SERRL Chilham 123

Well, after a bit of a result the previous week it was time for me to test myself out against the ‘big boys’ – or rather first and second category riders.  I’d already had SteveS and AndyC whittling on about this race and this had rubbed off on me a little and I was actually a little nervous.

Conclusion

My goal really was to just finish.  And, to cut a long story short, that’s what I did.  Unfortunately, however, only two thirds of the way through the race.  Naturally this was pretty disappointing but there were two really big positives to come out of the race

• I think I finally ‘get’ racing.  Despite the less than mediocre result something in my head finally clicked.  The last couple of seasons have ended with me being a bit unsure about my ambitions for the following year.  As a consequence I’ve ended up having half-hearted attempts at racing and 90% efforts at the Marmotte.  Next year will be different.  Racing really is the pinnacle of cycling and, nice though it is to rock up to Sportives and kick a little ass, this is rather easier and less satisfying than doing the same at a race.
• In addition to, and partly as a consequence of I suspect, my epiphany was the brilliant performance of my team-mates who all did the jersey rather more justice than I did.  ReubenE did a sterling job supporting the team, AndyC rode to a frankly amazing 5th, SteveS a brilliant 8th and PaulS a sterling 15th.  Martin Brundell would have said that this was a ‘stellar performance’. 

The Actual Race

In a slight break with convention I was partnered by PaulS for the journey down.  Naturally I couldn’t get the phrase ‘twice your age’ in every 10 minutes or so but the experience was only slightly diminished by this fact.  One thing I definitely got right was my new trainer purchase; bright yellow with blue trim Onituska Tigers.

The weather looked pretty shit but I was reluctant to make any judgements; the previous couple of week’s I’d moaned like hell and it had turned out OK.  We were nice and early and the arrived at the 3* village hall in Godmersham.  In another slight departure from the norm there were actually team vans; not least the Orbea ForGoodness Shakes team.  This new level of professionalism should have made me think about a nice, conservative ride.

That’s pretty much as it started.  I expected to be on the rivet from the off but actually the ride was pretty comfortable.  In contrast to the other SERRL races I’ve done this year I actually disliked the course.  Firstly the roads were a bit busier than usual and more, well, ‘major’.  Second there was a long, steep descent which, in the dry would have been fine, but in the wet pushed me well outside of my comfort zone.  Third the lap was relatively long at about 20km or so.

I was comfortable going up the climbs and only struggled on the downhill having to really push when it evened out to recapture the places I’d lost as I gingerly (no offence) made my way down.  I suspect I had too much pressure in my back tyre as, even when the road levelled out a little, I could still feel my back wheel dancing and skidding beneath me.  Terrifying.

This went on for an hour or so I guess before my pecker started to go up.  I was still feeling very good and comfortable with the pace and decided that perhaps life in the peloton was not for me.  I enjoyed periodically checking that SteveS still wasn’t enjoying himself which was the main thing and made my way to the front of the bunch.

All I can now remember (time has passed) is that I seemed to be involved in break after break.  Or chasing another break.  Killing myself.  Wondering what happened to the simple formula of peloton and breakaway.  And riding this race like I do the third and fourth cat races.  For nothing.

Like a little puppy in attitude.  But, alas, my body is still that of a mediocre 39 year old cyclist.  And, an analogy I’ll borrow from PaulC, riding is like eating a cake.  Each time you dig deep you have another bit of the cake.  And eventually that cake runs out.  And if it runs out before the end of the race well that’s just tough titty.

The onset of fatigue was swift.  I looked down at my computer and realised that 2 hours was up and I had only managed 1 gel for the whole of the ride.  Not enough I think.  The energy slowly ebbed from my body and I decided to call it a day on the big climb and the bunch drifted away.  Luckily it was only about 15km back to the start!  Still, it was nice to have some time to think about my failure and to heartily thank the marshalls with a big smile.

I did finally get back, met up with ReubenE, got changed and had a Diet Coke and some banter.  Unfortunately my t-shirt of choice was the ‘shut up legs’ one.  Oh, the irony.  More like ‘oooh, my legs hurt, I’m going to stop, ooh, it hurts’.

On the plus side I got a ringside seat for the last lap or so.  Seeing AndyC kicking arse at the front of the breakaway on the last lap was an inspiration and as the peloton came through both SteveS and PaulS were looking great.

Rubes and I drove up to the finish line.  One of the Orbea Shakes guys came over first with a huge gap (insert own jokes here) followed by a couple more riders.  Then delight; AndyC in 5th.  Then more delight SteveS in 8th.  And again as PaulS came in in 15th.  Any small amount of envy I might have had vastly overshadowed by the respect for such great rides.

Another Conclusion

That’s it.  Should have eaten more and should not have ridden beyond my ability.  I think I could have stuck it out in the bunch.  It’s so hard to resist chasing away when you feel good.  Inspirational ride by the others and oddly a dubious result for me has left me more motivated than ever.

Marmotte 2010 – Final Word

Well, all the results are in, the photos have been bought, forums read, the memory of the pain subsides and the plans start to form for improving my time for next year.  At some point you have to realise it’s over.  Glorious but over.

The biggest problem with the Marmotte; stopping it overshadowing the whole year – cycling-wise at least.

I posted my report before the results were available

Will I qualify for an elite start next year?  That would be amazing.  I’m not sure what the rules are.

If anyone wants to read some great reports and different perspectives from the event check out the Bigfoot Marmotte page including a story or two of proper heroism!

