Ed making a break

Stage 1 TT 7.2 KM
The course started with a steep climb for 400m then levelled off for a very fast tail wind next 4.5 km maxing out the junior gearing. The route then took a sharp left onto an 11% climb to the finish. I missed my start time by 8 seconds due to a misunderstanding and ended up riding in the red zone for the whole ride. I was later given a 60 second time penalty. Lawrence Carpenter riding his first TT came 58th in 13:26. Joe Holloway finished 72nd in 13:40. I finished 80th in 13:55 and Martin Dawkins finished 85th in 14:14.

Ed in the pack

Stage 2 72.4km Road Race Average Speed 38kph
The route was mainly flat with one KOM at the halfway point and then a mountain finish at the end. The race started on narrow roads and the pace was pushed up to around 30mph almost causing splits as the peloton was strung out. After bridging across to the head of the peloton I sat in around 10th as we moved onto a dual carriage way and the peloton regrouped. Small group of 6 broke away and I managed to jump across however the break was shut down after 10 minutes. A short while after this I attacked on a sharp turn off a roundabout with Simon Yates (who is riding in the common wealth games) and another rider and we quickly moved away from the peloton however I got hit by a bout of cramp and was forced to pull over I lost the back of the peloton and rode home alone with cramp hitting regularly, the breakaway I was in went on to finish in the top 10. The rest of vc10 stayed with the peloton and finished in the middle of the field moving up the GC.

Ed in the circuit race

Stage 3 Circuit race 1hour+ 3 laps Average Speed 40kph
The circuit is rarely used as no race want to race it due to its 7% climb, 10% technical descent and two sharp narrow corners. The first lap was lead out by the commissar’s car but within 100m I cramped up again. I pulled over and struggled to ride for the next two laps however after stretching it out I recovered and jumped on the second breakaway group. After finding my legs again and I attacked on the climb and rode onto the back of a lone rider and we worked together to the finish. There was light rain and a strong wind during the race making things difficult. During the race Martin Dawkins one of the VC10 team pulled out, not feeling 100%. Joe and Lawrence finished mid bunch showing their strength and consistency in a very strong pack.

Joe Holloway in the circuit race

Stage 4 75.2km Road Race Average Speed 39.9 kph
Stage four was a flat route mainly along dual carriage way with a long steady climb to the finish. I moved up to the top 10 quickly and tried to sit on the attacks at the start as a breakaway tried to form. I found myself sitting on Josh Edmondson’s wheel (4th in the junior world champs). I missed the break that stayed away and with 40km to go again cramped and lost the peloton. I quickly found myself riding with the broom wagon with an Isle of Man rider however on the last climb found my legs again and caught up with another rider. We worked together but to no avail and were disqualified because we missed the time cut. Joe finished in the top end of the peloton using his climbing ability and Lawrence finished just behind him again showing their strengths on the climbs.

Lawrence on one of the major climbs

Stage 5 94.5 km Road Race Average Speed 37.9kph
Stage five was a hilly route starting on main roads and moving onto smaller roads it started with long climbs and descents. It then moved onto a long, hard and exposed climb and then nearly 30miles of gradual decent before Tumble Mountain, 4miles long maxing out at 15% and an average of 8%. Joe and Lawrence finished mid pack again keeping their placing in GC.

Joe finished well up the GC

Overall Joe finished 69th and Lawrence finished 59th. The overall winner was Dan McLay the British national champion. There was only one kamikaze sheep that attacked a breakaway and took three riders down on stage five. The whole race was an awesome experience and VC10 looked the business despite the team car that thankfully didn’t need to service VC10, however was good to know we had a support car waiting.

Ed at full throttle

The British Summer finally went back to its traditional roots over the last couple of weeks, putting many off, soaking everyone, washing spiky bits onto the potholed roads and giving many at least a chill.

On the plus side, VC10 are getting out racing at weekends and during the week, and training at weekends and on Thursday, too! Watch the website and forum for some very exciting participation offers coming soon – track, cyclo-cross and triathlon and duathlon training.

