MELTON OLYMPIC 10 - Nr Newark on Trent - 9th April 2022

 14th equal overall; 7th Vet; 2nd VTTA; 2nd Team 

Looking forward to this because joining my new team mates of Lindsey Road - Andy (Thomas) and Stuart (Wells) had become pals in recent seasons, and as I've never really had a team, I thought it was about time...pretty close in time too typically (see below!). Good chance in picking up team honours....allows another dimension to my racing. Also this can be a pretty quick course (on its day!).

Suffice to say, the weather was foul...cold but worse, a strong westerly cross wind. As someone stated the only help was the few hundred meters crossing the bridge at the 5 mile turn!! The experience really was "horrid". 😫

Gave it my all - which in these conditions there is a pattern of underperformance (is this a rubbish aero position) - and although expecting a sub 21 min time finished on 21-07...amazingly as did Andy, and yes, even more amazingly so did Stuart - ALL three on the EXACT same time!! 😂

Very high quality with young pro boys fighting out the podium places.

Great to be back in HQs for that coffee, cake and banter - and great laughter with our equal times! 😘

NOTE: JUST 3 DAYS AFTER THIS RACE I HAD A SERIOUS CRASH WHILST OUT TRAINING AND ENDED UP IN HOSPITAL. 

FORTUNATELY THE X-RAYS AND HEAD SCANS WERE ALL CLEAR, ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN SOME PRETTY DEEP SOFT TISSUE DAMAGE...WRITING THIS ON 22ND APRIL, AND BACK ON INDOOR TRAINER, BUT SOME WAY OFF OUTDOOR RIDING AT THE MOMENT...😫🤕

MATLOCK CC CLUB 5 - Ashford in Water - 5th April 2022

 1st Overall

Simply looking for early races to get that body and legs up to speed, what better than an all out blast over 10 mins! Nice location too, although could not recall previously the climb from Ashford up to adjacent Thornebridge Hall....and with my new 62 teeth chainring!! Great though, sort of enjoy these - recorded a very credible 10-40 and won overall....bonus too that Tony Wood, friend and photographer was there, and produced some typically great photos, but better still with some software play! Permission from Tony to publish. 😘

BTW like to say what a lovely atmosphere, really impressed with the Matlock club, and their intensity of activity and contribution across all cycling disciplines - a template for any club 😜

WITHINGTON WHEELERS 25M - 2ND APRIL 2022 - Cheshire - Jodrell Bank!

 4th Overall; 1st Vet; 1st VTTA

First race of the new season. And the first time I had raced on a "J" course, basically the Cheshire area...a classic rural course around Jodrell Bank. Twisty, narrow, villages, dips, sharp climbs etc - typically does not suit me for an optimum ride...but enjoyed to a point! Was originally scratch man, but asked to start earlier, but unfortunately no 20 start point was right on the heels of 15 novice riders. By the second lap, I was speedily catching them up in numbers, and as I had been previously warned, I got held up quite seriously by cars that had passed me but then got stuck behind the slower riders 😫....at one point there we 3 riders in front of me....not good! I also did this course as a recce, because the National VTTA 15 is on here in 2 week...anyhow, finished 4th overall...just 40 secs behind the winner, and smashed the vets standard and first vet. Power sort of meaningless on such a course....in the 320s - sounds low! Good start though!!💪

END OF SEASON REPORT 2021

 So the first full season after Covid, and a purposeful late start in May from myself, deciding to stay in the warmth of Mallorca a little longer ....in my 63rd year now,. and clearly the results state there really is no sign of slowing down. In fact times aside for the moment, that definitive indicator "Power" output has actually crept up, recording 380+ watts for the best 10 miles and 340+ watts for 25 miles. 

Generally very pleased with a typically solid and consistent season although some disappointed with the four Silver National VTTA awards...mitigation certainly in the 50 (borrowed wheel was a mistake) and the 30 (defo under the weather)....but that's simply the bar I set myself...enough waffle - the highlights:

In total 23 races:

• Won National VTTA 10 mile Champs Silver 
• Won National VTTA 25 mile Champs Silver
• 
  Won National VTTA 30 mile Champs Silver
• Won National VTTA 50 mile Champs Silver

• Won Welsh National 30 mile Champs Gold - Vets on Standard (4th actual)

• Won 4 open races (actual)
• 10 x top 5's
• 18 x top 10s

National Age Records

Broke 10mile twice (19-36; 19-23)

Broke 25mile (50-00)

Broke 30 mile (61-36)

Broke 50 mile (1-42-56)

Broke nine North Midlands VTTA Records

Best Times For the Season

10 mile - 19-23

25 mile - 50-00

30 mile - 61-36

50 mile - 1-42-56

Onwards and Upwards 

Benjamin Button x 😜

EAST ANGLIAN VTTA 25 - Cambourne - 25/09/2021

 11th Overall 1st male on Standard - National Age Record 50:00 mins

Last race of the season and a chance to pull off a fast time, target another National Age Record and redeem myself for last week but....again awoke not too good, did consider pulling out, but first did 30 mins on turbo...and felt quite good, so off I set...what's the worst case? Two lap race, so assess how I feel after one lap, and take it from there....

