MegaSack DRAW - 6pm Christmas Eve - LIVE on our YouTube Channel
I was reinvigorated for today’s race. After the balls-ups ofthe last few weeks, I was pinning quite a lot of hope on a visit to Odd Down.
At 90mins, it’s the furthest venue yet but actually, not abad run with the M4 light in both directions and Bath not mega busy.
The facilities are quite lively as it is a sports field toobut there was a café and loo’s/changing rooms etc.
This was the final round of their winter series whichcarried points down to 20th place I think and had good cash prizes.
There was quite a bit of banter between the regulars and 38 on the start line.
I warmed up on the Turbo for a change but with only 20mins,I did 170w for five minutes, 225 for five, 275 for two, then 300 for 1 and acouple of 30 sec bursts at 400.
The course is only about 30m wide in a back to front r shape and within that 30m are both lanes around 5m apart. This is actually pretty cool for spectating although it’s half a mile from the top to the bottom with a drop/rise in altitude that looks worse than perhaps the numbers suggest. The wind today was the non-prevailing Easterly which meant the first straight after the top hairpin was a lot tougher than would usually be the case. The two 180’s at the top and bottom required respect as did the uphill, outside corner of the back to front r.
Waiting to get a couple of sighting laps in, the women came tonking into the top hairpin by the gate on their bell lap, and one lady clipped the grass and crashed into another. The assembled Cat 4’s stayed quiet but I did hear a few gulps!
As it turned out, I sabotaged myself before we began but only by making a reasonable assumption. Which was that there would be a split.It has a reputation for being a selective course. Each lap effectively has three sprints out of tight corners- like a classic (American?) city centre course.
With a week’s worth of pent-up dreaming as usual, I burst out onto the warmup lap in fine fettle! Despite being a little tight earlier inthe day, my legs felt great and I found myself whistling down the wind at 26mph.RPE was playing tricks and the only reason for my good progress was way too many watts. I usually laugh at the 350w warm up guy who’s soon flailing in the race but today I was surely him!
Anyway, tight corners safely negotiated, I loved the course and felt great. Lining up in the second row, it was game on.
Being a newbie to the venue and the series was bliss! I hadno idea who the choppers were or even if it’s a crashfest or not. This helped considerably and instead of bracing myself and backing out of situations that looked imminently hairy, I kept my nose in there and held my line well. Mainly because I had too!!
As we set off, I was on or near the pointy end. RPE was still not calibrated and 360w pulls on the front felt like I could do them all day. Carving through the hairpins, I was out-accelerating everyone around me and feeling confident that this kind of pace would help force the inevitable split. A few of us worked together loosely and eventually, someone shouted forward that we had the gap. Feeling vindicated, we all kept drilling it. But the motivation in the bunch was high and not many turns later it seemed, the news that we were back together filtered forwards. Still attacks came and I kept trying to help ramp things up.
On one lap early on, I confidently flung my bike into the bottom hairpin and arrogantly began drilling it halfway through. SCHHHHHHR!!!! I had the biggest pedal strike ever! Thankfully the rear wheel couldn’t dislodge its hefty load but it meant my confidence was a little dented and I didn’t dare accelerate until the bike was stood up after that!
However! This was like nowhere that I had raced before in that three times a lap, a huge acceleration punished my relatively poor w/kg. The efforts out of three corners were 800w a go and that uses up matches at quite a rate. At around 8 miles in, so almost halfway, the group slowly reformed into a blob from the stretched-out line it had been so far and I was cooked!
NP was showing as 340w- so over FTP and the first time I’d ever seen it so high in arace. If the split had gone now, I would have been finished.
Drifting back with my chest heaving, I tried to swallow some sugar and recover. Normally, this is a simple task which, with a few cheeky tail-gunning moves and some care on the brakes can see you settle in at sub Z2 wattage. Not today! Those 3 efforts per lap were just as savage at the back as they were at the front. If not more so as the cornering of those around you was less assured, and by the time we were powering out of the top hairpin, the bunch were so far down the headwind straight that I couldn’t ease off for 30 seconds or more.
I knew I was too far back now but the cost of getting repositioned at the front was going to eat into my sprint reserves for what was surely now going to be a bunch sprint. So, I tried every line on the circuit to gain free places.Nothing doing! I even tried to get a bit fruity in the hairpins again but I couldn’t bring myself to risk another pedal strike.
No use crying over spilt milk- it was time to take responsibility for my poor positioning and early enthusiasm and began keeping the power on a little more out of each corner. Slowly I ticked people off and before I knew it, it was the Cat4 industry standard +3mph final lap! Rounding the bottom hairpin, I vaguely knew in the back of my mind it was a 50 second or so effort to the line. Time to empty the tanks of whatever reserves I had restored!
Making up places, we approached the tricky 90degree corner that is basically,as hard as how many people are going through it at once it seems. I.e. if you are solo, it’s not worth a second thought but with ten people surrounding you, your options and angles are limited.
For probably the one time all race, I was overly cautious here and decided to follow a Bath Uni rider through rather than punt it up the inside and let him deal with the consequences. Whether that cost me tenth place or better, I’ll never know but it certainly meant I opened up the taps from 5yards further back on the leaders.
My sprint wasn’t out of this world in terms of power but it was reeling people in- and fast. It was top 30% of all time for the final 30secs and top 25% of all time for the final 10 seconds but sadly, and like other weeks, it was from too far back and saw me cross the line mid-way along a strung-out pack.
The riders congregated around the Comms eagerly and I wished I was sharing their expectant excitement. “Hey, Red Handlebars!” shouted the Comm, “…come here!”
My mind raced! Was I in the points after all or was I due a bollocking for some unknown misdemeanour? I scooted over and he was busy counting out the places and relative numbers/bike descriptions. With no idea in my fuzzy mind what my number was, I was still none the wiser as he re-counted through the placings.
He had got past ten and not looked back up at me and I had no idea still and said; “So I wasn’t anywhere?” to which he replied “Yes….” and time stood still! I had done it after all. That final surge had brought me into the points and the mounting pressure of poor results and tactical blunders was eased!!!
“… you got 15th!” he finished his sentence! Grrr! He thought I would have been pleased with the series points but of course, they were irrelevant to me. Ah well, it was a nice surprise for a split second!
