Kingston Hill - Training

 Kingston Hill - Training.

More good weather and a chance for a longer ride.

I'm intrigued by Everesting, which is to cycle up and down a particular hill as many times as it takes to equal the ascent of Everest. It's nearly nine thousand metres  - 8848m to be precise.

Finding the right hill is important. If it is very steep, you do not have to ride up it as often. If it is shallow, then the miles will be longer. Perusing the Hall of Fame shows a large variation - from 200km to 400km.  All the ascents have to be done in one riding session, and 400km in a single day is a pretty big feat in itself, even without any hills.

I do not think I could actually do it. But if challenges were easy why would they be called challenges?

I'm intrigued enough to start work on it, to test the water so to speak, and my first idea was to go and find a particularly popular hill and see how it feels.

Kingston Hill is nowhere near Kingston, being in the Chilterns near Stokenchurch. It's less than two hours from my house and I checked the maps and headed over. The climb is around 1.3km in length, and 110m of climbing which makes an average gradient of 8.5%. 

It was a hot day, and I climbed a fair amount before I got there. My idea wasn't to try to go up fast, but to see how it would feel with already tired legs.

I arrived at the top and cycled down to look for the start point. My first impressions of going down were that I needed to brake quite a bit. I was unsure of the road surface, and the corners. I didn't fancy it in the dark or if I was very tired. (subsequent descents went better as I got used to it - I didn't brake at all on the final one and caught a car which was being more cautious than I was).

When I reached the flat at the bottom I went too far - there is a long straight section and I went all the way to Chinnor Road, about 0.5k too far. I turned back. My Garmin bike computer was already complaining anyway - as I'd programmed the climb, and it had also detected the climb from my course map, and wanted to start the segment.

1st ascent. It starts easy, 5%, 7%, 8.5%. Then there is a sustained harder section. My Garmin was telling me 18%, and though I did have to stand on the pedals a few times, I know it was only 12.5%. This is still pretty hard. Things ease off eventually. There is a corner at the top where the 'official' climb finishes, but I went a bit further and stopped for a drink. 

2nd go. Back down again, faster this time, I found the start point more easily, and a small place to turn my bike just beyond it. Even though the sun was strong, this climb goes up through trees and is completely shaded once the gradient really kicks in. It is hard work. The road surface is fairly good, but my front wheel hit one of the few potholes, and as my speed is so low I wobble a little. There are not many vehicles, but I was overtaken at that precise moment, and so couldn't pull out to avoid the hole.

3rd and final attempt. Really fast down this time. (times went 1:49, 1:43 and 1:40 for the steep part of the descent). I had already decided this would be the last, so I pushed a little harder. I'd seen someone cycling up as I went down and vainly thought about chasing them. This also made me think that maybe Everesting would be easier and more fun (and more likely to succeed) as a team effort. I did go up a little faster, and got my heart rate to a new record!

My three times were 6:52, 7:00 and 6:46. (I climbed here once before, back in 2018 and did 6:49 - so my final effort was a new record for me. These are not fast times, and all were done on tired legs.

So why only three ascents? I decided it is just too steep in that middle section. My bike's gearing is already pretty good for hills ( I had it 'upgraded' to do Hardknott Pass) and I couldn't sit the whole way up. My current thinking is that if cycling for say 15 hours, I'd prefer to be able to stay sitting, only maybe being forced out of the saddle for very short sections. So I eliminated this hill fromm any possible Everesting attempt. The descent is also a bit too fast. I can see complacency and tiredness causing a fall.

I was hot and drinking far too much of my water so decided to turn back for home, another 2 hours ride away. I did run out of water, and get very hot and tired because of that.

I've almost completely decided against Everesting in general now. Almost. I will look for other hills. It would mean a whole day cycling the same place, maybe a bit boring Even if I never do it, the training is great anyway :-)

   

Cotswolds Classic X - Glorious Gravel

 Cotswolds Classic X - Glorious Gravel

My first Gravel Sportive. I don't actually have a gravel bike, and thought 90k might be a bit far on the hardtail mountain bike, so I used Anna's cyclocross bike. It is too small for me, but I have ridden it many times before and it was fine, though it did have a few problems coping with the terrain in places.

Anna and I drove down in the morning, and I was ready to go with plenty of time. I spilled electrolyte drink all over my gloves, so didn't wear them - sticky hands all day would be a pain. It was a little chilly, but I knew it would be a warm day so also ditched arm warmers and gilet (which is actually my long sleeve light rain jacket - I don't actually have a gilet).

Robert and bike at the start of the ride

Most riders had already set off, and when my group reached the road, only two us us turned left for the long course. I did not see that many people on the road, and cycled by myself for the whole duration. At many points I could not see anyone for long distances ahead and behind me. Anna ought to have booked a place too and joined me instead of enjoying herself looking around the beautiful Cotswolds for the day. 

After some tarmac, I turned right into a field. This was when I realised it could be a hard day. The dirt was hard packed, and very uneven. The bike pushed every bump into my arms. After a few minutes I wanted that to stop.  There were a few sections like this, but happily not too many.

I was following the pink arrows setup by the organisers, and I also had the route on my Garmin. I did not have any idea really where I was as I have never been in this area. It does make the day quite exciting, not knowing what's around the next corner - especially with gravel, where it might be through a hedge, up a grassy hill, or down a busy A road.

There was a good mixture of terrain, and quite a lot of climbing. I realised I was faster on the road than others, as I generally caught people there. Off road I was quite slow - I do not have the skills, and also maybe a dedicated gravel bike would have made a difference.

I was worried about running out of energy, as my training has mostly been indoor rides of around one hour. So when I got to food stops ( there were two) I filled up on sandwiches, crisps, sweets and cakes. I ate far too much in fact :)

I just could not cycle up the steep hills though; the bumping and sliding on rough terrain, and also in one place wet mud, forced me to walk in a few places. Hills were generally where I saw other people and I was walking as fast as they were riding anyway. There were only two decent climbs and a nice view at the top of one - the countryside was interesting in the first half especially and we cycled through Badminton Estate and passed some kind of big horse show.

I was looking forward to Fosse Way - an almost 20km straight stretch. I had images of leafy groves of trees with smooth gravel, and just relaxing and enjoying it. But it wasn't really like that. There were some bits where I could sit back and look around me, but there were a lot of junctions, some main roads, and I had to keep my wits about me. There was a nice ford, where I stopped and took a photo.

