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

Winter Cycling Camps in Spain

Ready for a day's cycling

Cycling Camps:

Anna and I have now been on two Spanish cycling camps together, one in Denia on the mainland near Alicanti, and one in Majorca, so even though this isn't an exhaustive survey, I thought it would be good to explain what a holiday like this is like from our experiences. If you have never been on a winter training trip here are some of the things you can expect, and why you should go:

Cost:

These vary a lot, but can be as cheap as £320 per person per week for half board shared room during January-March. This will cover accommodation, all you can eat at breakfast and dinner, possibly local beer/wine as well, and the bike camp services (see what's included below). Flights are booked separately, Easyjet or similar will be as little as £100 return, but a bike box is currently another £70 return. If you want to reduce the stress of packing and transporting your bike, for not much more than £100 you can hire one.


Accommodation:

Store room in Majorca

If you have been on a Spanish package holiday then you won't be surprised by the accommodation - clean and uncluttered, white tiles everywhere. There will be a working lift, but don't expect to be allowed to take your bicycle to your room - if the hotel has a policy against it, they will have a store room where bikes can be kept locked overnight. You will probably need to take your bike box/bag up to the room once you've built your trusty steed though.

There may be a pool, but it is likely to be outdoor and unheated. This is not much use if you want to do some triathlon swim training, but is good if you want to freeze your calves and thighs after a hard days cycling.

In Denia we had a working kitchen in our room, which included a washing machine - very useful indeed unless you happen to have seven pairs of bike shorts. But in Majorca there was no such luxury, so a trusty bottle of travel wash, and a hanger on the balcony worked just as well. Our hotel offered a special cyclists laundry service, but we didn't risk it.


Food and drink:

The food will be buffet based. Breakfast will have coffee and brightly coloured fruit drinks that taste almost, but not completely, like what the labels on the dispensers claim ('tropical' is the reddish orangy one)

There will be eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, cereals and milk, maybe porridge, fruit (including bananas - the cyclists' ambrosia), toast, cheese, and sweet biscuits. This will be exactly the same every day. Fill your face, you may not see solid food for another five hours. Sneak some banana, or bread rolls and cheese out in your pockets if the staff aren't looking - can be useful if you get back home from your ride early.

Typical lunch break

Somewhere after 12noon, and 3pm, depending on the route, group, or bike lead's masochistic tendencies, you will get a lunch break. Spanish cafes know about cyclists, and many have bike racks outside. Ask for a baguette with cheese and ham as that is the fastest thing to get delivered, and provides carbs and fat and protein. Coffee, with or without milk, for the caffeine hit you need. Maybe a coke instead, though why I saw so many fellow riders ordering the diet variety I can't fathom. Get some water as well to refill your bottles.

In Denia the camp offered an extra service; we had a van that met us midday. We could place a goodie bag in there in the morning with extra nutrition and pick it up later. They refilled our water bottles as well. This was really great and something all the camps should do.

The evening buffet can never come too soon - but try to pace yourself when you arrive. It is too easy to just fill your first plate to overflowing with chips and burgers/chicken/fish with veg of the day, and shovel it in like the cheap fuel it is. Try to have a bit of salad and soup first. I know you think you deserve it, and the puddings are also part of the free buffet, but you probably do not actually need more sugar after all the energy drinks and gels you had during the ride. I burned three or four thousand calories a day on the bike, but came home exactly the same weight as I left. I'm blaming the ice-cream (not the limitless glasses of lager, oh no, not those).

Be a little wary of the seafood. Buffets are notorious for food poisoning, and I heard first-hand from four people who suffered - most blamed the prawns in the paella.


Bike Leading:

This is what you are here for - local knowledge of the best routes in the area, some company and/or competition on the dusty roads and scenic hills, and new friends to compare experiences with.

There will be many people of differing abilities, and your camp should have at least three different groups - nominally called slow, medium and fast. A lot will depend here on the types of people who have turned up, and the numbers. If a cycling club have block booked, then expect the fast group to be a pretty intense, take-no-prisoners affair. Familiarise yourself with maps of the area, as if you get dropped, you are cycling home alone. You might cycle 100 miles a day, averaging 20 mph.

The slow group will be a friendly place, a haven if you have tired legs, or simply want to take your time enjoying the scenery and drinking coffee and eating local cakes. You will still cover up to 75 miles in a day, so it's not for complete beginners, but the pace will allow you to manage the distance comfortably, and the 'lead' will stay with the slowest rider, and everyone will wait at the top of any significant climb until the group is together before moving on.

The medium group will consist of some people who want to progress from slow, and those who would like to be in fast but just can't hack it. So there will be a lot of mad dashes on the flat, followed by waiting around in the hills. You will still cover long distances and do all the big climbs that the fast group do, but hopefully you will get home with the group in once piece. If you just can't keep up, you'll be asked to join the slow group - if you are lucky and aren't the only one that day, one of the bike leads might accompany you home, but don't count on it.