La Marmotte 2010

A bit of a change of plan this year; rather than the usual sausage-fest at the Pelvoux we decided to hire a chalet and turn the event into a bit of a family holiday and all-round cycling jolly.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon in time to catch the humiliation of our national football team – we even had (or rather only had) German commentary!  DaveM and entourage turned up a little later on Sunday and AndyC’s lot on Thursday morning.

DaveM and I did a couple of rides; both sides of the Col de la Madeleine on Monday and the Glandon to the Croix de Fer followed by the Alpe on Wednesday.  I was hoping that these rides would have felt reasonably easy; they did not. Still – that will teach me a lesson that I can’t just rock up and do Hors Categorie (beyond classification) climbs as if they are mere hillocks.

Alpe D’Huez proved a slightly sub-optimal base for a family break.  It was like a ghost town when we arrived, being between the end of the ski season and before the school summer holidays and it was a bit of a faff getting anywhere as we, quite literally, had a mountain to climb (or descend) every time we set out.  We had a nice time in Annecy (which was delightful) and Briancon (which was fine).

Anyway, enough of all this chutney, what about the Marmotte.  After three years it’s dawned on me that I’m not ideally suited to mountain riding.  Even with a pretty disciplined few months I’m still nothing like the weight I’d like to be – partly a lack of discipline, partly that I’m just the wrong build.  I’m giving away 13 or so kilo’s to someone like DaveM – that’s 6 or 7 2 litre bottles of coke!  I’m also knocking on 40. With this nagging at me, and that my back that has been giving me quite a bit of grief, confidence was not that great before the ride.  I also managed a pretty respectable time last year which, great though that is, rather raised the bar for this year.

The Start

Up early, eggs and rice knocked back and pockets full down we went to Bourg for the start.  I’m getting to be a better descender with practise and cruised down which was a great pleasure.  AndyC went off for his elite group start hobnobbing with the rich and famous (including the 1997 Tour De Suisse winner apparently!).  DaveM and I had to make do with some of the remaining 7,000 or so riders; surely the best collection of Europe’s amateur riders that assembles each year.

All packed in to the narrow streets we stand around feeling nervous and becoming increasingly sure that the early morning clear-out wasn’t 100% effective.  Playing the ‘who’s got the lowest heart rate’ game helps and as does checking out some of the kit on display.  The start is always delayed a bit, or so it seems, and we finally got going at 7:15 or so.

Whatever happens later the first 10km of the ride are a joy.  Bombing along at 50kmph or thereabouts down the valley road.  Big peloton, lots of adrenalin.  Half wanting not to overdo it, half wanting to get stuck in.  Wonderful.

Glandon

The first climb; the Col du Glandon – 24km.  Not my favourite – it’s too irregular for a big diesel like me.  The foot of the climb was rammed with riders which was probably a good thing as it calmed down my pace a little.  The first few kilometres are actually quite tough, largely tipping the gradient-o-meter above 8 or 9%.  Then there’s a small village, a tricky little descent before it kicks up again.  Pressing on I felt OK.  Maintaining a good pace but never feeling that great; I think paying the penalty for not riding many hills again this year.  The climb levels off a bit and I got stuck in.  It dawned on me that I was surrounded by riders with green numbers; ie chaps that started in the elite group and double-ie ergo better than me.  My heart rate was steadily, and comfortably, above 170 bpm (no power meter dagnabbit – too heavy :-)) which should have also been a troubling sign but still I kept going.

After about 1hr35 I made the top.  I’d decided to do the ride without support so I was using the regular feeds for water and whatever nuggets I could find in my back pockets.

The descent was effectively neutralised this year as it was not timed.  It’s a bit of a tricky descent and people have died though not for a couple of years.  This was the organisers attempt to try and slow things down a bit.  I was having none of it.  Official time or nay, I still had a time to beat.  I passed quite a few riders on the way down, but it’s such a narrow descent that there’s really not that much space to pass.  I tried an arsehole move into a hairpin that was a little misjudged and I could have taken myself and another rider out so I backed off and enjoyed the view.

Flat Bit

The French have beautiful mountains but they could have moved them a little closer together.  A flat(ish) drag for 30km’s or so breaks up the climbs and descents and it’s neither that scenic or enjoyable.  One advantage of catching up the elite guys was that the group I was in was brilliant. Slowing a bit at the bottom of the descent so we could eat then really upping the pace hastening our arrival at the foot of the Col du Telegraphe.

Col du Telegraphe

I sort of like the Telegraphe.  It’s regular at least – staying largely at my psychologically acceptable gradient of 8% for most of the climb.  Like the previous years it’s pretty hot so I guess it must be facing the right way to catch the sun.  I started strongly and stayed with the best riders in the group as lots of guys got dropped.  However as the climb wore on I had to back off a fraction to a pace that I was more comfortable with.  With a kilometre or two to go I could feel my legs cramping up. I didn’t need a power meter or even a heart rate monitor to gauge my effort – instead I could work just below my cramp threshold.  It was here that I also realised that I was going to lose my ability to get out of the saddle to break up the climbs which was a bit disheartening.

Col du Galibier

A quick descent of the Telegraph done it was on with the Galibier.  No doubt about it, the Galibier is a tough climb; if you’re feeling any less than 100% it’s going to beat up on you good and proper.  There’s a horrible steep straight climb out of the town at the foot followed by a morale sapping 10km or so that looks pretty flat but is a steady 8% or so. That’s all before you hit Plan Lachet and it turns nasty.  A long, steep, straight ramp looms above you and it doesn’t let up all the way to the top.  With 3km to go you can look up and see the top of the climb towering seemingly vertically above you; miles up in the sky.  I made it but it was not a pleasure.  At all.  It’s hard to describe the suffering – the long, painful slow grind.  Praying for it to be over.  To stop hurting.  Playing every mental trick; counting breaths, converting kilometres to miles to make them sound more palatable.  Trying to take small sips of drink when the hairpins flatten the gradient a fraction.

