Hillingdon. Turned up. Raced. Went home.
Or for a full and frank report that really captures the excitement of the night, see below:
Hillingdon. Turned up. Circuit was wet. Raced. Bike got dirty. Went home.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Rock and a hard place
Well, I’ve done two more races since I last reported, neither of which were terribly successful. The first was another of the Eelmore 3/4 races, so an hour churning around what has become my least favourite circuit. Round and round we go, slow into each hairpin, sprinting out of it, always in sight of everyone on the pan-flat road. I think I’ve finally come to the point where I can no longer be bothered with Eelmore – you have to have serious stamina and a lethargic bunch to get away (it does happen occasionally) and I’m never in a good position for the sprint because I’m so hesitant on the final corner. It isn’t difficult and I’m happy to take it at speed, but I’m always worried about less skilful riders. There was another crash on the final corner due to some dodgy handling, and another CCB rider earlier who seemed to flip his bike on the straight. That’s the second time this series that one of their riders has fallen on a straight piece of the circuit!
Last night was the second Vets series at Hillingdon (mix of ages across E1234 categories) which should have been a safer event. It was certainly more fun, partly because I know some of the riders there and partly because the riding in these Vets races seems to be quite feisty. I spend a lot more time near the front of the race (positive mental attitude) but suffered from my efforts in the windy conditions towards the end. Ever mindful of what can happen in a large group at Spillingdon I decided to sit out the last lap by coasting round at the back of the bunch. If you’re not in the top 20 or so on the final lap with such a big bunch there’s next to no chance of moving up into contention and I just don’t think the risk is worth it. Plenty do though, it would appear. There was a big pile-up on the final lap in the back straight. About 10 riders went down, some quite heavily. Robin from Dynamo was one of them – he’s only just come back from a crash-related injury and seemed to have broken his collarbone – terrible luck. Another Thames Velo rider looked badly hurt and there was plenty of damaged carbon. I narrowly avoided skidding into a prone AndyL from the Wheelers and had to swerve again to avoid a fallen rider in a TeamGB skinsuit who ignored my shout to stay still. Hopefully all those injured will recover soon.
So that’s two races, two back of bunch finishes, and three crashes. To some extent you can say “Oh well, that’s bike racing” but I’m increasingly of the view that there are some extremely careless people out there. I’ve seen more crashes already this year than in the last two or three years and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing. So why are there so many crashes now? Partly I’m sure it’s down to increased numbers on some of the circuits that allow you to be sucked round in the draft of a massive bunch, irrespective of your fitness. That will always mean more riders who think they are in with a chance of glory in the final lap of a crit. More riders are an overall positive sign though, meaning that the sport’s popularity is rising.
I’m sure lack of experience comes into it as well. I’d expect to see some crashes involving youngsters (late teens/early 20’s) who have a different approach to risk in the bunch. They tend to learn quickly though, and usually they show a good standard of riding anyway – they simply take a few more risks because they are fearless. Alright, I’ll admit I’m quite envious of their lack of fear!
The riders I now worry about are the older riders who seem to have recently come into the sport. They don’t seem to be lacking in fitness, but they are simply not experienced in a bunch and take risks without having the benefit (that the younger riders have) of really quick reactions. I can’t help feel that if they only got out more often in chaingangs with their clubs they would develop the skills required to be safer in crits and road races. Last night I felt calm and relaxed at the front of the race, even though I was working hard. In the middle of the bunch I felt nervous and unhappy, even though I was putting in very little effort.
More than anything I’m now worried that I’m becoming increasingly hesitant in the bunch and would rather put in massive efforts to stay on/near the front or drift around a few metres off the back. Perhaps I need some more chaingangs rather than races, just to prove to myself that cycling in close quarters can be a safe and rewarding experience…
I've posted a photo (thanks LCS) which, for a change, shows me actually putting some effort in on the front! Looking at it I'm thinking that I might need a longer stem - I've been feeling a little cramped on the bike in races recently. I also need to loose a couple of kg that have snuck on recently. They must have been hiding in the bottles of wine and at the bottom of the bags of cashew nuts!
