Racing

Newlands Duathlon - 17/4/11 - 8km run, 40 km bike, 4 km run.
I gulped when I pushed my crusty, old bike into the grassy transition area at the hamlet of Stair in the Newlands Valley just south of Keswick. What I’d thought would be a low key event with about seventy starters was looking a bit more serious with a large number of sleek individuals milling around purposefully, dressed in tri-suits and compression socks, and pushing expensive looking carbon fibre steeds. Interspersed between them were a number of other competitors who fell into the “local cumbrian hard nuts” category. Where were all the part-timers, the shilly-shallyers, the out for a laughs? At home was the answer. They knew better than me…….
The first run headed straight up the hill, past Skelgill Farm then onto the Allerdale Ramble, a spectacular, undulating trail along the base of Catbells. It wasn’t long before all I could hear was the dull, thudding rush of blood coursing past my ear drums and the sawing rasp of my breath as I tried desperately to hang on to the tail of the faster runners as they motored up the steep climb to the col at Hause Gate. By the time I’d dragged my sorry carcass to the top they’d already cannoned off down the descent back into the Newlands valley, leaving me panting like a porky puppy in their wake. I was utterly exhausted, and had only run four kilometres. I pressed on ill-advisedly through a film of salty sweat, with only the prospect of a jolly bike ride keeping me going.
Pausing only to don my helmet and gulp down a gel, I exited the transition area with my spirits lifted. Minutes later the familiar inclines of Whinlatter Pass loomed up in front of me. I settled into my rhythm and started to pick off the faster runners, including a few ladies who’d pasted me back on Catbells. After a swig of energy drink at the top I bust a gut to get past the first lady on the sweeping descent to Lorton, the ever present dread of finishing behind a girl driving me downwards through a series of tightening bends in a lunatic rush.

Larging it up on the descent from Whinnlatter (I didn’t know the camera was there, honest)

The steady, rolling tug up to Buttermere was punctuated by a series of heart pounding accelerations as I endeavoured to get past riders without tailgating them and breaking triathlon rules about slipstreaming. I motored onwards past the shiny expanse of Crummock Water with the taste of blood in my throat, and finally caught up with a handy looking fellow in Buttermere. He refused to yield and we set to with some merry banter and vicious half wheeling all the way to the base of Honister Pass. The road up Honister sucked us gradually upwards in a series of seductive curves before suddenly soaring into the sky in a twisting ribbon of one in four lung and leg maiming hell. What a kicker! I tried desperately to blow my cheerful companion out the back of me as we crunched down through the gears, my chainset screeching as I slammed it into the granny gear. Two hundred yards from the top the old refrain was once again echoing round and round inside my head from behind the swirling, red mist “Why oh why oh why oh why do I do these things?” I was sweating blood, and for what? Cresting the summit I glanced back to see my competition dropping back, and slowed to gulp some more energy drink.

The riotous descent down the steeper side of Honister to Seatoller was punctuated by a ripple in the tarmac that saw my rear wheel in the air as I front-wheeled my way through a tankslapper and later an oncoming Range Rover overtaking a cyclist grinding up the other way. The gap on the left was only a foot wide but at forty mph with the brakes jammed on it was all I had. Luckily, I’m not that fat, and I made it. The ride back along the beautiful Borrowdale Valley passed in a blur, and soon I was following the lake road along the western side of Derwent Water at the base of Catbells back to the transition area at Stair. With my calves cramping and tongue lolling I finally had to face the awful truth. It was something I’d been conveniently ignoring on the ride. I had another 4 km to run.