Bicester Millennium 4-up Team Time trial

What a gas!!! The whole of Southern Britain was bathed in warm summer sunshine, except for a line of thunderstorms marching like a slit throat across North Bucks and Oxon. Weston on the Green airfield was not spared.  VC10 are immensely proud to have fielded SIX teams in this event. This is twice as many as any other club. Though we were all beaten by Team MK, we’ve got good excuses. VC10 – 1 had Dave Johnson, who couldn’t keep up. All the others had problems keeping together as the rain and spray made it terribly difficult to stay on wheels. All competitors should be very satisfied with finishing!!

Final Results

Western Time Trials Association 100 mile TT
Dave Johnson and Chris Grieg harnessed the best support man in the business, Richie Davies, to provide the nutrition and care required to perform well in a time trial of this distance. Rich helped Dave get up at 0330, drove him to the Cotswold Water Park, South of Cirencester (“The Centre of the Cotswolds” – which should tell you something – refer to later…..) and collected together drinks, spare wheels and so on to do the hand ups as the riders passed him 7 times on the main drag and spur road circuit, covered 4 times.

Dave Johnson grinds out a sub 4 hour 100TT

Mostly dual carriageway, the course blasts up and down the A419, with the “up and down” concept rather too literal for the tastes of Big Dave, and Even Bigger Chris. (See “Cotswolds” reference earlier). The climb at the top end of the course, lack of sleep and especially the rising wind put paid to any hope the riders had, with most of the riders in the race packing before the finish. Tall Chris, on his way back after some difficult times, wasn’t able to finish, but impressed with the 75 miles of solid training he got in. Johnson suffered, especially on the uphill sections into the wind, where speeds were down to as low as 16 mph, but, with a big effort over the last lap, and with the help of Energy/protein/ caffeine gels handed up alongside bottles by Richie, just managed to squeak under 4 hours, taking 4th place in 3.59.14.
Job done – just!!!

Whitewebbs CC Evening 10

For the last time this season, members trooped to Hoddesden to attempt fats rides on the F20/10. A slight wind made it tricky, as fast courses are always the most susceptible to meteorological variations, but times were still hot.

Nick Calkin, with time-trialling taking a back seat this season, still managed 22.18. The club’s most consistent, and fastest short-distance rider this year, Pete Lawrence, has improved so much this year that he was actually disappointed to do 20.43.

 Mark Wakley achieved his season’s dream of a 22 minute ride, scoring 22.52. Rich King also pb’d, this with an improvement of THREE MINUTES, passing the timekeeper in 26.26. Will Dixon, although he knows the course, surprised himself by sailing straight past the turn roundabout! 27.50 for over 12 miles is pretty good! Dave Johnson, finding late-season form, posted his 5^th fastest ever 10 at the age of 52, in 20.27. Tall Chris’ 22.56 also signalled a return to form. Joe Holloway, celebrating his 18^th birthday in quite soon, was another personal-best, with a superb 22.20. Greg Lewis, after a mid-season dip in form, impressed with 22.13 and Richie Davies was pleased with 22.24. Damien Cahill was another delighted scorer of a pb, with 26.34, and Cliff grant’s personal best ever 10, at over 60 years of age, made his 22.12 the ride of the night.

Oxonian 50

Only Richie Davies arrived to display club colours West of Oxford during a brief respite in the rain. His report follows:

“Conditions looked good this morning but actually felt like treacle. Wind in your face on the way out, but not that helpful on the way back. Doing intervals to near-maximum conspired with the conditions. I posted 2.8. 07. Off on holiday for a recuperation before next Saturday’s race”

MTB

Rick Featherstone proved too strong for the other riders in the Wycombe Summit race series at Lotts Wood. Rick needed a podium finish in the last of the Vets Races to clinch first place in the series.

Rick had a ding dong battle with his other championship contenders. Rick using all his power and bike handling skills to grab second place in the last race with a few hundred metres to go to wrap up the title.

Torq 12/12

Rick tucking into some hard earned carbo

Not content with this win. Rick and Iwona entered the Torq 12 hour relay race on August Bank holiday weekend.

The event starts at 12 noon and finishes at midnight. Tactics and pace judgement are key part of this race. Iwona and Rick timed their race perfectly by finishing a fanastic second 47 seconds ahead of third place. 47 seconds ahead after 12 hours. Close racing.

