Leicestershire RC 50 - 26th June 2021 - nr Newark

 5th Overall; 4th Vet & 1st Standard

Optimistic after the mid week Club race at Ranskill, but this was a true test....with some of the guys who have beaten me or been closer than normal recently on the startsheet....downside was there was a rather healthy NE wind, meaning a tough return headwind for 13 miles, so a fast time was unlikely. Bit annoying too, my power meter failed before the race, so rode it rather "blind" I guess (I blame cheap batteries from IKEA)....anyhow finished in a very similar time as my other two races on there this last few weeks, but a better ride because of that wind? Well, I think so, as a few riders behind me that I was hoping for, but pal Ian G took a good minute out of me...although Ian is quality, and can turn out a cracking ride on his day...so inconclusive, but I'm sure in the correct direction! 😎 

HARWORTH 10 CLUB NIGHT - 22nd June 2021 - Ranskill

 1st Overall

Race bike all in one piece now, so new tub on my front trim wheel, and also asked "Kip" to check all the bearings and drive mechanisms...no excuses now...so what better than an informal mid week club night, and especially where I train anyway. Due to traffic lights the course was shortened to 8.8M, smashed it from the start, and returned some great numbers (369W) with what seemed like a decent winning time of 18-35...hard to quantify, but pal who beat me in the earlier F11/10 race was approx 30 seconds behind me in 2nd - just an indication, but seemed positive. Really need some quality open races to assess.

Ah, forgot! The longest Strava segment for the shortened course is below, so again, only an indication but looks good! 😜

NATIONAL VTTA 50M TT (and F11/10) - 12th & 13th June 2021 - Cambourne Cambs

VTTA 50: 10th overall; 2nd on Standard

 F11/10: 51st overall ; 21st vet and 2nd on Standard (disaster!) 😫

National VTTA Silver Medal 🥈

One learns that TT can be all about fine margins. My previously reported punctured front tub could not be replaced in time, so I was forced to borrow a wheel....or pull out of the weekend races. Arguably the highest profile races of my season so far, I borrowed a wheel...best I got (and I am grateful) was an early version of clincher HED3, that had literally been sat in an attic for over 10 years....I replaced the tyre with a 25mm Vitoria Corsa, but on a 19mm rim....little did I know this is a big aero no no....creates a "bulb" like affect, and is worse on the front tyre, apparently...after the weekend this came from multiple sources...🤷‍♂️

So, estimated I was at least 30 secs down on the 10, and at least 3 mins on the 50.....recording a 20-04 & 1-46-28 - using Professor Hindsight, these estimates were pretty good if not quite conservative.

On the positive side, I did record a 50 mile power average PB of 305W, and knocked out a 356W on the 10m, so fitness not an issue...my thoughts at this time were, if I was a footy team, that was not winning but training really well, that very soon, some other team is going to get a battering! Read on, to see if that materialised? 😜

Still managed the silver in the National VTTA as of course it is based on Standard, and beaten well anyway by the inspirational Andrew Grant...no complaints there, but would have been nice to have at least put a challenge in! 

Performance of the day though was by my pal Angela Carpenter who recorded 1-46-34, the sixth fastest ever time by a female athlete, and at the age of 52, and arguably not on the fastest course...quite stunning...and to prove it was no fluke, Angela recorded a 1-47 on a very windy Breckland 50 just 2 weeks later....super inspirational performances! 👏💪

Angela Carpenter - on the way to her scintillating 1-46!

MELTON OLYMPIC CC 25 - 5th June 2021 - Nr Newark

 10th overall; 7th Vet; 2nd on Standard!

A return to the A25/34 course, so a good compare with the first race this season, although I lost my power on warm up, my HR was ok, and its now my fifth race, my speed is not getting the times I expect, feeling that approx a minute slower than expected. Finished with 51-51 (almost same as last time). 👎

However, midweek discovered a flat front tub....and as I was rushing home to watch some footy (the Euros), I only rode about 1/2 mile from the finish line to my car, so possibly / probably had a slow puncture in the latter stages of the race, although I'll never know. 🤷‍♂️