On the plus side I’d made 5 hours or thereabouts which is about the benchmark time for me to hit last year’s time.

This gives me about an hour or so to get to the foot of the Alpe and just over an hour to get to the top.  If I’m feeling fit.  Re-fill of the water-bottles and off.  Crazy descent time.  I don’t even know how far it is from the top of the Galibier to Bourg D’Oisans; maybe 40km.  Mostly downhill.  Mostly fast.  Some badly lit tunnels.  And, luckily, much less traffic this year than last which meant that I could take fewer risks and still make a reasonable fist of it.

Alpe D’Huez

I was not feeling bullish about the Alpe.  In previous years the estimable Paul Martin has partly justified staying in Alpe D’Huez on the basis that you have to finish the ride; that it would simply be too tempting to quit if staying in Bourg for example.  This year, for the first time I understand.  I’d made a hash of the Galibier and was not feeling remotely fresh.  I’d found the brief ascents on the way to the foot of the Alpe energy sapping and was unable to get out of the saddle which was going to make the climb of 14km very hard work.  It was also baking hot.

So my calculation was that if I endured 1h15 of total suffering I might just make last year’s time.  Hardly a great payback. The ninety degree left kicks off the climb and you are faced with a long 11% section up to the first of the 21 hairpins.  Starting as it means to go on.  Oddly I left behind all but one of the group that I was in which was a real surprise as I slowly plugged away.  On bend 18 Justin, doing support this year, very generously offered to take my helmet without requiring me to stop which was nice.

I don’t know if the counting down of the hairpins helps or hinders.  Likewise the kilometre counters.  21 doesn’t factor well; 24 would have been much better.  It was desperately hot – I swerved to the wrong side of the road to find a brief moment of shade and poured water over my head and was tremendously grateful for the overhead spray half way up.  I was passing other riders more than I was being passed.  And I was genuinely suffering.  Without recourse to be able to stand every time the gradient pitched above 9% my cadence dropped with my morale.

But you have to finish so I ground on.  Slowly the kilometres ticked by.  Alpe D’Huez is not a long climb at 14km and it’s not even massively steep.  But it barely lets up the whole way.

Finish

I did not feel the usual euphoria as I got into the town.  Checking my computer suggested that I could finish in about 7hr20 which was good if not great.  Over the line I went and was neither happy nor sad.  Just relieved it was over.  I was, however, very pleased to find Rachel, Annabelle and the recently finished AndyC waiting for me.  I was very pleased also that Rachel had an iced Diet Coke for me.  And I was pleased that AndyC had had a good, hard ride and had finished not much more than a minute or so before me.

More Finish

Our chalet was located on the entrance to the town and we had a third floor vantage point of the course.  It was great to see the other riders coming in.  What is nice about the Marmotte is that,  irrespective of fitness, everyone has an epic day and I have a lot of respect for those still limping up the Alpe five or more hours after I finished.  The patrons of the bar opposite were generous in their support of the riders especially if they were female.  My favourite moment of the day – the standing ovation, cheers and applause for the one-legged rider that completed the entire ride.  It’s impossible to imagine how he did it.  If ever there was a chapeau due…

After weeks and months of relative abstinence it was great to have a beer or two, some champagne and enjoy a bit of the TdF Prologue and a delicious celebration tea.

Overall

I’d not had the Steve Redgrave moment the last two times I’ve done this ride.  For sure it’s hurt but I had the joy of finishing at all the first time and, as a bonus, with a reasonable time, the second time I rode well and knocked 50 minutes off my time.  This year I didn’t ride that well and managed to knock 7 minutes off my time; but this was only achieved with a considerable amount of pain.

I had a diluted Steve Redgrave moment this year – immediately after I’d finished I said "I’m not sure I want to do that again – I don’t want to suffer like that again".  One day later this has subsided and I’m already plotting for a better time for next year.  But, as I’ve found with most events this year, it’s getting harder and harder to improve.

My first year was just about the pleasure of riding my bike.  The second year was about actually training and getting some reasonable results.  My third year has been about trying to make the very best use of a limited amount of time and trying to find ways of making gains on the previous year.  I have done it but it has come with a cost – my training has been much harder and, to be honest, not as enjoyable and the upside has been, and could only be, relatively small.

It’s not, of course, that I thought I wouldn’t be subject to the law of diminishing returns – but maybe that I’d thought that I would not take myself so seriously that it would matter!

DaveM completed a really great ride and came in at 7hr40 which was a terrific job after a meltdown last year; 7hr30 next stop I think.

That’s two years in a row that AndyC and I have ridden separately over 174km and 5,000 metres of climb and finished a minute and +/- 20 seconds of each other.  40 seconds this year.  Ridiculous.  It suddenly dawned on me today that I was very close to beating him but actually I’m just as happy as I am.  Though maybe next year… :-)

Verenti Magnificat 2010

Another weekend, another sportive.  This time the Magnificat sponsored by Verenti.  Probably a bit too long at 205km but a good long ride in preparation for the Marmotte in a couple of weeks time.