Iwona making a rare appearance in a TT

Next Report

Sub 21 riders go Welsh

Will Dixon pb’s despite a 30mph gale

DJ’s season just gets better

VC10′s flying in formation in the WLC

Some impressive performances again this week as VC10 riders travel the length of the country to enjoy their summer racing

High Wycombe evening league 11 mile Time Trial

Road works on the railway bridge between Thame and Princes Risborough have forced the last evening 10 mile TT’s of the season to be moved onto the 11 mile circuit. Tuesday night’s event saw a personal best for the course for Rich King, preparing for the Dunsfold Duathlon on the Top Gear Race Track. His time of 30.24 just beat Richard Wise’s post French- Mountains epic of 31.13. Allan Simmonds continued to impress with 25.49, and Cliff Grant won the vets standard time race ( where actual time is reduced by a constant based on age) with an actual of 27.05, adjusted to 20.37. Unbeatable!

Hertfordshire Wheelers Evening 10

On the same evening, team members tripped to the super-fast F20/10 course at Hoddesden. A bit of a wind slowed times, but they were still impressive:  Pete Lawrence is getting used to blasting out sub-21 minute rides, and tonight he turned in a blistering 20.52 – too hot for Dave Johnson, 20.58. Rich Davies hit the tape at 22.16, then Greg Lewis followed with 23.04, Mark Wakely 23.24 and 15 year old Will Dixon did another personal best with 24.02

Hemel Hempstead CC 10 mile Time Trial

Pete Lawrence

Saturday afternoon started badly, with a very heavy downpour threatening the safety of the race. However, half an hour before first man off, the weather cleared and a wind began to rise from the South East. This made the race great to the turn, but less so on the return to the timekeeper, albeit this is a shorter leg. High hopes for the team prize were dashed when first Chris Grieg did not start; then second, star in our firmament, Pete Lawrence, missed his start time. Traffic had prevented him getting back from his warm up in time. Though only 10 seconds late, it was not made clear to him that only these 10 seconds would be added to his time, and so the timekeeper thought he’d wait for an empty slot, while Pete thought time was ticking away as he waited. Eventually Pete rode away. Later on, Dave Johnson punched him on the nose, but that’s a different story…….

In the end, Rob Fletcher hoofed home in a fine 6^th place, in 21.40 and Dave Johnson’s 21.33 gave him 4^th, and a prize for fastest of the “young” veterans.

Finsbury Park 25 mile Time Trial

An unpleasant Northerly still blew the next morning, where, this time, Dave Johnson let everyone down on the team prize front. A fast start and finish were more than made up for by the headwind in the middle on the sometimes exposed A1 near Bedford.

Pete Lawrence lived up to his “nearly-man” reputation, taking 7^th, nearly in the prizes, in a personal best time of 53.57, and Rob Fletcher backed him up well with 55.19. Johnson, going quite well, used his fabled eyesight to fail to see a huge bug which entered his mouth, buried itself in the back of his throat, climbed up inside towards his nose, and died. The bodily-function-fest that ensued is not suitable to be described here, but it suffices to say that he had to stop, that every sphincter known to medical science failed, and failed catastrophically, and that Dave had a headache, earache and strained stomach muscles. Thus, the last 4 miles were done at a heaving 20 mph instead of a wind-assisted 30mph. In what was probably his best ride of the year in the circumstances, he still managed 55.13. Team prize, needless to say, went to another, less soiled, team.

Winchester Trail Quest

Rick Fetherston tore up the trails in this Mountain bike orienteering event, clearing all the checkpoints with 34 minutes to spare to take an excellent win. Iwona Szmyd almost took all checks to be well clear in the ladies event. Ralph Dadswell picked a similar course to that of Iwona, but missed the location of a couple of checkpoints. He was, unfortunately, five minutes outside the time limit, as he felt he couldn’t use roads not on the map. He could, but hey………

Stop Press – Ossie Assem

Ossie road racing

Ossie has just been in contact to report that he crashed in a road race this last weekend – rider in front lost control with 4km to go. Ossie was thrown from his machine and landed heavily, breaking his shoulder blade. He is understandably upset as this means he has had to postpone his Lands End to John O’Groats ride, a tribute to his Dad. We wish him comfort, a rapid recovery and a strong, brave heart.