For some strange reason though, I can’t help but be pleased with the day. It was awesome weather, great to have Joe there, a friendly atmosphere and a cracking if brutal course that was genuinely satisfying to ride in its own right.
It was also a safe race with some of the highest overall riding standards I’ve seen. No crashes and just a tiny bit of grass surfing at one point.
I guess the reason Cat 4 racing is generally negative is that people commit to the bunch sprint. By committing to a different tactic, you of course accept the decreased chance of it paying off.And probably reduce your chances of a crash in the process. Well, I had a plan today and I committed to making it work. In hindsight it was the wrong one but I still recovered and got close to pulling off plan B V’s guys racing their plan A.
Self-justification for another ‘failed’ attempt? Maybe- but I honestly don’t think another point on my license would have trumped the fun few laps at the beginning- and the chance of 10 was worth it at the time.
On the cool down lap, a nice guy rode up alongside and was very complimentary about my bunch skills. He said he looked out for my wheel as I was very safe and very powerful! Beaming with pride,I felt really good to the point that I thought my head may explode. Then he said;“but if I can offer one word of advice- you’d be so much faster if you just bent your elbows!!” 🙂
🙂
Nice work crosshair! Sounds like you had fun. One of these days one of these stories will end with a podium, I'm sure!
Curious to know what happened in the 3rd Cat race at Hillingdon today. 7 DQ’s apparently???
Ah, the E,1,2 and 3rd Cat only races were run concurrently and the riders were DQ’d for drafting the quicker race.
Abingdon this Saturday but it looks set to be pretty bleak!!
Abingdon this Saturday but it looks set to be pretty bleak!!
I do wonder why you seem to race in the depths of winter 🙂
Surely racing in July would be far nicer...
Good luck either way though.... Wrap up warm !
Feb through to Apr are my quietest weekends at work for one thing but it’s still good fun obsessing before and after 🙂
It also helps sharpen your bunch skills in a relatively controlled environment that somehow feels a little safer than doing it on the Sunday club run.
Odd Down was lovely weather though- a glorious day to be out.
nothing to add, except a gentle LOL for
Then he said;“but if I can offer one word of advice- you’d be so much faster if you just bent your elbows!!
Re Hillingdon DQs - 3rd cat race eased to allow the E12 bunch through, then when the E12 group had a 10-15 second gap some riders attacked and sat on the E12 group for a free tow away. Left the rest of the 3rd cat bunch a little confused for the rest of the race!
Next time someone asks me, was it tough, I'll just show them this
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/38733298510/ ]2018-02-28_10-20-41[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode_lite ]Flickr2BBcode LITE[/url]
TiRed’s list?? Completed it mate 😎🤣
Even though it hasn't really started yet, I already felt like 2018 was getting away from me. Training at my FTP from December, I certainly didn't feel like I was being complacent- the workouts were tough!
But I'd ended up a victim in every race so far or so it seemed. Victim of the weather at Abingdon, victim of the crash at Hillingdon, victim of the crash at Thruxton and just simply out classed at Odd Down by the series regulars- I had stopped taking responsibility for my results.
It was time to take stock and sort out my act. First up was the TR ramp test. I had done one a couple of weeks prior and written off the result as being skewed by fatigue.
Low and behold, this one was identical! And minus 20w from where I had been training. No wonder I'd felt washed out and like I was going backwards. I was surviving the elevated workouts but not recovering.
Then there was weight! I'd been training to increase power only in Dec/Jan and eating what I liked. Whilst not so important on the flat, fast tracks, the extra KG's stung hard at Odd Down and were likely affecting my aero's too. So an embarrassed go on the scales and a bit of MyFitnessPal was also urgently required.
Bikes next and a discovery! Perhaps even important enough to account for some of my 'missing' FTP- the saddle on my Turbo bike was as far back as it would go and it had happened so gradually that I hadn't noticed!
Combined with the lower FTP, adjusting this correctly once more meant I could now complete shorter intervals in a (slightly) better aero position again.
The other is even more stupid! The 170mm Ultegra Stages I had bought from Sigma Sport in the 2016 Black Friday sale... the one I'd raced on throughout 2017..... it's a 175!!!!!!!! Paired with a 170mm crankset that I'd built the race bike up with to match! Hmmmmm!
So the cheapest solution was to get a new crankset and I decided to go for a 53/39 in the process and put the 50/34 on my CX bike.
Next up was a new skinsuit. A long sleeved, winter CX one. Racing in the thick fluro training jersey just wasn't on. I was now ready for whatever Abingdon could throw at me.
Feeling a little more in control of things, Snowmageddon had other ideas and Abingdon was cancelled. Ah well, I decided to line up a double header. Hillingdon on Saturday and Thruxton on Sunday.
And then Thruxton got cancelled too! With Hillingdon in the balance, I thought it might be for the best if that was cancelled as well, as my legs were sore from a couple of tough Build weeks.
As is often the case, this mornings weather wasn't as bad as forecast though and the race was on. I hadn't pre entered and the website didn't list the entries so I had no idea who my competition would be.
Signing on, I wondered where the other sheet of names was. Hey? Number 6! Five pre entries plus me.
A few more arrived and I actually felt worse for knowing it was a small field. Getting DNF/15 or 9/12 seemed to me to be the cruelest results imaginable!
I was prepared today. Not only did I have my winter skinsuit and base layer but I also had chemical hand warmers in my gloves and inside my shoe-covers. I'm not getting that cold in a race ever again! As it was dry (despite the continuous snow oddly), I left the leg warmers off though.
A couple of pre entries never showed and 7 of us hardy souls lined up. The pressure felt more intense than ever. This was the best chance I'd ever have for a podium.
Setting off in good spirits, a Loughborough Uni rider did his warmup on the front and we all filled in behind. I took a turn or two and tried to keep a lid on my excitement.
But it was hard not to open up a gap. Once or twice I found myself three or four bike lengths clear. A lap later, I looked around and noticed that the Loughborough guy, a Windy Millar and myself were clear of the others!
They hadn't noticed so I shouted out and we decided to press on, taking turns every 30seconds or so.
Another lap or two went by and Windy Milllar was five bike lengths back so I shouted to L.U. to press on a little harder still.
I was pulling the headwind (start/finish) straight every lap at 450w and Windy Millar said at the end of the race it was taking 400 for him even in my draft.