Having been a little disparaging of the UK sportive scene earlier in the year I’ve had a change of heart.  Some of these events are terrifically well organised and give riders of all abilities something to have a go at. Yes,  there are lots of hairy legs around, and entry level bikes and people of all shapes, sizes and abilities – heck, some people even have the cheek to look as though they’ve turned up to enjoy themselves!

The whole event was very well organised; great facilities at the start/finish, quick sign-on, well signed and supported with decent feed stations.  I was also very grateful for the Mavic support who mended my gears so I had a very smooth ride.  Also the results were on the website by 20:00 the same day.  Amazing.

My goal for this event was quite simple.  I wanted to “win” it.  It takes a special kind of arrogance to look at a start sheet with 700 riders and believe that someone of my mediocre ability can get the fastest time but after the disappointment at the Dragon Ride I wanted a bit of payback.

90km Chase

I spent the first 90km kicking my own arse trying to catch the lead group.  We were set off in batches and PaulC and I were about 10 or 15 minutes down on the earliest starters.  I rode hard from the outset passing decreasing numbers of riders as the ride progressed.  I finally caught the lead group on the road and spent a couple of kilometres deciding what to do.

105km Solo

We hit a feed station after which there was a small climb.  Without really trying I put a bit of a gap between me and the other riders.  Trying to solo until the end of the ride from this far out seemed like utter madness so I backed off.  Still the group didn’t catch me so I thought ‘fuck it’ and just went.  I figured ‘out of sight, out  of mind’ so I put a decent effort in for about 10km before ‘relaxing’ into a steady, hard pace.

So the question – could I hold off the group for 3 hours on my own?  I had the pleasure of my own motorbike outrider who was staying at the front of the ride which was pretty cool.

And that was it really.  I rode my balls off for 3 hours haunted by the fear of being chased down.

The End

By the last 10kms I was pretty tired.  I was starting to get annoyed with the kilometres not counting down quickly enough and I was having to manage my legs a little as they were starting to cramp up.

With 2kms to go I got caught.  Not by the bunch, but by a team of three Torq (the nutritional sponsors of the event) Pro and Semi-Pro mountain bike riders that had set off 20 minutes or so after me.  I jumped on their wheels and rode with them until the end.

This meant that I didn’t win after all.  I came 4th which was still pretty respectable.  1st of the amateurs or 3rd of losers as a colleague of mine would say. 

Here’s a wee chart showing the first 30 finishers – in the end there were just over 400 finishers of the 127 mile ride.  Quite a few must have switched to the shorter route.

PaulC had a great day also; despite some mechanical woe still managing 12th place.

Dragon Ride 2010

The UK’s favourite sportive apparently.  Last year I had a good run in this event which meant that I felt a bit more pressure going into this one which is only faintly ridiculous.  A top 10 was the target with about 1,800 starters.

In total 117 miles which is probably a bit too long and has a tendency to drag on a bit if you know what I mean.  Reasonably hilly but I still maintain it doesn’t make the best of the Brecon Beacons.  There’s a much better ride of this length on offer given the terrain.  It has a reputation as a hilly ride but I only recorded 2,500 meters which is hardly a great deal spread across a ride of this length.

The weather forecast wasn’t that great but actually it turned out rather well.  A decent Bigfoot contingent turned up at the start and we set off.  DavidM, PaulS, AndyC and I set a good early pace.  DavidM deciding that the pace on the first climb was a bit much and dropped off.  I settled for shouting “Colvin you cock, my heart rate’s already at 180”.  I had my first sign of things to come when my chain came off when shifting to the small ring on the front.  Fortunately I managed to wrestle it back on with the shifter.

Nutrition

I was feeling a bit dodgy.  I thought I’d try out a new nutritional strategy – never to be repeated – with a breakfast consisting of white rice, eggs and lightly smoked salmon.  It felt like it was trapped in my chest and every few minutes I’d burp foul salmon.  Gross.

Parlee Woes

On the next climb my chain came off again.  This time it didn’t shift back on so I was off the bike.  Being my usual cackhanded self meant it took a while to get the chain back on and I was in the business of chasing back on; just what I fancied doing up a steep hill with Colvin setting the pace.

This happened twice more on the next hills; each time I needed to get off the bike.  To say I was a little fucked off would be an understatement.  This problem was then compounded when I couldn’t find a gear on the back of the bike that would stick.  I managed to sort of correct this using the barrel adjuster but this meant I lost my bottom gear for the rest of the ride.

Bit of Progress

Attempting to chase back on for the third time I puked up some revolting salmon in my mouth.

I was considering packing at this point.  This was my fourth ride (out of 4) on the Parlee that had been compromised by mechanical gremlins; loose handlebars, dodgy chain and now front and rear mech problems.

I managed to catch up with PaulS in the end and I decided that I would carry on the ride; I was tempted to ditch out and do the shorter ride and head home early.

We were in a good little group with a terrific rider in Giant kit and a wicked looking new Giant bike.  We all worked well together (within reason!) and made it to the middle feed station.

Despite still feeling ropey I was cycling OK.  On a long 6% drag I put about 200 metres into the group, not intentionally as such, but just setting a good steady pace.  I considered riding off but thought better of it.

Serious Incident

Soon after we were faced with a Range Rover driving on the wrong side of the road heading directly for us.  “He will turn,  he will turn, he will turn”.  Jesus fucking Christ.  He didn’t.  I was second wheel, PaulS third.  The chap at the front of the group braked and headed for the gutter, I followed suit.  PaulS braked but to avoid an overlap of wheels pulled out a fraction to be whacked on the shoulder by the wing mirror of the Range Rover.  We were in a state of disbelief.