The final run headed straight out the transition area and up a long tarmac incline. After 2 km it seemed that every single muscle in both legs was cramping and seizing solid, even the itty bitty, tiny ones that don’t usually do much except hang about hiding between the big ones. This time they weren’t hiding, they were screaming. I could barely walk. I gritted my teeth and forced myself on. I figured out that if I kept going with legs bent and hunching over I could just about keep the pain at bay. I scuttled onwards like a distressed crab. After a brief, agonizing ascent up a dirt track came the turnaround and the returning trail was a blessed relief as I wobbled downwards back to Stair, kicking my spindly jelly legs out in front of me. I raised my eyes to the heavens and swore never again as I crossed the finish line, before proceeding to gulp down ten consecutive cups of energy drink from the communal tankard. A short while later Sue pitched up, looking sweaty and cheerful.
If you want to know how I did I can advise you that my bike time was reasonably quick, though far from being the quickest, and my run times were slow. In the end I beat some, but by no means all, of the compression sock boys. The most important fact was that I came in ahead of the first lady and thus did not get beaten by a girl. I have emailed Rick and requested that next time I start talking about doing a duathlon he takes me quietly to one side and tells me not to be such a blithering idiot…….

Submitted by Justin Noble

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CIRCUIT OF LONGRIDGE 22/3/09

The Ribble Valley promotion has reverted to it’s traditional March running date from mid-summer, so inevitably it was blowing a gale, although we were spared any rain.  The HQ turned out to be a disused mental hospital in Goosnargh, which was mighty appropriate seeing as it was occupied by 50 odd time triallists for the duration of that morning, although the warders were conspicuous by their absence!  The course itself begins at the foot of Kestor Lane in Longridge, the riders ascend the hill before turning right before the Jeffrey Hill turn & then go on through Hurst Green & Mitton before arriving at Edisford Bridge, where there is a left turn which leads to the main climb at Chaigley, followed by a left turn after the Craven Heffer & again at Chipping, which leads them back to the finish line by Longridge Cricket Club, 19 miles in all.  I was off at number 3 which was unfortunate as it is good to pick off riders during the climb of Chaigley & there was in fact only a 70 year old Ribble Valley rider at number 2 who I would inevitably pass well before then, but never mind.  As my start time of 3 minutes past 10 arrived I free wheelled up to the starter, waited for 30 seconds until the pusher off held my bike with me on it, shivering in my skinsuit, (me not him), “10 seconds, 5 4 3 2 1 go”.  And off I went up the first hill, the wind funnelled up the ascent behind me so it was an easy climb without having to push too hard so early, but from then on it often became a cross wind & my disc wheel & particularly my deep section carbon quad spoke front bore the brunt of the winds strength as I battled to keep a straight course on my side of the road, hammering along at nearly 40mph down some of the gradients made for much interesting cornering manoeuvres as I approached Edisford Bridge & the left turn & the inevitable screaming head wind which would await me!  Sure enough, that section which climbs gradually anyway was absolute purgatory as my heart rate monitor displayed 170 plus bpm for 10 mph progress, this lasted for seemingly endless minutes & once I crested the climb it wasn’t much quicker even going down the other side, finally I descended the Hodder Bridge approach & successfully negotiated the rutted surface before I began the Chaigley climb, the first bit is the worst bit & after the struggle I had just completed my legs felt like they had been hacksawed, but it was my choice to enter the event so just get on with it.  Once the initial section was surmounted I breathed a sigh of relief (through tortured lungs which felt like they were being hacksawed as well) that my gear shifter had dropped onto the 39 ring, as it had refused to do so at the Great Mitton climb, I then put it onto the 53 ring for the easier remainder, at this point Paul Shallicker passed me going like a (young) train & by the top of the climb Jessica Wilson-Young came past at rather less velocity, no point chasing her down though as she moved inexorably away from me.  The next downhill section was a fast & rutted farm road which threw me all over the place with the wind still not helping me one bit either, it was then the left turn at the Chipping white railings & the last section, unfortunately after 17 miles already in my legs the lure of the finish line did not rest easy with the aching limbs, but a look at my watch said that I might just beat the hour, so I hurled myself into the headwind as hard as I could bear the pain, even a following wind before the last corner, & crossed the line after 1 hour 32 seconds, there were 36 riders in front of me & 11 behind, for the record the winner was Peter Williams of Pinarello RT with 44.23, a superb time given the conditions.         