So, dream come true! In a 2-up breakaway. I was torn, and remain so, about whether to feel proud of this fact given the tiny field but hey, it was a legit race that anyone could have turned up to right?
As we lapped the woman's race for a second time, I dared to look back and couldn't even see another Cat4 rider.
With ten minutes plus three laps to go, L.U. started to play games. Timing it so I was pulling on the headwind straight again, he'd then attack me through BusStops and into Brian's. Being a lot lighter, this was his only slight advantage across the whole course but I managed to keep contact. Three to go, and we played a bit of Cat and mouse. Riding side by side, I commented that it was almost a shame to have to contest the finish and genuinely felt that way a little.
Bell lap then and we cruised almost side by side once more. A lapped rider suddenly ripped back past and I jumped thinking it was L.U. He jumped too and we sped up then slowed once more. Through Brian's and I knew my best advantage left was the downhill- so I attacked the climb. 900w over the top and 600 down the hill, I pressed on. Hitting the bend near the clubhouse with a tailwind, it was the first time all race I was going too fast to pedal through (34mph at a guess). Relatively fresh, I kept pushing all the way up the sprint straight and ended up about 200m clear.
So my first win! But it is a little bit hollow..... and I'm pretty sure it's only three points for a <10 person field right?
Loads of positives to take away though. Bike felt awesome, gear worked perfectly and I never got cold! And a win is a win is a win right??
(A bit like winning a mid morning race against five Japanese blokes on Zwift!)
You can only beat who turns up! Take the glory and bask in it.
Well yeah but it’s hardly solo’ing away from an 85man Thruxton pack is it 🤣
Hush now. You won. That's it fella. Your record shows
1.
Well my points are safely on my license 😂 Annoying to have placed 8th, 5th and 1st since the start of December and only have 8 not 17 but still, better than nothing.
Next race will be the 31st as long as Beast from the East 3 stays away 🤞🏻
Where's that one ?
Hillingdon. And then Thruxton on Sunday 01st.
A win is a win!!! It's the number who pre-entered, not who start on the line. If 10 people registered to race, you get all ten points. If nine registered, it's only three points. The comm will know.
Congratulations!!!! Delighted for you.
Thank you! It was 9 including pre-entries sadly 🤦🏻♂️
Keep on trying 😀
Oh man, you could have entered me and JOe LOL
Annoyingly, one Cat 4 guy rode the 2,3,4 race too- if he’d joined our race we’d have been sorted!
Wow, well done crosshair! Definitely still a big deal regardless of the field size; I'm impressed and pleased.
First race this year! After building up a bike for my nephew from a donated frame, some parts from the spares box, classic race wheels from a club mate, and assorted red and shiny bling, I took him to a Go Race. He's just 15, but 184 cm and 60 kg (I wish). The jump to a full regional U16 race would be huge on a bike he'd never ridden (normal bike is a disc braked Claude Butler alloy).
Up early and a drive to Gravesend. A quick bike fit, then some laps of the circuit to give him some coaching. Of course he climbs rather rapidly - 350W up the slope in a warm-up!
Then his race - quick TT of one lap of the short top circuit with hairpin and a race against three young ladies - some of whom are rather rapid. Good group riding, and he attacks to ride away dragging one with him. A couple of laps later he puts down the hammer and rides away to lap the field. Win! Of course he's on a high. Bike was "amazing" - even if the groupset is older than he is. Good kit is always good, even when old.
Dropped him home and dashed back around the M25 to Hillingdon for my WDMBC 234 race of 35 laps. My first race this year due to illness, snow and general ambivelence. Starting laps are averaging 305-315 W on the lovely Assioma pedals, things calm a little, but still consistently sub 2 minute laps (280 W). Some try for breaks, but the field of 65 riders is having none of it. Attrition is high as riders fall away and riders are lapped. One third over and I'm feeling OK, moving up to mid-third of the pack
Plan was sit in first third, move up and then attack with 7 to go if I had much to give. Unfortunately the lap board is produced from 15 to go, so the element of surprise is gone, despite my Garmin lap counter providing the strategy updates. Ten laps to go and I'm now top third, and still feeling pretty good. Every jump is chased down until one rider gets a break and a few gaps open.
Last lap sprint time, I'm comfortable so feel like pushing up and "contesting", but pretty sure that the Assiomas will just tell me how poor my sprinting is (it is). Get onto a known vet wheel (who's an excellent sprinter) and pass him on Brian's Bends, and away we go. Fast lap, and I finish down the straight in the saddle for top third and in the first bunch. Of course my friend just pipped me on the line.
NP 275 W or 4 W/kg - could have been Zwift 😉 and a massive 950W sprint. Next step is to get over the KW with some 20/40s - Chris Hoy should be worried 😀
950w ain't bad at all boy ! Nice work !
We need a new unit of age-adjusted W/kg 🙂 . Half the riders looked younger than my son and a fair few Juniors riding 52x14 gear restrictions - but then my average cadence was 105 as well.
Second Cat FTP (4.3 W/Kg) with a 4th cat sprint (14 W/Kg) - puts me fairly and squarely in the long-distance TT category 😉
By making it to lap 2 in the bunch you have my respect 🙂
Nice one TiRed- welcome back!
Here's a mini write up for MK bowl last Saturday to counter some of the essays on here....picked up a mate locally, arrived slightly late/ tagged too much, super short warm up further shortened by PM during and trying to resolve that (I should have done something in autumn when it told me to I guess!!!).
Cold and wet through the race, 50 mins + 5 laps. Approx 1 hour and approx 40 riders I would say. Mostly quite cagey due to the wet. 2 riders I'm convinced tried to kill me every lap and I noticed a couple were caught out by the same corner equally on the last lap as the first....
Surfed up and down the pack as I pleased, anytime I lost space I recovered 10s of places on the short climb to the finish.
Speed picked up a little at 5 to go and I stopped messing around on/near the front and tucked in. Coming into the last corner at the bottom of the climb I was slightly further back and wider than I wanted to be. I opened up the taps a little earlier than I had hoped and thought I had gone to early but the group immediately in front of me slowed as I felt alright and kept going. Possibly (wishful thinking?) Closing up on the group at the front bit ran out of track before it became an issue.
