The last few days have been pretty busy. Sunday was London League cyclocross at Wilmington in Kent, and then Tuesday I ran in our company running club month-end race.
The cross race was mad as usual. It wasn't too wet, but the mud was very slick and traction was very poor; with even moderate inclines being unrideable. There was also a very tricky section through the woods that was very narrow and felt more like what I'd expect of an MTB course rather than Cross.
The race itself was hard. On the first lap I was trying to think of how I could bail out but still retain my dignity. Realising that was impossible, I then started wondering how I was going to survive the next hour. And it seemed to take forever. The dismounting, running and remounting took their toll, as did the very frustrating slippy near running-on-the-spot sections up the hills. I had a few silly falls too, the "best" being riding straight into a tree on the last lap at near walking pace (I blame fatigue).
As usual, afterward it felt great. I had a fun ding-dong with a club mate, Kevin Ball and also managed to keep a few riders that I recognised from previous races at bay. I'm really enjoying this cyclocross lark - it is just such a pity that the season is so short.
Then to running; my new commute means that it simply is not fiscally possible for me to take the train (and so include a ride in my commute), so I've returned to running to try to keep fast and in shape. My first run was last week, and frankly I battled and was broken afterward. I really wasn't expecting much for the lunch time race.
The organiser, Zoe, stuck me into the fastest group despite my protestations. I really thought she was having a laugh and roundly expected to be the slowest of the group and jog into the finish dead last (it is run on a handicap, so the slowest runners would be well down the road before the fast group starts).
So after lots of waiting we set off. I start gingerly (for the first 20m or so), then realise I feel pretty good, so ratchet up the pace. Probably a bit too quickly because up the long hill to the park I'm starting to feel it. Into the park I'm staying with the leading group (bar one) of fast runners, but hurting already - only about 1.5km in! Then I notice my shoe lace is loose. PREPARATION! I have to stop to tie it up and so immediately loose touch with the group.
I try to close the gap after that but they pull away steadily. I keep up a good pace but am really hurting. I wind up the pace on the way in, purely out of pride and not wanting to be overtaken; I manage to be passed only by the fastest runner (Ian Mc' for those who've followed this blog for a while) who gave himself a further, self imposed handicap of a few minutes! My time is a smidge over 25 mins. Not too bad, but I do have quite a bit of work to do.
I was broken totally by the run, and had to drag myself to the local Tesco to grab a For Goodness Shakes (my new favourite). It helped a bit but honestly I was too stuffed to be useful to anyone.
A day later I am still sore. My legs from the run, but my shoulders and core still have traces of tightness from the Cross race. All good stuff. And to be repeated this weekend with another Cross race at Herne Hill.
Rock on!
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Wednesday 13 January 2010
Chapeau Madam!
So, I'm blasting back home from work along Victoria Embankment. Whizzing past the usual train of commuters (not everyone thinks it's a race I guess...) I notice a flashing red light ahead that is making short work of the bike traffic (not to mention the car traffic, but that goes without saying). I'm hardly making up any ground, so I dig a bit deeper and start giving chase.
A few hundred metres passes, and I'm not making as much of a dent in the gap as I would for a typical "quick commuter" - clearly this guys is giving it some beans, so if I'm to catch up before Parliament Square, I'd better light them burners.
And so I do, we're now on the stretch to Big Ben and I'm getting close. We both dispatch a guy on a carbon superbike, but I have bigger fish to fry. Or should I say smaller. This rider is diminutive! And it is a her. Her legs are pumping relentlessly and her speed isn't letting up.
I keep the taps open and pass - eventually. As I pass, she looks back. Now, I know people in good shape who take good care of themselves can easily look 10 years younger than they really are - this lady looks to be in her mid-fifties, your guess is as good as mine. I was amazed.
I hope that I'm still riding that quickly on the commute when I'm in my fifties!
A few hundred metres passes, and I'm not making as much of a dent in the gap as I would for a typical "quick commuter" - clearly this guys is giving it some beans, so if I'm to catch up before Parliament Square, I'd better light them burners.
And so I do, we're now on the stretch to Big Ben and I'm getting close. We both dispatch a guy on a carbon superbike, but I have bigger fish to fry. Or should I say smaller. This rider is diminutive! And it is a her. Her legs are pumping relentlessly and her speed isn't letting up.
I keep the taps open and pass - eventually. As I pass, she looks back. Now, I know people in good shape who take good care of themselves can easily look 10 years younger than they really are - this lady looks to be in her mid-fifties, your guess is as good as mine. I was amazed.
