Forum menu
I'm split between going for it from the beginning and if caught recover, or just sitting in until the last 20 mins.
I don't want to finish with juice in the tank...it seems a waste of 10 weeks training!
As for Zwift style starts, maybe lol or may do a fake one and pretend to be knackered from it so people dismiss me from the get go 😆
I wonder whether using your power to stay very near the front wouldn't be better- that keeps you out of the bunch. Then when a proper attack goes- follow until they fade and then attack them. That gets you probably half a lap off the front without killing yourself.
Ooo, how I'd love to have 5w/kg to play Crit's with 😆 (or 4 to be honest 🙂 )
Good morning race fans! Forecast is now dry for this evening which is a bit of a shame as I was hoping the rain would play into my hands a little.
I'm going out open minded but the one thing I really want to try is a solo lap. Even if I just tow the bunch around for one lap, I have no idea how fast (or slow) I can go there out in the wind.
So I'm thinking that lap3 I will just try and see. Then recover and either follow moves or sit in for the last blast.
Solo lap? You're mental sir.
As long as you can recover in time then go for it!
Are you going to try on Saturday too?
I'm just curious how it will compare to the rest of the race- it's only 6mins 😆 After that I'll be Zzzz (won't have much choice 😉 )
I think sitting in for 40mins and then fighting to stay nearer the front with a view to the last lap thereafter is my best bet on Saturday.
I’m not sure I know where to start tonight! It was just a bit of a mess really.
My finalised plan was to get a solo lap on the board on lap 3 and then sit in for points unless something else irresistible happened.
Jesper and Matthew were there so there was a good bit of banter before the race. My warm up was odd! My back brake was wedged on one side but wasn’t making a noise so it took me a while to realise why 250w was good for about 10mph!
That fixed, gel popped, it was time to go!
The first lap was a 21mph pootle! Ridiculously slow really! It was almost as if everyone knew it was going to be a sprint finish so was just going to cruise around.
Lap 2 was a little quicker but nothing special.
As we crested the hill and navigated the chicane, I found myself right alongside Jesper and Matt who were both aware of my ‘plan’ to do lap 3 solo. The start/finish line was approaching so I shouted at them to come along and wound on some power.
I didn’t plan on looking back for the whole lap- just head down and TT one out. Sticking tight to the edge of the bunch, I rode away with ease. Straightening out the corners, I swept through the top chicane on my chosen line and realised my power was a bit fruity! Luckily gravity could help so I kept the speed up but eased off the gas as much as possible.
Sadly, before I got half way down the hill, somebody attacked me, followed by another! Ah well, screw the solo lap! I went full gas and joined their wheel. Kudos to the guys in previous rounds that have gotten away and stayed away- there are precious few in the current bunch that can manage it that’s for sure! To top it all off, Autolap by position chose Lap 3 to miss the cue and so I didn’t get any nice data.
At a best guess, I did 26.5 for the half a lap until I was caught and it took around 360w.
Anyway, from here on in, the pace stayed high. Higher than usual that’s for sure.
Jesper rode a super smart race. He chose to sit in and not even come for a play with me and as I recovered at the back, he was in text-book top 1/3 and was pretty much every time I saw him!
So, at half way, there was no sign of any Cat2’s. And each lap I wondered when they would pass. Finally a lone rider came by but the bunch was late! In the end (and it’s all a blur!) they started passing with 3 to go. And the front of our bunch used them as a carrot.
With two to go, they were back alongside us and we were having a side by side race!
Now, here, I probably started panicking and perhaps threw my race away but I really can’t see a solution that would have yielded a better outcome. It seemed completely unavoidable now that we wouldn’t be contesting our finish in amongst the Cat2/3’s!
They were hiding in our bunch and drafting down the edge of us. And as we hit the bell lap and moves started flying from our guys, the moves were getting increasingly closer to their bunch! Despite the no-drafting rule, the sheer weight of numbers meant it was impossible not to really and our finial lap ended up being 28.5mph!!
My rule of thumb is to not worry about the downhill- just save your legs. Then wait as long as possible up the hill before launching your sprint after the chicane. But all that went totally out of the window as there were loads of strong looking Cat 4’s in amongst the Cat 3’s (not deliberately, just because the whole circuit was full).
