Prudential RideLondon 100 2013

Anna and me at the finish

I won't ever forget the freedom I felt careering through the traffic-free streets of London at the start of the inaugural RideLondon 100 sportive. "This is not a race" was our repeated instruction from the announcer at the start line, but I don't think anyone was listening.

I've done a lot of long cycle races, and had decided to take this one at a steady pace with my girlfriend Anna. I have no idea how it happened, but the adrenalin kicked in and we found ourselves racing each other at stupid speeds through the Limehouse Tunnel and along the Embankment until eventually somewhere along the A4 we called a truce - at least for a while. I was afraid we would be burned out, and would really suffer later, but this never happened. Being on the open roads with no traffic, and even as important no traffic lights, surrounded by other cyclists pulling the air around us forward in a Tour de France peloton style meant that though the speeds were high, the extra effort to maintain them wasn't proportional. So I felt great all day.

Logistically, this event was tricky for me to visualise, and plans were only formulated at the last minute - I was even wondering if it was all going to be worth it. To get to the Olympic Park by 5:30 I had to set my alarm clock for 2:30 - this is, only slightly I admit, the stupidest time I've gotten up for a sporting event. I left my flat and walked to the car past all the Saturday night clubbers staggering around looking for a taxi. Drove over to Anna's place and repacked the car with bikes. The roads were empty so we got to the next rendezvous point - Olympia, by 3:45am.

My cycling club, London Dynamo, had set up a meet point outside Pizza Express for all the west London participants. The plan was to go to the start together - someone knew a route that would avoid all the closed roads. I knew how to get to Bank, but wanted some help with the east London section, so this seemed like the best idea. But I had to think hard about what to wear. I expected a warm sunny day, so shorts, sleeveless jersey and sunglasses. But it was still only 4am. I decided to risk it rather than carry a jacket in a backpack, which in hindsight was probably a mistake; I'll explain later. I did apply my sun-cream in the dark though which was a good move :)

The group formed, and at 4:15am, on schedule, we set off towards Kensington High Street. I'd forgotten that Dynamo is a cycling club (doh!) and the speed we hurtled along at was a bit surprising - no mercy at the traffic lights - accelerate hard or get dropped! I'm fairly used to London commuting, but the dark glasses meant I had to hang back a little to watch for pot holes, so I needed some quick spurts at times. It was a lot of fun, and having been a little chilly waiting beforehand, I warmed up a lot immediately.

Racing through London

The Prudential RideLondon 100 website had assured me that there would be signposts to the start - I looked out for them, but did not see any, which was a bit disappointing. Joining the Dynamo train was therefore a good choice, and we got to the Olympic Park just after 5am, in plenty of time. This is where I wished I'd brought a backpack - I started to shiver in the pre-dawn as my body cooled down after the ride. A coffee and bacon sandwich helped somewhat, but then the sun started to appear and I forgot all about it.

Anna and I didn't have the same official start time, so we were a bit worried about how we might meet later if they didn't let one of us switch. We spoke nicely to the man at the gate and he let us go together, which was nice. The start queue was very civilised, the sun was up now, and eventually we got to the line and we were off. The first couple of miles was a warm-up, but soon we hit a timing mat and the official ride had started.

Getting to the first food stop in Hampton is a bit of a blur. Everyone was pushing the pace and it was impossible to resist. The Limehouse tunnel I've mentioned was a highlight, as was Piccadilly and the A4 Hammersmith flyover. All the stops were well stocked with the usual energy bars, bananas and drinks, but there were also gels which was great. We decided that this frenetic cycling was unsustainable (my fault, Anna, I think would have liked to continue) and so for the next couple of hours we kept it a bit more steady.

Box Hill

I can't remember ever climbing Leith Hill before, but if I have, it was never like this. It is narrow, and looking up I could see bicycles lining the road from hedge to hedge all the way up. I like hill climbing, and challenged myself here with a fast spurt, but it was very difficult to weave around the other riders. l did OK though, and it was a lot of fun. The next hill was Box Hill, and there was no possibility of getting a good speed up there, so we took it easy.