I hope that I'm still riding that quickly on the commute when I'm in my fifties!
Sunday 3 January 2010
Herne Hill Results
Image courtesy Londoncyclesport.comCrazy crazy crazy! I am beaming ear to ear. 27th. Of 93 finishers. Rock on!
Sloppy Herne Hill
On my first (recce) lap of the circuit I realised that the 'cross races so far were just a taster of the real thing.
I was a little nervous this morning; it has been a long time since I'd raced; I'd been kept off the bike first by a bruised hand from a fall on icy, moss-covered paving in early-Jan and then from a battle with a nasty cold that ended up taking out pretty much most of the family that was staying over. The good news is that I didn't get the customary chest infection, so my asthma meds are doing the trick!
Back to today - it was very cold (around 2°C), but sunny. Rain and snow from previous days had made the ground well soaked and bit of the course I could see looked pretty squishy indeed. There had also been a New Years Day madison event on two days before, so the circuit was quite cut up. I'd arrived with good time, so I was able to sign on and get my kit sorted without a rush before heading out for an easy recce; this is very important for me.
The mud was very slippery indeed, and some off camber sections needed good line picking, but also solid pedaling to get through. Some of the faster corners were a little daunting, but later proved a treat (provided the bike was set-up nicely into the corner). A bit of ice, and frozen, furrowed mud was quite scary and, after very nearly stacking it on the recce, I decided it was best avoided. What struck me most about the course was the crazy climbs and near drop-offs and the number of obstacles that demanded a dismount. The bits through the trees also offered up many technical challenges that initially made me feel completely inept.
So I felt pretty daunted as I took up my place on the start line. Soon enough the whistle went and it was the usual charge to the first corner. I wasn't feeling that strong, so I didn't go all out, but I found myself around some familiar faces to I guess it must have been a reasonable start. The first foray into the tricky wooded section was crazy; I found myself getting into all sorts of trouble by making the same mistake that I had previously made in the cockpit of my Class C Fiat - following the guy in front, and in so doing effectively having him ride my bike. I forced myself to focus on the trail, looking past the rider ahead and picking my own line.
Into the second lap it was feeling a lot easier and into the third riding in the mud felt like second nature. I found that, in the group I was in (roughly 6-7 riders), I was being held up quite a bit through the technical wooded section, but onto the flatter open stadium section I was losing ground - my lack of fitness from the time off the bike telling. But the problem was, sitting at the back of the group I was being held up where I had the advantage, then burning up through the infield to stay in touch. Time to make a move then. With a few bold moves, including an outbrake into a steep downhill, I got ahead. I had to work hard though, so into the infield I felt like puking and was repassed.
Next lap our group was split by a fall and I attacked to try to get a bigger advantage. It almost worked, and I left the infield section only having conceded a place or two to the group. On the next lap, I made my move. I charged hard up the the steep climb, with the bike on my shoulder I sprinted as hard as I could up the muddy slope and did my best impression of a running remount (which, I must admit, needs a lot of work). Apart from a few metres gap, crucially I'd got "track position" on the group with a fair proportion of the twisty wooded section to go. I rode it as hard as I could, even came off once (but managed to save it with a quick remount). Then, into the infield I tucked down and rode as hard as I could. It paid off. Coming out of the stadium exit corner, I saw the group still a distance from the corner. Spot on.
The rest of the race was a fight against fatigue and the lack of a rear brake. Not sure what happened (my guess at the moment is a cable that I hadn't tightened properly), but my rear brake stopped working in the second lap which left me with only the front - quite a liability, especially with all the sharp corners at the bottom of descents. As I became more tired, mistakes crept in and I would lose my advantage through the woods.
So the 2 laps go couldn't come soon enough. The pace started to escalate, and I knew the riders behind would be chasing. Summoning up all the energy I could, I tried to ride as neatly as I could, only to tumble over the bars on a descent. I needed to stay calm and keep it smooth, but it was difficult. I was also starting to encounter a few back-markers which made things even trickier. I couldn't afford to lose time through the twisty sections but this was exactly where passing was difficult. Fortunately the etiquette of most riders was exemplary and it was generally easy to find a way through as long as you weren't too impatient.
Heading through the stadium section for the last time I took a peek back and saw mostly empty track. One of the riders from the pack, a Mosquito rider, had caught and repassed me on the last lap but I'd managed to hold off the remainder. Still, no time for taking it easy. Big ring all the way to the finish (well, almost).