Submitted by Ken Roberts

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Well not much to say about this race really, it was on the same circuit as the Mersey wheelers road race (PIMBO) one shortish climb only this time there were road works on the circuit so coming down a fast decent (35mph +) first the outside lane was closed off then the inside lane was coned off as the outside one opened up but it was back down to one lane round the tight bend with a tight bunch of 80 riders it made it abit hairy at times however most riders handled it well with the exception of a few who cut inside the coned etc There was one very bad crash where two riders had to be taken to hospital (one requiring surgery on his face) however I avoided that (just). I have taken the report of the organizing clubs website: Shane O'Neill & Colin Humphrey got away quiet early in the race and managed to keep the peleton at bay all the way to the end finishing with a 40 second advantage. A group of around eight riders did get away and at one point it looked as through they would bridge the gap only to be held up by a slow moving wagon, which gave the peleton the chance to reel them back in. St Helens riders Stewart Dwyer, Craig Eden, Jeff Freeman & Harry McNally all finished in the main peleton and John Rigby was a DNF The only thing I have to say was I set up the little group of 8 that is mentioned so needless to say i was really annoyed when we got held up i attacked at several points in the race and ended up in various small groups including a little group of 5 on the second to last lap where we got a small lead however non of it came to anything and i finished in the middle of a bunch of 70 or so riders who were left. What i can say is that had we not been helled up by the truck i imagine the group of 8 would have merged with the leaders and probably stayed clear as we had already got about a 20-30 second lead on the main field in about 1.5 miles.

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The traditional racing in this area being more geared towards the four legged type, it had to take a back saddle on Saturday 10th May when it was replaced by the two wheeled variety as the East District Cycling Association promoted the 4th round of the 2008 Rudy Project National Time Trial Series. The club had found a superb technical course to the south west of the town starting in the village of Ashley, the first 3 miles in the direction of Newmarket were mostly fast downhill, before arriving at a severe left hander from which point for about a mile the competitors had to make up a good part of the height lost in those first 3, it was then a bit of everything as they made their way through the villages of Saxon Street, Kirtling & Cowlinge, before arriving at the turn onto the main Bury St Edmunds road where it was 30mph plus before Stradishall crossroads & the turn back onto the lanes leading through Lidgate, Cropley Grove & the finish on top of Ashley Hill. On a baking hot Suffolk day senior riders raced over 31 miles & other categories 21 & with no discernable wind inevitably the climbs were going to be very hot indeed, but compared to the 1st round at Bassenthwaite where a number of DNS riders assumed the event would be abandoned (me included) due to the preponderance of snow in the area, this proposed less of an evil. So on lanes which were largely bereft of both motor & equine traffic Kevin Dawson led to win the men’s race with espoir Richard Meadows in second & local Preston rider Mark Holton in third. In the veteran’s race I beat my ‘veteran’s target time’ by 2.20 which put me in 16th position of the 35 riders who competed in this age adjusted category, so those 45 points leave me in 14th place in the championship after the two rounds I completed, if I had got through the snow to Bassenthwaite I would now be in 8th, cruel fate!!!! There is now the traditional summer break in the series which resumes in August & finishes in October, competitors require 5 results from the total of 8 events to qualify for overall championship placings, I can unfortunately probably only manage 4 due to clashes with hill climb commitments during September & October, as Mary Tudor said, probably after a disastrous bike race, “when I am dead & opened, you shall find ‘Bassenthwaite’ lying in my heart”!!!!!

