I was off number 5 at 6.05am, which with a 1hr and a bit drive to the HQ meant my alarm went off at 3.30am this morning! 4.30am alarm calls are fine, go to bed at 10.30pm and you still get a decent night's sleep but this one meant I was going to bed when it wasn't actually dark and getting up when it was
.Anyway I was up and on the road in time and arrived to find oh joy of joys it was going to be a chilly and windy race
.Down the start and off and oh dear I'd left my legs at home. I think it's the early start as I just can't get them going when I've had to get up that early and the chilly morning wasn't making life any easier, oh well this looked like it was going to be hard work.
Once out on to the A3 and I was finding the wind hard work, with the course having a curved shape it meant that I always felt that I was riding in to the damn thing. There was only a couple of places where briefly I could feel it behind me the rest of the time it always felt side or head wind and was rather depressing. On reaching the second turn at about the 20 mile mark and my average was way too low and I knew the first 25 was not going to be anywhere near what I wanted.
My hopes for today had fallen in to two categories: wild and hopeful was 2hrs but this was only ever going to be in with a shout if both my legs and the weather were good; the second was a mid 2.02 which was what I thought a reasonable target with my current form. As I crossed the 25 mile mark I looked at my watch knowing I was well down on the 2.02 target but couldn't believe how far off I was, 1.04.09 was my split. Oh dear oh dear.
My legs had just about started to wake up after their early shock so I just stuck my head down and went for it. Having done the first 25 so far off I decided to just try and race the last 25 as if it was a 25. I really pushed on but was still struggling with the wind a bit. I was now on my second lap and some of the later starters and fast chaps were starting to come through, they're amazing they just shot passed as if I was doing a track stand, even on bits where I was shifting along quite quickly myself.
I passed the 15 miles to go board and dug in a bit more, after a lonely ride with a DNS in front of me I could finally see someone ahead who I was catching. This gave me a lift and I caught number 3 and then a further three miles up the road I caught and passed numbers 1 and 2 at the same time, just as 2 was catching 1. Up and over and around the final turn and then the final run of just under 7 miles for home. From 10 miles to go there were mile countdown markers which helped when they went passed in quick succession, not when they were either side of a fairly long drag and never wanted to arrive.
I was off my target as I was never going to claw back that much time but managed to come in with 2.05.37 which is a PB but only just by a mere 3 seconds not the 3 minutes I was after. I'm dissapointed that I didn't go quicker as I was up for this, how can you not be for a National Championship, but thems the breaks and I still just about squeaked a PB out of it so not too bad. In hindsight I wish I'd booked in to one of the pubs in the village for the night so I was next door to the HQ , will do next time.
Jon didn't have a good day with his worst 50 of the year
.National Championship 50
Men
1 Michael Hutchinson In-Gear/ Quickvit Trainsharp RT 01:38:55
2 Mark Holton http://www.drag2zero.com 01:41:10
3 Kevin Tye Data Team Allstars 01:43:24
4 Steve Dennis East Grinstead CC 01:43:38
5 Ben Instone Scientific-Coaching.com/SRM 01:43:48
Superb times, phenominal riders.
...a little further down the results
...107 Andrew Green Addiscombe CC 2:05:37
112 Jonathan Hemming Addiscombe CC 02:11:02
National Championship 50
Women
Saturday 19th - evening
The amazing...
1 Julia Shaw UTAG Yamaha.com 01:46:46
... a ride that gave her a new competition record and would have placed her 16th in the mens race
so better leave it 'til I've done the 100 and remaining 50s.
