West London CA 30

[Andrew G]

A 30 mile TT on the Bentley course this afternoon, it uses the big 20 mile loop of the 50 and 100 course and then the small half lap 10 to finish.

My first 30 and planned to ride it as a 25 and hang on. Lovely and warm but the wind was a nightmare today, horrendous block head wind running up and down the course from the North...which is unusual and the worst way it can be here .

Set off and with the wind behind me was going well catching a number of people in the first 7 or 8 miles. Around the turn and bang in to the wind. I'd got to the turn with an average speed of 26mph and I'd tried to hold back a bit knowing the wind was strong. Now it was time to just watch it all just wash away. I caught a couple of other folk suffering even more than me but felt bad slogging in to the gale and the couple of small kick up climbs were a real grovel.

Between about miles 15-17 I just sort of lost the will and lost a pack of time. I knew I wasn't getting anywhere near the time I wanted and had a little spell of "oh why bother". I managed to get going again a bit and tried to pick the pace up after turn 2 for the five miles with the wind behind me. I caught a couple more but I think one was a late starter who'd just started his road to hell.

Around the final turn and back in to the wind and grovel up the chicken, I think I was breaking the records with a staggering 14mph at the top of it . Over the chicken and just push on and get it over with.

Finished and back to HQ for a very nice mug of tea and some lovely fruit cake, the only good things of the day. I did a woeful 1.16.23 which was 4 1/2 minutes off the 1.12 I wanted and think I should do on a calm day with a calm head. I didn't see who won as I went home but had a quick chat with Steve Davies as I was leaving about the 24 course, he's entered as well so another Addiscombe rider in it . He said he'd done a 1.15 and said the course, he rides it most weeks as it's local so can do club events there, is always much harder with the wind in the direction it was today. Shame the wind's been so bad lately and hope it calms down soon as it makes life very hard for us mere mortals .

[George]

Well done chaps, 30's are a distance where you give your body just a little bit more of a kicking than you already get in a 25.

In the wind today it wmust ahve been hard going even if it is more sheltered than the E2
We all hope the wind eases soon especially later on in June.

[Ian A4size]

Commiserations to you both, I saw you were riding this event- but in my ignorance did not where the course was, next year for sho'.

Aaaahh the col de chicken (posts passim), it really caught me out as well a few weeks ago, harder into the wind as well.

Next time I ride that course- a few weeks if I get into the 25- I'm gonna sup a pint if the goings $h@t- even if I have to sit there for a few hours.

The wind has got to die down eventually hasn't it?

[carl f]

That sounds like a tough day Andrew well done for eeking it out in that wind

[SteveD]

With too many long miles in my legs for this sort of thing and knowing what the course would be like with the wind from the north east I decided to try and ride as smoothly and aerodynamically as I could. Like Andrew I started steadily with the wind behind me and actually felt ok into the wind though my speedo told otherwise. Ended up with 1:15:08 despite being held up at two of the turns (there was even a chap with a red flag holding up traffic at one of them) so I guess it wasn't too bad a ride in the conditions.