With about 70 miles done, and still feeling good, Anna took the lead and surprised me by deciding this was a good time to start pushing for home. I just about held on in her wake, until my legs got used to spinning fast, and for the next hour we took turns at the front on the largely flat roads in a chain-gang of two. It was only now that we fully realised that the road really was just for bikes - no cars anywhere. We were going a lot faster than the other riders around us, so we switched over to the right side of the road, which was almost empty, and barrelled along happily, overtaking everyone.

Medals!

Coming into London, we overtook our friend Libby. She was doing really well, but cycling alone, and feeling tired, so we stayed with her until the end. It was fun to wind down and enjoy the last stretch, along the Embankment and up the Mall to the finish line.

Official time was 5:49:59 - average speed of ~29.6km/h  - which is really good considering how long we spent at some stops getting drinks and food.

Links

Results: My number 16966 seems to be linked to Paula Robertson - don't know how that happened. General results page here

Photos at Marathon-Photos - for now.

Strava here

H10/8 Charlotteville CC "10"

Racing pose

On a hot tip from Anna that fast times were likely down on the Bentley 10 mile time trial course, we duely entered a race there. It was a bit different from the usual "just turn up" situation Maidenhead CC operate on a Thursday night. We had to go enter online and pay up front. It cost a bit more but there was free cake promised. It was also a Saturday weekend ride, in the afternoon. So many changes.

It was quite a nice day, but rain was forecast. In the end we both managed to finish before the rain started, but it was a big field of about 100 riders.

Anna had her turbo trainer with her, and got started on the warmup after we had collected our numbers. I haven't managed to get any kind of structure to the pre-race, so just rode around a bit, eventually getting 15km in before my start.

The course is very like H10/2 in Maidenhead - you cycle down a main road in a fairly straight line towards a roundabout, turn around, and come back passing the start a little to the finish. This is a dual carriageway however, and a better road surface. The Garmin says 39m of climbing, versus 35m in Maidenhead, but it didn't feel like that.

I started with a climb, but it was fast, then some rolling terrain, and watching my average speed I could see I was slightly above my usual pace. I can't remember that much now about the rest of the race, except that I managed to stay fast. Maybe it was the smoother road conditions, or the wind direction, but as I approached the finish I suddenly noticed I was very closed indeed to 24 minutes, which is about a minute faster than my 10 mile TT record. I pushed towards the line, which was slightly hard to see so I wasn't quite sure when I would get there.

I actually got a time of 24:01 which I am massively pleased with, a new PB by a long way. I am not that disappointed to have missed the 24 target, a 23:59 would have been nice, but I have a target now to aim at - I never expected to get even close to 24 today.

I cycled around a bit to warm down, and went to a bridge overlooking the course to watch Anna going past. The women's starts were later, and I don't think the conditions were as good, but she still did a great time of 25:36.

We did get a small piece of cake afterwards :)

I came 58th out of 87 in the senior men category - it would be nice to be higher, but a PB is a PB and this one was a good one.


Results TimeTriallingForum Strava
Photo currently here Blinkmanphoto

Windsor Triathlon 2013

Hot on the heels of my Dragon Ride last week, I had another race that I knew I wasn't prepared for. you have to enter these things so far in advance, sometimes you forget why you did it. Something about it being my local triathlon club's main race, and having lots of supporters, and being part of the whole experience.

I live right next door to the start, so it was an easy walk down to transition this morning. This was my sixth Windsor triathlon so there aren't many nerves - I know the drill. I wasn't looking forward to the swim, and had done not nearly enough training, but the current wasn't particularly strong this year, so I would manage.