I counted 2nd for my mate and 8th for myself, I didn't run out of fingers so figured at least a point.
Quite pleased with that (previous best was 9th, January Abingdon crit). Results last night showed 7th so even better!
My third flux is going back to the shop for warranty this week so will have an easy-ish week with a couple of outside rides, before Combe Friday and Thruxton Easter Sunday.
@Tired - Giant TCRs are ace! I just built one up for a club mate and he's chuffed with it!
Agree with all the others, you can only race who turns up! Its only early season too!
Well there is a 30-strong field for Friday's U16 at Rebridge. Bit of a trek for me, but it could be a good introduction to real racing for him. The course should suit him, once he gets used to some of the bends. Saw the results of the E123 at MK, and it looked fast (43 km/h average). Not a course that suits me, and always sketchy in places. Felt great to be back racing though, and fitness is higher than I had expected.
Took nephew to Redbridge (Hog Hill) for his first race. The Alan Rosner memorial races. He loved it, despite being off the back and forced to ride a shortened corse (no bottom circuit due to floods).
I signed on for the National B E12 rather than the later 234 as I wanted a fast getaway. Rain started, pressure up, cold. Warmed up well. Rode a few shortened laps, and bang, the 35 of us are off. Held on for three and a half laps of gritty jet wash. Carbon rims and dual pivots are just fine!
Then off the back with a few others and race over. Rain is driving, wind is brutal, and the hill reps are basically 60 sec recovery, then 40 second efforts. For an hour. Attrition starts as hypothermia sets in. I chase riders, try and ride with them, but then they bail. Of course I’m lapped. Five times in total!
Riding consistent laps, with consisten power, but heart rate was declining steadily due to hypothermia. Race finished after 55 minutes and I’m 17. Just off the points, but pretty pleased just to finish.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1480457206/overview
NP 297 W, which is basically a chilled FTP test.
Thruxton tomorrow anyone?
Missed CH yesterday at Hillingdon, where thwarted by a puncture, he narrowly missed out on his third cat points.
Raced the final 234 after. Pace was a little slower off the mark than last week. A few attacks, a lot of towing the pack, and much stringing out for some serious chasing. A group got away, then the juniors start the charge, with a very strong young lady pulling just as hard on the front. I put in a big effort and am almost dropped as a reward for my efforts.
Held on, attacked with five to go into no man's land thinking oooh TT to the finish as a vet friend blocks the front. Half a lap later, I'm back in the fold and nobody is getting away. Another vet ups the pace to make a long lead out and a safer final lap, but I roll in at the back of the bunch with a Pearl Heaven rider who deserved the win
Great fun and dry! NP 287 W and pleased with that effort. Felt like it to, as legs were sore all evening.
Unlucky CH. Westerley crits are coming soon.
62nd edition of The Archer Spring Criterium this afternoon. Sir Bradley is a previous winner. 54 laps of Hillingdon or 84 km. Fast km. National B race, so domestic teams are here in force. In fact cycling clubs are a minority- everyone wants to be in an RT these days. No Elites (phew!). About 70 riders
pace is fast from the off, fast but not murderous. I’m sitting in mid pack, but still knocking out 3-4 W/kg. Primes are called with a whistle, the pack goes mad, then calms down. A lot of teams and known strong first cats try for breaks. I do a little blocking and am shouted at, it’s a team sport. More attacks, more primes.
The gel store was bare today, so I’m eating Bloks instead, which I do like, but need careful bike skills. Two bottles too as it’s nearly two hours.
up near the front with about 12 to go, I get into a small break, but it’s caught quickly. Settle in for the inevitable sprint, which I’m not going to trouble. A bit of bunching, but i gain a few places. About top half so very happy.
Averag speed was 28.5 mph. NP 277 W again, or 4 W/kg for just under two hours. I have a new fastest Hillingdon lap time too. 1:50!
Sounds like you’re doing very well TiRed!!
I raced on Saturday, first time in many months, it was a bit of a disaster....well not a crash sort of disaster but still not great...
I’m on a Ketosis diet and had been in Ketosis up until the work week from hell (talking some 9am-2am days..) and 0 cycling. This all ended with 4 pints at the local on Friday... knocking myself out of Ketosis. Poor planning meant I was in a rush to get from Tunbridge to Ealing for the cars MOT before the race. So I accidentally fasted...
What this meant was I turned up with a body wanting to burn carbs that didn’t exist in the quantities required...
The race itself was a real struggle, talking 185bpm just to stay with the bunch (210 cap), the number of riders were too high for that circuit!! Every corner was swamped and it was really hard to move up/find a gap.
Ended up being in tailgunner position or 3/4 back for the majority of the race, but this was kind of offset by the sheer volume of riders...
So then I got dropped for the first time ever in a race!! 52 mins in with 3 laps to go and absolutely no legs I tried to get my monies worth... Found a gap in the bunch on the only spot there ever was one and attacked hard, talking from rear to front of a 50/60 rider bunch. Got myself about a 10ft gap and then blew up haha.
Pulled off to one side and rode the last lap with a chap who I think had followed my move but also blew. After chatting to him for a the remainder we managed to see the ending as we cornered and then we sprinted against eachother for effect. 🙂
Nutritional lesson learned!!
Why are you still on this diet thing Nath ? I can't recall what the initial logic was, but you've been on it and doing badly compared to your previous form for a long time, so i'm struggling with why you're keeping going with it ?
I don't race on the road, but my little lad (the eldest one) started this weekend in the Welsh Cycling Go-Ride circuit race series. He's only 6, but he's been racing 'cross for 2 1/2 seasons in the North West League U8's, he came 8th overall this year with a string of top 10's.
I asked him if he fancied a go at road racing and he jumped on it, so off we headed to Marsh Tracks in Rhyl at the weekend, similarly to Ti's post up there; they do a one lap time trial followed by a multi-lap race. As we were first there and he was keen to have a go on the circuit the organiser asked if he could do a lap to figure out how fast the little'uns would be to set the number of the laps for the race. So off he rolled, into the first bend and promptly got dive bombed by a seagull, taking him down, ripping his bar tape and a big bit of road rash on his face, plus a couple of rips in his kit. He was startled and upset as you can imagine, but after some magic cream (savlon) and a few sweets he was ready to sign on.