Bike by a small river ford

At one point I saw a massive airplane through the trees. It looked like it was sitting just in a field. I didn't know of any airport, but later discovered there is one called Cotswold Airport. I wonder where they fly to? (Update: it is a Boeing 747 - ex-British Airways and available to book for parties - but only on the ground :(

I was a bit tired after 85k, not too bad. But maybe that's why I made a wrong turn. The arrows said go left, and my Garmin said straight on. I followed the pink arrows, but some other riders called over and persuaded me to follow them on the Garmin route. We ended up in a very muddy wet field, where I gingerly walked around the huge puddles as best as I could. I'd managed to stay dry until then. I asked later and the organisers had made a last minute change to the route to avoid this bit. Note to self : always follow the arrows.

At the end I got my medal, and free 0% alcohol beer and waited in the sun for Anna - who turned up with a nice picnic.

Ride finish

Times/placings are not that important on Sportives. I did 90.84 km in 4:23:23. Bib number 4304 and official time of 4:42:15 - so I spent nearly 20 minutes at food stops or taking photos. 

Links: Strava Results Photos

Gallery of Photos from above

Photos of Robert taken during the ride

[Official event links often expire after a few months years, but included here anyway]

Prudential Ride London 2019

Prudential Ride London 2019

View of the Olympic Park and route at 4.20am

I've done less cycling training this year than any other year and I thought about not doing this event. However, I had paid, twice (due to having to postpone last year), and it's not easy getting a ballot place. I then thought maybe I'd just turn up and have a nice ride, maybe join some friends and enjoy the freedom of the open roads.

But as usual, I did do the ride, and rather than taking it easy, I pushed harder than ever.

Me at the start

I had an early night and woke up next morning just after 3.30 am. I stayed at Olivia's flat only a 10 minute ride from the start so I had plenty of time. I drank some water, and ate half a cheese sandwich, couldn't face the rest. The remainder of my breakfast was a small banana The 5:52 start was prompt, and the weather was perfect at 15 degrees with little wind.

I can't go full speed from cold, and all the groups that formed were really sprinting. It took me a while to find some riders I could join, but once I got going I had a good run through early morning London. Saw a rider who was a similar speed to me (No 1001) and only lost him completely around the Newlands Corner climb.

It took just over an hour to get to Kingston, and my average speed had risen to 39km/h. I have a record on this course of just over five hours, which I found difficult at the time. I didn't realistically think it was possible to beat this today, until I got here. The section after Hampton Court is where I always struggle as the excitement of London is over, and the adrenaline depletes. But I was still feeling strong, and didn't get dropped by the group I was with, so I started thinking I could beat five hours here, and decided to go for it.

All went to plan and I had fun to Newlands Corner. I knew stopping would probably kill my chances of 5 hours, so even though the first real hill of the day was hard, I kept going over the top.

However, I'd lost the large group I'd been in, and my legs were tiring. My average speed started to drop. I couldn't get onto another group, and spent time on my own. Leith Hill was hard, and even Box Hill was a struggle. I've not done these climbs on very tired legs before.

After Box Hill there is only 30 miles to go. I had some niggling pain in my knees, and my right ankle for some reason. My back was stiff but that wasn't affecting my riding pace. I found a nice fast group eventually to take me into Kingston, then lost it on the Coombe Lane climb. Jumping onto the back of passing groups was taking a bigger effort than I was able to make.

My average speed was dropping to around 34-5 km/h, and I'd just about run out of liquids. I started the ride with 500 ml of water with an electrolyte tablet in it, and another 500ml bottle with 4 gels in topped up with water. On a cold day this would have been fine, but it was getting warmer by Wimbledon, maybe 21 degrees. Also my only food so far, a large Kendal Mint Cake, had just finished. I had more food, but didn't want to waste time and effort taking it out and opening it. I need to make my food easier to eat if I do this again.

I was getting tired and sore but was sure I'd make my target time. Found another group on the Embankment, who were not going really fast, but at least they could help me get home. Emptied my reserve tank with a final sprint down The Mall and was really pleased with my 4:38:05 time. Maybe with some proper training I can beat 4:30!

Because of my third wave start (B-Blue), and not stopping at all, I was one of the early finishers and so there was plenty of space to take my time at the end. No photographers this year however, but some tourists took my photo for me.

Me at the finish on The Mall

Results : Strava Official Prudential Results

Triathlon X - Half X

Triathlon X - 30.09.2018

View near the top of the run

So I did the toughest half ironman race in the world Triathlon X! And I did quite well, placing about half way in my age group, and overall.

Here's a 'brief' race report, the long report is way too boring.

This race is really hard on paper. It's a normal distance Half Ironman, but the 1.9km swim in Lake Windermere has water of around 13 degrees C, which is cold. The 90km bike route has six hill climbs at over 20%, and the steepest pass in England at 33%. Finally the run is a half marathon up a 1000 foot mountain, over rough terrain. It sounds horrible, and I was a bit scared.

Me, Pelle, Mette, and Lars training

I went to Wasdale a few days before the race to acclimatise with friends and fellow racers.
Waswater is the deepest lake in England, and it was beautiful, refreshing, but cold. I was shaking when I got out, even though the sun was shining. When I got to Ambleside I bought a warm hat to wear under my swim cap - I already have neoprene boots for my feet. My bike preparation was all done in the weeks beforehand by finding the hardest hills in my area, and cycling up and down them until I got bored. As to running, well, any run over 2 miles since August has caused a painful calf injury - so I've only managed 5k runs recently. My last run over 10k was several years ago. 21k up a steep mountain  - unknown territory.

Swim start, new warm cap

The weather in the Lake District is variable at best.
The morning came and it looked OK - overcast, but not windy, and not raining. I'd been very apprehensive about choppy water - thankfully it was like the proverbial millpond. I focused on the day ahead. I got into the lake for the deep-water start, and we were off. I thought I was being sensible, staying at the back, not rushing. But something happened after about 5 minutes. Suddenly I couldn't get my breath and I couldn't front crawl. I felt a bit dizzy. I breaststroked. Severe doubts about whether I could go on - I almost asked a nearby marshal in a kayak to take me home. It's not the first time I've felt like this - it's happened in triathlons and in cold water training. But I thought about how much effort it had taken to get there, and how disappointed I'd be if I gave up. After a minute or two I tried swimming front crawl again, it was manageable. I passed the first buoy, at least I was making some progress. There were still swimmers near me (some kicking me, and swimming sideways past me). I kept going. I never felt so bad again, though the worry was always there - was it too cold for me? Will I get dizzy again? Eventually I found myself alone, seeing swimmers in the distance ahead. Was I in last place? So many questions, your mind has nothing else to do when swimming long distances. I got to the finish after about 50 minutes with relief - and checked my watch, not as bad a time as I'd expected.

