Its race time again, 2 weeks after my last race it was time for a hilly Time Trial, which truth be told is not my sort of thing, I like going down hills but not so much the coming back up, and this course is 50% down hill on the way out and 50% uphill on the way back, it could not be more evenly split and you know full well that its going to hurt.
This event was an afternoon race, my start time was 1435 which gave me plenty of time to mill around and get myself worked up, last year I had a nightmare at this race, I got the the start to find my rear brake was binding quite badly, without the time or tools to fix it I set off knowing that I was not going to go well, which broke me mentally, so instead of giving it my all i pottered round muttering to myself about the bike and how I needed to have a stern word with the mechanic (which was also me).
This year I knew that without the brake issue I could go faster, I did a 26:45 last year and I would be pleased this year to go into the 25's. The field was pretty stacked, some strong riders including Phil Graves, Mark Wolstenholme, Joel Wainman and Jonathan Wears.
I had also not planned to taper much for this race, although Coach Rob had made the back end of the week slightly easier so that I was not totally burnt for the race, I made the decision not to taper because it was hilly so I knew I was likely to be beaten by a number of lighter and better climbers.
Standard pre-race prep, get to the sign on about 60mins before I start, get my number and get suited up, warm up begins with the "battle of the Velotoze" for those that dont know they are cover that goes over your shoes, made from the same material as swimming caps they offer aero benefits (marginal gains and all that) and the added benefit of HR increases through the pure physical battle to get them on!!
Quick kiss for luck from the wife and the little one and off on my warm up. Now my warm up is usually 20 mins or so, 5 mins steady pedaling into a build to flat out, a 2 min recovery and then 6x6sec sprints before hitting the start, this time though I didnt quite get it right, the undulating nature of Sledmere meant that I was either going too fast or grinding out too slow, so come the start I felt under prepared but happy to get the effort into the legs, speaking of legs it was sunny and "warm" so legs shaved and time to get them out!
As I mentioned the out leg is pretty much down hill so you know its going to be fast, and really you need to make the most of that to be able to get a good time, or at least I do, so my plan was simple make, make the most of my "gravitational advantage" on the way out and hang on as long as I can on the way back.
Heading out I actually felt pretty good, much better than expected, at the fastest part of the course I was overtaken by 2 cars that then preceded to hold me up, this is part of racing but it is frustrating, so at a point where I should have been doing 40mph I was doing 30-35mph and having to brake, not ideal, but I used it as recovery time.
At the turnaround point which is pretty much exactly half way I had averaged 30mph, now how much of that can I hold?
The way back is a gentle climb with 3-4 kicks, the gentle climbs are fine, I can focus on powering through them, but the kicks are brutal, you are already on the limit lungs and heart trying desperately to escape to freedom, eyes on stalks but you know you need to dig just a bit more, without changing gears I was out of the seat and stamping on the pedals, its only short lived, its only short lived, but its not when you crest the kick you need to get back down to business so the reality is you dont really recover from the effort until you cross the line!
3 miles from home, snot & spit all over my face I can almost feel the finish line, 2 more kicks to go and Im there, then dropping down into one of them a tractor causes traffic in front of me to stop, Im doing 30mph+ and hoping to use the momentum to drive up the kick, sadly that was not to be, on the breaks practically coming to a stop, again it racing, but it is frustrating.
The biggest issue is that I am in totally the wrong gear now for starting off, let alone climbing, but with the support of the crowd and marshalls at that point I grind may way off up the hill.
Thinking thats the race gone I am frustrated but keep my focus and work hard to the line, my frustration is short lived when I see my time 24:35 on the Garmin, thats 2mins:15 faster than last year, thats not too bad at all!!
Back at HQ I get some cake and sausage rolls (essential recovery fuel I think you'll find), and then start chatting to the others, I am not taking much notice of the results board until someone says I have 3rd place overall... To say I was surprised was an understatement, i nearly choked on my coffee cake.
So what seems like reasonable early season form is proving so, and the work that Coach Rob and the support from York Cycleworks is clearly having an impact and I am hoping that I can maintain the form for the season.
Next weekend I have a course more suited to me, flat and fast (so I will probably have a nightmare!!!), with confidence up I am hoping for a fast time!
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