RTTC 12 Hour TT Championships

Well, I had a great day. I didn’t really hit any of my targets although I did pb.  Like last year, there was a strong southwesterly wind which made the leg to Farnham super fast and the other direction, super slow. Within the first hour I know that 255 was not on, but by halfway I was still on for 250 miles. I was really conservative during this period and my power meter was extremely useful when going into wind, to ensure that I was not going too hard.

At about half way, I missed two feeds which meant I went over an hour with no food and this saw my speed drop quite a bit as I simply ran out of energy. When I eventually got to my support I was able to neck a few hundred calories but it took another half an hour before I could feel the calories being converted into energy. I had the usual low point at around 8 hours but once the finishing circuit opened, I was able to pick the speed back up again and my average power climbed. This was a combination of getting my head back into a happy place and not having to spend any more time on the ultra slow Chawton section of the course, which was just bloody horrible. So I ended up riding 245.5 miles. A 10 mile pb on a faster course but in much worse conditions than the ECCA event I rode in 2015 and after riding much more conservatively. I think 250 should now be well within reach.

SCCU 50 and Newbury 12 hour TTs - meh

All the gear; no idea.

I can't say much about the SCCU 50 other than I was delighted when it was over.  I just felt really slow, which was damn frustrating bearing in mind how much work I have put in on the bike over the last 6 months.  The course for this event is horrible with lots of slow single carriageway and sapping hills, but I felt that I should be around a 2:05.  I wasn't even close. 2:11:48. The only slight consolation was that I pipped Simon by 1 second, however he lost a lot of time temporarily going off course to avoid colliding with a lorry at a roundabout.  So even that was pretty hollow.  It just felt stupidly slow for no real reason as I have ridden a 2:06 on that course before. What the hell was going on?

So on Saturday I was tinkering with the Argon as I had bought a new rear bottle carrier for the Newbury 12 hour and was just checking things over. I've had a problem with the rear brake for quite a while, not being able to set it up right to bite on the rims properly and I just put it down to the design of cantilever brake that's on there. So I had opened the brake right up so it wouldn't rub the rim, which obviously from a safety point of view isn't the most sensible thing to do, so I thought I would look at it one last time before the 12 hour. It was only then I noticed that my rear wheel was completely out of line;  I'm talking three or four degrees here. So instead of rolling perfectly if would be continually scrubbing sideways, effectively acting as a brake. I might as well have tied a brick to a piece of string and thrown it off the back of my bike.  That was also why I couldn't get the rear brake to clamp true on the rim as well.  Suddenly it all became clear and within a couple of minutes I had adjusted a couple of screws and the wheel was back in line.  A quick road test and it was like riding a new machine.  I've only been riding like that for the last year!

So it was off to the Newbury 12 hour with renewed energy. The only downer being the strong westerly that was likely to gust to 18 mph in the afternoon, but it promised a very fast easterly leg too. I gave a lift down to another rider, Chris, who was ironically my minute man. He was riding his audax bike and has ridden a sub 20 minute 10 and a 1:48:xx for a 50,  so he's what you would describe as a 'pretty useful rider'. I was slightly taken aback when he lit up a cigarette while donning his skinsuit and tied the most enormous frame pannier bag to his bike though. It seemed like he was doing everything to slow himself down. He was looking at riding around 270 miles so with my best being 234 I was unlikely to see him much after the start.

So off I went on the first leg and I have to say I felt very comfortable with the Argon just feeling totally different. The first leg was with the wind and I was spinning out at 30 mph on some sections.  Blimey it was quick.  Not surprisingly at the top turn the anchor was thrown out but I was still able to maintain 22-23 mph.  After an hour I could see Chris and I caught him and went past. That should have been when the first alarm went off in my head, but no, I ploughed on feeling amazing.  The second alarm should have gone off when I caught a guy who was my two minute man, again, a rider of considerably more talent than me. But no, I carried on.  The third alarm should have been when I went through three hours having ridden 70 miles.  A 280 mile finishing distance which would have broken Dale's Phoenix Club record by 15 miles. But no I carried on.

And then, as sure as eggs are eggs and as dependable as gravity, the wheels came off. At four hours I had covered 90 miles so I was still looking at a 270 mile distance finish, which would still be a club record, but the fact I had slowed that much in such a short space of time showed that I had gone out way too fast. This was confirmed when I went through 100 miles in 4:20; that's 16 minutes quicker than my stand alone 100 mile time. The three or so fast guys who I had gone past, overtook  me again like I was cycling in treacle as the stiff headwind began to bite.

While I had slowed a lot I probably could still have seen out 250 ish mile distance but now I had a new enemy; saddle sores. I was wearing my new no pinz skin suit which is a lovely bit of kit, but the chamois pad is a lot thinner than I would use for a ride like this and I started to get very uncomfortable.  The saddle I have on the Argon is the one I bought it with and it's a very cheap, hard and unforgiving one, which is ok for shorter distances of more relaxed riding positions, but now I have a more aggresive position it's just not comfortable enough.

It got to a point at 5 hours when there was no way that I could do another 7 hours in such discomfort so I decided to pack. It's the first time I have not finished a time trial but I learnt a lot.
1: I need a specific TT saddle. Not the testicle destroying monstrosity that I currently own.
2: I didn't have enough savoury food to eat. I should get a bento box for sandwiches etc.
3: Apply sun cram. I have some interesting tan lines this morning.
4: pace it right.

