After the last few weeks of helping Sam with some of the organising, not to mention the the full day sorting through the 230 entries which were received it was time to get the show on the road. Sam and his wife Louise and possibly little baby George! had thought of a wonderful idea of getting some Musette bags made up for the riders which included a bottle of water, a bike bottle and a banana to be given out upon signing on.
I turned up at the HQ just before 9 to help with the setting up and found myself sorting out the musette bags with the bananas while passing out numbers to the early enthusiastic riders. Not long after I was transported to my position for the day....the finish line. My responsibility for the day was to call the riders numbers as they passed the finish line and then to write the times down from the time keepers to pass them on to the drivers for the day who would get them to he HQ for display.
Stood on top of Long Hill at 11am there was a bit of rain in the air and the weather wasn't looking promising but within half an hour the it had brightened up and I was getting over enthusiastic and starting to predict the winning time to be a new course record even with the headwind.
Most of the time I was stood there trying to be objective and impartial but once Buxton CC riders came up (the first rider) I was doing a bit of cheering. My day was mainly uneventful shouting numbers and watching the pain faces on riders, that was mildly entertaining.
We couldn't predict the winner until Matt Clinton stormed past the finish line, but something deep down that my pre-race favourite hadn't done enough, but Gunnar Gronlund had claimed his first British National title, albeit being from Sweden (qualified on being resident in the UK for the last 2 years).
Back at the HQ there was a buzz about the place with riders saying what a great event it was topped off by that David Harmon providing commentary half way up the climb, wish I could have heard it.
After the riders had gone it was time for the big tidy up, putting numbers away collecting lost/left property, and generally tidying up. I finally left the HQ at 4:30, a long day in anyones book and all done on 3 weetabix. A quick dash home and then it was off out for a well deserved curry with Nicola, her parents and Nick and Hilary Sharpe, a very amusing evening especially when Nick got hooked on Angry Birds.
Looking back I wished I had entered but my form and fitness was against me and felt it better not to enter and potentially take the place of a rider who was more deserving.
Full credit should go to Sam who had been building up to this for the last 2 years, he did a fantastic job especially after the birth of his first child, George, 7 weeks ago an welcome distraction.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Saturday, 22 October 2011
Red Bull Minidrome
Some of you may have heard about the Red Bull Minidrome, it's basically a smaller version of a velodrome. It's 25m in length (a tenth of what I'm used to) and has very sharp bends.
I signed up for it on the recommendation/encouragement of an broken collarbones girlfriend the day after her op to fix it many weeks ago and heard nothing back until last Monday when I got the email to say I was in! Which came as a surprise cause I'd forgotten all about it.
The event was held in the Victoria Baths in Manchester, the track it's self was in the pool (it was empty) with two levels above for spectators. It really gave it a great atmosphere.
I turned up with various amounts of cycling kit ready to race but eventually decided to ride in jeans and t-shirt with the customary yellow mavic shoes. I would be lying to say I wasn't nervous and a little scared after seeing a lot of riders crash out trying to go too fast but a Red Bull helped to settle the nerves.
Before too long it was my turn and I was stood track side waiting for the rider in front to finish. Then it was me, I took to the track and did my 6 laps "warm up" I was surprised at how steep the bankings were and how difficult it was to stay low.
I signed up for it on the recommendation/encouragement of an broken collarbones girlfriend the day after her op to fix it many weeks ago and heard nothing back until last Monday when I got the email to say I was in! Which came as a surprise cause I'd forgotten all about it.
The event was held in the Victoria Baths in Manchester, the track it's self was in the pool (it was empty) with two levels above for spectators. It really gave it a great atmosphere.
I turned up with various amounts of cycling kit ready to race but eventually decided to ride in jeans and t-shirt with the customary yellow mavic shoes. I would be lying to say I wasn't nervous and a little scared after seeing a lot of riders crash out trying to go too fast but a Red Bull helped to settle the nerves.
Before too long it was my turn and I was stood track side waiting for the rider in front to finish. Then it was me, I took to the track and did my 6 laps "warm up" I was surprised at how steep the bankings were and how difficult it was to stay low.
So I got the count down and this is what happened (including the warm up)....
I went too hard and went over the side, a beginners mistake. I not really hurt just a bit bruised on the forehead and shin, I'll survive (I think) but the ego may take a bit of time to repair.
I'll be signing up for the next time it comes to Manchester maybe I'll complete 2 laps of qualification next time.
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Hill Climbing, why is it so attractive?
In the lull between the road race season and the track and cross season sits hill climbing where all those guys who don't feel they've had enough punishment during the year give themselves some more.
For those who don't know what hill climbing is it basically a race from the bottom of a climb to the top, the winner is who ever does it in the quickest time. The climbs can vary in length from 1min 20 secs up to the big ones of 15mins.
