late Winter Series races a few weeks back. It was a return to the Hillingdon I know and do not love – windy, crowded, the predictable near-crash on the final corner, the almost-more-predictable placing in the middle of the bunch for yours truly. Why does Hillingdon suffer from such bad riding? I’m convinced that it is the fault of the circuit when run anti-clockwise that makes it so easy to hold on in the bunch and wait for the sprint.
Training is still ongoing, hampered slightly by a dodgy throat. Hopefully I’ll be fighting fit for the first road race of the year on the 6th March, although it’s the night after my wife’s birthday celebration so I may be feeling a little the worse for wear! Should be interesting…
I managed to get to Hillingdon again for one of the late Winter Series races a few weeks back. It was a return to the Hillingdon I know and do not love – windy, crowded, the predictable near-crash on the final corner, the almost-more-predictable placing in the middle of the bunch for yours truly. Why does Hillingdon suffer from such bad riding? I’m convinced that it is the fault of the circuit when run anti-clockwise that makes it so easy to hold on in the bunch and wait for the sprint.
Training is still ongoing, hampered slightly by a dodgy throat. Hopefully I’ll be fighting fit for the first road race of the year on the 6th March, although it’s the night after my wife’s birthday celebration so I may be feeling a little the worse for wear! Should be interesting…
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
First race of the year
Hillingdon. Bleugh! Not my favourite circuit, especially not with a raging wind howling down the back straight. The 3rds race on Sunday was an extra date in the Imperial Winter Series (I can never make the Saturday ones) to make up for the three cancelled races caused by the heavy snowfall at the end of last year.
This was always going to be a fitness-tester for me, so I was relaxed and carefree dawdling up to the start line. It was good to see that there was a women’s race on there too. I don’t know why the number of womens’ races seems to have declined over the past few years as there always seems to be plenty of enthusiasm when they are on.
Anyhow, the race – sprint, corner, swerve to avoid dodgy handling, coast, sprint – ah, this was the Hillingdon I remembered! The wind meant that breaks of ones and twos were unlikely to stick, but I still tried my best when I saw Andy from Kingston Wheelers jump off the front. Unfortunately after I caught him and did a turn we realised that no one else had the slightest intention of coming across.
The final laps were the usual slow-slower bunching, expecially on the back straight, with the exception of a 16yr old who popped off the front and stayed out there to claim the win. I’d had enough by the final lap and decided to go to the front and pull the bunch round the last half lap, sacrificing sprint chances to ensure a safer finish. Without properly sprinting I just managed to hang on for 10th spot, so as a fitness tester I was reasonably pleased. The new Enve wheels were awesome as well – snappy and aero.
If only I was able to get to more races…!
This was always going to be a fitness-tester for me, so I was relaxed and carefree dawdling up to the start line. It was good to see that there was a women’s race on there too. I don’t know why the number of womens’ races seems to have declined over the past few years as there always seems to be plenty of enthusiasm when they are on.
Anyhow, the race – sprint, corner, swerve to avoid dodgy handling, coast, sprint – ah, this was the Hillingdon I remembered! The wind meant that breaks of ones and twos were unlikely to stick, but I still tried my best when I saw Andy from Kingston Wheelers jump off the front. Unfortunately after I caught him and did a turn we realised that no one else had the slightest intention of coming across.
The final laps were the usual slow-slower bunching, expecially on the back straight, with the exception of a 16yr old who popped off the front and stayed out there to claim the win. I’d had enough by the final lap and decided to go to the front and pull the bunch round the last half lap, sacrificing sprint chances to ensure a safer finish. Without properly sprinting I just managed to hang on for 10th spot, so as a fitness tester I was reasonably pleased. The new Enve wheels were awesome as well – snappy and aero.
If only I was able to get to more races…!