PaulS managed to stay on the bike somehow and pulled over.  His shoulder in a right mess.  The idiot stopped about 100m down the road and made several contradictory statements about why he nearly killed us.  I can only guess at what happened.  He must have seen us.  I think he was trying to shake us up a little and misjudged it.  That’s about as innocent an explanation I can find.  Either way it was fucking ridiculous.

PaulS was amazing actually.  How he managed to handle the situation so calmly and stoically I’ll never know.  This even extended to some well-judged comedy pointing at that it could have been so much worse; the Parlee could have been damaged! A first aider, then an ambulance and the police turned up.  PaulS ended up going to hospital to be checked out and fortunately (and incredibly) nothing was broken.

Better finish the ride…

With little motivation I decided to carry on – I had no choice anyway.  All hopes of a top 10 were gone but in fairness the mechanicals had probably done for me anyhow.  I slowly got back into the ride and actually finished quite strongly.  Working with the chap from Giant was fine until another climb came along and my chain came off again. I had to manage a bit of cramp but nothing too serious.  I motored up the Bwlych and then bombed back into Pencoed.

The teething problems aside the Parlee with the Zipps was simply awesome on the run-in to the finish.

Overall

Shitty, frustrating day in summary.  I managed 6hr08 but taking off my stationary time and adjusting for mechanicals I would have scraped a top 10, or 11.  On a better day without misfortune I probably could have made another place or two.  My time was also 10 minutes quicker than last year but minor consolation frankly.

AndyC did really well placing 7th which is awesome.  DaveM rolled in at 6hr17 – a good hard ride.

The route was well-signed and the support and marshalling seemed pretty decent.  The food stations always draw criticism but I thought there were OK this year.  The timing chip in the number was genius.

Pictures to follow perhaps.  Though pictures of me covered in oil don’t really appeal!

Parlee avec Zipp

Finally got my bike all sorted.  Should have gone for a decent set of wheels in the first place.

The brilliant mechanic at Bespoke also sorted out my “noisy gears” problem; it turned out to be neither the rear mech or the hub, but the SRAM chain.  Replacing it with a KMC number fixed the problem.

It might have been psychological but I think this might have improved the downshifting problem I was moaning on about last week too.

SRAM – Early Report

I’ve now done a few rides on my new SRAM groupset so I’d thought I’d share some early thoughts.

First the positive.  It looks good. Very good actually.  Also the brakes are really outstanding – outperforming both all of the Shimano and Campag kit I’ve used in the past.

Also the hoods are comfortable and the ‘brake de-detensioner’ works in the same way as Shimano kit which is so much better than the Campag solution.

Finally, and helpfully, the chain/cassette is compatible with Shimano which is a big bonus as it enables wheels to be swapped between bikes easily.

Now the negative.  There’s always a negative :-).  The double-tap system.  I suspect you either hate it or don’t really like it but, having spent your hard-earned cash can’t admit to others and probably not event yourself, convince yourself it’s sort of OK. 

For the uninitiated the double-tap system utilises a single lever for both up and down shifts.  For the rear mech this involves a single short click to change up and a longer throw (through the ‘up click’) to change down one or more gears.  The upshift is great.  Nice short throw (going back to Shimano feels like steering a barge afterwards) and a very crisp, sweet action.  But the downshift is a disaster.  Changing down a single gear requires the control and judgement of a ninja.  Sometimes I plain forget and end up changing up rather than down.  Other times I don’t forget but don’t push past the up-shift sufficiently so end up changing up at the most inconvenient times.  But mostly I overcompensate and change down 2 or 3 gears by mistake, then have to tap back up to the required gear.  When not under any pressure it’s a bit easier to use.   But when racing, or needing fast accurate shifts when climbing, it’s not good at all.

I’ve said this is an early report.  I’m probably not helped by switching back to my Dura Ace kit on my other bike frequently.  But first impressions are not that great.

If I could click my fingers as swap back to Shimano, would I?  Simply put – yes I would.

Evans King of the Downs 2010

I gave this ride a bit of a slagging last year – a bit unfairly as they were victims of unfortunate timing as the event was ruined by truly appalling weather. 

Not so this year.  It was a beautiful day.  As it turned out whatever we did was going to be overshadowed by Bigfooters elsewhere (bloody Andy Colvin and his showing off!), but 5 of us (PaulC, DaveM, KevG, PaulS and I) set off on a 113 mile figure-of-eight route centered around Crawley taking in some of the toughest climbs on offer in the environs; first in Surrey and then in Kent. 

I did a bit of early pace-setting to set the mood for the ride, but with this being my fourth tough ride in the space of 7 days I wasn’t expecting too much.  We hooked up with a really strong mountain biker using the event for fitness training.  Slowly the number of riders able to keep up began to decline; first PaulC and KevG, then PaulS, then DaveM.  Then me :-).

I had an unpleasant re-introduction to the world of cramp and spent the last 40 miles nursing my legs through the pain.  I enjoyed neither Yorks or White Lane.

My power output sagged as the ride went on but I still managed my target time of 6 hours; in fact 5hr55.  Not amazing I suspect but respectable enough.

DaveM rolled in 10 or 15 minutes later and PaulS another 5 or so after that.

The event was well organised, feed stations good, they had proper timing chips (though I was not officially entered so I was without) and the nutritional options at the end of the ride were better than last year.  All in all a good effort by Evans.

Ride Time 5hr55

Ave Power (NP) 280W

TSS 456

Majorca 2010

Another year, another great trip to Majorca.

Much like last year it has the perfect combination of weather, terrain, quiet and smooth roads and beautiful scenery.

