About a month ago I posted a report on my return to competitive cycling.
Twas a dark and stormy night then..
Yesterday I was back for a second attempt so if you want to know how I fared
read on. (those wanting to see the edited highlights later should look away
now).
Wednesday arrives. OK, I'll admit to a little bit of cheating, I have
actually done some training. I've worked on my riding position which should
give me a speed up and worked on some intervals as well. So I am hoping to
get under the half an hour this time (last time I clocked 30.59 on a wet and
windy night.)
There is always a bit of pre race nerves. I've deliberately postponed supper
till after the ride and got everything ready, arriving at the meet point
about 50 mins before the off. Assembled the bike. There are a lot more
people here tonight, a field of about 20 riders and a few spectators. Some
of the guys are warming up.. expensive bikes, disk wheels making that
strange whoomp, whoomp noise that only a disk wheel can. I have a standard
road bike, vintage 1990 with a shiny new Brookes saddle on it. A bit out of
place but what the heck.
Sign in, warm up. I'm off number 5. The three others who were there last
time are there again tonight. Friendly banter ensues and it is time to go up
to the start.
The course starts off with a bit of a ski jump so after the off it is a
30mph descent for the first part, then flat and a gentle uphill drag with a
couple of more obvious rises, but essentially flat. I know the speed I have
to maintain for a decent time so am pushing like crazy, pulse running much
higher this time. Unfortunately the legs are not working so well so I am
below the speed I was aiming for on the first part, fighting like crazy to
keep it above 20mph and not always succeeding.
Round the roundabout and I am really fighting for breath, a few hundred
yards and the high point of the course is reached, try to push through this
and accelerate on the slight downhill. I can now hold 25mph and try to get
some breath back. I nearly get the pulse meter to stop flashing as my heart
rate drops slightly. The first person overtakes me. I'm feeling quite
chuffed at not being caught quite so soon, then I realise that it number 7.
The distance is just over half way and I'm at just over 15 mins. Must push
harder to make sure I get under the 30 mins.
No time left to try to recover, turn left and hammer through the twisty
bits. Two small rises to push up. The guy behind me overtakes. Approaching
the last two corners and managing to get a bit of speed out of the legs.
Holding about 22-23 and calculate that as long as I am over 20mph all the
way back I am under the half hour. Also guess that keeping that pace I'll
get very close to or beat my PB.
Final corner, final rises. Don't look at the HRM just push as hard as
possible. Try to get every bit of speed but the speed just keeps dribbling
away as my legs protest. 100m to go, trying to push for the line and I know
I'm now outside my PB, but well under the 30 mins. Nothing left at all for
the last 50m as I can do nothing but try not to lose speed as I make it
across the line.
Back to the car and some R+R before the times are ready. Fastest on the
night was 21.42, I clocked 28.34 which was a 2.25 improvement over last
time. I went absolutely flat out most of the way but need to work some more
on technique.
Looking at cadence/speed/gears I realise that I was quite possible in too
high a gear for the second quarter. Can I spin a higher cadence at that
speed? Should I use an easier gear for the long drag? These questions and
more will be answered at my next TT in a couple of weeks. It will then be
the end of the season so I'll be working on the various points over the
winter.
Many thanks to the organisers and marshals. Good luck to the youth squad at
Manchester this weekend (and thanks for the encouragement).
...d