In transition, I noticed that it had been raining during the swim. I dried myself as much as possible, and got dressed. I saw some friends - they were taking their time changing into cycling gear too and it was good to know I wasn't that far behind them.

I was cold and a bit wobbly for the first few minutes on the bike. Luckily (!), almost immediately it was time for the first big 20% climb of the day - aptly named "The Struggle" - surely this would warm me up. As is normal for me, being a slow swimmer, I was behind the good swimmers who are slower cyclists. I started to overtake people on the ride. I'm a good climber, and most other people hate it. I was surprised to see some friends already, and passed about four of them here. The great thing about a mass start triathlon is that anyone you overtake and stay ahead of is one place gained on the leader board. They are not in a different wave, you don't need to do mental calculations, you are actually ahead. Of course, the same applies if you get overtaken again :)

Coming back down to Ambleside after the climb I started to get a bit cold in the wind, but my Gabba cycling top, and arm warmers did the job - I never felt too cold all the ride.

Enjoying the climb up Wryenose

The climbs are very, very hard, so my plan was to take it steady on any flat portions. It wasn't till the next steep bit that I passed another friend, and the next one, Wrynose East,  where I finally caught Lars, the person responsible for me being there (thanks Lars!). He overtook me again later as he is faster on the flat, and we swapped places till I finally lost him on the return climb up Hard Knott pass west. I caught another friend from my triathlon club there as well.

It started to rain a bit and the wind picked up too. The descents were treacherous - I know some people fell on the slippery surfaces, and one required an ambulance. It didn't help that there were so many cars on the single track roads, or that one had spilled oil on the steepest section. But we had supporters on the hills, cheering and playing music - that was very nice to see.

I got down safely, and was feeling good - I sprinted the last few kilometers into transition. The hardest 90km I've ever done was in the bag.

I again took my time in transition. The biggest unknown for me was this half marathon. Because we climb up into the mountains, we have to be prepared for dangerous weather which can suddenly appear. I had my mandatory rucksack packed with raincoat, leggings, water, food, map, compass and whistle, and emergency foil blanket. Running with this on my back would be a new first for me.

I ran a little way out of town, and when we crossed the main road into quieter lanes, took out my cheese and ham bagel for a well deserved snack. I walked a bit, ran a bit. The sun was out, then it started to rain - I put on my raincoat, then took it off again. I reached the mountain section and Nikki from my club was there with biscuits. She told me I was 2nd in the club to go past her - wow!

Raining on the run

It was a very steep climb - I had no chance to run, and no energy. As we got higher the views over Windermere, and in every direction, got better and better. Eventually the terrain became less technical, and some running was possible. Here I caught up with Pelle, another friend, but not in my triathlon club. There were many false summits where I thought I'd got there, only to see a long track going up again in the distance. The wind really picked up, the rain turned to sleet, and the temperature dropped to about 3 degrees. I didn't care - just pulled my raincoat hood tighter. It was fun to see Pelle. We didn't really run together, but we raced each other and made it to the top at the same time. Too good an opportunity to miss, the sun came out, and we got an amazing photo.

Descending

Going back down I slipped on wet rock and hurt my leg a little, and a finger (which went black over the next few days, and still hurts nearly two weeks later). I was more cautious after that, and Pelle with his walking poles, and his experience (he'd done this race many times before) gradually pulled away from me. I was feeling OK to run on any flat and downhill bits, but the very steep section was slippery so I was slow and careful.

At the final road section towards the finish I could only run for short periods before needing to stop and walk.I was definitely dehydrated by now but my water was at the bottom of my rucksack. I met a few others here, overtook one, and got overtaken. Finally found enough energy to run into town.

Finished!

Anna and Lyra and the rest of the supporters were there cheering.

And I got the biggest medal ever!

Some numbers:

63rd out of 132 competitors
Bib 157
Swim 49:21 T1 8:59 Bike 4:23:48 T2 7:44 Run 3:28:31 Final Time 8:58:24

Full Results here, for now.
Strava Swim Bike Run

Photos from the amazing Coast to Coast

Prudential RideLondon100 2017

30.07.2017 - Prudential RideLondon100 2017


I'm getting pretty used to this one now, having done all previous four events.


There really was no telling what the weather would do, but I think it stopped raining not long before my alarm clock at 4am.


I was showered and out of the house with my coffee and breakfast bagel by 4:15am. I always park in Kensington, it's free on Sundays - except when it isn't. New parking signs on my street meant a mild panic. I drove down a few more streets, and luckily found a new place quite quickly. Phew.


It's about 12 miles to the Olympic Park, I managed to get into Hyde park this year, but rather wish I'd stayed on the A4. The roads were wet, but the pile of mud I rode through left my shoes, bike and legs covered in I know not what (signs nearby said to beware horses crossing!)


I had a 7:05am start and made it to my Green-B pen by the stated 6:05, and slowly we inched forward. It wasn't too cold, but I had kept my thin waterproof and arm warmers. I had left the undershirt in the kit bag though.


My plan was to ride hard this year, and only stop at Newlands Corner if I had to. I took a five hour planner  from the Expo, and stuck it to my bike top tube for inspiration, but didn't seriously think I'd make it.


There are less fast groups around at 7am than at 6am. I cycled mostly alone for quite a while, just finding the odd wheel to follow. I got on the back of one fast group, but the two people in front of me got dropped, and I wasn't quick enough to notice in time, and the group was gone. Near Picadilly another group of about five cyclists in a blue charity jerseys seemed good, but then seemed slow, so I overtook them. They overtook me again a few minutes later, so I grabbed on and decided this was my pace. I stayed with them for about 20 miles. A few other riders had the same idea, so we formed a loose peleton of about 12.


The pace slowed and I grabbed a small group of three, someone else had the same idea and  tagged along just in front of me. We made good speed, but it was a bit fast and they lost me, and I went alone then, and never found a good group again.


I lost my chain at the bottom of the Newlands Corner climb, according to Strava I lost just over one minute, though it'll be a bit longer as I tried to grab leaves from the trees to get the oil off my hands on the way up.


I stopped at the Hub for a comfort break and to pick up supplies. I could have just stuffed my pockets but took time to eat some food there too. I'd drunk nearly 500ml of energy drink, and filled that bottle with water. In all, I would finish that, and about 200ml of my other bottle in the whole 100 miles. I also removed my waterproof jacket and put it in my back pocket.


My legs were tired - my longest ride this year is only 100k and I was approaching that. I hadn't really expected to do the ride, and was training for last week's triathlon. but I was OK, and though my pace slowed a bit here it wasn't bad. Leith Hill was crowded as usual, and I sneaked past people on the right practically in the trees. Box Hill was good, no one passed me there, except once near the top, and I overtook him again.