I didn’t take one of my own bikes this year; instead I hired a bike from Pro Cycle Hire.  This turned out to be the right decision I think.  I was able to book the bike online, got practically instant responses to my nagging emails, the bike was excellent and the service and shop opening hours all impeccable.  The only issue was that the bike was maybe too good!  I didn’t want to give it back.

Finally I tried again to capture the marvel of the Sa Calobra climb, this time taking several pictures and stitching them together in Photoshop.  It’s impossible to get the full glory (it’s 10km at 7%) but you get a bit of a taste here.

SERRL Lamberhurst/Frant 09 May 2010

Another weekend, another race.  After a solid performance last weekend it was back to earth with a bump with another humiliating outing at Crystal Palace on Tuesday.  I’ve been feeling jaded all week; probably a combination of strict diet, life pressures and a modicum of overtraining.  If every time I stand up I see stars and feel faint and I’m struggling to navigate the stairs in my house maybe it’s time to re-assess my strategy…

On the plus side I’d spent a full two days off the bike and, as the weather looked just about OK, I decided to run the Parlee with new Zipp wheels.  Alas the Blackberry camera doesn’t do it justice.

At least the weekend races always start on a high; picking up ReubenE with guaranteed county-level banter.  We arrived absurdly early and, to avoid the risk that anyone would think we were bummers, we thought we’d do a recce of the course.  After two attempts we gave up being no wiser and merely made us worried about how hilly the course would be.

I also met KevX, a Bigfoot rider and triathlete that I’ve not previously met.  The village hall was only 3* this week compared to last 5* emporium, but more than adequate nonetheless.  The course is 5 laps of of just over 20km with about 1600m of climbing in total; nothing really severe but challenging rolling terrain.

I can’t remember much about the early part of the race.  I felt comfortable enough with the pace; sufficiently so that I managed to be enticed into an early break attempt and did some nice long pulls off the front.  My usual strategy is to a) wear myself out giving me a slim chance of a decent overall result and, much more importantly b) giving me the perfect excuse for not getting a decent overall result.  Today was no exception.

ReubenE confirmed that he had not recovered from his mid-week illness and KevX had a puncture so both were out within 2 laps.

I spent the rest of the race yo-yo’ing backwards and forwards in the group.  With 25km to go I was feeling weary and had mentally consigned myself to a mediocre result as I couldn’t imagine having much left at the end for the bunch sprint and certainly didn’t feel like I had the energy to attempt a break.  The hills were starting to hurt and I was wishing that I was a bit closer to my ‘Marmotte weight’.

On the hill that led up to the start/finish line KevG from Avanti launched another big attack off the front with one lap to go.  It was all I could do to hang on to the chasing group.  Monster effort.  I just don’t have anything like that sort of explosivity and it’s impressive and depressing to watch in equal measure.

One  lap to go and the chase was on.  With about 10km to go the chasing group, including me, caught KevG and the chap that had managed to go with him on a hill.  I can’t remember exactly what happened as I was exhausted but I ended up in a two-man break with about 10km to go.  No big attack but I just kept pushing on the hill. 

In a straight fight between 2 riders and the group; the 2 should lose.  The other guy in the break was strong and we worked really well together in the end.  Being in a break is tough; every fibre in your being is telling you to stop but you kid yourself into thinking that you might defy the odds and make it. 

My heart rate averaged 176bpm for the last 20 minutes which is over 95% of my max.

We finally made it to the foot of the last climb.  The other chap in the break had the edge over me and opened up a 20 metre gap, maybe more.   I was only praying that I could hold off the bunch; a few furtive checks behind me gave me some confidence it was going to be OK.

I crossed the line delighted.  Second place in my second road race and a ballsy performance I’d like to think.

I have earned enough points in two road races to qualify for my 3rd Cat license.  Which is just as well as my thoughts now turn to training for the Marmotte.

Match stats 103km, 1600m climbing, 2hrs52 race time, NP 306W, peak 20 minutes NP 357W.

SERRL Benenden/Cranbrook 2nd May 10

After a fairly non-descript start to the season it was with a strong sense of anticipation I approached my first ever road race.  Theoretically I felt that this type of event should suit my strengths (such as they are) better than criteriums but after a string of indifferent performances confidence was not that great.

Like all the best outings on a bike, it starts with me picking up ReubenE who’s very good company but by no means has he been a harbinger of success so far.  Though perhaps one day I’ll be able to look on him the way that some view their lucky pants.

Rolvenden Village Hall is a much better facility that one might have expected and we met up with the other guys (PaulC, KevinG, PaulS and AndyC) and mulled our prospects are the conditions worsened.

The race commenced with a neutralised section which was a mixture of exciting (I’ve never had motorbike outriders and service cars before!), miserable (as it was chucking it down) and a bit scary (as the bunch felt a bit jittery).

Even after 9 laps I didn’t really get to grips with the course.  But it was mostly rolling with a hill or two, nothing too steep or challenging. 

AndyC launched a big attack early which I belated decided to follow putting in a big effort to catch the lead group.  However, the group was not that strong and we eventually got absorbed back into the bunch.

Despite the absymal conditions having 5 other riders from the same team meant that we could share a bit of gallows humour.  By the middle of the race my fingers were so cold that I could not get my energy bar out of my back pocket and I changing gear was getting tricky.  Following the wheel in front closely meant taking in huge gulps of water.

AndyC ended up in another much more successful break with two other guys which was good for two reasons; we were absolved from chasing down duty on the front and we had the prospect of another great result for Bigfoot (not necessarily in that order).