Now, it suddenly seemed obvious to me that they weren’t coming back! IF they were out there alone, they would have drifted back but today they had still air! The race was literally riding away up the hill.
So I went, and went hard. I needed to be close to that move. I have no idea what position I was in right now but I felt like I had regained some ground.
The chicane is sketchy on the last lap every race, but today it was chocker block with the two races totally intertwined. Jesper had followed my wheel when I went and now came past on a cracking line.
Crap! He’s going to beat me! That was enough incentive for a HR PB if not a power one and I clawed him back and went as hard as I could. Again, I moved up the whole way on this final section and didn’t concede a single place but there were loads of Cat 4’s in front who had gone early with no fade.
The funniest thing though, was that Jesper thought we had another lap! He carried on at Max HR with the 2/3’s all by himself. He obviously mistook the Comm’s car beeping and waving and shouting at people to leave the circuit for a fan or something! So of course, his excuse is that he didn’t know it was the sprint finish!
Really, there is nothing to say other than Meh! I was beaten fair and square by guys who used the situation to their advantage better than I did. I was sure I would have had power PB’s up the hill and in the sprint but nowhere near.
The hard lap prior spent ensuring I didn’t get stuck behind the sprint had sapped my legs, yet if I hadn’t have been where I was my hunch is that I would have finished even further back.
So it just confirms what I suspected really- I’m where I’m supposed to be right now.
Nice write up CH.
Sounds like a confusing mess to the end of the race!
What are your tactics for Saturday?
Just spotted this: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/166250/Moose-eu-End-of-Summer-Crit
Interesting comparison with the winner on Strava Flyby. He started the last lap in front of me, then I panicked and went too hard moving up and was quite a way in front of him. He just plodded on behind right until the base of the hill where he just attacked hard and rode right through everyone. He wasn't in the initial move that spurred me to follow. His average for the race was 210w but he was 2 seconds faster than my PB (not today) in the final 300m sprint @660 odd watts average.
Zzzz-->sprint for the win after all 😆
Nath- depends on the field I guess. If it's huge then I may try and trend in the top ten or fifteen to avoid crashes but if it's reasonable I'm going to sit in I think. I just need to get my riding right between now and Saturday. Err on the side of recovery I think- I wasn't overly pleased with tonight.
IMO this statement "I’m where I’m supposed to be right now" needs to be taken in the context of the style of rider you want to be.
If each week you perfected "ZZzzz + Sprint" results might differ.
But you might have less fun ... and not fancy racing as much?
Possibly Joe- but I don't believe I was strong enough to match the winners final effort regardless.
My biggest error was misreading the situation I think. The confusion didn't have the impact on our race that I expected, although many of the guys who did get away early made up the top ten or so.
My power was only 233/279 so not mega crazy and tame compared to some who finished well in front.
Make no mistake- I wanted points tonight and my little play for a lap shouldn't have done enough to dent my chances.
So if it was mental focus that cost me the race- then that's just as big a limiter to points as power.
CH, as usual, nice write up.
I got extended from a 1600 finish to somewhere after 2300 at work so would have been super happy to be in a zzz---> sprint finish...as it was no one in my house got their exercise fix..!
Where are you racing Saturday mate? I guess I have missed it in the above posts...!
Hillingdon 3/4's mate. Fancy a trip out?
Come join Leigh 🙂
❓ Online booking has already closed! Hope they're not full.
I've emailed the organiser.
I hope they're not full - in fact half numbers would be perfect! 😆
Night shifts Friday and Saturday says no...! Thanks though. Will make what I can upcoming though...!
It's for the next 3 Saturdays 🙂
Legs are feeling tired from last nights Zwift race 😆
I've missed the entry for Saturday 🙁 Chris Denman replied saying no room for entries on the day with not even a mention of a waiting list or how worthwhile it would be turning up!
Ah well- intervals it is for me!
Eurgh that means 80 people then, which is 35 too many imo.
Don't worry about what you can't control. There will be enough moves going off of the front that you should be able to stay clear of 70 of them and if not just go by yourself.
Yay! Looks like I can race tomorrow after all.
