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…!

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.

Happy New Year

Well it’s been a while! The customary post-Christmas increase in mileage has begun in an attempt to shed the extra kilos (3kg to loose by the beginning of March) and get back to the weight I was last autumn. I’ve been looking at my training schedule as well (home-produced) to try and emulate the autumn period where I felt I was going pretty well. Last year my form seemed to desert me in July and August and I’m keen to avoid this happening again.

So, long-ish cold, windy, wet rides will be the order of the day. I’ve extended my commute as well to take in the Embankment route instead of a more direct A3 route. Along with increasing the distance by 2 miles in each direction it has the additional benefit of having far fewer traffic lights. I feel as though I an a free spirit on my bike again, rather than being constrained by the signals developed to slow the flow of traffic into London.

Christmas was spent in India with family and it was lovely to leave snowy cold weather for 27 degree sunshine, even if my break was cut short by 3 days due to delays in the outward journey. My wife took some great photos of their trip to a wildlife park (having family in senior positions within the Forestry Commission helped to get the kids up close and personal with some tigers) which I’ll post on here soon, just to prove that I’m not all about cycling!

Forward momentum ... and a gentle slide backwards

It's been 2 weeks since I was last on a proper bike on the road. A combination of work issues and weather have kept me off the roads and on the turbo, public transport and Boris Bikes. Do they count as public transport? I suppose they do really.


The bikes are really, really sturdy and a great way to get around town. I predict that, now they are available for daily hire, the next spell of decent weather will see a rapid rise in usage, meaning that getting space at a docking rack may be tricky. My main station (Waterloo) is particularly badly served for docking racks - there are several, but none of them are located where you really want them. Anyhow, today was my first day back commuting to work on the road bike - after 2 weeks of turbo and Boris Bikes it was good to rediscover the sensation of speedy forward momentum!

The slide backwards refers to my weight - inevitable in the run-up to Christmas really. Two kilos heavier just prior to a two week holiday to India - the slide is only going to go one way. Ho hum...

Wheels on...

I finally got a few moments to myself today, so used the time productively to get tyres and cassette fitted to the new wheels and changed the brake blocks over. I'm really happy with the look of these wheels. All I need now is a day without sub-zero temperatures to give them a test ride. Expect a report in March then!

Touchdown...

My new wheels are with my neighbour, to be collected this evening. I'm excited! In this age when global travel is commonplace I still enjoy being able to track their progress across the Atlantic - in my mind there's still something glamorous about travel...

Wheels, wheels, wheels

It’s that time of year when the mainstay of my cycling activity is solo road riding, commuting and turbo work. Circumstances seem to conspire against me nearly every time I plan a group ride to the extent that, if it keeps up until Feb, I will have forgotten how to draft other riders! Not a bad thing in so far as it means I will be used to pushing a bit harder I suppose.

With a bit more downtime recently I have had the opportunity to spend more time doing non-cycling activities (read: socialising). However, thoughts of cycling are never far from the front of mind and have led me towards the next upgrade decision – wheels. Specifically race wheels.

Let’s be clear – I don’t need another set of wheels. I don’t believe that they will turn me from an eager points-hunter into a rampant points-winner unless I put in the significant training effort and have my fair share of luck. But I do want another set of wheels to race on. They have to look good, they must be clinchers and they need to be fairly light deep sections.

I currently race on two different wheelsets – Mavic Ksyrium SL or Mavic Cosmic Carbones. The Ksyriums are pretty light (approx. 1485g), strong, reliable, pretty stiff and reasonably fast. They’re good for hauling my lardy arse up hills, they’re confidence-inspiring on descents and they are my favourite set of wheels.

The Carbones are a bit more bling (not that much though) and roll a bit faster when up to speed. But they are not very light (approx. 1750g quoted by Mavic, but I think they are actually a bit heavier than this) and they are not particularly stiff. I can really notice this when sprinting or cornering hard – they just feel a bit woolly, a bit spongy. Not terrible, but worse than the Ksyriums.

