RUTLAND 10 - Hatfield Woodhouse - 28th August 2021

 7th Overall; 1st Standard

Always want to do well on the Rutland CC races, as the rivals of sorts, of Sheffrec CC. so keyed up for this, and felt great in the race...really strong...holding really high wattage - and proved to be finishing in a PB 20min average wattage of 370w...but on stopping the Garmin, was rather surprised to see a pretty slow time (on a course where I regularly break 21 mins) - confirming at the HQ the I had done 21-12....and worse still, finished 7th, with all my peers having decent times...on a pretty decent day...in the race I really thought a PB was possible (20-31)....very bizarre.🤔

Drove home rather perplexed which extended into the week...the only thing I'd changed was the skin suit, could that really make a difference? Well, yes! First contacted Mr B - who confirmed it can be "Massive" either way! 😳

Also my pal in the N Mids - who has a Phd in Computation Fluid Mechanics, sent me a very detailed email...this is part of it:

The power required to do work against a force, F, is F x V, where in the present case V is the velocity over the ground.

The force of interest here is the aerodynamic drag. In external aerodynamics this depends on the drag coefficient, Cd, of the object, usually (but not always) the projected frontal area of the body, A, air density, rho, and the relative velocity between the object and the oncoming flow, U. 

 

Thus, F = 0.5 x rho x Cd x A x U x U

 

So the power to overcome aerodynamic drag is 0.5 x rho x Cd x A x U x U x V

 

You can see why it so hard to go even a bit faster, as those U’s and V multiply up to become a big number. 

🤯🤯🤯

The bottom line is that a skin suit can make a negative or positive impact...and the only way of really knowing is by controlled testing! 

Anyhow I won't be wearing that skin suit again. 😝

VTTA NATIONAL 30M CHAMPS - Boroughbridge, N Yorks - 21st August 2021

 7th Overall; 2nd on Standard (National Silver)

Back to Boroughbridge, after the recent 10 & 25 - so some advantage, having the knowledge of the attritional challenge that is that course....gave it my all, unfortunately in pouring rain for the later starters....could not have got another second, and learnt that I had frustratingly finished 2nd in the Championship by 3 seconds, later learning I'd somewhat underperformed. Not sure if this was because the course does not suit me or, as I will learn the following week, the decision to wear a 2016 team skin suit really was not a good decision....I'll refer to that next week!

Went home not totally dissatisfied, because I tried my best! 😎

Oh - check results for another scintillating performance from Ms Carpenter, she will be beating me soon 😫💪👏

WELSH NATIONAL 25 CHAMPS - Usk - Monmouth - 15th August 2021

 9th Overall; 5th Vet; 1st Age (Welsh Gold) 🙄

Facebook post!

Not one of the best known rivers, but the Usk, a renowned salmon river, has its estuary at Newport (into the Severn) flows through Abergavenny, the Brecon Beacons, including Brecon and has its source near Llandovery in the Black Mountains….and of course meandering through my base for the weekend, yet another idyllic setting in the small town of Usk itself….known as the “Town of Flowers”, winning the ‘Wales in Bloom’ title multiple times, also renowned for the historic arch stone bridge and castle (but I won’t mention the prison!)…..anyhow, a lovely place…add it to your staycation list 😊

And as it happens, the start of the Welsh National 25m TT Champs….with a flying 12 mile tailwind down to Monmouth but the inevitable ‘wall of wind’ on return….hitting halfway at well over 31mph average (50 kph) - optimistic for a for ‘sub 50 min’ finish (30mph), but on return agonisingly watched that average speed slowly but surely dissipate 😩hitting the chequered flag at 29.8 mph avg….equating to 50m 41secs - not bad, but I drove home a tad miffed with misen’ - anyhow 9th overall, target was top 10…I can’t complain, much….and some age related award, but of course, I don’t do those 😉

Must mention though Tom Ward again, the 27 year old won in a new course record of sub 46 mins, be interesting what he could do on one of the super fast courses….in fact a few of us reflected on how standards inevitably have rocketed in the last 10 years with the sudden popularity of cycling, but also it is noticeable how Covid bizarrely has taken it to another level, where group participation sports have been generally restricted, TT became the only competitive option, suddenly we have new ‘names’ smashing out super performances, often young guys who would normally road race, but also current pros stretching their legs but also including participants from other sports, such as triathlon.

All healthy and rosy for the sport of course, but not healthy for my (now official) national ranking, hitting the dizzy heights of an A7 (A to E, 1 to 20) in 2019, but now an A14 but racing no slower, clearly illustrating that increased strength in depth at the sharp end…💪

OTLEY 25 - 1st August 2021 - Boroughbridge

 2nd Overall; 2nd Vet; 1st on Standard

So, the second race on the old A1 at Boroughbridge in two days, and according to Spindata I was clear favourite, and accordingly scratch man again....was not concerned that I had raced the '10' the day before, as I had followed by standard recovery protocol (good warm down spin and immediate carb and protein drink (4:1) and good meal later)...so no excuses there, and felt OK in the race...although the double return uphill this time was also including a rather fresh headwind, but finishing again a disappointing 2nd place 😫, but by 2 mins which was rather a surprise...no disrespect to the guy that won, but we have raced a number of times in recent years....just assume he had a great day 🤔

Furthermore it was "Yorkshire Day Weekend" 🙄😜😳😂 - so attempted to write a YD theme FB report, not sure it worked, although I did get some positive private comments - here goes ==>

😜Back in the not too distant murky past, a “weekender” meant something completely different, 🍺 these days, and how I wish I could reverse the eras, it means something a lot healthier! 🚴 A double race weekend, initially not intended, I couldn’t make my mind up between the Yorkshire Cycling Fed ‘10’ miler on Saturday, and the Otley ‘25’ on Sunday…both on the rather challenging old A1 at Boroughbridge, in deepest North Yorkshire…. and as it was Yorkshire Day weekend 🙄😂😜 🙄 I decided I was unofficially representing Lancashire to spoil the White Rose day….anything for motivation - and I’ll go to both battles!🤘

Ok maybe not an outright victory, but I think Henry Tudor would have been “well chuffed” in his Bolton accent, and thought reyt if they struggle against that old git, I’ll send in some youngsters, and that’s what he probably did at Bosworth (although I’m not sure TT events were around then, but it wouldn’t surprise me 😊).

So, those confidence gaining moral victories that would have pleased old Henry, were a 2nd place on Saturday in the ‘10’, by ONE SECOND, one bloody second 🥵….and wait for it, 2nd place also on Sunday….a rather ‘gritty’ course, with a rather ‘dour’ 😊 and ‘tough’ uphill return leg, and on Sunday with an added ‘northerly’ fresh wind (the only direction that was permitted on Yorkshire Day, of course 😉).

Bit mixed in the evening at 2 x 2nd places 🤔….as I caught up on the Olympics, marvelling at the BMX freestylers, the skill and speed of the women’s rugby sevens, the captivating men’s high jump (and that beautiful entente cordial), the sorrow of poor Dina 😢 and that amazing final women’s triple jump 😳….but made slightly better by a rather magnanimous social media posting from JB who won the race on Saturday which included comments about me having 29 years on him, and he hopes that he can just ride a bike at my age, never mind competing week in week out….etc etc 😊👨

But then I thought, yep, I really did get my “weekender eras” the wrong way round! But hey ho….it’s still good fun 🤩 😎