WELCOME & INTRO PAGE

15 year old Keith Ainsworth of Blackpool Grammar School  winning the  District U17 Schools Championships

A "Covid-19" Production!! 🦠

What started off as a longer term thought to make a simple blog, for posterity, (for that day when I have hung up my cleats and even for the family when I've long gone!), of a number of my races, ultimately became a more detailed exercise in collating just about everything I've saved and could find over the seasons: including reports, results, photos, records, championships etc ...always planned to do, but current lockdown has accelerated this, and rather expanded the contents list - so thank you Covid-19, some benefit! 😎

So, yep, belated and unplanned entry into the world of bike racing, and ultimately TT racing - back when it should have mattered, a rather decent but wasteful runner 🏃‍♂️ (68 mins for one off 1/2 marathon to 1-53 for debut 800m - all in less than 4 years) - "star" 😉 schoolboy runner but packed in at 16/17 for more "interesting" shapes 🍺👩‍💼...recommenced at 22 post Uni and unemployed, started running (jogging) around Sefton Park in Liverpool to get fit for footy...but the fitness accelerated, and soon I was knocking on the door (literally, of Tom O'Mahoney) the secretary of  Liverpool Harriers....that was late 1981, in early 86 moved to London, being the last of my pals, within 3 months I'd packed it in, the social life was too much of a draw!

A mini comeback in my late 20s, failed… due to rushing and the subsequent flow of injuries…ultimately an achilles op did not work, after which I struggled to run more than 30 miles per week 🤕…arrived in Sheffield in late ’89, bought a mountain bike, just for fun….and that is how it stayed for 20 years…but never fulfilling that obvious potential….the pilot light I guess never went out – but never expected to re-ignite! 🕯

Roll on those 20 years....charity riding on roads on hardtail MTB with "slicks" eventually convinced me to buy a road bike (sacrilege to a MTB guy) - joined a couple of roadie clubs, wore my baggies and peaked helmet for a further 9 months....but as fitness improved, on regular Peak District saunties, I fully sold out....fvckin lycra and cafe rides WTF!! 🤦‍♂️

After 2 years and over a Xmas beer, a club pal (Dave Maloney) suggested I should race...he had seen how strong 💪I had quickly become, clearly, he had drunk too much, I was soon to be 53 – far too late, surely?

So, a dip into road racing and some cyclo cross for 2 years, with some success, but how frustrating, the majority either don't race, or just work to cover breakaways....very opportunistic and the strongest rider will often not win...but I tried and I was aggressive....this prompted the suggestion I should try time trialling...."race of truth" (mmm, sort of..); result sheets, strongest wins....funny helmets, those daft socks, shaved legs and bleeding skin suits though, this was getting serious AND so ridiculous....

Made debut on road bike in 2013 with extension bar "clip-ons" and....did rather well....after about 6 races bought a Planet X entry level TT bike and within a handful races had done a 53min 25mile TT and won the Team Swift (slow) 10m on the super popular V718 (out of 180 racers) near Hull (in 20-34) 🥇....top Team Swift coach Pete Read (RIP) witnessed this, and invited me to take some tests at his place at the season end....conclusions being:

1.     My fitness was gubbins (Peak District riding ALL the time did not help, affectively conditioning was topsy turvy...lacked base and strength, but with an impressive top end, in fact Pete recognised my peak power was quite ridiculous for my age, which for TT is not required!), and therefore room for mega improvement (which was good news, bizarrely of course)  

2.     Also, he thought it could take 6-7 years to reach a peak, because I had started so late and from scratch. WTF!! I'll be over 60, remember thinking I won’t be racing by then, absolutely NO WAY!😳😜

So, 7 years on....and Pete was spot on…2019, at 60, proved to be my strongest year, with reference to ‘numbers’ (finishing the season Nationally ranked “A7” – affectively top 7% in the country and National Vets 10m TT Champion) although 2018 for records and personal bests (which though is rather climate dependent). 

So, that pilot light was re-ignited, partially…yes, only partially…irrespective of all the great results, wins, fast times, records etc – that “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve” never diminishes, as much as I enjoy it, that undercurrent of past wastefulness has never been eliminated, there is an emptiness, which is hard to define…I guess it’s just part of the natural DNA, wanting to have done my upmost best, when I could have, but never will now…so I personally, do not get overexcited about the results (much to the frustration of my kids, they get really enthused about my performances and my stock answer is always "it wor alreyt" in a mock Yawkshaaa accent 😊), although of course I do enjoy still knocking them out…😜

So, for how long? 🤔Without doubt I miss my previous non racing life, I used to love scuba, mountain walking, unfulfilled travelling, (and socialising more!)…and do intend to return, but while there is evidence of what Pete Read said to me, I just cannot bring myself to pack it in…and finally this time, I will not get a third opportunity in life!!

Watch this space!!

😎

(Big credit to this wonderful loon, my coach since 2015, Richard Simmonds sporting his "Helmet Hair Shot" the best photo he could find apparently, cycle related, looking more like a member of The Prodigy! )