Not sure where I finished, but I had an absolute ball. The bike was caked in mud and felt a good 2kg heavier after the race, crazy.
So, I think now I get 'cross. Fact: It is the most fun you can have on a bike.
I was a little nervous this morning; it has been a long time since I'd raced; I'd been kept off the bike first by a bruised hand from a fall on icy, moss-covered paving in early-Jan and then from a battle with a nasty cold that ended up taking out pretty much most of the family that was staying over. The good news is that I didn't get the customary chest infection, so my asthma meds are doing the trick!
Back to today - it was very cold (around 2°C), but sunny. Rain and snow from previous days had made the ground well soaked and bit of the course I could see looked pretty squishy indeed. There had also been a New Years Day madison event on two days before, so the circuit was quite cut up. I'd arrived with good time, so I was able to sign on and get my kit sorted without a rush before heading out for an easy recce; this is very important for me.
The mud was very slippery indeed, and some off camber sections needed good line picking, but also solid pedaling to get through. Some of the faster corners were a little daunting, but later proved a treat (provided the bike was set-up nicely into the corner). A bit of ice, and frozen, furrowed mud was quite scary and, after very nearly stacking it on the recce, I decided it was best avoided. What struck me most about the course was the crazy climbs and near drop-offs and the number of obstacles that demanded a dismount. The bits through the trees also offered up many technical challenges that initially made me feel completely inept.
So I felt pretty daunted as I took up my place on the start line. Soon enough the whistle went and it was the usual charge to the first corner. I wasn't feeling that strong, so I didn't go all out, but I found myself around some familiar faces to I guess it must have been a reasonable start. The first foray into the tricky wooded section was crazy; I found myself getting into all sorts of trouble by making the same mistake that I had previously made in the cockpit of my Class C Fiat - following the guy in front, and in so doing effectively having him ride my bike. I forced myself to focus on the trail, looking past the rider ahead and picking my own line.
Into the second lap it was feeling a lot easier and into the third riding in the mud felt like second nature. I found that, in the group I was in (roughly 6-7 riders), I was being held up quite a bit through the technical wooded section, but onto the flatter open stadium section I was losing ground - my lack of fitness from the time off the bike telling. But the problem was, sitting at the back of the group I was being held up where I had the advantage, then burning up through the infield to stay in touch. Time to make a move then. With a few bold moves, including an outbrake into a steep downhill, I got ahead. I had to work hard though, so into the infield I felt like puking and was repassed.
Next lap our group was split by a fall and I attacked to try to get a bigger advantage. It almost worked, and I left the infield section only having conceded a place or two to the group. On the next lap, I made my move. I charged hard up the the steep climb, with the bike on my shoulder I sprinted as hard as I could up the muddy slope and did my best impression of a running remount (which, I must admit, needs a lot of work). Apart from a few metres gap, crucially I'd got "track position" on the group with a fair proportion of the twisty wooded section to go. I rode it as hard as I could, even came off once (but managed to save it with a quick remount). Then, into the infield I tucked down and rode as hard as I could. It paid off. Coming out of the stadium exit corner, I saw the group still a distance from the corner. Spot on.
The rest of the race was a fight against fatigue and the lack of a rear brake. Not sure what happened (my guess at the moment is a cable that I hadn't tightened properly), but my rear brake stopped working in the second lap which left me with only the front - quite a liability, especially with all the sharp corners at the bottom of descents. As I became more tired, mistakes crept in and I would lose my advantage through the woods.
So the 2 laps go couldn't come soon enough. The pace started to escalate, and I knew the riders behind would be chasing. Summoning up all the energy I could, I tried to ride as neatly as I could, only to tumble over the bars on a descent. I needed to stay calm and keep it smooth, but it was difficult. I was also starting to encounter a few back-markers which made things even trickier. I couldn't afford to lose time through the twisty sections but this was exactly where passing was difficult. Fortunately the etiquette of most riders was exemplary and it was generally easy to find a way through as long as you weren't too impatient.
Heading through the stadium section for the last time I took a peek back and saw mostly empty track. One of the riders from the pack, a Mosquito rider, had caught and repassed me on the last lap but I'd managed to hold off the remainder. Still, no time for taking it easy. Big ring all the way to the finish (well, almost).
Not sure where I finished, but I had an absolute ball. The bike was caked in mud and felt a good 2kg heavier after the race, crazy.
So, I think now I get 'cross. Fact: It is the most fun you can have on a bike.
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