Friday, 14 January 2011
3 minutes
Spin faster. This turbo’s making a bit of a grinding noise. I can hear it even over the headphones and with the music cranked up to max volume. I wonder how hot the rear tyre is getting? That plant needs watering. Bizarre, so much rain and this thing looks dehydrated. I feel dehydrated. Cold beer? Why thank you, that would be lovely, but you see I’m half-killing myself here for…ummm… for another 135 seconds. You see I’ve already done 45 seconds of this last interval, and I’ve been at this for 50 minutes now. Maybe some water? No, I’m too out of breath to be able to drink. If I stretch down to my bottle I’ll back off the pedals a fraction and won’t be able to get spinning back up. My average power will drop by a watt at least. Why does this matter? Watt does it matter. Ha ha delirious laughter if I had the breath to make a sound. Am I dehydrated like that plant? Pineapple slices. Wow, that would be good, juicy pineapple. Here comes the chorus, let’s try and match the cadence to the beat. Christ that’s hard work. Hey, my average just went up one watt. Maybe I could slacken off a tad in the last 5 seconds now. God, last five seconds, how long do I have left? What, still 2 minutes? I’m nowhere near halfway through this interval. I’m at about 35%. That’s a total fail. What did we have to get to pass exams at school for O-levels? Pretty sure it was 55% minimum. Right, I won’t look down at the CPU until I’m at least 55% into this interval. That’s…ummmm….hang on…100 seconds, roughly, which is…urrrm…1minute 40 seconds. Why is maths so bloody hard on a turbo. Will I get to hear the best bit of this song before the end of the session? If I look down at the CPU before 1 minute 40 seconds I will erupt in a ball of flames and fail the interval. No question. Can I switch my mind off and stop thinking. I’ll try. That’s it, just listen to the music. I’m pacing Wiggins up the Ventoux climb. Crowd screaming, I’m trying to breath through my nose and keep my mouth shut. Hey, this is no big deal, look how easy I’m taking it. Jesus, was that my heart skipping a beat there? Now it’s galloping. This can’t be right. Am I imaging this? If I look at the CPU though I’ll fail the interval. Did I say that? I think I did, about 20 seconds ago. No, my heart’s really galloping, I’m sure it’s going about 200bpm, something’s not right, better check. Just a quick look, not at the time but at the HR. It’s … oh, that’s alright, it’s 174. No need to panic or call an ambulance. 1 minute 55 seconds! I looked. I honestly didn’t mean to, but I did, and now I have I’m so happy. Nearly 66% done. I’ve passed my O-level. That’s a grade…what, would that have been a B or a C? No matter, by now it’s only 60 seconds to go. This song is bloody going on and on. When’s the best bit – is it after the next chorus? I think sweat has dripped into my ear – the right hand earphone sounds really bassy. This right hand cleat needs sorting – my foot keeps wiggling around on the downstroke. Hey, a gust of wind. That was nice. Keep stomping, keep stomping. If I get to the crest of this imaginary hill before the end of the chorus I just need to floor it for 30 seconds. Ham sandwiches, with loads of English mustard. Next to a cool slowly flowing river. Lemonade, ice cubes clinking in the sunlight. If I look down and have less than 30 seconds to go I will be so happy. Shall I have a peek at the CPU? No, not for another 10 words of this song. What the hell is he singing anyway? Why scream about a mosquito? That must be 2 minutes 30 seconds now. Yes! I’m over halfway through this last minute of the last 3-minute interval from hell. I’m possibly halfway through my life. God, that’s worrying. Why does life pass so quickly but turbo minutes pass so slowly. Was there any whisky left in that bottle from Christmas? I might have a nip after this. Here’s the best bit of the song. If I don’t look at the CPU until this best bit is over I reckon I’ll be at 2 mins 58 seconds. Thump, thump, thump, soaring, pounding guitar, screaming vocals, the quick stuttered fade-down and I must be done, on…what…shit! 2 mins 50 seconds. Push, push. What’s that thudding? Oh, my heart. If a tile fell off the roof right now it would probably land on my head. Man found dead in garden, bike wheels still spinning, surrounded by small chips of terracotta. Like one of those school questions – a man in the middle of a cornfield but none of the corn has been trampled, how did he get there? Parachute didn’t open. Why do I keep thinking about school? My legs are on fire, my throat feels ragged, let it all stop … 2 minutes 56, 57, push harder, I’m leading Cav out for the sprint, faster, 58, don’t slow down, 59, my work is done, yes! 3 minutes! Take that, you bastard turbo, victory is mine. Uuurgh, my legs are trembling. HR dropping beat by beat, I’m going to spin until it gets back down to 120 then I’m off. I hope there’s some whisky left. Pint of water and a small whisky – perfect. It’s what Tom Simpson would have done, I’m sure. And maybe a small square of chocolate.
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