It's not so much an issue for circuit racing but for those of you that road race (particularly as part of a race series) is there any eligibility criteria for entry beyond the BC categories?
I'm getting a bit annoyed at marshalling or driving in a race convoy and in effect allowing others that dont do anything to race. At least a quarter of the riders im seeing at races are members of teams or clubs that don't put on a race themselves. Fair enough not all clubs are big enough (the requirements for road racing are pretty huge - 2 lead cars, 2 commissaire cars, service car, first aid car, broom wagon. Then NEG support, marshals are every junction etc) but i think if that is the case they ought to volunteer their time (or have someone stand in for them) and help out another club that puts on a race. No helping out then no start. Does anyones race series have this as a rule that is enforced?
The ORRL has First dibs on spaces (up to 10 per team) for each member club that puts on a race...if that's what you mean?
It's all down to the organisers.
League membership, geography, individual & team successes, personal vendettas...
Well that's the easiest write up for a while 😀
A combination of feeling like absolute rubbish and the high pace of the race meant I got spat out the back after 30 minutes 😆
It was 26.5 but we did two or three laps at 28 and I just didn't haven't the legs for that today so out I went.
Nath is sat with Johnny asleep at the moment 😆
My HR was crazy high in warm up so I did wonder If I was up to it.
Was going to rejoin but need to think about Tuesday now.
Ah well, at least I can see how Nath gets on.
Lol!! Out of me, Nath, Johnny and Pete, none of us finished!!
Nath had a puncture and Johnny and Pete narrowly missed a big last lap crash.
Made me glad I was sat on the bench watching to be honest!!
There are some right retards racing there at the moment that's for sure.
Well that was one of the least enjoyable write ups yet Crosshair!
Poor Nathb, after all that training i bet he was raring to go. How far in to the race was his puncture?
About 4 to go I think. Stupid thing is, I saw him coasting in and if I didn't run SPD's, I could have bunged him my bike and I'm sure he would have got back on....
And snapped my frame in the crash perhaps 😆
I've been running on adrenaline at work this week fighting the weather and organising our summer BBQ so I wasn't really listening to my body. Should have saved myself the drive but never mind. Need to concentrate on feeling better for Tuesday now.
And yes- it was a de ja vu moment as Nath was on the front the lap I got dropped 😆
I thought someone was shouting at me for cutting them up or something, as I was launching the attack. Turns out it was people shouting that Jonny and I were attacking on the right 😆
It was a perfectly timed attack, but too early in the race unfortunately as some guys went with us but didn't do any work and Jonny was shouting at me to wait until later.
But re the puncture, blessing in disguise perhaps as that crash could have brought me down? Who knows...
I would have been more annoyed if I had a gap and it happened. Coms said I could have a wheel and rejoin but not contest, so I kind of didn't see the point of faffing with it.
Good day out though 😆 Just need to shift these sniffles and I can do something a bit more next time.
No idea what's going with my helmet, but at least my elbows are bent!
[img] 
[/img]
Thanks Frankie for the pic!
[img] 
[/img]
I think my body language looks as bad as I felt! And those gaps!!!
I think it kind of proved a point to anyone wondering about power/results etc though Nath. You were there with what many would deem Cat1/2 power yet your options were reduced to the same as everyone else- late race break away or brave the last lap carnage.
I'm so gutted for you with your puncture as I think you could have gone with those two guys with 3 to go had you still been in.
Yeah but I was racing with a cold, so never going to be an amazing result. I seem to have made it worse by racing yesterday!!
Gaps were there as everyone kept braking so kept rolling into the back...
(Hence why my mouth is open on the pics - I couldn't breathe through my nose 😆 )
Still- that bunch was capable of 28mph whenever it felt like it. Solo'ing away from that is a tough ask...
I must try and find the winners Strava.
[img] 
[/img]
Pretty pokey!! No wonder the start of the race was tough with this guy doing 400w on the front 😆
Lol I did wonder why the pace was higher than usual!
I did a cycle to go see a friend earlier and I've been in bed since, definitely overdone it this weekend....