Swim 40:41

I set up my zone, and made my way to the river  - jumped in - waited for the signal, and was off. I have a lot of problems with my right shoulder, and had a small operation on it a couple of years ago, but it still hurts and I only get about 40% power with that arm when swimming. Neverthless I was expecting to be a bit faster than I was. Waves of swimmers leave every five minutes, and as my wave moved further and further ahead of me, quite a few of the swimmers in waves behind caught up and overtook.

T1 1:50

Quite a long run to my bike - not a particularly fast time.

Bike 1:09:07

Nothing much to report here, I wasn't feeling fast, and didn't do a good time. Tired from the swim, or the Dragon Ride maybe.

T2 1:33

Standard transition, no problems.

Run 50:21

Since my problems with running last autumn, I've only been in my trainers once, for the Grim Challenge, and that was just for a bit of a laugh really with friends. With no run training, my expectations were low. I thought I may even get some kind of injury and have to walk a lot. I started slowly, and walked quite a bit in the first lap (of three).  I felt OK, and gradually increased the ratio of run/walk, until the third lap where I decided I would probably make it to the end, so ran the whole way, as fast as I could.

Evolution triathlon club camp out by Brown's Restaurant, and get to see everyone going past six times on the run. Obviously I ran confidently when in view :) I've done this course before in just over 42 minutes, but 50:21 isn't bad for someone who hasn't trained so I was quite pleased.

Total time 2:43:34

This time is quite respectable for the amount of training I did, so overall a good result. I was 652nd out of 1442 finishers, 113th out of 225 in my category. I hated the swim, a lot. I don't know if I want to do that again. And as the prices are now so high (over £100) that's another disincentive, which is a shame. I have said it before, but maybe I will stay away from Windsor Triathlon until I actually sort my swimming out.

Links

Strava - for bike section.
Results
Photos

Wiggle Dragon Ride 2013

Le Grand Depart

The Dragon Ride is an iconic part of the British sportive calendar, and one everyone serious about a cycling distance challenge needs to have a go at. So this year I entered early for the Gran Fondo distance, 130 odd miles of gruelling Welsh hills.

I hadn't anticipated other commitments, and ended up the week beforehand lazing on the Mediterranean island of Malta, with no bicycle for last minute training. I only got back home late on Saturday afternoon so had to decide last minute whether to actually go to Wales or not. Some friends posted weather reports from Port Talbot, a hot ride was guaranteed. I love cycling in the heat, and who knows when this opportunity will happen again, so the decision was made.

Four or five hours is not much sleep, but I needed to set off by 5:30am to get to the ride on time. The traffic was very light as expected for a Sunday morning. Arrived at 8:15am, quickly assembled the bike, stuffed my pockets with food, and raced to the start line. Managed to press ‘Go’ on my Garmin 800 at 8:30am as Helen Jenkins blew the starting horn.

After 10 days off, my legs were actually feeling great. I cruised for a couple of hours, keeping the cadence up and the effort low. Although I had other friends from my triathlon club competing, I was cycling alone. So I moved from group to group of other riders, drafting a little, sometimes moving forward to the next group on the inclines. I have done a lot of long rides over the years, and it’s tempting in the beginning, when you are feeling good, to push a bit too hard. I knew there were some serious hills to come so held back.

The first aid stop came at 48k. Not tired at all, but quite hungry, I wolfed down Jaffa cakes and salty boiled potatoes by the handful. A refill of water (no energy drinks here sadly) and I was on my way again quickly.

I had, as usual, hardly looked at the course map or elevation profile. I just knew there were hills. I was really amazed when I turned one corner and saw Black Mountain rising up in the distance with bikes as far as the eye could see. This was my perfect climb – not steep, so no need to use your lowest gears or get out of the saddle, but long and very steady. I got into a really good rhythm and moved my way through the field, passing loads of other riders. Kept looking over my shoulder, but there was no one behind coming up faster. The view from the top was just as good as below, but I didn’t have any time to stop and admire it. Some people were taking photos, with all the bikes it’s a great picture. Maybe I’ll come back and do the Dragon Ride as a social occasion next time and take a camera. No, I was quickly flying down the other side of the hill trying to get my average speed back on track.