And there was me talking about luck………

Round 10

As Helen counted down 5,4,3,2,1 for the last rider last night I suddenly thought is this really the end of the VC10 2010 Club TT Championship? Have we really run 10 rounds?

The evening started with Nicola and Ralph D rolling out on the tandem trike. Time keepers will tell you that to keep the time passing whilst waiting for the first rider back. They start to work out who is going to finish and in what order.

Well Nicola and Ralph surprised the pundits by holding off an inform Richie Davies by 10 seconds. So managing to be the first to start and finish. Apparently they are tv personalities you know.

Ralph and Nicola managed to pb with a 25.07. There was one other pb on the night. Joe Holloway who improved his best ever time by over 30 seconds with a 23.32. Joe is looking good for the Junior Tour of Wales.

Other battles were being fought last night. Could 15 year old Will Dixon overhaul Mark Wakely in the club championship? Mark like 2010 Club TT Champion Pete Lawrence has improved vastly this year.  Will who only joined VC10 half way through the summer was counting on discards to lift him up the field.

Amazingly after the ten rounds had been calculated and two discards applied Mark and Will finished on equal points. Both riders having competed in six rounds. Will just pips Mark on the tie break  by the virtue of having the higher individual round score.  This puts Will on the podium in third place in the championship and Mark in fourth. An incredible achievement when you think both Will and Mark having only three years cycling experience between them.

However, congratulations go to Pete Lawrence who is the worthy winner of this years championship. Pete can look forward to receiving his award after hours of speeches and other prizes been given out at the Christmas Party.

Well done Pete.

Not to be forgotten Will is Junior Champion and Iwona is Ladies Champion. In the Vets Championship Nick Calkin just pips Dave Johnson.

Many years ago, in the 90s, I undertook a cycling camping trip across the Pyrenees from Bordeaux to Barcelona with my friend Ken Powell – it was so much fun over the big mountains that I did the same route a couple of years later.

 Fourteen years later and quite a few pounds heavier, we thought it would be good to have another bash at the big hills and what better time to do it than during the Tour de France, particularly in a year marking the Centenary of the first Pyrenees crossing by the race?

 So along with Steve (westbound) Badger driving the ‘support car’, the rather unlikely looking lardy mountain climbers set off for the first day cycling on stage 13 of the Tour.

This first day was a very gentle affair with a leisurely breakfast in a hotel in a medieval French village, before heading off for two Cat 4 climbs (Cote de Mergais and Cote de Begon). After these we settled down for our first view of the publicity caravanne and the race itself before dashing off immediately after to the Cat 3 Cote de Saint-Ferreol just before the finish.

 At the hotel that night we studied the weather forecast for our first big day, and as this suggested we would have high temperatures the following day we took on a reasonable amount of liquid carbs in fairly large glasses!

The Sunday ride turned out to be hot and sunny with the first climb of the day being the Portet d’Aspet. I was surprised that this wasn’t classed as a Cat 1 and the following climb (the Col des Ares) as a 3. However the ASO had decreed these would both be Cat 2 for this year and we had no real problems on either. On the roadside we came across the memorial to Fabio Casartelli who lost his life descending the Aspet in 1995 – 15 years ago almost to the minute that we paid our respects.The descent of the Ares led to a windy valley section before starting the HC climb of the Port de Bales.  I had done this climb twice before but never in these temperatures and the heat coupled with having two climbs already in our legs, made this the hardest climb of the trip.

Monday the 19 and it is exactly 100 years to the day since Octave Lapize first crossed the Pyrenees in the Tour. We returned to the Port de Bales before 5am to get a good viewing spot and as soon as it was light and warm enough, I got the bike off the car and descended for another climb up the mountain. After yesterday’s long hot slog, this was a much more pleasurable climb and the encouragement from the thousands of spectators was great.

After brunch cooked on the camping stove, chalking the road with the mandatory yellow VC10 scribble, we waited for the race. The location was perfect as it was just where Andy Schleck decided to lose his chain, panic, then race off after Contador.

With the race gone we headed down off the mountain and up the Peyresourde as soon as we could before the thousands of camper vans had time to follow.

 On Tuesday we were unsure whether to ride up the Aspin and watch there but decided due to history we had to make the effort to get not just us on bikes but Steve in the car up the Tourmalet. Steve got a space just before the road blockage at La Mongie but Ken and I rode up through the town and out into the wilderness of the eastern side of the mountain.