Coming back towards town I checked my five hour schedule, and noticed I wasn't far off the time.  I followed a pair of riders for a short time, but was alone most of the time. I pushed hard after Wimbledon Hill was behind me, hoping that maybe it would be 157km instead of 160km and I'd make it in under five hours. There were a few holdups where we were stopped to allow traffic/pedestrians to cross, but I was only slightly affected by this.


As I came past Vauxhall I knew I'd miss five hours, but in the end, it was close - I sprinted for the line to get 5:02:57.

London Triathlon 2017

London Triathlon 2017 - No 7792


I've had quite a good preparation for this. I can swim the distance, and have practiced in the London dock where the race takes place. I've done plenty of cycling, and a few 16 mile time trials. My running is OK, and I'm happy with 22 minutes at 5km Parkruns. I've managed few 5 mile runs in training too. I'm not super fast, but I was ready.


I went up the night before and stayed with Olivia in her house near the Excel. I cycled in the morning, nice and early, with her boyfriend Luke and friend Abby, for our 8.05am wave start.


We got down to the jetty in plenty of time and jumped into the water. It was a bit cold as it seeped into my wetsuit, and I only had a couple of minutes to acclimatize. I tried to get the Garmin Fenix3 watch to find a satellite, but it kept going red when I put my arm in the water. I managed to get some green signals and hoped it was Ok, and then we were off.


Slow and steady, bilateral breathing as much as possible, trying not to get kicked too much, I plodded down to the far end of the dock. I found some space, but then fast swimmers came from behind from the second half of our wave. I'm used to that, at least they don't do breaststroke. After the turnaround, the way back to the Excel seemed to go on forever. I felt slightly sick for a minute, but it passed. I knew I was way back, but was a bit disappointed with over 39 minutes.


I spent too long getting my wetsuit off, and also too long trying to put my sunglasses on with one hand. Olivia, Luke and Abby were already long gone. T1 3:39.


The bike was a lot of fun. After yesterday's thunderstorms, everything had dried up, and it turned into a nice day. Cycling through London up to Westminster on closed roads is great. I haven't done it on my TT bike before, just on my road bike during the Prudential RideLondon100 events. Sadly, both the Fenix3 and the Garmin on my bike failed to find satellites, so I can't compare my segment times on Strava. For the first time ever I think, I was cycling blind, just knowing my time since T1, and that my target was 1:06.


I saw Olivia coming towards me, only about a minute from the Westminster turnaround. Now I had a visible target. It still took a while to catch her. It's a 1.5 loop course, so I was able to make some estimates of my finish time and felt confident I'd manage my estimate, but 1:02:59 was a bit fast - I am sure now that the course is shorter than 40km.


I didn't see Luke, and his bike was in transition already. My T2 was better, at 2:44, as there is quite a bit of running.


The 10k run takes place over three fairly flat loops. There is a run up a ramp into the Excel at the end of each lap, but it's not too bad. I pushed hard, and was getting very warm by now. At the end of lap one I saw Anna and Lyra cheering me on. I can't be sure now, but I think I started the second lap after 14 minutes. I passed quite a lot of people, a few passed me. I gave my hat to Anna at the end of the second lap, and was disappointed in my time, it was about 30 minutes. I speeded up. I was trying to catch Luke but didn't actually know what he was wearing. Near the end of my third lap I overtook Olivia on her second - she was doing well - I gave as much encouragement as I could muster - not a lot.


Arriving in the finish chute, someone had the cheek to overtake me - I found another gear and left him for dust.


I'd beaten my Olympic distance triathlon record, which is 2:32 and change. Not by a lot, but enough.


After I got my medal, I had a pint of free alcohol free beer, and went to find Anna and Lyra. We waited and watched Olivia finish. Eventually we found Luke and discovered that I must have overtaken him on my last lap, as he finished just behind me. Abby was on a heavy mountain bike (I wouldn't like to have done it on that) and finished about an hour later.




My official time is 2:31:55 with splits of 39:16, 3:39, 1:02:59, 2:44, 43:19


Links
Strava - Swim - T1 - Bike - T2 - Run :  disappointingly, the triathlon watch didn't pick up any GPS


Official - Sporthive, Olivia


photos (for now) Marathon Photos

H10/2 23rd July 2015

I missed last weeks time trial, and this week I felt so tired I might have skipped it again. I had done a long slow ride on Saturday to Richmond Park with Olivia, and a faster one on my own on Sunday. On the Sunday ride I was surprised to feel my legs stronger than they have been for a while. So after a few days off, and on a warm evening with a very light westerly wind, I felt duty bound to go to Maidenhead, though it was a bit of a struggle getting off the sofa.

I think it's worth talking a little about nutrition - for breakfast I had bran flakes and granola with milk, and a small orange. I had a Sainsbury's meal deal of 500 ml diet coke, triple sandwich with chicken/turkey/cheese, and a big bag of Walkers cheese and onion. Mid afternoon Snickers bar completed the day except for a handful of salted peanuts just before I left home and an Isogel+ about 45 minutes before the race. I had about 3 cups of coffee at work too, and a few sips of water while waiting near the start line.

My warm-up was a 16 km ride to the start, a bit of a rest, and then 4 loops of the side road. I didn't do any real efforts as I was feeling tired, but i did time my last loop so that I turned up at the start 3 minutes before my time (I got number 30 this week so was off at 8:14 pm) and just had time to get my heart rate back down.

I know this course very well now, and have a very good feeling after only a few minutes for how the ride will go. Getting up to speed from the standing start is always the same, and turning the corner at the roundabout. The gradient then increases, and my speed goes down, and suddenly I remember I need to breath (at 1:50 elapsed time on this occasion :) ) The next 3-5 minutes are decisive. If my speed drops to 32-33 km/h, and my legs start to hurt, and I start panting and wanting to give up, then I'll have an average (for me) ride. I might beat 25 minutes, but might not. That's the normal early season. Today, I found I was right about my form, and my legs felt strong, and I maintained 34-6 km/h on this hard section. I knew it would be a good time.

I kept in as low an aero position as possible into the slight headwind and it seemed to work - my speed was good an the average crept up. I think I need to change my bike set up because even sitting at the back of the saddle, and reaching forwards, my elbows are practically off the front of the pads and my hands off the front of the gear controls - I can't get any lower though I feel that I want to and am capable of it.

