Club Run 20/12

[Andrew G]

I need to be a bit more direct this week so can't hang about at the cafe for ages. Therefore I'll be doing a slightly different ride if anyone wants to join me (18s group). I'll do the normal route to Newdigate, then turn right and go on the usual run to Box Hill from there. Chance for a cuppa and brief stop at the National Trust cafe and then home.

[Sylv]

I fancy a balls out training group anyone else

[Antloony]

[quote="Sylv"]I fancy a balls out training group anyone else

[Toks]

[quote="Sylv"]I fancy a balls out training group anyone else

[Keith]

[quote="Sylv"]I fancy a balls out training group anyone else

[Sylv]

Toks, as I was saying to fellow ACCers a great circuit does not necessarily make a great race. I didn't enjoy what I did of the Hog Hill race that much. That climb is just a little too steep in my opinion and even moreso with a headwind, resulting in the fact that from the hairpin furthest from the start, generally everyone in the 3/4 race is looking at each other trying to spend as little effort as possible in anticipation of the climb. I did that myself, I'm not saying it's just the others. I also went to the front all the way to the top from there, sometimes slowing down to a ridiculous pace whilst everyone else was ducking behind me and no-one coming to the front. Only about four of us altogether took turns at the front there. That's what allowed George, who admitedly was stronger than anyone else, to break away without even attacking - no-one commited to even attempt to chase him. The climb feels ok the first few times, but after ten laps, even if no-one is attacking it gets to your legs and you are panting by the summit. So you spend the rest of the lap trying to recover - people were freewheeling on the long downhill.

When I remember the Hillingdon races I did last winter in the E1/2/3, boy they were more exciting. And that's on a circuit that's basically an oval (well almost). Balls out, wheel to wheel, shoulder to shoulder action at 43+km/h for an hour an a bit. A feeling of achievement for completing the race. The excitement of the bunch sprint. If I race again this winter, I think it will be there.

[Marek]

Sylv, its probably good in some ways as most of the circuits tend to end up in sprint finishes so is good to have a circuit which sounds like it will split the field up a bit more. Although I have yet to race on it so cannot really comment, from the pictures I have seen it looks pretty good.

Anyhow back to the thread, if I am feeling a bit better then I will come out but am not sure I will last that long, have not touched my bike since we did the ride over to Abinger. Have spent all of this week off work so far, back tomorrow. Have not felt right for a couple of weeks. Never know though think I have lost a bit of weight as have not been eating much and the rest may have done me some good. Will only come though if I am feeling 100%, I don't want to risk getting back what I am trying to get rid of as it has been a horrible couple of weeks.

Cheers

Marek....

[Sylv]

Oh and it was actually 865w on that race Toks, but that's not saying anything really - as a test I pushed as hard as I could up my road after a ride the other day and did 921w. I wonder if I can do 1,000 on the clubrun ...

[Toks]

[quote="Sylv"]Toks, as I was saying to fellow ACCers a great circuit does not necessarily make a great race. I didn't enjoy what I did of the Hog Hill race that much. That climb is just a little too steep in my opinion and even moreso with a headwind, resulting in the fact that from the hairpin furthest from the start, generally everyone in the 3/4 race is looking at each other trying to spend as little effort as possible in anticipation of the climb. I did that myself, I'm not saying it's just the others. I also went to the front all the way to the top from there, sometimes slowing down to a ridiculous pace whilst everyone else was ducking behind me and no-one coming to the front. Only about four of us altogether took turns at the front there. That's what allowed George, who admitedly was stronger than anyone else, to break away without even attacking - no-one commited to even attempt to chase him. The climb feels ok the first few times, but after ten laps, even if no-one is attacking it gets to your legs and you are panting by the summit. So you spend the rest of the lap trying to recover - people were freewheeling on the long downhill.

When I remember the Hillingdon races I did last winter in the E1/2/3, boy they were more exciting. And that's on a circuit that's basically an oval (well almost). Balls out, wheel to wheel, shoulder to shoulder action at 43+km/h for an hour an a bit. A feeling of achievement for completing the race. The excitement of the bunch sprint. If I race again this winter, I think it will be there.

[Sylv]

Yep Toks give Hog Hill a go and come back to us after

[quote="Keith"][quote="Sylv"]I fancy a balls out training group anyone else

[Keith]

Arrived at CSS with a slow puncture , but managed a quick changed before joining the masses in the Training Group. Only 4 of us today. Michelle asked in a recent post, "what's your favourite training session?" That's an easy one to answer: The club run Training Group. Never fails to satisfy.

