Its been a hectic few weeks since my last update, there has been broken bikes, saving mates and complaints with a company in Italy.
So this tale starts a couple of weeks ago on what should have been a pretty normal and not that interesting 10mile Time Trial in the fast V718 near Hull. Actually it starts the day before...
One of my friends is getting married in a few weeks, in fact he is marrying one of my team mates at York Cycleworks, Jess, and as with all good weddings there is a preceding stag do, this was to be Karting followed by a couple of drinks and an Indian, which all sounds great. There are a couple of things here that need to be pointed out,
1. Karting is bloody hard work - I used to do it a lot and it was hard work then, and its still hard work now.
2. Staying up late is bloody hard work - I used to do it once upon a time, before I had a child, but not a late night is 2130
So off we went to Tockwith Karting good little track and twin engine karts capable of 50mph, although some of them are looking a little 2nd hand these days, our group got joined by a smaller group and the qualifying began, I hadn't sat in a kart since I lost weight and was pleasantly surprised to be able to slot in with relatively little effort, after 20 Min's of qualifying I was to start the 40min race 2nd.
The race started and I was able to get into the lead off the line and start eeking out an advantage over the chasing pack, there were inevitably some crashed as people speared off into tyre barriers and tried ambitious overtakes, I had started the race in a kart with a very ling brake pedal, but I took some solice from the fact it did work, just!
After a few laps the lad from the other group who had landed on pole caught me up in traffic and then under waved yellow flags made his move to pass, this was an outrage, but sadly no amount of arm waving seemed to make a difference, so I set out trying to catch him and retake the lead... that didn't happen, the brake pedal got longer and longer and for the last 10 minutes or so I had no brakes of any merit and had to settle for 2nd.
Still it was good fun although I knew I would be sore in the morning, in fact I was sore then, my arms felt like I had spent the morning lifting pig iron down the gym, I was worried if I would be able to pick up a pint in the evening let alone race the next day.
But that wasn't the point, I would sooner sacrifice a race to be out with my mates, quick dash home to get changed and off into town. I'm not a big drinker these days and I have an odd intolerance to some beers so I played it safe and opted to drive, this also saved me a £40 taxi home mind! After a lovely meal we all parted ways at something past midnight.
Sunday morning came round all too quickly, the race was in the afternoon but the alarm clock that is my daughter went off at 0600ish and up we got, I didn't exactly spring out of bed more clawed my way to the bathroom muttering something about it being too bright.... I knew this was going to be a hard day for racing!!
Luckily the course is a local one for us and off we trotted, Fiona was racing as well and had an early start time, the plan being she would ride while I looked after Erin and then I would ride and then pedal home after the race, sounded great if I wasn't day dreaming about by warm and cosy bed where I could sleep.... certainly at that moment it had more appeal that a dull dual carriageway that leads into Hull.
Fiona got back and was suggesting it was a fast day, not the fastest but a good one, she had just smashed 25sesconds off her PB, I was hopeful for a PB but not expecting anything as I was hanging, it was like a hangover but just through lack of sleep and karting.
The race was largely uneventful, I was making good time and I was on for a solid PB, then at about 7miles I had a pant filling moment, the right elbow cradle snapped off, basically all my upper body weight is resting on these pads and it just came off, needless to say i weaved about which on a dual carriageway is not what you need, it also meant that riding in the aero tuck was almost impossible as the top of the bar is very slippy so getting my arm to stick on it was, lets say, challenging, not helped by the fact my upper body had the strength of a small child after karting the previous, it was going to be a hard last few miles.
Despite all of this I limped over the line in 19mins 41sec for an 11 second PB, which given the condition I was in and the issues with the bike I was pretty pleased with.
As I pedalled home I was considering my options, but figured I would just order the parts and fix the TT bike, after all its 2 weeks until the 50 miler and that should be plenty of time in this day and age to get a couple of parts, oh how naive of me!