At the half way turnaround roundabout my average speed was 39.1 km/h - this is close to my record I think and I was still feeling good. I overtook number 29 which always feels good, but was soon overtaken by 31 - not so nice. I think I must have relaxed a little on the return  - with my good start I was confident of my best time of the season. Number 31 didn't pull away from me as fast as I'd have liked and I had to slow a little to let him get out of my drafting zone - I lost a bit of time doing that but I had no choice - you're not allowed to draft other riders. I kept my average speed between 38.8 and 39.1 and after the final hill really pushed for home.

I think my push for home should have started sooner - I felt fast, and I still had some energy at the finish line. It's hard to judge this, and maybe if I'd pushed harder earlier that wouldn't have worked.

Very happy with my 24.11 time - best of the season and 3rd best ever. A little surprised it wasn't under 24 minutes, given my good first half. Maybe I should spend less time looking at my speed, and more riding by how I feel. Perhaps I'll try a ride with the Garmin screen covered :)

I rode home again as my warm down, it was getting really dark and though there had been 100% cloud cover all evening, a small patch on the horizon cleared in the west showing a red sky, which was nice.

Links maidenheadCC Strava

H10/2 9th July 2015

Feeling very tired after a hard week in the office (new job) I only prsuaded myself to do this when I saw the weather forecast. 20 degrees C and 5mph westerly wind. almost perfect.

The new routing is to cycle to the lake, look after Lyra while Anna swims, and then cycle over to the start. I did this and got number 37 this week.

There were several horses and traps around the start which made me need to take a wide path around them just before the first roundabout, but other than that the ride was uneventful. I passed number 34 quite quickly, but I knew number 37 was fast. I felt quite strong and could see from my 38.4km/h average speed at the turnaround that I was doing better than any time this season - the slight headwind hadn't affected me much.

I maintained a good speed, though not spectacular. when 37 did go past me I let him get out of the drafting zone as per rules and then pushed on after him, watching to see if I could learn anything. His cadence wasn't fast, similar to mine and maybe slower, but he was getting away from me. I think this means he just had more power.

Fairly happy with my fastest time of the season, though it's still slower than many of my rides last year. I'm slightly ahead though as I did fewer TTs last year, so still time to catch up.

Result 24.26 - 18th out of 37 riders.

Links MaidenheadCC

H10/2 2nd July 2015

I got number 50 this week, so had my longest waiting around time so far. Anna and Lyra came to watch which was nice - they saw the start and finish. Unfortunately, I struggled on the way west on the A4, and though my return was OK, I didn't have the power needed to beat 25 minutes.

It was the MDCC/TVT inter club competition, and my time was included, Happily, it was enough for us to win this year :) We went to the pub to celebrate afterwards.

Result 25:05 - 26th out of 53 finishers

Links MDCC

H10/2 25th June 2015

Following the pattern of cycling over and getting a late number, I got 37 this week.

I didn't feel very strong on the way out today, but made up some time coming back so so was happy to be a little faster than last week.

Result 24:38 - 16th out of 36 finishers

Links MDCC

H10/2 18 June 2015

I cycled over to the start as normal for my 2nd try at H10/2 this season. got the very last number - 40.

Ireally just wanted to break 25 minutes, and so was pleased enough to manage that :)

Result 24.57 - 18th place out of 39 finishers.

Links - MDCC

H10/2 21/05/2015

H10/2 21/05/2015 - 24:56

Back to H10/2 for the first time this year.

I cycled over, and just managed to get a space, 41 riders allowed and I got number 39.

Had quite a lot of sitting around, and getting a bit cold but eventually I was off.

I didn't like the slight headwind going west on the A4 and my speed was well below what it should be. I also forgot to set my Garmin's lap timer until the first roundabout, so wasn't sure of my average speed comparisons from previous rides. I would like to be hitting 40km/h average by half way.

38.2km/h average by the turnaround, which may or may not be nearly 2km/h down on my best. But the push back to the finish was wind assisted, so made better time. I felt quite good, but progress was slow. I was wearing my contact lenses, which makes reading the small numbers on my Garmin difficult, and what with missing the lap start, I had no idea when I finished what my time might be.

I was hoping to break 25 minutes, and just did it at 24:56, 38.78km/h average speed.

Note: Richard Stannard, previous Windsor Triathlon winner, raced tonight, be was a little faster then me coming in 6th, but I'm pleased with 18th.

Results Maidenhead CC and Strava 

Prudential RideLondon 2014

What a difference a year makes!

Anna is expecting our baby, and is due in October, so cycling 100 miles wasn't really an option for her. On the night before the ride, the weather forecast for the day was looking really atrocious, so naturally, lots of people dropping out, so naturally I decided I'd go.

I got up at the usual unnaturally early time, packed up in the dark (this was my first mistake), and headed for my car for the drive to Kensington. I was meeting some friends from London Dynamo cycling club for a warmup 10 mile ride to the start line.

Got there in plenty of time, and it wasn't even raining. Unpacked the bike, got my shoes and the rest of my wet weather kit on, but where was my nutrition? Where were my cycle glasses and contact lenses? Oh yes, all packed nicely at home in a separate bag. Damn. I had water on the bike already, but no food for 100 miles is asking a bit much. I would also now be riding in my normal glasses - not a good look, but at least I'd be able to do it.

Uneventful ride to Olympic Park, except for the rain starting and getting steadily heavier. The organisation at the start wasn't as good as last year. Unlike there being a big central area where everyone could meet, we were corralled into zones, so there was little chance to buy food or meet other friends.

I'd estimated a fast time, so was in one of the first groups. We were also first to find out that Leith Hill and Box Hill wouldn't be included in the ride due to safety concerns; the rain had stopped again, but I guessed that that was temporary, things must be looking bad. Only 84 miles this year.

Saw my first crash after only 5 minutes, somone hit a plastic bollard. I got caught up behind it and lost the fast riders. It was very fast through the City, West End and along Embankment but a group formed and I joined it. No holding back this year.

The first food stop was at Hampton Court. I knew I'd have to stop somewhere, so decided to make it here. Second mistake. By the time I'd stuffed my pockets, the group I was riding with were gone - no one else stopped. I tried to ctach them, but it was impossible and so I spent a lonely time battling the elements at a much reduced speed.

I did find a few smaller groups and shared the load with them as the weather go worse. Going downhill after newlands Corner with rain pouring down, and spray pouring up into my face (with my small glasses which gave no protection) was tricky. I saw another crash at a wet corner, but it was just behind me this time.

I spent a lot of time riding alone - I tried to jump on the back of some riders who passed me but couldn't quite manage the increase in pace needed. I was feeling pretty tired and was quite glad the hills had been cancelled - I didn't even enjoy the climb out of Wimbledon. I made it to London and had a clear road - almost no one on the Embankment - but it was hard to enjoy the moment being wet to the skin. I passed a couple of people, and then I was in the Mall, alone.