Last night was the second Vets series at Hillingdon (mix of ages across E1234 categories) which should have been a safer event. It was certainly more fun, partly because I know some of the riders there and partly because the riding in these Vets races seems to be quite feisty. I spend a lot more time near the front of the race (positive mental attitude) but suffered from my efforts in the windy conditions towards the end. Ever mindful of what can happen in a large group at Spillingdon I decided to sit out the last lap by coasting round at the back of the bunch. If you’re not in the top 20 or so on the final lap with such a big bunch there’s next to no chance of moving up into contention and I just don’t think the risk is worth it. Plenty do though, it would appear. There was a big pile-up on the final lap in the back straight. About 10 riders went down, some quite heavily. Robin from Dynamo was one of them – he’s only just come back from a crash-related injury and seemed to have broken his collarbone – terrible luck. Another Thames Velo rider looked badly hurt and there was plenty of damaged carbon. I narrowly avoided skidding into a prone AndyL from the Wheelers and had to swerve again to avoid a fallen rider in a TeamGB skinsuit who ignored my shout to stay still. Hopefully all those injured will recover soon.
So that’s two races, two back of bunch finishes, and three crashes. To some extent you can say “Oh well, that’s bike racing” but I’m increasingly of the view that there are some extremely careless people out there. I’ve seen more crashes already this year than in the last two or three years and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing. So why are there so many crashes now? Partly I’m sure it’s down to increased numbers on some of the circuits that allow you to be sucked round in the draft of a massive bunch, irrespective of your fitness. That will always mean more riders who think they are in with a chance of glory in the final lap of a crit. More riders are an overall positive sign though, meaning that the sport’s popularity is rising.
I’m sure lack of experience comes into it as well. I’d expect to see some crashes involving youngsters (late teens/early 20’s) who have a different approach to risk in the bunch. They tend to learn quickly though, and usually they show a good standard of riding anyway – they simply take a few more risks because they are fearless. Alright, I’ll admit I’m quite envious of their lack of fear!
The riders I now worry about are the older riders who seem to have recently come into the sport. They don’t seem to be lacking in fitness, but they are simply not experienced in a bunch and take risks without having the benefit (that the younger riders have) of really quick reactions. I can’t help feel that if they only got out more often in chaingangs with their clubs they would develop the skills required to be safer in crits and road races. Last night I felt calm and relaxed at the front of the race, even though I was working hard. In the middle of the bunch I felt nervous and unhappy, even though I was putting in very little effort.
More than anything I’m now worried that I’m becoming increasingly hesitant in the bunch and would rather put in massive efforts to stay on/near the front or drift around a few metres off the back. Perhaps I need some more chaingangs rather than races, just to prove to myself that cycling in close quarters can be a safe and rewarding experience…
I've posted a photo (thanks LCS) which, for a change, shows me actually putting some effort in on the front! Looking at it I'm thinking that I might need a longer stem - I've been feeling a little cramped on the bike in races recently. I also need to loose a couple of kg that have snuck on recently. They must have been hiding in the bottles of wine and at the bottom of the bags of cashew nuts!Monday, 25 April 2011
General racing
Quick updates from the last two races:
1) Hillingdon Vets, Wednesday night. Quite fast, large field of mixed-ability old codgers (I include myself in this description). Stuck around the back, found it impossible to move up. Finished at the back. Not even a decent workout really. Spend half the time seeing how far I could get whilst breathing only through my nose! Good race though, fairly disciplined and friendly. I'll be back...
2) Milland Hill 3rds, Saturday. Got caught in the split on the second lap, from then on there as no getting back on. That final part of the hill is a killer for the fuller figure - stomping on pedals at walking pace, front wheel jumping off the ground, just to get up the hill. Enjoyed churning round the circuit in a smaller group much more after the split. Great course, interesting profile and good marshalling. Finished near the back, which is enforcing an already-too-prevalent habit. The Gilbatron (TomG) won, great ride, not that I saw or contributed to the win at all.
Oh well, onwards and (I am sure) upwards...
1) Hillingdon Vets, Wednesday night. Quite fast, large field of mixed-ability old codgers (I include myself in this description). Stuck around the back, found it impossible to move up. Finished at the back. Not even a decent workout really. Spend half the time seeing how far I could get whilst breathing only through my nose! Good race though, fairly disciplined and friendly. I'll be back...
2) Milland Hill 3rds, Saturday. Got caught in the split on the second lap, from then on there as no getting back on. That final part of the hill is a killer for the fuller figure - stomping on pedals at walking pace, front wheel jumping off the ground, just to get up the hill. Enjoyed churning round the circuit in a smaller group much more after the split. Great course, interesting profile and good marshalling. Finished near the back, which is enforcing an already-too-prevalent habit. The Gilbatron (TomG) won, great ride, not that I saw or contributed to the win at all.
Oh well, onwards and (I am sure) upwards...
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Eelmore 3/4, 13th April
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.
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, 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?!
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