In our Majorca camp, the medium group had as many as 40 riders, and 5 leads, slow and fast groups had about 10 riders and 2 leads. The Denia camp was smaller, and so the fast group was more accommodating.

You can mix and match groups, depending on how you feel each day. If you go with a partner or friend and you both naturally fit in different groups, you can both just take an easy day in the slow group together if you like, and there is nothing to stop you taking off by yourself if you feel confident of the geography later in the week.


What to take:

Think of spring in England. One day it may be a sunny 18 degrees, the next you may be drenched or battered by hail. Things in Spain are exactly the same. Hopefully you will be lucky, and need nothing but shorts and jersey; on our first camp in Denia I only needed a light rain jacket on one day. But remember that there will be hills, and weather changes quite rapidly there, and it's always a bit cooler.  In Majorca I needed a base layer every day, arm warmers most days - and a small gilet for descending (there are no crowds at the cols handing out newspapers).

When the sun is out it is warm enough to burn, so wear sunscreen on exposed skin. The good weather is the main reason you are doing this camp rather than taking time off in the UK to cycle, and you would be very unlucky to get more than a couple of days of poor conditions - you are far more likely to have temperatures in the 14-18 degrees centigrade region, and warm beautiful sunshine.

You might want shoe covers, or leggings. I didn't have any with me, but spent a chilly 30 minutes one day wishing I had. Find out from your lead what the weather is expected to be that day - I decided that if heavy rain was forecast then that would be a rest day. We were lucky, but heard some stories from fellow riders who had gotten caught out like this on previous camps, and even heard about snow last year

If your hotel does have an indoor pool/spa then take a swimming costume and swim hat, and some goggles. Don't forget the hat or they will make you purchase one.

Variety:

Sea view from our balcony in Majorca

It's nice to relax in the sun and discuss the days riding for 20 minutes when you get back, and as you have ready made transport anyway, take a short ride to a coffee shop. Keep some extra Euros in your jersey pocket, get a round in for your peleton to thank them for protecting you from the wind all day.

Unless you are on a shoestring budget, try and make a point of getting out of the hotel at least once. Local restaurants can be of a very high standard, and at a fraction of UK prices for similar venues. Check opening times and book in advance  - we found everywhere was closed on Monday evening. Your taste buds will thank you, as although the hotel food is plentiful and filling, it does not have much flavour, and the presentation is as basic as the menu. You are on holiday after all, so enjoy this aspect as well.

You can cycle every single day if you like, but we took a break mid-week and caught a bus to Palma for some sight seeing - it was nice not sitting on a razor sharp saddle for 6 hours that day.

Conclusion:

Both weeks we spent in Spain we cycled over 600km in sunshine, in March, through beautiful countryside, and up spectacular hills with amazing views. We came home with a great base fitness, as this kind of trip gives your training a real kick-start, and builds confidence in your abilities for the sportives you might have planned for the summer. I really recommend doing this, especially if you can guarantee rotten, cold and wet weather in the UK.

Links:

 - Stuart Hall Cycling
 - Train In Spain

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...

Grim Challenge 2012

Barbara and Pal

My friends Barbara and Pal Skogtjarn were coming over from Sweden for this event. They tried last year, but were foiled by the weather. I wanted them to come and stay with me the night before, and also offered to drive them down to the venue, so it seemed only polite to do the race as well. My legs were not in good run shape, and I hadn't been training, but there is a lot of stopping to wade through mud and rivers, so I hoped that I would make it. I haven't stopped cycling, so I'm still pretty fit aerobically.

We all met up the night before, and Pal was particularly keen to try some beer. I was surprised when we only stopped at drink number four and hoped this wouldn't affect his running too much - I didn't care that much about mine.

I don't remember that much about the race; I was pretty OK for the first 20-30 minutes, but felt some of the familiar ache in my thighs after that. I was right about the conditions helping though; wading in the freezing water took the pain away. I just kept going, and really enjoyed being out in the countryside running again - I do miss it. I got very muddy, but the water washed most of it away, especially the big pond at the finish. I've done this race before, so when I got close to the noise of the announcers at the finish, I knew there was another extra loop so didn't sprint too early this time. Finished feeling pretty good and went to look for my friends.

I finished with a time of 1:10:36 which isn't really important in these kinds of races. The placing is important, and I came 324th out of 2922 finishers which pleasantly surprised me. Even more pleasing was that my friend Pal came 1st overall - an awesome result. Seems like I should have four pints of English beer the night before every race..

Results here on the Grim website, unfortunately  I didn't record my time on any Garmin, due to the mud and don't seem to have any photos stored anywhere either except the one above of my friends at the start.