Anyhoo, it was still a good training ride even if I didn't accomplish a finish. Onwards.

ECCA 12 Hour TT

on the finishing circuit; cant keep my head up.

Myself, David W and Simon T made the start line and it turned out to be a perfect day for a 12. Light cloud cover, barely any wind and mild temperatures were the order of the day. At around 11.30am the cloud started to break up and the temperature climbed, which could have made the afternoon more interesting, but after an hour or so the cloud came back and the temperature dropped back to around 18-19 degrees. It looked like the weather Gods were on our side.

David and I were attempting our first 12 while Simon was on his fourth start in a 12 hour TT. I had the pleasure of being the first Phoenix man off and it was a bit lonely to start with as I headed up the DC, as of the 10 starters in front of me, 5 were dns. My personal plan was to just take it really steady for the first 4 hours or so and see how things panned out. I didn't even have a cycle computer with me to tell me my average speed as all I was concerned about was to still be turning the cranks at 17:58 in the evening on the finishing circuit. I took the opportunity to freewheel where possible and try to save something for later on although the first circuit required fairly continuous pedalling.  The first bottle drop was at about 50 miles or so and then it was time to head back up the DC for the second lap of circuit A. I had bagged up some sweet and savoury snacks which my Dad handed up and I ate on the go and seemed to stay down ok. I perfected a technique of gripping the bag at the end of my aerobars while hunting around in there for a haribo sweet or mini-cheddar. At the end of circuit A my breakfast coffee decided to need emptying so after trying to ignore it for half an hour I decided I would be a lot more comfortable if I just got rid, so a quick stop in a layby was needed. I didn't need to go again for the rest of the day.

I went through 100 miles in 4:36 (I had done the SCCU 100 a few weeks before in 4:37 but that was a considerably slower course on a considerably slower day, so no panic) and it had really flown by, but as I started to orbit the second circuit, that's when it started to get a bit tougher. A few aches in my neck but I was staying on the aerobars for most of the ride and more solid food was staying down (mini Cornish pasties and scotch eggs; food of champions!). It was here that the three of us found ourselves together. While I was feeding Dave pulled up behind me for a quick pitstop from James while I had a slightly longer stop. Dave headed off and about a mile up the road I saw Simon. I was just about to catch him and see how he was getting on when my chain came off the front ring, so I had to stop while sorting that out. Simon got to Lisa and dismounted, I assumed for a feed, but it turned out that the gastric issues he has been suffering from on these longer events had returned, so he had decided to call it a day, which was a real shame. Thankfully, he stayed around with Lisa and provided some great support for the rest of the day.

I have to say I really enjoyed most of circuit C. I'm a bit of a plane spotter, so the sight of a Supermarine Spitfire doing circuits and bumps on the first lap, followed by a B17 Flying Fortress landing on the next one was a very pleasant surprise. I suppose I should have been more focussed on my ride, but to be honest, by that stage, I was glad of anything that was taking my mind off the pain in my neck and my right knee which had started to let me know it was there. The neck pain made steering and watching the road particularly difficult, with my nose about 2 inches from my water bottle between my bars, just staring at my bottom bracket. I resembled a nodding dog, continually flicking my head up to try to see the road ahead. I have since looked at some photos and my aero-helmet is acting like an enormous wind-break in that position. Slightly sub-optimal!  Then cramp started to set in, with both my quad muscles cramping simultaneously (why do both sides always go at the same time?) I got back round to Brian, Jake, and Dad, and Brian proceeded to get out some form of embrocation which he started to massage into my legs. There are apparently places in Soho where you would pay good money for that, but all I had to do was to ride for 12 hours. I also took the opportunity to get some salty peanuts and crisps eaten to hopefully stave off another attack. It seemed to work as I had no further cramp issues during the ride.

So after a few loops of C it was off to the finishing circuit. It was great to see Simon and Lisa there at the TK0 position, Lisa informing me that I had finished my first 12 hour TT, but adding that I should enjoy the next 2.5 hours anyway! I did actually quite enjoyed this circuit. Yes, it was a bit more lumpy than the others but this meant I was able to get out the saddle more often and change my body position and the regular time keepers posts around it made it quite easy to mentally chunk it down. I really hated the A505 section, which by this time was very busy with traffic and with me almost unable to lift my head, I was steering by keeping my left thumb, which was on the end of the bars, running over the white lines at the side of the road. It didn't stop me clattering the odd cats-eye though.

To be honest, by this stage I was just glad to be getting near the end and while Brian had been telling me that I was on for 240 miles, I was perfectly happy with 230-something, so the stops were getting slightly longer and more frequent. At my last stop, I had more cola and melon which had been keeping me going for the past 4 hours, and eventually Jake got me going again, spinning out for my final lap.  Knowing it was my last 45 minutes on the bike was a big relief and I really enjoyed it, soaking up the support out on the circuit, including complete strangers handing up bottles and sponges and congratulating the other riders like me, who only had a few minutes' riding left.

I finally finished just before the timekeeper where Dad and Brian were,  so it was a slow roll up to them before being helped off my bike. Physically. I didn't feel too bad as I had not really buried myself at any stage but I was suffering from general fatigue and a lot of neck ache. It took me ages to get to sleep later that night as I had so much coca cola in my veins, but it was worth it. I really enjoyed this event and I'm pretty sure that I will give another one a go at some point next year.