Back to Thruxton this evening for the penultimate round. I've decided I'm going to finish the series and the two remaining West Thames Saturday races and then stop looking for more races until the Big Events one in October. That gives me a couple of months to get some training in as I'm finding it harder and harder to fit much other than racing in.
Thinking about the last lap crash on Saturday, just prior to it, Johnny was right at the back of the bunch and Pete was right at the front and yet both had their races ruined. That clears my mind to know that I don't want anything to do with that last lap bunch. I'm going to go early and practice the type of finish I want to employ in October even though it will be futile against the 3rd cats.
That's assuming my getting dropped was a blip of course 😆
I had a splitting head ache and nausia on Saturday but it hasn't really come to anything so not sure what it was. I had to work Saturday evening and a few hours on Sunday but I still craved riding my bike. A couple of short stints in sweet spot practicing being a bit more aero saw me break a PB on the way out and back- tons more work to do there though.
Jesper is racing tonight and the pressure is getting to me already! Sadly, I can't compete with his sheer arrogance- he's convinced he's got Thruxton weighed up for a win already. Assuming he can count to ten this week of course 😆
I was imagining the finale in my head earlier and no joke- it made my HR go up 20bpm!!! That has to count as 'over-arousal' so I will go careful with the sugar today I think 😆
I was imagining the finale in my head earlier and no joke- it made my HR go up 20bpm!!! That has to count as 'over-arousal'
I still get that when I think about motorbike racing from 13 years back.
Well! If there was nothing to write about Saturday, there is almost too much this evening!
Firstly, I’ll congratulate Jesper on his 3rd place. He did exactly what he set out to do, followed the perfect wheel into the final hill and sprinted for the line. Am I jealous? Yes of course! I had set out to do the exact same thing and totally messed it up. But actually, I was really impressed with him so great job mate!
Prep was pretty standard, nothing new or exciting. The plan was to be ultra-disciplined, no solo fliers, no breaks and no wattage bazooka’s up the hill. Just sit in, coast and be merry.
Lap one and fair play to the organisers, they took on board what a cock up last week was with the 2/3 race and started us quicker- just 20 seconds apart.
What we didn’t expect was a solo (Cat2?) rider to overtake us on lap two! He was shifting and I would imagine he lapped his bunch.
There were 45 starters this evening and the riding was some of the worst I’ve seen for a long time. There were many riders to be avoided at all costs. MrB’s description of a kid’s football match with everyone chasing the ball was more apt than ever as everyone flew into disappearing gaps and then braked. The wind and the sun didn’t help and we hit the headwind right as we also had the sun hard in our eyes and people seemed not to notice the edge of the circuit.
Survival mode kicked in and I started telling people to keep their eyes up and concentrate and not brake etc. It made no difference but seemed to help me feel in control a little more.
A couple of laps later, a few attacks had been tried and I’d stuck to my plan and just glass-pedalled the bunch, drifting way back when they surged and making up places whenever there was little or no cost. The speed was crazy low at times into the wind but actually ended up very close to the usual Thruxton spec of 25mph with a 27mph final lap.
Then, as we came down the hill to the off-camber apex where everyone brakes, swerves and generally makes life difficult, there was a crash mid bunch! I don’t know what happened or how many were caught up but it looked bad at quite high speed.
This shook me up to be honest, mainly because I had been on that line every lap until this one. It was only a fluke I had chosen that lap to take a different line to try and avoid the stupidity. On the plus side, it meant I had stayed safe. However, it gave credence to the little voice of reason in my head that’s always there reminding me about the ten dogs, 14,000 pheasants and 1500 partridges in my sole care at this time of year! Especially as the wife is away too.
Anyway, shaking myself out of it, I pressed on and stuck to the plan. With around 4 to go I guess, as we crested the start finish line, a break of three went up the road. I was moving forward at the time up the opposite side of the bunch to them and also had momentum and the top chicane as a natural advantage if I wanted it. NO! Stick to the plan!
Well, that was another nail in my confidence coffin! The break was only caught at the finish line, and then it was only one of them. The break never stays away………. Doh!
Next lap, and as we just about squeezed through the chicane, my spidey sense kicked in as it was proper sketchy and I took to the wind and moved hard left and decided to move up. Just at this moment, a few guys up ahead decided to pile drive each other into the pit wall!! Once again, the little voice in my head had been proven correct and once again I was split between fear and relief.