However, it didn’t end this way.  With 3 laps to go we past a forlorn AndyC holding his wheel that had punctured.

Soon after KevinG launched a phenomenal effort and seemed to gain 400 meters on the bunch in no time at all.  I followed the chase which whittled down until there was no-one left apart from me.  I looked round to see where the bunch were.  Some distance behind.  Unsure what to do I pressed on.  I spotted another rider up ahead so I worked until I caught him and we worked well together to put more distance between us and the peloton.

We eventually caught KevinG with a lap or so to go.  I was so desperate for a half-decent finish and really didn’t want to get caught by the bunch so I was happy to put in big efforts to try and make sure  this didn’t happen.

I was pretty dead by the final climb to the finish line but was happy that we’d stayed clear.  KevinG was strong to the finish and took third and I rolled in a relieved fifth.  Absolutely bursting for a piss!

Excellent strong rides also by PaulC, PaulS and ReubenE and terrible luck for AndyC.

Total Ride Time 2hrs40

Average Normalized Power 302W

Hopefully some comedy pictures to follow.

Hog Hill 24th April 2010

With a very mixed start to the season the ambitions for today were pretty modest – to finish the race.

I decided to get the Parlee out of storage for it’s first use in anger.  I couldn’t bear to put the ‘wheelchair wheels’ that Geoffrey Butler built for me on it so I rode with my PowerTap-less Dura Ace wheels.  So no power.  Or heart rate.  Or speed. 

The pace of the race was reasonable and I was very comfortable in the bunch. 

Repeating the mantra ‘do not ride on the front, do not ride on the front’ I ended up on quite a few occasions riding on the front.  I can’t help it.  I like to be at the sharp end of the race and somehow it just happens. 

Barry from Bespoke went off the front early and I was sorely tempted to try and join him but with a DNF already at this track this year after a daft push off the front I decide to play it cautiously instead.

The race was 1 hour plus 5 laps.  With just under an hour gone I got horrendous cramp on the hill simultaneously in both calf muscles.

I had to totally back off and I thought my race was over.  From the front end of the bunch to the back and off.  I must have been at least 150m off the back.  I practically resigned myself to my fate of another DNF.  However, my legs slowly started to come back so I thought I’d do another lap and see what happened.  After a mighty effort for 2 laps I managed to claw my way back on.  After another lap or so getting my breath back I made my way back to the front of the group.

With only about 3 laps to go I was pretty bushed but managed to hold on for the last lap and finish comfortably in the bunch. 

The modest outcome dovetailing nicely with the modest ambition.

Other Bigfooters?  ReubenE, like a lot of other riders, did not stick the pace for the whole race though ReubenE’s downfall may have been down to an ill-advised early dig at the start of the race.  PaulS put in another very solid, strong performance and finished 5th I think.  Brilliant.

(all pictures courtesy of DaveC)

Ride with GPS

Have struggled manfully with Bikely for preparing routes for my Garmin I think I’m about to finally jump ship to another system.  Bikely suffers from being on unreliable servers and from a total lack of development.  Fair enough; it’s free after all.

I have looked at a few others over the years but they have either been rather scruffy or cluttered with ads.

However Ride with GPS seems excellent.  It does everything I need including exporting directly into the all-important TCX format.

Goodwood 11th April 2010

Not too bad-wood anyway.

Much better outing today.  I decided early on that a dull “tactical” ride was not for me so rode in a manner much more natural for me.  Fortunately a couple of other riders were of a similar frame of mind and so it ended up being a nice spirited race.

Despite the pace being the same as the last race (average 39kmph) it felt windy practically for the whole lap which meant that a) it was hard work and b) there was little chance of a break getting away.

I spent most of the race in the first 3 or 4 places doing good long turns on the front.  Tactically unsound of course but a much more enjoyable way to spend time.  In contrast to the last race where the entire 75-strong bunch stayed together today’s effort was more fragmented; and the better for it.

I had another pathetic dig off the front which came to nothing.  With 3 laps to go no-one else seemed keen to pull the remainder of the peloton around so I did.  With less than half a lap to the end I expected riders to come flying by me as I was pretty knackered.  They did but I should have had a little more faith as I was able to start re-taking the lost places on the hill.

I finished up outside the top 10 but reasonably strongly considering the efforts that I’ve made during the race.

Average power (normalized) for the ride was 323W for 1hr17 minutes; the best  20 minutes was 336W.  The figures sound pretty good but my race-craft is still sadly lacking.

Not too sure what happened to ReubenE but he was still showing pretty strongly at the end so he can’t have been doing too badly.  More importantly he was great company which made for another enjoyable outing.

Rouleur Magazine

Receiving Rouleur Magazine is always a bit of a treat.  Each one is a thing of beauty and there are usually an article or two of interest.  However, this quarter’s is fantastic.  The contents are as follows

• Jan Hirt by Herbie Sykes and Ben Ingham
• Never Give an Inch by Johnny Green
• Shimano: Part Two by Guy Andrews and Taz Darling
• Gino by Herbie Sykes
• England by Rouleur Photographers
• Columbus by Guy Andrews and Ben Ingham
• Le Metier by Michael Barry and Camille J McMillan
• The Knowledge by William Fotheringham

The Jan Hirt thing looks particularly fascinating as it follows a 18 year old as he tries to cut it becoming a pro.  This will be an ongoing feature in coming magazines.

And, of course, it’s chock full of beautiful photography, including some from the UK.