First up was the one lap TT, now he doesn't know his left from his right too well, so when brief said to to left a the end, he got a tad confused and had a bit of a wander, subsequently he lost 20 seconds of his 30 second gap, probably not helped by having no one to chase down / follow which he's used to from racing bigger kids at 'cross, but hey ho, that's kids for you.
Next up was the main race, 5 laps of the track. They lined up and he got the gist of it this time, he went off with the little group and followed them round the first bend, then onto the back straight he stood up and put his mini hammer down, opening up a gap and extending it right through the 5 laps to take the win by over half a lap.
I worked out his pace after the race and it turns out the little monkey averaged 25.8kph for the race!
Fantastic ! Excellent
Haha ace @steve_b77
@weeksy - It's health over BC points for me. I'm Trying to come off "omeprazole"with this diet. I just need to keep at it until I find the sweetspot to enable me to have the health benefits and get BC points. This week wasn't a representative example of what I can do in a Ketosis state.
I'm going to crack on and do some Zwift racing soon to experiment - it's a lot cheaper!!
Stats wise I test at 300w FTP and I'm now 71kg.
Not a million miles away from peak 337w@67kg...(not going below 70kg this time)
Awesome @steve_b77 !
At last! Everything came together. Despite the wind, I got in a two up break at Thruxton with 5 laps to go almost exactly as I'd wished for. Only I dropped him!! As I sat up and waited for the bunch, a guy countered hard so I threw in all my chips and sprinted onto his wheel.
I yelled at him that I would work as soon as I recovered but it was >400w up the hill in his draft! Anyway, I honoured my pull and we started working okay together.
It was then a blur and as my HR crept up, I told him I didn't want to win but could he please not drop me as I only needed 4 points! He was great and once he realised I wasn't bluffing, was really supportive. I still did my work though and took all my turns.
At the final climb, I encouraged him on and sat at threshold to the line. Even then, he looked back and yelled at me to keep pushing.
I thought there was another guy solo but it seems not so second place! And 8 points and Cat3!
(Edit- or 3rd, not actually sure now looking at Strava. Perhaps another guy did stay away!!)
At long last 🙂 But even better- in that long odds breakaway that has so excited me all this time!
Sadly the saying is true- everyone wants to be in the break until they get in the break 😉
Brilliant mate. Having seen your efforts, pace and power in the last few weeks, I'm not shocked by this. You can be proud with how far you've come.
Crosshair I have absolutely no idea what was going on tonight. All just a blur. All I know is I stayed in the bunch, got in a great position, pedalled as hard as I could and managed to finish top 5 of the bunch. Maybe I’ve sneaked my first point, who knows. What matters though is that was absolutely amazing fun.
Ps: looking at some of those cat 2/3s breakaways that lapped the cat 4 peloton, very best of luck with that!!
Fingers crossed for you Curto 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Glad you enjoyed it! The wind certainly made it an exciting evening 😀
There were around 7 off of the front I reckon so it may be very close 😱
Ps: looking at some of those cat 2/3s breakaways that lapped the cat 4 peloton, very best of luck with that!!
Yeah, I think I’m going to play with the Cat 3’s at Hillingdon on Tuesdays instead 🤣
Hooray!!!!! Congratulations CH. so well deserved. Now time for the E123 race at the don.
Rode tonight’s E123 anti-clockwise. Fast start, strung out, but held on and sat in I did my turns on the front into the wind, stayed top half for most of the race come three laps to go, the bunch accelerated and I’m still there with a little more to give well 850 W of slow twitch isn’t going to trouble the 11T, nor the sprinters, but I’m top 20 and pass a few riders pleased with an NP of 300W, which I worked hard for. The FTP is climbing and TT tomorrow
CH come on down. Race the thirds a few times, then move up to the E123 and see if you can hold on. It’s all about racecraft.
delighted for you
Thanks TiRed! Yep, have paid my registration so will be back next week.
I got stuck on the M25 last week and ended up arriving at 18:28! Only had time to ride the Cat 4 in my polo shirt and normal shorts 🤣 It was a pretty brutal and short race!!
Well done @crosshair thoroughly deserved!
When I work out logistics and hopefully win my battle with southeastern trains I’m hoping to join you on Tuesday nights 3s.
Cueto I was 6 or 7th in that bunch...what were you riding? The STW road crew is growing...!
Rode the Tuesday E123 last night and blew up! Was on the nice Defy. Pleasure to see CH ride his first 3rd cat race. Which allowed a few of us to provide back of the pack banter
Tonight was vets over 50s and a big field of 40 riders. Windy again. Attacked on lap 2, recovered and went again on lap 4. Got the gap with a 330 watt lap. Opened it up to 30 seconds and pressed on
Race was stopped due to coming together with the youngsters. Then off again with my time gap.
Shouted a lot to keep the under 50s to one side, kept a steady FTP pace and finished 50 seconds ahead of the pack, 24 laps out front. Win!
Fantastic. Congratulations !
Well done TiRed! Persistence pays off 👍🏻 Well that and aero gear 🤣
The Cat 3 race was fun! Lots of attacks which meant I was a kid in a sweet shop wondering which ones to follow. Never really got away until two to go when I went all in to bridge across to two others.
Anything to get away from the comedians yelling funny comments from the back of our pack 🤣
This was it! The move was set, a few hard pulls each and we’d have the podium stitched up. However, instead of dedication to the cause, I was met with suspicion and two guys more interested in ensuring the other two of us didn’t win than that we all got 1,2,3 between us 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Of course the bunch pace ramped up on the last lap too and we couldn’t hold on. 700w for 30 seconds to bridge had drained me out so I cruised over 200m behind the bunch.
I think I’m going to try the 2/3 race at Thruxton next Tuesday and then back to Hillingdon for Cat 3 only on Saturday.
First 2/3 race at Thruxton tonight 😱
Watching the carnage unfold from the snug comfort of the Cat 4 bunch in the previous races I’ve done there makes me very nervous indeed! They are often 28mph average for the race and every trip up the ‘hill’ is a smashfest as they try and force a split.
With a bit of focus and all the bunch skills I can muster- I should be able to hang but that’s as far as my aspirations go.
Big Events Cat3 coming up on Saturday so either way it should be a good taper workout.