Wandered into York Cycleworks and while the cradles were available the actual bracket was only available in 16-30 days... How? This is not an issue with York Cycleworks but one with the UK distributor of 3T parts, I can get them quicker direct I thought! So with the cradle coming from YCW I set about getting the bracket direct, I tweeted them initially as I was a little frustrated that the bolts just snapped off, they said to email and they would arrange for new bolts to be issued, but I needed more than the bolts so I sent then an email explained what I needed and waited for the response.... not a sausage, I tweeted them again but just went ahead and ordered the parts, hoping they would be with me in time, but they wouldn't, while getting my road bike ready for TTing I got 3 offers from friends to borrow bikes, this was amazing and certainly unexpected but I was very grateful and thankful, Tom Winn from Selby Cycling Club had a spare bike, a Blue Triad, which he kindly offered and Steve Gelder built it up for me, Di2 and everything.
So with a couple of familiarisation rides it was in at the deep end with a 50 mile TT.
I don't do many races of this length, not sure why but this one is very close to where I live with the HQ being in Melbourne, its flat but not fast course, there are lots of junctions and turns which make it a bit stop start but I had a time in mind, sun 1hr 50min, that would be 27.3mph for the 50miles and a new course record.
I had a good meal the night before and dragged myself out of bed early to get my number and a coffee, back at home I get my bike ready with a speed fill bottle from my triathlon days, which allows me to drink without coming out of the aero tuck and shove 2 gels up my legs.
The plan was simple, 40mins of riding, take a gel, 40mins of riding take another gel, with a hydration drink that would get me to the end.
Setting off I felt really good, Rob had tapered me into this race as part of my taper for the national 25 the following weekend, so my legs were fresh, I was flying ticking off the miles and sitting comfortably above the 27mph mark, I had confidence that I could maintain the speed and break the 1hr50min barrier.
I was also ticking off the other riders, in the field, this was a little worrying as I did think I may have gone out a little hot but no matter, I had a plan and that was all I needed!! Soon I had passed all the other 50mile riders and started passing the 100mile riders (there are 3 races held at this event, a 50mile, 100mile and 12hr), my speed was good and I took on my gels as expected.
It quite a pleasant course taking in the flat lands, but luckily I know the roads well as on more than one occasion I came across riders that seemed unsure of the way, so I was able to help them out and tell them which way to go.
Through 40miles I had a lead of 1min, then things started to fall a part... although not the bike... Suddenly my legs were heavy, turning the gear became increasingly difficult, i found myself changing down, again, again, again... speeds from 27-28 became speeds of 25mph, then 23 mph then 20 mph, I was in deep trouble.
I watched as the average speed just ebbed away, 27.5mph become 27mph which then dropped below 27mph, I was in pieces, struggling to see I nearly rode head first into my wife who was driving the other way, I was dizzy and then started to feel sick. Its been a very long time since I have felt this bad on a bike.
I had to sit up and stop pedalling on more than one occasion, shake the legs and try to focus on the the task in hand, that 1 minute lead that felt so comfortable was being swept away in the space of a few miles, as I went over the canal I was tempted to get off and jump in, just for some relief, the humpback bridge felt like an alpine col, each rotation of the pedals was a painful disjointed affair, pedalling squares has never seemed more appropriate.
I struggled on, and after what seemed like a week I crossed the finish line, immediately I dropped of the 56tooth front ring to give some relief to the legs and I turned for the HQ, as I was pedalling back in I say Robbie from team swift, I knew at the point I had lost the 1st place by about 2 minutes, that was 3 minutes lost in the last 10miles, that was some blowup!!
Back at HQ I am first back and, they initially put me down as a DNF!! I was quick to point out that i hadn't just endured the 7 levels of hell to clock a DNF! Its all good banter and I look for somewhere to sit down!
So there is was I had missed the 1hr50min mark by 3 mins, although it was a new 50mile PB for me. It was a fuelling issue that cost me in the end, I just hadn't put enough in to sustain the effort, a lesson learned.
I doth my cap to those doing the 12hr, the thought of doing a 100 is bad enough but speding 12hours on a bike.. I think I would need therapy after that, oh and a cushion to sit on for a week...
Now we look ahead to the national 25mile Time Trial, big field, big names, I will be happy to get a top 20... anything better make me very happy indeed.