I finished in 3:46 for the 86 or so miles


placeholder for some links - thought I'd done this.

http://speakthinkblog.speakmedia.co.uk/2014/08/12/ride-london-2014-rankings-and-average-times-did-you-beat-chris-boardman/

12th Woman was Anna Korbacz

H10/2 24/07/2014

New Record 24:08

After a couple of weeks off (one due to road works on the course) it was back to the A4 in Maidenhead for another try at H10/2

Experimenting more with my warm up, I cycled over quite early (10 miles) and picked up number 33. It was over one hour until my start, so I went and cycled nearly the whole route. I kept my heart rate medium, but didn't go slow, and was fairly tired when I finished (another 10  miles).

It was a fine evening, sunny, but with a slight breeze (11mph SW). I prefer the wind to be on my back on the return leg of the race, but it felt more against me. I wasn't confident, and resigned myself to a hard ride.

In the first 5 minutes I felt tired, convinced I warmed up for too long. I pushed hard though knowing that I needed a faster outbound leg to compensate for a predicted slower return into the wind, and got some good speed. Annoyingly, No 34 caught me just before the roundabout. I tried not to let this affect my pace and didn't try to chase.

The return was hard, it always is. I was looking at a very good average speed and it never dipped below 39.2km/h. I think the wind had died down. After the last small hill I thought my legs were about to give up, but the slight descent after it allowed me to recover, and I pushed my speed back up 40, 46, 50km/h! My average speed inched towards the magic 40km/h.

Along the final straight I saw Anna waiting - she said something as I went past but I couldn't respond. 39.9km/h - slightly inaccurate as I start the timer 10 seconds before I set off, so I knew I was probably over that. Finished in 24.08 with an actual speed of 40.01km/h, and a new record for me for the course. I even came 11th overall, my best place by far. I still need to beat 24 minutes though...


Results MDCC : Strava

H10/2 03/07/2014

As well as competing in long, mountainous sportives, I'm also working hard at my speed cycling. I do an unofficial TT with Evolution Triathlon club on a Friday evening, but the main target is Thursday night's 10TT with Maidenhead Cycling Club.

The course varies, but the fastest one is on the H10/2 on the A4 between Maidenhead and Twyford, and I'd done it two times this season so far, beating my PB only a couple of weeks ago with 24:47.

I was concerned that after the hard riding in the Alpes at the weekend my legs would be tired, but I also thought that maybe after three days rest they would be stronger. As the weather was perfect, I could think of no excuse for not going, so I got prepared for the race, and set off on my bike to the start. I have been experimenting a little on my warmup, and as it is 10 miles to the start I do that now.

Unfortunately, disaster struck. Rear tire went bang half way there when I hit a pothole. I always give myself a bit of time, but I suddenly realised my race may be over as I had neglected to pack tyre levers. I scrabbled around at the side of the road, looking for strong twigs or something, and found a bit of broken plastic. But it didn't work. I had a brainwave and took out my house keys. It wasn't easy, and I think I scratched the wheel rim a little, but I got a little bit off, and as the tyre was warm and pliant I managed to rip it off with my fingers. I was running out of time, but if I hurried I'd get to the start line in time to sign on.

I raced to Maidenhead and made it, out of breath, and paid my money for number 39. I now had 50 minutes to wait so did my old routine of resting and occasional sprints up and down the side road.

The ride itself is less interesting than my journey there. I now have a Giro Advantage Aero helmet and some Mavic Cosmic Carbone wheels, and I'm getting more confident that they really are making a difference to my speeds. The course is basically 5 miles one way, mostly downhill, then 5 miles back, mostly uphill. I got in position and hardly noticed the westerly 10mph headwind - I was going well, pushing not too hard but maintaining a good speed. I would have been struggling with my previous setup I think.

I hit the roundabout which is the half way turnaround, and started to push harder. And I actually speeded up. I love having a tailwind, and checking my speed I knew I was faster than I could remember doing up these inclines. My Garmin 800 wasn't showing average speed as I had managed to reset the field by accident, so I was unable to really compare previous races or know for sure how I was doing. But I've done the course a lot, and my speeds were definitely good.

At the penultimate roundabout a car pulled out and I lost a few seconds, but powered on down the hill quickly getting my speed back quickly. I was maintaining 45-49km/h until the final small uphill bit to the finish where it fell to 40km/h. I pushed as hard as I could, feeling good still, and finally crossed the line. Unofficially I knew I had a new record.

Very pleased when I found out I had actually taken 28 seconds off my old record. New record is 24:18. What does this say about hill climbing and TT performance? I'm not fully decided.

Links
Strava
Results

La Vaujany Master 2014

The cracks of thunder and heavy rain at 2:30am did nothing to ease my apprehension the night before my attempt at La Vaujany Sportive's 173km of hilly French Alpe roads. I had come out woefully ill prepared for bad weather, as well as being tired from lack of sleep and house moving the previous week. For some reason, I had also thought it a good idea to accompany my London Dynamo cycling friends on a pre-breakfast assault on the 21 famous bends of Alpe D'Huez before breakfast the previous day (just over 56 minutes - not too shabby). Basically, I was shattered, and my legs were even having trouble climbing the four flights of stairs at our accommodation.

Tim from my my cycling club had organized everything, and we had taken over the whole of Chateau d'Oz in the town of Oz En Oisans. At the early breakfast, it became obvious that a lot of people were wisely going to drop out, or ride the shorter Vaujany Senior route at 109km. I am far too stubborn, and have an unblemished record with no DNS (did not start), or indeed DNF (did not finish) markers to my name. This wasn't going to be the day.

Breakfast  banana, small coffee, porridge, bread and cheese, scrambled egg. I should be OK after having lots of pasta the previous day.

I got scared by talk of freezing conditions and decided to wear everything I'd brought, even borrowing Anna's leggings. Neither of us had overshoes so I was going to have wet feet. I had a jersey, sleeveless gilet, sleeved gilet, warm jacket. Nothing rainproof. We cycled down to the start in light drizzle, reaching the line just after 7am and got good positions near the front. The rain stopped. It felt quite warm. I spent nearly 10 minutes faffing around with my jackets, eventually pocketing the sleeveless gilet and warm jacket, which I carried around with me for the next 174km.

The start was frenetic. 20km of fast descent on good roads. However the rain started again, and the spray in my face was constant. I was completely drenched to the skin within five minutes. I got dropped by the Dynamos who raced ahead, and got overtaken a lot by the other riders. But I did find some groups doing my pace and we helped each other to the bottom of the first climb. I kept well within my aerobic threshold. My plan was to never get out of breath, and to not get carried away on flats and descents where it is tempting to push the pace to catch up from lost average pace on hills. I was so tired and badly prepared that I knew I also couldn't attack on hills either, like I usually want to.