Well that was tough! The toughest yet most thrilling race I’ve done. It wasn’t so much the speed or the intensity but the way it played out. We’d almost stop into the wind as everyone stared at each other and then BOOM! Attack after attack after attack.
Every time we changed direction relative to the wind, the bunch would veer savagely across the circuit at almost 90degrees to rob the followers of the draft. Once or twice I got stuck on the windy side and couldn’t cross back into shelter until the entire pack had passed!! It was worth it to save 80w though!
After 6 laps, another attack began which resulted in 380w np for well over 3 minutes. Powerful guys were sprinting whilst in the draft to keep contact.
Sadly I was tailgunning just when a couple of guys decided to hand in the towel. I’d trusted them to close the gap and I was stranded. Perhaps I should have gone deeper to try and catch but my hunch is that I’d have blown up hard and dropped off anyway. Instead, I TT’d for another 3 laps.
99TSS for a 1h01 race! 323np.
I was initially depressed but on the drive home, came to the conclusion that I’d actually done okay for the most part. I’m now curiously considering going back next Tuesday!!
Super well done to Leigh for getting his Cat 3 too- and yet another successful break. Thruxton Cat 4 has shown some quality racing so far this year, the wind seems to bring it to life.
Well done CH. welcome to the step up. Faster, smoother and normally safer. I raced the E123 at Hillingdon tonight on the old Propel without the aero kit or big wheels. Thought it might rain and didn’t fancy washing the best race bike. Well GP4 Seasons are not Corsa Speeds tubeless.
Race gets off to a fast pace. I’m going to sit in. Let the kids do the work (I’m the oldest rider). Sit in, sit in. Attacks come, pack chases. All good. Then a break and I’m off chasing. Not a chance. So join the passing throng and as you were. Another group clip off the front to bridge. Still recovering. But nch accelerations keep me working hard. But they and the points are all up the road.
Catch the thirds with with two laps to go, which mutes our finish, so I roll in mid pack. Pleased as I worked hard, sometimes too hard. Another NP of 299 Watts for the hour, with the odd 330 watt lap for good measure. Thats my FTP test right there 4.4 W/kg. Nice to be racing with the bigger London teams.
Big Events Cat 3 today in the lovely weather. Started off with an optimistic break attempt on lap two and then settled in to a pretty negative bunch. Nothing was given an inch.
Then we got stuck behind the 2/3 race who lapped us and then sat up. Sooo annoying!!!
This shut things down for a few laps until (apparently, not sure if it’s right) the comms actually utilised the cut-through for once to spread things out again
There were a few wheels to avoid and I got leant on a couple of times. Sometimes being a bigger rider has its advantages!!
It was interesting that nobody was paying the slightest bit of notice to the wind. The 2/3 guys from Thruxton would have had everyone strung out in the gutter with the 10mph Easterly making a difference on the start straight and down the hill. But people would happily leave the whole lee side of the circuit exposed today meaning moving up was pretty straight forward.
Having not really tested my fresh(ish) legs all race, I decided that I would go the first chance possible after the lap boards appeared. It was with 4 to go that I got away with an 800w 20odd second burst that got me to 34mph and opened up a nice gap.
Sadly that kind of effort meant my hr was 190+ and I could only hold that for a couple of laps. The bunch then hung me out for a further lap to make sure I was properly wasted I think.
Getting back on with nearly 2 to go, I recovered quite quickly and was able to shadow the bunch relatively easily. I moved up a little but never even tried to defend my position.
Like a vulture, I was waiting for blood now- should a big crash occur I had space and time to try and salvage a place. But beyond that, I wasn’t trying to contest anything.
As the bunch crossed the line at close to 40mph- the sickening sound of carbon appeared and a London Dynamo guy and one other both annihilated themselves. They do have an incredibly high crash rate on that team- it’s beyond a joke really!! I picture their club meets as being like the bad guys dojo from Karate Kid 🤣🤣🤣
Anyway, pleased with my attack but honestly- I don’t have the wattage for that length attack now. A little later and who knows....
At least it helps focus the training again 👳🏻♂️👳🏻♂️
The Thruxton organisers are bemoaning a lack of entries again this week. It’s such a shame as the racing has been awesome this season with breaks winning in every Cat 4 race and most of the others too. They’re really well run with a great atmosphere.
They save the money up for series prizes- which are quite generous if the races are well subscribed. I got £70 for 12th overall in Cat 4 last year.
Perhaps nightly prizes would be better??
Anyway, I hope it picks up as it would be a shame to lose it.
Back to Thruxton for the 2/3 race this evening with the goal of not getting dropped.
That was the biggest mistake right there!!
The first lap was insanely fast and a couple of guys got dropped straight away. We did 35mph for over a mile!!
Once again, the race was making the full use of the circuit and after getting a free pass to the leeward side on lap one, everyone was on it by lap two and you had to fight to hold your wheel or drop back.
Two or three times a lap, a break attempt was happening but I just ignored them and concentrated on my original aim. Which meant letting others do the work.
It was the first time I’ve really been aware of team tactics (despite thinking I’d seen them in Cat 4, they weren’t really worthy of the name) and the composition of the break each time dictated who did the chasing. The Morvello boys were very noticeable in their distinctive kit and if none of them were in the break, they would chase it down instantly.
Anyway, soon, 13 guys got away! I was nowhere near- in fact my negative strategy of just not getting dropped this week, meant I was little more than a passenger for these fun and games.
Depite an attempt to shut it down from the teams with riders in the fledgling break, some other guys managed to start pulling and we held the bakers dozen at a few seconds. We came ripping through the top chicane in a strung out line but I was once again in the still air on the downwind side and managed to move up well in the half-draft.
Into the fast crest after the chicane and I actually accelerated relative to the bunch and was approaching the front of the grouo with momentum. As I hit the full wind, I stopped myself from doing what I really really wanted to- which was to try and Bridge to the break. I’m still kicking myself about it as even if I’d died and got dropped, the end result would have been no different.
A little while later, with the break gaining ground, I was sitting comfortably in the bunch when I was sure my rear spokes had exploded!! What made the noise I don’t know but I could feel something twanging between my frame and derailleur as the bunch starburst in fear for their lives at the din!
Looking down, I coasted and made my way carefully to one side but everything was fine. It was the guy just to one side!! Luckily he was able to hold on to it and not crash but I was off the back. I chased for half a lap but not with any conviction.