Sylv - you're going to kick some a$$ in next year's racing. Hope we weren't too unruly a group for your first VC duties.
Paul - get an x-ray!

Mr - thanks for the loan of the pump. As they say "size matters". It's about time I got a "proper" pump for my winter bike. Anyone any reccomendations?

[Sylv]

An excellent ride in the training group today, just Paul H Keith me and Rob (on and off). Hey people what's up with the leg warmers, it was +12c by 8am this morning! (eh Chloé) I bet some of you were well cooked by the time you reached Charlwood.

Paul was suffering a bit with what he thinks is a fractured ankle ( ) so not quite up to his usual standard (but not far off), Keith was super strong and we were pretty matched in our efforts, Rob was doing well keeping up and taking turns but getting dropped occasionally. I tried to go for 1,000w on the short climb after the golf course out of Reigate but only managed 943 - with my rear end boucing left and right off that rough rough road.

Nice fast run on the lanes, despite the strong headwind, I led the way up the climbs before Rusper, all the way to the last one, where Paul and Keith got the better of me in the final part, which I never seem to get right and run out of steam with 50m to go. I knew Paul wouldn't wait at the top so dug deep to stay in touch with them. Keith went for the sprint at Rusper and I (just) managed to edge past him. This gave us a bit of a gap on Paul who lost touch on the following descent, then a good fight to the dual carriageway. Managed 1,015w on the final rise (cheers Keith, couldn't have done it without you ), when Keith came through for the summit, we were side to side and I was at my absolute max - the only way I managed to edge past him was get lower on the bike . My average to there was 248w and strangely enough Paul with 12kg more only 239.

Thru and off was good with the wind in our backs, but I started to feel properly cooked. Paul was having a second wind and I had heavy legs at the high speed we were doing. Bit of a blur what happened for the sprint, I think I was at the front approaching, when Keith attacked hard in a big gear. I couldn't get on his wheel, but it was a fair way to go, so I had a try at it and was coming fast back at him, timing it to perfection ( ) for the sign. Keith said he couldn't change gear on his winter bike!

Went back via Box Hill in a group of ten-ish with Alan, Chloé, Steve, Mark, Serge, Ben, Paul D and a few others. We kept it mostly together until Newdigate, when things started picking up a bit, after Alan had sprinted to his invisible sprinting line as usual. Serge and I had a good run to the right-turn, I tried as hard as I could but just like a mosquito I just couldn't shake him off! . I reckon training group no probs next time. I tried Box Hill in the biggest gear (cadence 40rpm) so Serge had an easy win (or did I just chicken out of it?). Then good quick ride back to base chasing the occasional car.

Sometimes you have a nice thumping song in your head which helps on a fast ride, but today it was "Another day full of dread" by Will Oldham. Yes it is a sad, slow (and unbelievably beautiful) song.

[Andrew G]

Zefal HPX Keith.

Cheered up on the run down to CSS when I passed a man on a motorbike dressed as Santa with a sack of presents on the back. He also had shrouded the fairing with felt stuck a red nose on the front and fitted big antlers strapped to the wing mirrors - fantastic .

Nice run out, a group of six of us, who did the different route I mentioned at the top. Great group, all evenly matched and sharing the work with long stints up front for everyone. Saw a number of clusters of cyclists on the run across to Box including an ACC group, presumably doing a CR reverse.

Approaching Zig Zag we spotted a guy who'd dropped his motorbike at the bend - bet he was glad he didn't do it a bit further on in front of Rykas. He was trying to right it and had just caught it before the tank hit the floor and got scratched up, so we all dismounted and helped him right it. I did have a comedy loop in my head whilst doing this of us all sliding about in cleats and falling on our backsides and ending up under the bike.

At the top we had a brief stop for a coffee and cake (lovely orange and poppy seed, mmmm). Off we went and at the big Kingswood(?) roundabout we were stopped by the Police blocking the road. Our reward for helping a stricken motorcyclist earlier was prime viewing spot of a Santa run . Dozens of people on motorbikes dressed as Santa went by, some with sacks of presents etc, including the chap I'd seen earlier with the reindeer bike. What a great site.

We split here as the others headed towards Sutton and I carried on back to CSS. Back to CSS by noon but with the same milage (give or take a mile or two) as a normal CR with a Redhill return. Much nicer route and ride though I thought.

Merry Christmas all.

[Dombo]

[quote="Keith"]
Mr - thanks for the loan of the pump. As they say "size matters". It's about time I got a "proper" pump for my winter bike. Anyone any reccomendations?