Submitted by Ken Roberts

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Alex Tyrell's Isle of Man Youth & Junior Tour

Well this weekend I competed in the IOM Youth and Junior tour (part of the National Junior Road Race Series). A look at the start sheet before the race told me it was going to be a hard event. The junior category contained the recent winner of the junior Paris-Roubaix Andrew Fenn, Junior series leader Eric Rowse,l and several other high profile riders (I think I was one of about 5 first year juniors and quite possibly the only 3rd cat). The race was a stage race format starting with a one mile time trial on the prom on Friday night. As the ferry I was on got to the island about 2:00 I decided to go out for a ride and recce the road race coarse in the west side of the island. The course was about 6 miles long and formed a triangle, the roads were very good for racing on and most of the course was rolling with one longish dragging climb. The time trial in the evening was very flat and was mainly straight with a sharp U bend at the far end. Whilst warming up I found a good line to take through the bend but unfortunately took it a little bit fast on the TT and ended up dragging my bike along the wall that ran across the front of the sea. As short distance is probably my weak point I ended up finishing 121st out of about 200 with a time of 2:06 On Saturday there was a 70..ish mile road race. This started at a reasonable pace and quickly accelerated after about 2 laps. The back of the bunch blew apart and I lost contact with the leaders. I got into a little group and we were constantly dropping and gaining people from the group until it ended up as a 3 with me and a Team IOM rider doing the majority of the work (the IOM rider taking the pace on the flat sections and me leading out up the climb). This worked well for about 3 laps until the IOM rider snapped his chain in the big climb and with no neutral service car in sight his race was over. I carried on with a rider on my wheel who pulled out later that lap as we passed the HQ so I was left on my own. With some information from the escort bikes that there was a group of about 8 a minute and a half up the road, I began the solo chase and within two laps I had them in sight and caught them half a lap later. However, as I caught them it became clear that they were coming to the end of there energy levels as the group slowed rapidly. I attacked on the climb and took a mate with me (Sam Pedder- G.S. Surosa) who I worked with for a further couple of laps until he blew just as the race leaders caught us. With instructions from the motorbike commissars not to get in to either of the two leading groups I let them go and carried on my own just off the back of the group. It was a good job I did as I looked up to see two riders, a snapped bike and a police motorbike sliding down the road ahead. It turned out the motorcycle engine had seized up and a rider had gone into the back of it. When the remainder of the bunch caught up I sat in with them till the end of the race and finished around 29th-35th (lapped riders were all given the same time and their finishing order was published using the TT results. So all in all it was a very hard race but it felt good to finish. The third day consisted of a 40 mile Kermesse (criterium) on the prom at Ramsey, towards the north of the island. The coarse ran along the sea front and at one end it bent left up a hill then went into a dead U turn then headed down and back along the front and to another dead bend at the other end. It was approximately 1.5 miles long. Wel,l the weather which had been nice until then decided to turn and by the time it came to the junior race in the afternoon the rain was lashing down and the wind was blowing down one side of the circuit and bringing spray from the sea right across the road. My race did not get off to a good start when the rider in front of me missed his pedal on the start line and ended up staggering along letting his bike fall on the ground (sods law said I had to hit it!). After a quarter of a lap of chasing I caught on to the back of the bunch as some riders were virtually track standing as people attempted to make the very dangerous bend in very wet conditions. Needless to say the back of the bunch got split to pieces coming out of the bend so once again I ended up in a chasing group only this time after about 4 laps I had completely blown my stack and was riding on my own reaching for the energy gels. I think over the coarse of the race I lost about 4 laps to the main bunch and ended up riding on my own for nearly the whole race as most other dropped riders retired from the horrible conditions and I was so weak that when a group came past I could just about hold on but as they accelerated out the bends I could only watch as I had not got any power in my legs for hard accelerations. This was the first time I had ever blown in a race and I think the reason was down to not eating enough to both recover from the previous day and ride the race. All in all it was a good weekend even though I finished around 41st out of about 60 overall.

Submitted by Alex Tyrell

Report on BC website: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/roa/EventReports2008/20080502_iom_youth_tour_hub.asp

More pictures soon.

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