Karma for not trying to bridge 🤣
The break looked really exciting from the pit wall with a couple of guys attacking lots who ultimately got away on the last lap for first and second. Then there was a chase group of three around 1 minute back and then finally the bunch a good 30-40 seconds behind that. Proper road race dynamics again thanks to the strong wind- a genuinely interesting race.
A two man break won the 4ths race again- proving that the wind definitely improves things. Sadly 10-13 4th Cat guys went down in a crash, including my friend Chris.
How long are the races?
Crit races down this way are less than 30 mins ... some less than 20 mins. Was fancying doing a couple crits again this year - but not sure a 20-30 min race would feel like a race.
How long are the races?
Crit races down this way are less than 30 mins … some less than 20 mins. Was fancying doing a couple crits again this year – but not sure a 20-30 min race would feel like a race.
About an hour.
Yeah 1h05 and 28miles. Was such a cracking race- I want to keep doing them as I think there’s a LOT to learn just by watching the tactics play out and a lot of good training too.
No Thruxton next week so off to Hillingdon- perhaps with Nath??
An hour sounds perfect.
An hour sounds perfect.
57 minutes too long IME 🙂
Were you there Curto? Did you avoid the crash?
Circuit races can be no longer than an hour, typically shorter for lower categories. But 20 minutes is nowhere near long enough (unless you are a junior - U16's are 30 minutes normally). Well done CH, sounds fast and fun, and a few seconds is barely a break, but 13 should be able to stay clear.
Saved myself last night from the Hillingdon E12, but racing later in the vets. Debating tactics in the absence of wind Did a PB 25 TT on Sunday, so we shall see...
<div class="bbp-reply-author">TiRed
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<div class="bbp-reply-content">Circuit races can be no longer than an hour, typically shorter for lower categories. But 20 minutes is nowhere near long enough (unless you are a junior – U16’s are 30 minutes normally).
From what I have seen not even the E123s' get no longer than 25-30 minutes. Simply not worth the petrol money or entry fee for that.
Thanks TiRed! It was great. The break had 90seconds by the end of the race with a chase group of three stuck half way.
The remaining bunch had given up long ago so there would have been no pride with managing to hold on to them. Should have bridged.....
Chance for redemption tomorrow with MrBlobby @ anther new venue- Castle Combe 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Interesting race. Let a group of two get away. Bridged fine and was caught. Attacked with two 300 watt laps but dragged back. Then a mate got away and I left him to gain time. Bridged again and off we go opening the gap. Sadly the 40-50 race came by slowed, and generally spoiled it. Comm calls that I am DQ’d despite my beat shouting to keep right. So a lap out and a reinstatement into the bunch.
Attacked hard with two to go, but I’m marked down. Sat in the bunch for the sprint, I pick a good wheel and come in fifth. So 60% of the way to retaining second cat.
Saturday sees a V50 run on its own. Can’t wait! Attack time!
Well done sounds fun! I think they definitely need to use the cut-through more to keep the various races apart. I’m assuming that’s why it was built that way?
A fun race with Mr Blobby at Castle Combe this evening even if it was a bit of a baptism of fire! Its a tough circuit with the two chicanes and some incredibly fast sections.
It sounds like a cop out I'm sure, but I wanted to make it as tough as possible- a training race for future Thruxton rounds.
We saw 30mph+ on the speedo an awful lot and the average speed was 27mph.
Early on I followed a couple of moves and was really pleased when I went with one which fizzled out, then maintained tempo on the front before launching again onto the counter attack. That type of scenario is exactly what I need to practice. Sadly, they were fresh and I wasn't so I couldn't then sustain the move- I need to think carefully about how to address that.
Anyway, each time I would plummet to the back and not then get much of a recovery as the bunch was so very surgey through the chicane back there. You'd be forced to brake and then I'd be doing 900w just to re-join the bunch.
Mr B settled in nicely after a couple of laps and was always right there in a great position, following a few moves too.
On one lap, I came up the leeward side of the bunch with momentum and spotted a gap in front of him, so dive bombing the chicane, I slotted into the gap and was able to make the turn and smoothly power through for once. Carrying the momentum and MrB with me, the bunch went left and one guy went right- solo, so I rode the wave and followed him- with MrB being veritably sucked along in my wake! We got a gap and then it turned into a new move but again, looking on TR, I had had to work so hard to move up that I was already into my 3rd minute at 400w and I couldn't sustain it much longer. Mr B held on a bit more but the bunch were hot on their heels and I plummeted to the back once more.
Soon, I was drifting along at the back, wondering how long we'd been going when up ahead, riders collided mid bunch and bikes and people went all ways! A lot went down and I had to go hard left on to the grass to avoid bouncing bikes. Whilst I don't know the culprit- it reaffirms my belief that 3/4 races are wrong. They are too fast for Cat4's...
Anyway, the bunch was up the road and my heart sunk. If it had been the 2/3's I'd have bailed but if I can break, I should be able to catch right? So 1200w and 10 seconds at 900 got me up to speed and I made myself sustain until I was safely back on. But I was fair cooked!
I didn't really get very far after that- I was on red alert for more crashes and although I got into the top ten and followed a train trying to lift the pace, I was soon drifting back again.
Then the bell went! 8 miles earlier than advertised! Doh! Ah well, try and move up as best I can. Again, it was good training, doing 35mph at 700w trying to move up for a few seconds and then negotiating the bunch through the chicanes. Up ahead, MrB was perfectly located between 3rd and 5th wheel.
Onto the final straight and I was way back. I kept pushing on the pedals and like many a Thruxton race, passed loads of wheels. But all I could see ahead were the bouncing bikes and falling people from earlier and once I realised I wasn't going to make the front group, I steadily eased off.
Sadly, MrB's tester power curve was lacking a little top end and he slowly dropped back in the sprint- but he seemed to ride a great race- perfectly positioned and poised to follow any meaningful breaks.
I'm fat, so take power numbers with a pinch of salt but I did 329np for 57minutes which is pretty crazy! Must retest my FTP when I get a chance.
Decision time now..... I love racing, but my heart tells me 4 weeks of focused training instead could work wonders??
Decision time now….. I love racing, but my heart tells me 4 weeks of focused training instead could work wonders??
