BYNEA CC 25M TT - Hirwaun S Wales - 31st July 2016

27th Overall / More Regional VTTA Records / PB
The momentum continues - 4 more records in the Group VTTA - makes me record holder down to 47 in both 10 & 25 - I wish I was literally

Today was a repeat of the Welsh Hirwaun 25 TT course - 51-18. Little disappointed - target was sub 51, tried too hard, especially at start - a TT golden rule! Next time #itsintheDNA

Notes from spreadsheet: 51-18 cannot complain but wanted sub 51 - think too tense perhaps and learn how to ride the course! Better weather than last week but wind not really helping north of west (want a south of westerly)

[April 2020: Started an admiration for S Wales...enjoyed the Ross-on-Wye; Monmouth and Abergavenny route...and the dual carriageways although fast for racing, were pretty quiet and safe - check the cheers to see the progress]

REALTEAM 25M TT - Hirwaun S Wales - 24th July 2016

30th Overall / Regional Age Records / PB
Well, to complete a very fruitful weekend - the good news I didn't fall off and the even better news, another PB for a 25TT @ Hirwaun S Wales - a pretty nifty 51-54. The bad news it was peeing it down and relatively cool - I'll be back with fresh legs and nice weather one day, but for now, that'll do.

Next stop: A&E - well, after some deserved beers at Tramlines with Mick and Paul

[April 2020: What I recall about this was getting to by AirBnB digs in an attic somewhere, probably Abergavenny, and I could not sleep, because I was so hyper about my 19-43 the day before, I even got some beer in to celebrate. So hardly any kip...and then knock out another PB and record breaker...of course not knowing at this time there was an awful lot to come!

I did race home to go to Tramlines with Mick and Paul, and kept the pretty, by then, shabby blood stained bandage on...I went to A&E on the Monday, by which time it was too late...and a scar had formed for life!]

YORKSHIRE VTTA 10M TT - S Cave V718 - 23rd July 2016

19th Overall / Club and Regional VTTA Records (PB)

[April 2020 Breaking 20 mins was a big deal in these earlier days, and the course to do it was on this one, the V718...I knew I was capable it was just doing it...the conditions were often against the riders especially if there was a westerly return wind.

It was also important for me to break my club record of 19-45, because it was held by a later proven doper, and we were really keen to erase him from the record books...I knew coming down the home stretch that it was really close, but fortunately crossed the line with two seconds to spare...I was quite delirious at the time...noticed too from my notes, that I put out 333w average, which was pretty good, although this became near 360w by 2019.

However, on the warm down back towards the HQ, I clipped the kerb and went right over the bars...bleeding everywhere...of course I did not know my official time until I got to the HQ, celebrating with a bloodied chin....I still warmed down really properly though because I was driving to South Wales to race a 25miler...went via Lin's who bandaged me up, but said that I should have gone to A&E!]

Ha ha!! 19-43 - at last! 3 age records at Group VTTA level (to 47) and Sheffrec Record - raced quite consistently…finished hard

Retweeted Sheffrec CC (@Sheffrec_CC):
Congratulations to @nagalka for breaking the club 10 mile time trial record with a blistering 19:43. Well done Keith!

FB: Boom! 19-43 10 mile TT - a number of records go a tumbling, but then so did I on my warm down. Lucky I only put a hole in my chin - oh yeah, did you hear that, 19 effin 43

HARWORTH 10M 'Club' TT - Ranskill - 19th July 2016

2nd Overall
The Harworth '10' (9.4 actually) around my training roads...low key mid week club race, useful for trying out new kit / tactics etc...recall this evening being above 30C at 7pm, poured a bottle of iced water over my head and back for going to the start line...must have worked as got a PB on the course - cannot recall who won, but not unusual for a local pro to turn up, including the Downings and Ben Swift...

BARNSLEY CC 'Club' 10M TT - Park Springs - 15th June 2016

1st Overall
Mid week low key event, run by Barnsley CC at Park Springs....numerous roundabouts (9) and rained halfway around! Won by over a minute...in 22-08...by 2018 I had joined the very few sub 21 min guys on this course!

TOUR OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE - GB "Trials" - Peterborough - 4th & 5th June 2016

3rd (TT) and 1st (RR)
Aargh! 30 secs separating the first three after near 40 mins of TT racing in the UCI UK leg of the ultimate World amateur finals in Perth Australia. So a national bronze medal and a place in the GB team, but currently I'm miffed....but once I have a beer and consider that when I entered this I did not know I'd be even riding a bike - I'm sure I'll be pleased, a little #TourOfCambridgeshire #UCI #agecats



It's taken over a week but the UCI ToC World Trials have released their decision for the road race results - this is the top list of qualifiers for Perth in fastest order from my age group. However this does not reflect the Gold medal award as many across the fastest finishers in all cats have been disqualified, in fact the gold medalist is 8th in this list. Lot of organiser finger pointing, but some huge assumptions made when dealing with 5000 competitors. Anyhow, for me that's a bronze in the TT and the fastest time in the road race (in fact my time was good enough for gold in all age groups except 16-24 for the 84 miles) Confirmation received that it does not impact my qualification for the finals in Perth - so look out Oz, I won't be there just to make the numbers up

[April 2020: Really lost interest in this, not helped by what happened later in Australia...but it is a blatant money spinner - getting in the "GB" team, is no real honour as they make it so easy..and then the racers have to foot the bill for everything including kit and entry into the "World Championships" - although the TT course is a cracker and on closed roads]

HARWORTH 'Club' 10M TT - Ranskill - 24th May 2016

2nd Overall
[April 2020: Liked doing the Harworth '10' (actually 9.3) because it was in the area of Ranskill and Mattersey where I regularly trained, and was initially organised by an early cycling pal, Matt Rodgers of the Harworth CC. Also it was a mid week informal 'club' TT - so no pressure and good try out anything new...from my notes it was a step forward:]

 Club Night - best yet this season, felt great - and top time with strong N wind, set off too fast but also a best 341 watts avg - new TT threshold of 325 - 2nd overall.

SHEFFREC 25M TT - Hatfield Woodhouse - 14th May 2016

9th Overall and 1st O50

[April 2020: Recall struggling to get up to speed this season. I had missed the whole of 2015, I was not sure about my bike set up, and messed around with seat height etc which more than likely did not help...eventually I had a bike fit which seemed to help, or give me that confidence, and this race was the first one where I felt at last, it was starting to pull together - for interest power was 317w - additionally I'm sure it was Pete Read (RIP) who suggested I was too 'skinny' for TT - so I was very happy to stay at my Winter weight, however a beer stomach for extra weight is surely not recommended - so I also started to lose weight (81.5kg on this race - was 84kg for first 4 races]

SHEFFREC CC 25M 2UP - Hatfield Woodhouse - 5th March 2016

5th Overall

Traditionally the first race of the season, a 2Up (2 racers 2 bikes) - returned from Mallorca raring to go, first race for a long time, due to missing the whole of 2015...."Smallboy" worked me quite hard especially in the latter stages, in cold, windy and damp conditions...we had a target of 5th or better and 55mins - we got one of them! Won club championship and Sheffrec won the first team on the day.

[April 2019: Never did a 2 Up again nor started the season this early....firstly simply because the start of March became the time I would fly out to Mallorca for a training block....and also cautious about injury...a 2up demands that the riders ride very close for aero and drafting benefits...an accident could happen!]