The one funny moment was with two to go. I suddenly realised I had messed up auto-lap by overriding it one time when it missed the start line. So of course, I now had 14 or 15 mini laps and I didn’t know what one we were on.
The marshals had been rushing to the crash so perhaps they had forgotten to ring the bell! I was going to do a Jesper!!! Luckily, it was the penultimate lap not the last and whilst the pace surged a little, it wasn’t enough to dent the break and I was getting wafted along nicely. As we crossed the line to the bell, I moved up again. Just off of Jesper’s wheel, I added to my catalogue of errors by deciding not to just jump on it and stay there.
All I could think of was the two crashes, the 40 fresh riders just behind me and the other Thruxton truism that 1-10 and 10-20 always seem to switch before the line.
What I didn’t know was that a couple of big strong guys who had actually done a bit of work in the race had decided to drill the flat/downhill into the hill and Jesper had overheard them planning it!! So he was welded on their wheel.
Anyway, as we went down-hill I bided my time and tried not to take too much wind. People came past in droves but it was too soon. As we got to the hill, I went to go, then got blocked, then went again, then took a bit of wind and then just rode straight past people. It was like some video game as I just moved left and right as I reached them. At the chicane, a lovely gap opened and I cruised through on a good line. I carried on powering up through the field but my heart sunk as I realised the front weren’t coming back, they were well away. The old swicheroo hadn’t happened! I half-heartedly carried on but knew I had blown it yet again.
The most annoying thing for my confidence I think is that by doing everything right tonight (220w average!) I ended up doing everything wrong.
I must tally up but that’s a stupid number of crashes I’ve witnessed this year and I thank my lucky stars I’ve only been off once. It does make me question my commitment to a sprint though- yes, it’s about the only strength I have right now, but if I’m too scared to position myself to use it then it’s pointless. Yet again, my wattage in the finale was puny- I had no incentive to go full gas as I was way out of position.
So I think, I just need to carry on with what I’m usually doing when I mess around but train towards a tactic I’m more inclined to utilise fully- late race breakaway’s or just break’s in general. After all, they are what excite me most about racing.
I’m very frustrated with myself right now- there was no reason not to follow the front 5-7 wheels on that final lap, I was fresh as a daisy but I talked myself out of it. Must try harder!
Firstly nice write up CH!
Secondly I think you're being too hard on yourself! You've only just switched to these tactics and it'll take a few races to get all the pieces together - relax and enjoy the ride!! It's not luck that got you out of those crashes its skill and experience.
Luck would be getting a puncture right before a major crash 😆
Nah you'd have been off in that break if you hadn't punctured 😆
It's just annoying that 'everything other than what I did' would have seemed to have been a successful tactic this evening!
**** me, all those crashes on a bloody motor racing circuit - I'd have thought there'd be enough room for people not to need to do stoopid things
It drives me potty! They get so fixated about not taking any wind that they follow the lead riders right over to the kerb. And 40 into 1 doesn't go!
They would rather brake by 10mph than carry their momentum into the headwind.
Well despite the weather this afternoon, it actually looks quite good for tomorrow at Hillingdon if windy!
It probably seems ludicrous to be thinking about tactics after getting dropped last time but obviously that takes care of my first goal! After that, if I last until half distance then I want to get in a break and if I make it to the finish in contention then avoiding the last lap crash is my only concern. I'd like to try a move with two or three to go, not because I'm suddenly fit enough to pull it off now (I wasn't the other Tuesday in the shorter race!) but as practice for the October race I'm targeting.
My attention for the intervening 8 weeks is going to be focussed on those 2-3 lap (5-10 min depending on circuit) duration efforts as it's definitely a weakness. My FTP is adequate, my 1-60sec power is more than adequate, it's just those slightly longer than Anaerobic spells that I simply need to ride faster! Changing my position has helped so much and I'm making sure to practice intervals in a better outline.
With only one round of Thruxton and Big Events on my radar, the pressure is mounting a little now to score a point before the year is out! It would certainly be bucking the trend to do it at the West Thames races as last week, only one of the top ten was a Cat 4 I think.