Unusually drove all the way there (near Cambridge) with no apparent affects in the race....and yes, felt good! Averaging over 340w from the start, which is as good as it gets....and maintained it, in fact increased my output and speed on the 2nd lap....

Coming close to the finish line I could see I was bang on 30mph average, so very close to a sub 50 mins - and crossed the line on.....exactly 50 bloody minutes! Could not believe it, did put a little challenge in (as I caught just after the line a tandem that started 5 mins exactly in from of me and were given 54-57 - so where was that 3 second gap! ) but it was upheld - bottom line is I could not have produced anymore in the last mile or so...and even still, a 50 minute 25 mile on only a moderately fast course was rather a good way to finish the season, and 11th overall on a course that typically attracts a quality field, and 1st man on standard, but pipped to the overall by Jackie Field.💪

Better still though was the very amusing and erudite report from Andrew Grant - see below 😂

NATIONAL VTTA 10 CHAMPIONSHIPS - Hatfield Woodhouse - 18th September 2021

7th Overall & Silver in National VTTA Championship 

Bugger, I knew I'd have to get very close to if not beat my course PB of 20-31 in order to challenge for the National Gold against favourite Richard Oakes, Richard would have to be close to 19-20 if I'd achieved my target....considering the course record up to recently was only about 19-12 and that was Connor Swift, I had a chance, but first I had to provide the goods!

Confident too after my course PB for the 25 on the same course last week, so looking good...BUT....did feel a little 'queer' these last 48 hours....🤒

Well, it wasn't to be, in fact was almost a minute down on my target and recording my slowest time on that course since my very early start up days...friggin rubbish, in fact slower than the last 10 miles in the '25' last week...really do not know why? 🤔

Still good enough for 2nd in the Championship, but a few places behind where I'd expect to be in the actual results?

Richard did get close to that 19-20 (19-25) and again the mercurial Angela Carpenter smashed the women's Championship, and actually finishing equal with Richard on Vets standard for overall....and if it was not for a hold up due to a car turning right, Angela would've broke the course record of Sarah Storey....she will next time....💪

"Local Boy" 😂

SHEFFREC CC 25 - Hatfield Woodhouse - 11th September 2021

 1st Overall - 1st Vet - Course PB

Rescheduled race from a cancellation earlier in the season, not my favourite course, but as my own club 25, felt loyal to do it....really small field, and rather hot favourite to win (according to SpinData predictions!).

And so it proved being nearly 4 mins in front of 2nd place...but more importantly, produced my performance of the season....with a power PB back up to above 340w, and a course PB in pretty basic conditions...with a strong westerly headwind on more than 50% of the course...just a shame I could not have repeated this performance on one of the bigger races!🔥🔥

Covered the last 10 miles too in a rather scintillating sub 21-20 - which on that sketchy course is usually good enough for a top 10 spot on a straight '10' (see next week! 🙄)

NATIONAL VTTA 25 CHAMPIONSHIPS - Nr Telford - 5th September 2021

 4th Overall - National Silver on Standard

There was always a risk on racing back to back days...and so retrospectively so it proved....felt ok whilst racing, but on completion my power average was down over 10w, on a course so similar to Hatfield (see next week!)...however still good enough for 4th place overall, but 30 seconds down on standard to the mercurial Richard Oakes for silver (again!) in the National VTTA Championship...but the performance of the day was that amazing Angela Carpenter, who was 5th overall and 2 mins ahead of even Richard on Standard....she's breathing down my neck so closely, I'll have to watch her, very closely! 😜 

ICKNIELD RC '10' - Aylesbury - 4th September 2021

 1st Overall - National Age Record plus others - 19-23

Skinsuits, skin suits...can they make such a difference, well, apparently YES - especially according to that aerodynamicist wizz, Mr B....so I decided to splash out on an Endura skin suit (I won't mention the cost, but that's bloody cycling! 😳)...bit of a risk considering the performance of a skin suit is not generic, can be great on one person and average on another! Anyhow, I knew be a good test, on arguably one of the fastest '10' courses in the UK, the Tring by-pass...a tough course though to judge...needed above 30mph to break that 20 min barrier, and started off quite modest well below, but the 2nd half is pretty fast....managed to pick the pace right up and finished in 19-23, a new National Age record, and first overall in the race and first of course on vets Standard...even for what I considered a 'ragged' performance!   

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 🤩 😎

YORKSHIRE CYCLING FED 10 - 31st July 2021 - Boroughbridge

 2nd Overall (by one second!!); 1st Vet; 1st on Standard

Double weekend on my Boroughbridge debut (on the old A1), and scratch in both, so hopeful for first Open win of the season....downhill generally to the turn, and a rolling uphill on the way back...a definite semi Spoco. Gave it my all, although power wise rather down, but often on such rolling courses (with no power at times on the quicker downhill sections the averages are below the normal expectation).

Discovered to finish second by one (bloody) second 😩...and that would be due to my two attempts to clip in at the start! Very frustrating - although I knew with JR we always have a close race especially on a '10'. Anyhow, nice words from John on my Strava wall, although I still felt rather frustrated.....and this was just the start of the weekend! 

Thanks to Sean Sanders for the photo 👍