WELSH OPEN NATIONAL 50M CHAMPS - Abergavenny - 29th Sept 2019 - last race of the 2019 season 🙌🎉

4th Overall * 1st on Standard (Welsh National Gold)

Well, what a weekend….what awful weather, for a major sporting event, and especially for a major Championship (a dig at the World Champs in Yorkshire where the weather was awful). 🌧 💨 

Yes, the Welsh National 50 Mile TT Championships from Abergavenny 😎 – with a continuous deluge throughout the night, a little concerned that parking my car near the banks of the local river at the normally gorgeous Ross-on-Wye wasn’t the best idea….fortunately although swollen, the river was intact and so was my car the following morning!

Beneficially for the race, the deluge had been replaced by ‘only’ sporadic showers, but the wind was rather blustery to say the least, with copious amounts of surface water.

This was my season’s final race on a near 6 month season, I suspected finishing on a ‘50’ miler could be a challenge…and so it proved, holding the expected target power for 35 miles, but physically deteriorated badly thereafter, with of course (and those that race will know) a bigger psychological battle to then try and minimise any losses – somehow in the main I succeeded, by fvck it was most unpleasant, somehow recording only 16 secs slower on my second lap…with a finishing time of 1-47-22, bang on 28mph average.

Annoyingly in 4th position overall – narrowly missing the podium, but as a usual bonus won the Vets “standard” gold (age adjusted) National medal.

Driving north, I eventually caught up the previous night’s deluge, apparently this affected some other minor Championship held much further north, but loads apparently dropped out of that one, lesser types…I never knew? 😉😜

Back home, immediately on to Operation “Weight-Gain” starting with a few pints 🍻 of the tremendous Abbeydale Brewery’s “Deception” (as a “recovery” drink of course) together with the largest burger on the menu – all thoughts of racing at last fast subsiding…

Looking forward to some scheduled R&R now in the near future…from gigging in Nottingham (the musical and comic legend John Otway) to a “beer and walking” weekend in the Brecon Beacons…and already made a return to some mountain biking, after a five year hiatus...where I can only get better, and surely it has to be less muddy! 😎

 — in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.

[Referring to this being the last race of the season, so happy to allow weight to gain, after controlling my 78ish-kg race weight and to recoup some social activities!]

LEO 30M TT - Newmarket - 21st September 2019

10th Overall & 3rd Vet (O40) & National Age Record

So perhaps a lovely afternoon for sitting in the garden but when there’s a stiff SE wind on a NE / SW course it means a near permanent bloody cross wind, the cyclists enemy! 😡
And so it was near Newmarket at the annual semi-legendary Leo 30m TT, considered THE classic closing TT event of the season - a rarely raced distance, and on a normally quick course, attracts the gratuitously time chasing “hitters”, including me 😎

Targeting a sub hour time and a top ten place, worked my rocks off into mainly a headwind to half way (average speed 30.3mph) looking forward to speedy tailwind return.... it didn’t happen 😳 if anything it was harder coming back, especially the last 5 miles 🤪, but just managing to keep above 30mph average in 59mins53secs....and 10th place overall (3rd vet O40), so ✅ the objectives....

As a secondary bonus lopped over 2 mins off the National Age Record...

However somewhat paling into insignificance when compared to the amazing Rachael Elliott and Ian Greenstreet that broke the mixed tandem (affectively) National Record in 56mins 54secs (that’s 31.6 mph average!) - super, well done guys 🏆👏

One weekend to go🍻🍔

[Crackin race and time this considering the cross wind conditions]



 


 
 

JEJ JAMES NORTH MIDS SERIES - CLA 10 TT - Hatfield - 14th Sept 2019

2nd Overall - Season Runner-Up N Mids JE James Series
So into the last race of the season for regional bragging rights, the JE James sponsored TT Series finally came to a conclusion on the infamous Hatfield Woodhouse 10 course courtesy of Pete Laud and the Common Lane Occasionals.

The podium spot pre race was delicately balanced, for me to retain my Championship trophy from 2018 - ‘all’ I had to do was WIN! And also season long time leader Nick Latimer of Rutland had to finish worse than 4th....super times for all at the sharp end in tough conditions on a slow course, it was for me ‘close but no cigar’....learning that I’d beaten the pre race favourite Billy Jarish gave me short term confidence until finding out I’d been pipped by another rider....and irrespective Nick had secured 4th spot.

So, well done Nick, thoroughly deserved - the 2019 Champ after a few previous close calls, and 2nd for me 🥈

Socialising post race with traditional tea and cakes - I commented to Paul Armstrong that my season was littered with seconds in open races and now 2nd in this.....walking away, he quite wittily retorted “I’ll have to buy you a bridesmaid dress”. 🤣

I’ll have the one (dress of course) in the middle if you don’t mind Paul (that got you reading )

[so close to recapturing my 2018 title, but did not target, and only did the 5 max as required, so could not dismiss my worst performances, actually "let down" by my own club's 25, in 8th place!]

VTTA NATIONAL CHAMPS 15M - Catterick N Yorks - 8th Sept 2019

2nd Overall & 2nd on Standard (National Silver)
“Nationals” coming thick and fast, this time without the youngsters, unless one counts 40 somethings Great new course (15 miler) on smooth tarmac, between Catterick and Bedale, Norf Yaaawksha, on a gorgeous Autumn morning - but attritional with numerous climbs....proving perfect for me with 2nd place overall in 31-28 and equalling the National Age Record...just 18 secs behind race winner Steve Ayres and 5 secs ahead of 3rd place Keith Murray.

On a slight downside, the actual National Championship jersey is awarded based on age weighting...pre race I had no expectation in closing the 12m30sec ish gap advantage the amazing 89 year old Ron Hallam (YES, 89 ) had on me, and so it proved, although I got within 8 seconds....the boy must have a dedicated wardrobe for his yearly collection. Well done that man. 🏆🙌

Celebrations commenced with a couple of Yorkshire Blondes meeting my pal Dave at nearby Scorton-on-Swale, delectable I must say, and heck they went down well - and still the sun shone

[if honest, annoyed at the HQ, one of my best performances of the season...to beat the likes of Keith Murray (at my age) and so close to winning the race overall, and also there was a 'swell' of "you deserve it" in the HQ and carpark, and to learn I still did not win the National was very disappointing. Did not stay for the presentation, but genuinely was meeting a pal for a beer who had arrived early...so had an excuse...😎😡]