Surrey League Goodwood Motor Circuit

Nice early start.  Doubly so.  I couldn’t be 100% certain that my Blackberry would adjust for Daylight Saving Hours so I set it an hour early just in case.

I picked up the estimable ReubenE at 06:45 and we headed down to the circuit.

We arrived in plenty of time so we had a bit more time for banter that was probably more to my taste than poor Reuben.  It was pretty chilly too.

About 40 or 50 riders lined up at the start.  The race started at a dire pace.  Not for Reuben as he instantly went on the attack however he was quickly re-absorbed back into the bunch.  In fact Reuben made 6 attacks in total with a spirit that was most admirable.

I was trying to ride sensibly and conservatively which I did and for 30 minutes averaged on 215W which is comfortably less than “all-day pace”.  This should have left me plenty of spare horse-power which was probably the case.  But I didn’t feel amazing and I just lacked the will, or motivation, or knowledge, or inspiration to know what to do.  I slowly edged toward the front of the bunch (which contained a couple of dreadful riders) and for a reason I can’t remember put in a bit of a dig to no particular effect which went nowhere for a couple of laps.   Merely pulling the bunch along.  After a couple of laps of this nonsense I backed off to conserve a bit of energy.

With two laps to go I put in a proper dig into the wind.  It looked for a while like I might be able to get away but I was pulled back into the bunch.  I had one last roll of the dice on the final ‘climb’ and I gave it full beans but could not get away and instead I dragged the bunch up the hill.

With a couple of corners to go I backed off.  It was a bit of a sausage party and I didn’t fancy getting caught up in any mess in the chicane.

Some middling stats for a middling ride

Ave Power 288W

Distance 50km

Ave Speed 39.2kph

TSS 117.4

Congratulations to ReubenE who rode with enterprise and spirit. 

Parlee Z2

Finally!  I have my hands on my new bike.  A very, very beautiful Parlee Z2.

I know what you’re thinking.  Time to invest in some deep rim wheels to really do it justice. And you’d be quite right.

I can’t say enough good things about Barry Scott and Bespoke Cycling.  What I will say is that if you want a fantastic bike, great service, want to feel good about yourself, your bike and your life I suggest you get your arse up to Hoxton Square sharpish.  The level of support, service, detail and care really is exceptional.  I can’t imagine buying a bike from anyone else in the future.

The bike itself is exactly what I wanted.  Exquisite, understated and quite beautiful.  The photographs do not do it justice.  It rides extremely well and feels like it’s urging me to ride harder. 

The initial feel of the SRAM groupset is good.  The brakes are excellent.  The gears might take a little getting used to; upshifting feels fine, downshifting still a little uncertain.

More pictures here.

PS Note the ‘shut up legs’ t-shirt.  How did it ship from Australia so quickly!

“Action” Shot

A nice short of yours truly from the SERRL website.

Grim weather, grim expression.  Taken, I think, during my moment of glory at the front of the race.

Shut up legs…

My dismal performance on Saturday can only be explained by the following failings

• I’m not overtraining enough
• I’m not spending enough money

So I’m going to increase the number of threshold and VO2max sessions that I attempt to perform – remember it’s not the finishing of each session that’s important, only the intention, the pain and the humiliating climb-down.

And I’ve got spending too.  I pulled the trigger on this Cycling Tips t-shirt, which despite the fact that it’s being shipped from Australia (!), is a mere £35 or thereabouts.

As you can see, success can only be just round the corner.

(and thanks to DaveC for the accurate diagnose of my race preparation flaws so far – let’s just hope it’s not too late!)

First Race of 2010, First DNF

Well, not quite the start to the 2010 season I was after!

PaulS kindly picked me up and drove me to the venue; Hog Hill.  Not the finest day weather-wise to be honest.  After the winter we’ve had the fact it wasn’t freezing bloody cold was some consolation but it was wet and windy.

We bumped into DaveC and ReubenE in the car park and it was a pleasure to meet up, get signed in and get changed.  That was roughly where the pleasure ended.

The last, and only, time I’ve raced at Hog Hill I breezed the ride.  I didn’t score any points, but I was very comfortable indeed with the pace.  Not today.  It was hard work.

The course was heavy with standing water and I had a wet arse and feet after 10 minutes of warming up. 

The race kicked off and I was expecting a few easy laps while I considered my strategy.  That did not happen.  The pace was pretty sharp from the outset, though by about the 4th or 5th lap I found myself at the front and kicking my own arse.  I spent a lap at the front which may or may not have done for me. 

The graph below shows my power output in yellow and my heart rate in red.  The dotted yellow shows my rough (+/- 15W) FTP (threshold power).

Even though the pace had settled down I was feeling pretty fatigued.  The race was split up, with a couple of breakaways, lots of stragglers inexplicably continuing to ride even after being lapped and a small peloton.

At about 45 minutes I slowed, waved on those behind me, and made my last ascent of the hill at the end of the lap.  Funny; but quitting always feels like a psychological rather than a physiological failure.  Either way it was pretty disheartening.

Luckily ReubenS had also quit so I had some company as I watched DaveC and PaulS battle on.  Both finished the race; PaulS even putting in a really good effort with a sprint to finish 12th; not bad at all as two breakaways hoovered up the first 10 spots.

The stats from the ride were quite interesting.

I spent a third of the race in L6 (anaerobic, that is > 363W) – that is unsustainable in theory I think and in practise it turned out this way. 

My peak power, or ‘best x minutes’ are as follows

I’m not sure if these figures are good, bad or indifferent. If I’d finished the race I’d be quite pleased with them :-).