Smiling on the inside

Col De La Mort was about 14k of climbing and took me just under one hour. I overtook a couple of Dynamos and said 'hi' as I went past, but when I caught Stephen he decided he wanted company and wouldn't let me get away. So we climbed nearly the whole way together. I don't usually climb with anyone, but it was a good distraction. At an average of 7% gradient it was possible to talk and ride, and the time passed quickly. We were under trees most of the way, with big drops of water falling from leaves. I got rain and sweat in my eye which stung a lot for a while and I was worried about my contact lenses, but I managed to dry it a little and it was OK.

Descents today weren't much fun. As I was wet, it felt chilly, especially my hands in fingerless gloves. The road surfaces were treacherous so cornering needed extra care. My fingers were sore from braking by the end of the day. I never actually felt as cold as I expected though; never close enough to want to put on the jacket I was carrying.

Stephen and I lost each other on the descent, but he found a fast group on the flat and raced ahead with them. I stopped at 60k for some food, but struggled to find much I wanted. I neglected to put some powerbars in my pocket, and they didn't have any at the next and final food stop, so that was a mistake. Hardly anyone was stopping, and not for long. The Wiggle Dragon Ride in Wales was completely different, almost a party atmosphere at food stops. Perhaps they do things differently in France and that's why the stall was so poorly stocked.

Col d'Ornon (c)Tim Pygott

After a bit of flat, the climb to Col d'Ornon started. Not steep and 9-14k depending on where you think it actually starts climbing. I chatted with another Dynamo rider here, also called Stephen (are they all Steves?). Half way up the climb our paces gradually separated us I found myself at the front of a group of about seven chasing down another group, how did that happen? We caught that group and I thought we'd stay together, but everyone pulled away from me again and I climbed the rest of the way alone. Then another descent which was the coldest of the day for me. The gentle drizzle was giving way by now and I was drying a bit.

At the bottom of the Alpe d'Huez (alternate route) climb the road split for riders to go left for the 109km finish, or right to go up the hill for the full 173km. This wasn't an option for me unfortunately. After only 5 minutes, I saw Stephen #1 and another Dynamo racing down the hill in the opposite direction. Discovered later that they had both decided to go short, but had missed the turn off point. I was very envious.

Descending in the wet

I soon came across another Dynamo, Alex and overtook him. The gradient was steeper on this climb, going up to 14% in places, and we were both suffering.  My poor planning meant I expected to be climbing for about an hour. That time came and went and I was still going. After maybe 90 minutes I reached the second and final food stop in Huez. I had a bit of most things (ham baguette, coke, jelly sweets, banana) but the orange segments and dried apricots didn't appeal).

Cruelly, when I left the stop, I was still climbing, which was annoying. There was a small descent, then I looked up and saw the Col de Sarenne climb clearly ahead stretching up to the clouds. This 8% gradient ascent was probably my darkest time during the day (the final climb at Vaujany was harder, but I knew it was the finish so it didn't hurt me mentally in the same way). I felt a bit light headed on this one, and had to slow to practically walking pace. Some people were actually walking. Looking back it may have been the altitude getting to me. It only took just over 15 minutes, but if you include the food stop time, I'd been climbing for just about two hours by the top and I was as close to cracking and just sitting at the side of the road as I ever have been on a ride.

Anna Ternheim sings a song called "To be Gone", the main refrain being "I just wanna be, wanna be gone".  She is Swedish, so I think she is talking about suicide. I wasn't suicidal, but I'd had this line running through my head all day long and never more clearly than now. Why was I here? This wasn't fun.  The sun started to come out just after this, but I was still wet, especially my socks and legs. I just wanted to be gone.

Approaching the final climb in Vaujany

I had ridden 130km now, and had 40km of descending in front of me before the final 5k ascent to the finish line in Vaujany, which I was dreading. My legs were dead and I cycled slowly, apprehension building. Vaujany has a steady 9% gradient. I wasn't sure I could make it. So I didn't even enjoy the best section of the day - fairly dry conditions, sunshine, descending.

When I finally reached the bottom I met my last Dynamo of the day, Mark, who was looking a lot happier than me. He climbed confidently ahead of me, and I just churned out this last section. Stand up on the pedals for as long as I can, sit down and push for as long as I can, stand up, sit down, repeat. Hot sunshine now but I can't take off my light jacket as I have nowhere to put it. I ride into what shadow there is under trees, behind buildings, slowing even more so that I'm out of the sun for longer. I do find enough strength to go over the finish line with a bit of speed and a smile on my face. Done.

My final time was 7:43:12  - I wasn't too far down the field at 102nd of 268 finishers. I'm pleased I did it, but it was a very hard day and I wouldn't want to repeat the experience. More rest and sleep in the days before a long, hilly ride are definitely needed, and being prepared for the conditions wouldn't hurt either. I had a brilliant weekend overall however, met some great people and did some awesome cycling in the sunshine on the other days of my trip - maybe I should have written about that instead.

Links
Strava
Results

Wiggle Dragon Ride 2014

I told myself that I wouldn't ride this if it was pouring with rain. I'm not really a fair weather cyclist, but the idea of sitting on a cold wet bike for over eight hours, only to end up with a slower time than last year, just didn't appeal. However the forecast improved at the last minute, and it was dry and sunny in the morning, so I was hopeful. Port Talbot cruelly punished me however, but more of that later.

Woke up at 5:30, ate a banana, and went downstairs in my hotel for continental breakfast of coffee, toast with honey, and crunchy nut cornflakes. Anna helped me with my faffing around to get ready, and trying to decide what to wear. Settled on bib-shorts, jersey, arm warmers, with a sleeveless waterproof gilet in my back pocket. There was a big London Dynamo contingent present, and I don't know many of them, so I wore their colours to get me recognised. I know my Evolution Triathlon Club friends well enough.

Arriving at Margam Park was a struggle this year as all the traffic trying to get in was competing with cyclists heading out on the extra long (300km) Devil route. So the best laid plans for meeting up with the first Dynamo group fell through. I did find a smaller group so it was nice not to be alone for the first few kilometres.

At the start, me on the left :)

Had a caffeine gel, and we were off at 8:22am. For the record, I carried 750ml + 500ml energy drink, 2* Nutrigrain bar, Isogel+, 2 spare tubes and a set of patches, along with mobile phone and wallet.