This was strange as the police must have closed the road some time ago, because there were very few vehicles on the mountain. Normally this would be rammed with cars and motorhomes by this time.

The climb was fine and once above the steeper sections leading to La Mongie the climb was steady.

One thing I do find strange is that over there, if the Garmin signals a 6% climb it is a relief and you can have a rest – in the UK if I see 6%, I think this is horrible! Not that there was much as this grade on the Tourmalet.

Anyway, back at the car we witnessed Lance in the break and then got ready to leave as soon as possible after Cav had gone through at the back, to make it to the unclassified climb at Sevignacq-Meyracq in time.

Wednesday was to be a rest day for the proper riders and an ideal time for us to have a bash at the whole of the Tourmalet from the more difficult western side. As with any long climb and unlike on the flat, once you get into a good rhythm, it’s very difficult to ride at someone else’s pace, so I soon left Ken and was in my own little world all the way up.

The section up through Bareges is quite steep, as is the pitch after the last hairpin but much of the rest is a fairly constant 9 – 11%. In fact the biggest problem wasn’t the climbing, not even the brainless people on mountain bikes who seem to have no regard for anyone else but simply the amount you sweat and subsequent steaming up of glasses.

The last 2km went very quickly and I even had enough strength to get out of the saddle for the last part – something anyone who has ever seem me struggling up Whiteleaf would find hard to believe. At the top I put on my warm gear and waited for Kenny, who duly arrived about 27 minutes later. It was then time for the mandatory photos (two in two days from different directions) before the descent back to the car.

 The Tourmalet is a long, hard climb with plenty of Tour history but in my opinion the Port de Bales is a steeper and much harder climb from the north.

Soulor day was a complete wash out with rivers running down the road, reminding me of the last time I climbed it many years ago. The long gentle climb from Asson where the climb officially starts is all very easy and pleasant with no major increase in difficulty until Ferriers.  There it ramps up but does stay fairly constant until the top where the Aubisque road joins. Strangely as the race came though the roads dried up – perfect timing.

With the cols out of the way we headed for Bordeaux on Friday, which took us through the long, flat and very windy roads of the Landes. Despite not being able to get the American or Dutch riders very interested in a chain gang, we set a very good pace until I punctured. As I changed the tube, I noticed we were stopped opposite a British couple in their camper van – nothing unusual until we saw they were dressed in full Storm Trooper outfits and were waving Union Jacks to attract more attention from the publicity caravan. After changing the puncture we continued up to the sprint in Hostens before returning to the Storm Troopers location to watch the race.

The final day was a blast up through the final TT course in Bordeaux, lined throughout by miles of vines and thousands of cheering spectators. Unlike 15 years ago when Ken led me up every mountain, this year had been the opposite with me giving him a tow up the hills. Once we got on the flat however it all changed and his power was much more useable and I was quite grateful to sit in at the pace he was going. We returned to the car in time for breakfast before settling down to watch the 170 remaining riders come past individually – fantastic.

With the centenary of the Alps in next year’s Tour it would be great to have another adventure but in my opinion they don’t come anywhere near the Pyrenees in terms of cycling, scenery or history – but we’ll see……..

Thanks to everyone who sponsored me to raise money for WheelPower but if anyone would

still like to help future disabled athletes, the site is still open:
http://www.justgiving.com/TourDeFrance2010

Wizzer.

Kev and Joe Holloway went on their hols to the south coast, and fitted in a road bike session at Portsmouth Track. Joe sends this awesome report:

I and my dad raced in Portsmouth last Wednesday while on holiday in the area, a 580 metre track, we raced for 45mins plus 3 laps. It was a steady start to the race until 2 guys jumped about 4 laps in, I bridged a small gap over to them. With some good team work, my dad slowing the bunch down whenever he got to the front allowed us to increase our lead to half a lap which held pretty steady for most of the race. Towards the end the bunch slowed and our break sped up until we caught the bunch with 4 laps to go. With every bit of my track experience I managed to weave my way through the bunch to finish near the front, beating the other two escapees to win

Outstanding result for Joe!