It's a tough one that's for sure, but your training in the last 18 months has been proven to work really well, you've come on massively from the bloke who got dumped out the back in the first races. At that stage i honestly doubted you'd get anywhere near the results you have now.
I guess it all comes down to what you want from this now ? Would it make more sense if at all possible to dump 5kg of weight ? Would that give even more benefits ? You can't be far off the most powerful person out there already in your races ? There has to be a limit to what's realistically possible in a power context at your age and training hours available ? Would a bike fitting specificially for improving aero give any benefits ? Clearly, dropping weight and mass would not only give you more w/kg and a smaller physical profile, but of course potentially at the expense of a drop in power.
With regards to weight- I kind of am what I am. I’ll soon be lifted tons at work again and even if I switch a bit of fat to muscle, I doubt I’d get much lower than last year.
And it’s also not a limiter. A weakness perhaps compared to the 70-75kg bracket most cyclists seem to fall into but in circuit racing- it does even out. I can freewheel past skinnies having to doing 250w downhill.
Interestingly, I spotted a guy at Thruxton who looked an absolute monster- around 6’2 and broader than me. Yet in the next race, he not only made the break but was attacking them and got 4th!!
I love the racing so much that it’s tempting to just pile it in all the time but I feel like I need a shot of fitness to leapfrog a few guys. Looking at my power curve from last night, whilst it all felt brutal, at any given point- I was nowhere near any of my pb’s. So my 1 min power wasn’t being stressed, my 5 min power wasn’t being stressed etc etc. It’s why racing isn’t training- unless you literally did intervals on the circuit whilst the race kept lapping you 🤣
Power wise- I think you’d be amazed. A 350w ftp is pretty common in Cat 3 for anyone a little bigger and the lighter guys are well up beyond 4w/kg if not 4.5. Looking at power across Thruxton 2/3 races I’ve even seen someone finish with 420w NP!!
So no- plenty of work to do there.
I’m happy with my bike fit- it’s comfy and powerful and I don’t get any aches or saddle sores even on longer rides. And position takes time- I’m slowly bringing down the gap in power between upright on the Turbo and bent elbows 🤣
Photo proof that they do sometimes get bent these days 🤔🤣
Again, it’s more of a weakness than a limiter- jostling in the bunch at these higher speeds needs control rather than full on aero.
Not very active on here at the moment but been keeping an eye on this thread.
If we were talking about road racing with hills I’d say losing weight would help, but in a crit I really don’t think it matters. It’s all about sub 5 min power and recovery rates for me, particularly at Hillingdon.
It’s been a logistical nightmare but Ive just signed up for Tuesday nights race in the 3s, hoping that the extra effort to get there (stupidly early train to work and then cycle from central to Hillingdon) will encourage me to do more work in the race.
Ultimately my goals remain the same as always;
- don’t cause a crash
- don’t crash
- don’t just be another number in the bunch
- don’t nath (get stuck in and not sit on the edge)
see how that goes 😆
Cool! Hope you have fun. I’d love to join you but it wouldn’t be a good start to my month of not racing 🤣
I may yet get tempted....
Odds are on it being a bunch finish on those Tuesday night races. So if it’s points you want, I’d do little different than you did last time- you were just a few grams of carbs from pulling off a great move 🤣🤣
If you want training then just stalk the top ten and try and follow moves- there’s usually loads of attempts. The biggest problem is organisation as the bunch will start chasing straight away so you need consistent hard pulls with someone for at least two laps.
You can even goad other people into making breaks by getting to the front and then soft pedalling to slow things down- that usually prompts a move which you can then sprint onto with a bigger chance for an actual gap. Trouble is, the people that have made the initial attack don’t seem to appreciate that you’ve created the opportunity and get cross that you’ve jumped on their wheel- then it fizzles out anyway 🤣
All this strategising is making want to race even more 🤦🏻♂️
Weekend spring crits #3, again at Hillingdon. Band 4 points fest, so 15 for a win down to tenth . Weather is rubbish. Cold and starting to rain. Warm up on my rollers under cover. Gilet on and a couple of fast spins to the start.
About 30 riders on the line and just the one race so no chance of a break being DQd by interferences. No wind but now raining harder
Cruise around a couple of laps. Let two get away including the DQd rider from Wednesday. Three go to bridge and a team member blocks for them. Another lap and bang! Time to go. Sprint away and two 300 plus watt laps mean I catch the three and then the two. Break on. Two fall off quite quickly and the four of us settle in.
A puncture takes us down to three including a sprinter who takes the primes. But we hold a gap of 15 seconds for about fifteen laps. The gap comes down to 8 seconds with five to go, so time to up the efforts. Some 330 watt TT efforts down the straight keeps us clear. Last lap the three of us line up. I lead out my mate who just pips the sprinter on the line. The bunch finish about 20 seconds down. 289 Watts NP.
I only needs third for the 10 points and second cat license retained. Delighted.
I also won our club TT championship fourteen hours later by three seconds, with a rather measured effort and power well down at 256 Watts.
as for weight, I think if you are heavier, flat courses like Hillingdon give an advantage. It’s a sprinters course and power not power per kilo is king here. I’m the lightest of those I race against. Hills are always a pain, but even these tend to be fairly short and reward brief harder efforts. And anything slightly downwards sees me works g harder or getting dropped. Seriously. And be been dropped by the bunch on a roller course going downhill!
Just turned 6 years old Mini me No.1 was racing again last week, with the first round of the Marsh Tracs Summer Series on Wednesday where he was in with the U8's and U10's. Racing with the big boys & girls gives him someone to chase, which always seems to work in his favor.
They raced on the short track (800m) for 15mins plus 3 laps and he did us proud coming 2nd in the U8's and 7th Overall
He then went to Pwllheli at Glasfryn Parc go-cart track for the 2nd round of the Welsh Cycling Junior Race series on Friday, the weather was frankly horrible with heavy rain and temperatures hovering around 6deg C, so much so the start was delayed by 45 minutes to allow a lot of the water to be brushed off the track.
He raced in the 6 and Under cat, but due to the time constraints they combined that and the 8 and Under together.
He started off by winning the single lap TT (in his Cat) and then went on to win the lapped race (in his Cat) by 3/4 of a lap and placing top 5 overall too, so all in all a rather successful foray over the border for the little chap.
