LSC 10/BDCA 100

[richv]

This week marks the start of the silly season with the races/sportives being pencilled in for the next few weeks being 100/100/Marmotte/ Etape/100/50/12 hour so on Tuesday there was a visit to a fast 10 course to see if I could get under 21 minutes before destroying my leg speed.

Well as anyone who rode the Club TT will know the weather gods were not kind. A strong wind picked up through the evening and with the inevitable decline in traffic as England kicked off about 20 minutes before I rode things weren't set up for a quick ride.

Well it was tough out into a strong headwind and lightning fast back until about half a mile from the finish when what was a strong tail wind suddenly turned into a headwind (how does that happen on a straight road ).

21.58 so not a great time, but I beat at least 1 rider who started close to me who has done a 19 minute 10 this year and was only 1 minute 15 seconds behind Michael Hutchison which counts as a moral victory in my book.

The event was won by Sean Yates and James Millard with 20.32, both had started early when the winds were lighter and the traffic a bit heavier.

Saturday saw a long trip north to ride the BDCA 100. I hadn't planned on doing this event but a gap appeared in my family diary and I thought I would get a 'practice' in before the 2 hundreds which I was targetting. When I entered I didn't really appreciate how far away Derby was!

Joyce had kindly agreed to feed me so after picking her up on Saturday morning we then set off on a tour of the traffic jams of London, the Home Counties and the Midlands

Arrived at the HQ about 5 minutes after my start time. My number had already been packed away and I was down as a DNS! Having retrieved my number put my bike together packed most things into my pockets (forgetting the jelly babies ) I headed to the start having not eaten since 9.00am.

Having reported for the first late start of my career I then had to hang around for a gap. My computer shows my warm-up had lasted 2 minutes most of which was rolling downhill.

The course is a quick course and the conditions were good. A noticeable breeze but warm with some cloud to keep the worst of the sun off. The course was effectively 2 laps of a 50-mile circuit.

The wind was such that it was headwind out and tailwind back each lap.

My targets had been:

PB (4.13.45), less than 4 hrs, find out how my pacing was. None of the times were going to be done with a late start but I could see how close I would have got.

First lap went well went out at a comfortable but reasonably quick pace. Reached 25 mile in 1.01.30 (this had been into the headwind all the way) and after the turn started to pick up time by the bucketload. Second 25 was done in 53.25 and I'd done the first 50 in just under 1.55.

Then at about 55 miles everything went wrong and I just completely crumbled. I'm not sure whether I'd started too fast (given that I'd just knocked nearly 3 minutes off my 50 pb I suspect that may be the case) or the fact I had had no solid food for over 8 hours but I started to grovel.

Joyce was in position to give me a feed at about 65 miles and if she hadn't been there I suspect I would have got off and stopped completely at that stage. In any event I stopped briefly got rid of my aero-helmet, refused the PSP22 which by that stage was tasting so sickly that the one bottle I had on the bike could well have lasted for the rest of my life not just the next 35 miles and grabbed a bottle of water.

I then proceeded to pour water over my head at 5 mile intervals which gave me something else to think about rather than how awful everything was. I was desperate for some solid food (I could have murdered a jelly baby) but they were safely locked up in the car at the HQ.

At about 80 miles things started to pick up a bit. I was now on the tailwind leg and even if I wasn't producing very much power at least the bike was being blown along. Saw Joyce for the last time with 8 miles to go and by that stage was feeling pretty happy once again. My pace had picked up a bit and it wasn't too far to the finish.

Well I finished and picked up some interesting information from my powertap. My pacing had been all over the place but it's difficult to tell how much of that was due to not eating properly before and how much was due to going off too fast. I will certainly ease back a bit for the first 50 miles next week.

The results board showed me with a total time of 4.27.09 with a 27 minute time penalty included so a riding time of 4.00.09 but I don't think that was right.

My computer shows me a time of about 4.04 which I think is likely to be more accurate. Anyway it would have been a pb but not under 4hrs yet.

thanks to Joyce for feeding me. If she hadn't been there I would have come home having done a fast 50 and blown (maybe I won't ask her along next time )

[Toks]

[quote]This week marks the start of the silly season with the races/sportives being pencilled in for the next few weeks being 100/100/Marmotte/ Etape/100/50/12 hour so on Tuesday there was a visit to a fast 10 course to see if I could get under 21 minutes before destroying my leg speed.

[Andrew G]

Well done and good luck for the mamouth events lined up.

Does it count as an official 50 pb (i.e. do they have time checks) that you recorded. If not, even though your lack of food tactic didn't work so well for this 100 at least you know what to do for future 50's . Still sounds like a pretty good time considering your problems.

Judging by this and Toks racing comment you should just TT off the front, no-one would catch you.

[richv]

Thanks Toks and Andrew.

Toks you're right I shouldn't still be a 4th cat but there's nothing psychological about it. Whilst my MAP is quite reasonable and (at least over the shorter distances 10-50) my sustainable aerobic power is at the higher end of most ranges my anaerobic power is frankly pants. Combine that with being slightly overweight my sprint is really pretty poor and in any group sprint I'm struggling. The places at the back end of the points show that I'm up there trying but making no real impact on the decent sprinters.

On the other hand riding away from any bunch is easier said than done, especially at somewhere like Hillingdon where there is always some mug who thinks that they've had a good race if they've worked to close down a break but have then come in at the back of the field. The sprinters have an easy time at 4th cat level because they can just sit back and let everyone else do the work for them. I'm hoping that when I move up cats the ability to produce decent power over a period of time will be more useful, we'll see.

Andrew the 50 mile time doesn't count as a pb (even if they do an 'official' 50 split in a 100 the time doesn't count) but you're right I know what I'm aiming for although I may have something to eat and a bit more than 2 minutes warm-up before the next 50.

[tel]

Fantastic ride Richard, well done, good luck with the Marmotte, etc.

Terry

[Jon H]

That ride looks very promising for a sub 4 hour in the ECCA 100.

Despite the late start, at leat you got a ride. I went up to Derby to ride the national 100 on that course in 2003, stayed overnight in a hotel, turned up at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning to find it was cancelled due to roadworks.

[Toks]

[quote]Toks you're right I shouldn't still be a 4th cat but there's nothing psychological about it. Whilst my MAP is quite reasonable and (at least over the shorter distances 10-50) my sustainable aerobic power is at the higher end of most ranges my anaerobic power is frankly pants. Combine that with being slightly overweight my sprint is really pretty poor and in any group sprint I'm struggling. The places at the back end of the points show that I'm up there trying but making no real impact on the decent sprinters.

On the other hand riding away from any bunch is easier said than done, especially at somewhere like Hillingdon where there is always some mug who thinks that they've had a good race if they've worked to close down a break but have then come in at the back of the field. The sprinters have an easy time at 4th cat level because they can just sit back and let everyone else do the work for them. I'm hoping that when I move up cats the ability to produce decent power over a period of time will be more useful, we'll see.

[Gavin]

I reckon try goodwood and push away after the bunch slows down after the first corner(on the 2nd/3rd last lap).

If you have the power to stay away and no one is on your wheel you'll be fine!

The pace at goodwood is no where near the pace for your TT times.

[richv]

[quote][/quote]

[richv]

Ooops, wrong button

[quote]I still think you need a little more patience before you make your winning move.