Going down hill fast

I ride on average speed. I work out what average I want to finish with, and keep that on target during the ride. I picked 25km/h for today as I had a mistaken idea that there was a 8 hour 30 cut off for a medal time and reckoned this would do it for me. (there was no such time – more on that later). So on the big hills, when my average dropped to 24.4km/h, that meant I had to make sure I pushed hard enough down the other side to get it back up to 25km/h again, or more if I could. I managed this all day.

There was another hill before the 96k food stop, and I was still feeling good. Hard to believe I wasn't even half way though. Completely ravenous by now, I stuffed potatoes, cereal bars and cherry Bakewell tarts into my face with little decorum, and all mixing together in my mouth for some interesting taste sensations.

So far I’d been riding just under four hours – the easy bit. From here, for the next four hours, it was to be relentless climbing and descending. It’s not always, or even usually, that your body that first gets exhausted by this – it is also a mental challenge. There was one timed climb, very steep and narrow, with sheep staring from both sides. This wasn't a long one, but I just didn't have the mental power for it for some reason. I was quite disappointed with my performance, and pulled myself together a bit after that. Nutrition is very important. I ate a banana as I was doing this climb, but perhaps I was already low by then and it was too late. I also tried to drink more than I usually do, as the weather was hot, but I still only had about 3 litres for the whole day so maybe that was also a factor.

I felt fine on the rest of the climbs, and only stopped very briefly at the third food stop for the usual smorgasbord and drink refill. There were fewer riders in groups now, most of us doing our solo battles.  There didn't seem to be any flat sections, just long slow climbs and fast descents. With 40km to go I saw the final food stop. My mental calculator was telling me I was cutting it fine for the 8:30hrs finish time. I was out of energy drink, but I had 500ml of water in my second bottle that I’d been carrying all day. I also has a cereal bar and a gel. So I skipped the stop.

look mum, one hand

I really had had enough climbing by now, and cursed my lack of preparation, as here came another one. I asked a cyclist near me if this was the last hill (I’d heard someone earlier saying that the final 25 was downhill or flat, but did he mean km or miles!). Confirmation came and this gave me a bit of a boost. I was tired though, and on this hill got overtaken on an ascent for the first time in the day. I tried to console myself by thinking maybe they were riders on the shorter course, as our longer route had re-joined theirs now, but this is probably wishful thinking.

Finally over the other side, I found a second wind and pushed for home. I was hoping to find some other riders to share the work, but I was overtaking most people too quickly. One group of three came past me, but too fast to let me jump onto the back. My 25km/h average was back after the dip on the last climb, and I manager to keep it rising. Some traffic lights in a town about 10k from home frustrated me, but then I was pushing hard on more open roads.

And then with about 6k to go, it was all uphill again, with the wind in my face. I didn't expect this. I tried hard to keep to 25km/h, almost managing it, and finally the entrance to the park arrived, and I was in the finishing chute.

Anna and me at the finish

I made it in 8:18:35. The cut off time I then discovered was 9:30, so skipping the food stop and my mad 40k dash had been totally unnecessary. But I was really pleased to see that my time was best for the day amongst my friends, and without the deadline pulling me on that wouldn't have been the case.

My strong finish in this kind of event is unusual. I wondered if I’d really been trying hard enough. But I think my pacing was just right to get this result. Faster in the beginning would have left me too drained later on and I would have lost more time.

I had had an awesome day, and finished still feeling as if I could do more, and am really pleased with the result.

Links:

Strava

Human Race Results

Photos from Sportcam seem to be removed - only available for 6 months. 

Correction: On the race results page there is in fact a medal table. So for my age group, I did just manage a Bronze medal after all...