We made good time out along the dual carriageways, but when we reached some some less even tarmac in a tight group, suddenly someone hit a pothole, someone else braked, I hit the pothole too, and I found myself careering into the pavement. Years of cycling with cleats meant that my left foot was out instantly, I hit it quite hard against the kerb, and I managed to come to a stop without falling off. I'd even lifted the front of the bike at the last minute, so didn't damage my wheel. The group were gone, but I slowly gained on them, and then we were climbing the first real hill of the day, Bwlch.

I liked Bwlch, it had a nice even gradient and the views were spectacular the higher we got. It was amazing to look back at the other riders snaking up the hill behind as I neared the top. I had dropped the Dynamo guys, but found myself keeping pace with another rider, we had a chat as we jockeyed for position - hi James, I don't remember your number.

Down the other side, and then straight into the second big climb, Rhigos. Legs still quite fresh, so this wasn't a problem. The first food stop provided Jaffa cakes, some pretzels, a banana and power bar for my pocket, and a little water to top up my 500 ml bottle. I wanted to make the stops shorter this year, so really rushed.

Everything went well, and I was feeling good. My average speed looked OK in the 27-8 km/h range. I was mostly cycling alone, occasionally drafting, occasionally being drafted, feeling good that no one was passing me on the ascents, and only letting a few overtake descending. It seemed like there is very little flat riding - just slow climbing, then breakneck descents.

The hairpin at Devil's Elbow

Then the steepest climb - The Devils Elbow (Sarn Helen). This is a timed 'King of the Mountain' race to win a prize, but I wasn't interested in that. If you overstretch yourself, you can kill your legs and never recover. Today for me was all about finishing strong and happy. I had a hard time here last year, but it wasn't an issue today. I got to the top looking forward to the nice fast descent I remembered, only to be met with a strong headwind. The road was quite crowded with cyclists so got some protection and tucked in :)

Food Stop 2, nearly half way. Another 500 ml fill-up on my bottles, and some salty boiled potatoes which I'd been looking forward to, and back out quickly. Caught up to Steve from Evolution who told me another friend Matthew was up ahead. so the chase was on. I enjoyed the climb on open road up past the Cray reservoir and finally caught Matthew about five miles from the 3rd food stop. An ambulance that had recently overtaken me was there, and a rider was lying on a stretcher - hope he was OK.

We stopped at the same place last year - going in the opposite direction. I got so much clay in my cleats that I couldn't ride, and the same thing happened today, but I was ready and cleaned them before I set off. Lost a couple of minutes though. I got another banana, and Powerbars, ate some cakes and potatoes, and filled my bottles. This was my last stop. I knew from experience that this would be more than enough to get me to the finish and I'd save 5 minutes not going into food stop 4.

I rode with Nick (1820) for a while, someone I'd met earlier. I pulled away from him and thought I'd lost him, but then he came flying past drafting a strong rider and told me to get on the back, which I did for a fun 5-10 minutes. The most beautiful stretch of road was this bit, under some dense trees that had sunlight shining through, and a babbling stream on our left hand side.

I knew there was one big climb before the end, and suddenly we'd started it - Black Mountain. It had been so much fun descending this last year, but the reverse route meant we were climbing now. There is almost 6 miles of constant ascent, and it took me around half an hour. I passed a lot of people which made me happy and kept looking behind to make sure no one was gaining on me. The views became more stunning the higher we went, but the wind decided it also wanted my attention. So at the steepest section, I wanted to stand up to pedal, but the wind tried to blow me back, so I sat down, but it was too hard to pedal, so I stood up. And repeat.

Over the top, and as with Rhigos, the descent was a disappointment. I pedalled hard and only reached 40km/h downhill into the wind. This was not helping my average speed much at all after the thirty minutes of slow climbing had battered it. At the bottom I got stopped at some traffic lights where an impromptu group of about seven or eight of us formed. There were a couple of guys who wanted to be in the lead, and kept overtaking each other, pushing the pace. The rest of us hung on, and occasionally took a turn when the traffic and the other cyclists caused holdups. There were a few annoying temporary traffic lights on this section, which were always red. I hit the front on the ascents, and formed a breakaway of one on a longer hill, but as I was riding into the wind alone after that the peleton eventually caught me.

Going out of Neath, I saw a '20km To Go' sign, at the  bottom of a 2k climb, not a long one, and the last of the day. My temporary friends (though interestingly none of us had actually acknowledged the others) dropped behind me, and this time the hill was long enough that I decided I could make enough space between us that maybe they wouldn't catch me. The terrain was undulating now, and I made good speed. I didn't feel tired, had plenty of food and fluids and was feeling happy. My knees were complaining a little, but not enough to worry me.

Suddenly the sky started to look ominous. I pedalled faster. Out onto the dual carriageway and I knew I was close to home. I caught a big group, maybe ten riders and thought I might get a rest behind them, but they were riding at 28km/h against my 31, so I overtook. Spots of water on my sunglasses. More spots. Less than 5km to go and after over eight hours riding I was not going to escape the deluge. Within seconds, the heavens opened, rain lashing so hard into my face I couldn't see where I was going. I glanced behind me, and was surprised to see the group I'd passed. I had assumed they were long gone, but they had grabbed my back wheel and I'd been pulling them for a few minutes, not hearing them over the sound of the headwind. Well done guys!

I completed last year's ride in 8:18, and knew from my Garmin that I was really close to beating this. It was a different longer course, but I still wanted to do it. Wet already, and chasing a time, I left my gilet in my back pocket and ploughed on faster, losing my new followers in the process. This was horrible. The road got steeper. There was another roundabout I didn't remember. I kept having to wipe my eyes to see through the rain. I had to swerve a few times to avoid slower cyclists who I only saw at the last minute. And I realised I probably wasn't going to beat my time after all.

I was glad to finally reach the park entrance, and raced to the line, though not too fast, this would be a stupid time to skid on the wet road. I finished to cheering fans (not really) with a time of 8:19:42 - only a minute off 2013's result. There was an extra 15k riding so I'm very happy to have ridden faster and finished less tired. I still had loads of food in my pockets and one litre of energy drink so I got that right too. The rain stopped, but I was still very wet, and started to get cold, so went to the tent for my pasta and to wait for Anna. We'd planned to meet at 5pm, and I was a bit early.

Hank, Matthew,Paul, Alan, Lars, Stuart, Rob, Robert

Matthew came in next, and Anna bought us a beer to celebrate, which went down very quickly. I went to the car and changed into dry clothes, but came back and watched the rest of Evolution club finish. Lars, Emily, Paul, Hank, Stuart, Rob and Alan all finished and we got together for a group photo before making our tired way home. Lars said he really enjoyed his 300 km, so I wonder if I should try the Devil next year?




Links
GPS Route
My Strava Course
Human Race Results

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