I'm not the fastest and won't win a race anytime soon, but it's the enjoyment (if you can call it that) of pushing your body to the limit, using all your energy to the point that some one has to help you off the bike at the top, the pain you feel and ultimately the satisfaction of knowing you've done everything you can in pursuit of that time.
This year I'm limiting my hill climbs to just a few, Monsall (short, and just gets steeper), Beeley Moor (long, steep for the first 2thirds turning in to a drag at the top), Riber (super steep and hair pinned), Banks Road (short and steep) and Corbar Gap (new one to me but it's super steep). There is a theme to the hill climbs (except Beeley) they're all short and steep. Others describe me as a climber others a sprinter, me I see myself as a general all rounder, not the best but not too bad either. The short steeper hill climbs suit me more as they play to my attributes being fairly tall and lightweight I can use my power to climb without losing too much because of excess weight (spare tyre).
Not everyone sees the attraction but you ask a cyclist what's the best piece of road to ride on and I'll guarantee a majority of the time it will be a hill.
I'll post again to let you know how I get on.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Track League
According to some people I'm too fast for group 1 on a monday night track league, but I disagree. I feel that I animated the races, I don't win everything but I have my moments. When I say animate I mean when they were a bit slow or people were taking their "half lap" on the front waiting for the sprint at the end I would hit the front do a big hard turn and make those "sprinters" suffer before being dropped therefore letting some of the other stronger riders (who don't have a sprint on them) contest a win, I'm obviously talking about the scratch race I always wanted to win it but never wanted to win it at the cost of moving up a group, so I animate. I have won the scratch race once and it got me moved up a group, now I'm getting a beating, more of that in other blogs.
On the track the madison what I like and is where I can excell, first night riding it my partner, an experienced gentleman, said to take it easy and see how it goes (seeing as it was my first night of track racing as well) I had other ideas and he soon got the idea and we managed third place. I've performed well in the madison couple of thirds, a second and a win. The second place was with Mick Browne, top madison rider, in that race I learnt a lot. We weren't the fastest team but technically one of the best on the night, only beaten by 2 kids who lapped everyone on their own. However the win was by far the best in terms of how it happened...
A few weeks before I was paired with Lisa Daley, nothing wrong with that except that she is around 5ft in height and I'm 6ft 1", and on that night we came last, neither of us could do anything right apart from a 3rd place in a sprint, not good. So when we were paired together for a second night, everyone looked at the little and large paring, remembered our last outing and wrote us off, how wrong they were. We were right on form and coming in to the last sprint we were a point down on the leaders with them just in front of us at the head of the race, very apt the top 2 team battling it out for the win on the last laps. Mark Soden (my girlfriends dad), threw his partner in - Big Mike "Sprinter" Farwell - as Lisa threw me in with 2 laps to go. My only instruction to Lisa was to get me on his wheel, no mean feat when your throwing someone a foot bigger and 3 stone heavier than yourself, with which she threw me up to his wheel where I hung on for the next lap and a half before pulling out the sprint of my life to take the final lap sprint and the overall win in the process. I think my finest moment on the track, not only had I won, we had won as a team, played it sensible, took no risks saved the legs until the right moment.
I was looking forward to racing with Nicola Soden, my girlfriend, this winter but she went a broke her collarbone, in August. Madison with her would have been fun, win or lose. Maybe we can team up next year.
On the track the madison what I like and is where I can excell, first night riding it my partner, an experienced gentleman, said to take it easy and see how it goes (seeing as it was my first night of track racing as well) I had other ideas and he soon got the idea and we managed third place. I've performed well in the madison couple of thirds, a second and a win. The second place was with Mick Browne, top madison rider, in that race I learnt a lot. We weren't the fastest team but technically one of the best on the night, only beaten by 2 kids who lapped everyone on their own. However the win was by far the best in terms of how it happened...
A few weeks before I was paired with Lisa Daley, nothing wrong with that except that she is around 5ft in height and I'm 6ft 1", and on that night we came last, neither of us could do anything right apart from a 3rd place in a sprint, not good. So when we were paired together for a second night, everyone looked at the little and large paring, remembered our last outing and wrote us off, how wrong they were. We were right on form and coming in to the last sprint we were a point down on the leaders with them just in front of us at the head of the race, very apt the top 2 team battling it out for the win on the last laps. Mark Soden (my girlfriends dad), threw his partner in - Big Mike "Sprinter" Farwell - as Lisa threw me in with 2 laps to go. My only instruction to Lisa was to get me on his wheel, no mean feat when your throwing someone a foot bigger and 3 stone heavier than yourself, with which she threw me up to his wheel where I hung on for the next lap and a half before pulling out the sprint of my life to take the final lap sprint and the overall win in the process. I think my finest moment on the track, not only had I won, we had won as a team, played it sensible, took no risks saved the legs until the right moment.
I was looking forward to racing with Nicola Soden, my girlfriend, this winter but she went a broke her collarbone, in August. Madison with her would have been fun, win or lose. Maybe we can team up next year.
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