So I started thinking – should I sell the Carbones and get a lighter set of deep section clinchers? Go for full carbon rims? Go handbuilt rather than factory built? The only two things I knew for sure were that they had to be deep section all-carbon rims (no bonded fairings on alu rims) and they had to be clinchers. I’m in the lucky position of being able to cycle to 3 crit venues and to puncture on tubs on the way there would likely mean missing a race. Since each race I go to involves lots of planning (with both work and family) then the risk of not getting to the start of a race due to punctures has to be minimised. So clincher it is, even though they are going to be slightly heavier and slightly more expensive.

Part One – sell the Carbones? Definitely. They’re in great condition so I should get a decent price for them on eBay (no one in the club was interested in them). They sell tomorrow, so I’ll be interested to see if I get the ‘fair value’ that I have in mind.

Part Two – find new wheels. The contenders: the new Zipp 404 carbon clinchers, Xentis Squad 5.8, Tune Schwartzbrenner 58, Reynolds Assault or DV46, Enve 45 clinchers. Out of contention were Mavics (nothing all-carbon as a clincher) and Campag (I cannot put Campag on a Shimano-equipped bike)! Also out of contention were the ultra-expensive Lightweights.

- Zipps – nice wheels, but out. Too expensive.
- Reynolds DV46 and Enve 45 – tentative maybes. A bit pricey. Not so deep section. Reynolds use DT Swiss 240 hubs, the rear of which does not seem to have a great reputation for building laterally stiff rear wheels in factory built wheels. Could consider a handbuilt version of these, or the Enve 45s.
- Reynolds Assault – cheaper than the rest, but advice and reviews seems to suggest they are a bit flexy. Someone in the club has some and had to have them rebuilt after a series of broken spokes. Not too keen.
- Tune Schwartzbrenners – I just cannot see past the white, painted-on flame graphics. Just horrible!
- Xentis Squad 5.8 – right pricepoint, 58mm rims, DT Swiss 240 hubs so maybe not the stiffest.


I decided on the Xentis Squad 5.8 – hey, it has an active turbulator on the rim to smooth airflow. Yeah, right! But the price was right, the look was right, they were clinchers and they were in stock with Starbike.com in Germany. OK, they were on DT 240 hubs, but that seemed to be the standard for nearly all the factory-built wheels I had seen.

Well, having been stung by my bank on the exchange rate and SWIFT fee, a week later the wheels arrived. They looked visually pretty good overall. The carbon weave for the main deep section surface looked classy. The weight came in within a few grammes of manufacturer stated weight. The finishing around the clincher edge was a little rough but since you don't see it when a tyre is fitted that didn’t bother me. What did bother me was that I couldn't fit a clincher tyre to these wheels! Using fingers and brute force (and lots of talc) I managed to get a GP4000s bead (which I use on all my wheels) to within about 35cm of being on the wheel on one side only. This was with the thinnest rim ribbon fitted. I didn't go down the route of using tyre levers to struggle further as I didn't want to knacker the rim and be unable to send the wheels back. Suffice to say that, having fitted loads of tyres to wheels, if I cannot get at least a foot of tyre bead over the clincher edge in a warm room then I know I won't have a hope on the road.

So back they went, minus postage costs, minus another bank fee to accept a Euro refund payment, minus another chunk to allow the bank to further profit on the exchange rate. Bugger! Turned out to be a rather expensive mistake. I have to say that Starbike were fine to deal with though.

Right, enough messing around, back to the wheel hunt. If it was stiff wheels I was after I thought handbuilt might be the way to go. That meant either a Reynolds or an Enve rim. After looking around again I opted for Wheelbuilder.com in the States – they had been brilliant in dealing with the details from all my emails and had given some good suggestions. Enve rims appealed, both for the method of manufacture (moulded spoke holes rather than drilled) and for the relative rarity value.


So I’m currently awaiting a set of Enve 45 carbon clinchers build onto Chris King R45 hubs with Sapim CX-ray spokes. 20 spoke front, 24 spoke rear, 2 cross rear for (I hope) decent lateral stiffness. A slightly shallower and lighter rim than the Xentis (wheelset should come in at about 1400g) which should be good for crits and road races alike.

I’m awaiting a delivery date now, and the dubious pleasure of taking receipt of both the wheels and the import bill. That’s the hit I’ll have to accept for what will be, let’s face it, a pretty special wheelset.

Phew – this was a long post! Perhaps I’ve spend too much time researching, but it’s been fun!