Bicester Millennium 9- up Team Time Trial

A fun club event inspired by previous team time trials in the Tour de France, this annual TTT-fest was attended, by invitation, by not one, but two VC10 teams. The club is not one year old, and yet we can already find the skill, enthusiasm and conditioning to field more than two 9-rider teams.

Held on the traffic-free perimeter road of Weston-on-the-Green Airfield, the 10 mile event covers just over 4 laps.

Black Team consisted of Anna Holder, Iwona Szmyd, Chris Miles, Will Dixon, Andy Lane, Steve Quinn, Terry Hammond, Craig Dawkins,  and Damien Cahill. Because of the extension and contraction of the line, sometimes its really tough to get your speed up to get back on the back after your effort. As such, the team did eventually break up, but the time is taken on the fifth  rider to finish, so held up for 25.24. An excellent time with splits of:

Start spur – 28 secs, Lap 1 – 6.13, lap 2 – 6.19, lap 3 – 6.14 and last lap – 6.10

Chris Miles leads the black team in close formation

White Team of Greg Lewis, Mark Wakley, Chris Grieg, Richie Davies, Nick Calkin, Rob Fletcher, Chris Starling, Leon Wright and Dave Johnson started a little faster only, with a 26 sec spur, then got tidy and completed the first lap in 5.18. Unfortunately the pace began to tell and only five riders remained. Holding doggedly together, the squad pumped out the second lap in 5.08, the fastest of the night, despite Johnson doing some gardening at one point, while flicked onto the wet grass infield whilst overtaking another team, and then lap 3 in 5.10. Here though, Nick surprised his colleagues by sitting up thinking it was the finish! After some flowery shouting and a vigorous chase, all was back together for a last lap of 5.26 for a great win in 21.28 – exactly 28mph average. At least the winnings paid for a round in the pub afterwards!

Greg Lewis leads out the white team on lap 1

Chelmer Road Race

Ossie Assem, in his new role of Roadman after years of sportive competition, sends this:

The Chelmer Road Race was based on a circuit west of Chelmsford, with 3.75 laps of mostly flat technical country lanes comprising the 90kms race. There were a couple of rises, their gradients and distances too benign to cause to affect the race.

We rolled out for a 7kms neutralised section before the race flag was dropped. I stayed near the front, remaining sharp to any early breaks. A couple of brief digs aside, the peloton largely stayed together.

Kevin from FRT began to work his way forward, and as agreed in our pre race meeting, he attacked off the front. He took several riders with him and with the break starting to work together, this caused the pack to string out as it sought to bring them back. I was in approximately 20th position in the pack, mindful that I needed to move forward to defend. I pushed up another 10 places. As expected, counter attacks started to develop as the pack livened up, I was able to get into several of these, before everything was brought back together. This cycle continued, Kevin putting in furthter good attacks that caused the peloton to be stetched again as it sought t to rein these back.

From the mid point, Paul and I began to push ourselves into breaks trying to get these to work to stay away. The breaks were beginning to stick for longer, the peloton’s leaders stetching it out further in their determination to reel these in. I focused on staying close to the front when brought back, mindful of getting on counters that sprung up.

I continued to push myself into breaks and to work on the front, and with one lap to go, I was in a good positon near the front of a by-now whittled down and stetched out race. We worked well as a team, Paul drove on the front, I also worked hard at the front, so that we could keep the pace high. 

With about 2kms to go, Nick our sprinter came up near me and I could see he was feeling good. I drove on hard and heard him ask me to push him up. I was working hard to ensure I stay in the lead group. I pushed on like this past 1km to go, where I came out of the line and pushed on up the outside toward the front of the lead group with Nick on my wheel. After the last bend, Nick jumped out, flew past me, and came in 5th.

This was a great result and fantastic payback for the team.  For my own finish, somehow, i decided to ease up having dropped Nick off, there is no reason why I should have eased off, letting many riders stream by as I did so. I came in 14th, but I was very plesaed with this all the same as I’d done a lot of work, contributed to a high  placing for the team, and there were approximately 70 racing.

In terms of tactics, this was my best performance to date. I rode close to the front throughout the race, kept a check on attacks with my team mates, and got into breaks. I had the strength to work to the end getting our sprinter in to the position from which he got a high placing. Now, I need to add my own finish to this and there’ll be more ammo in my weaponry!

Bring on the next race!!

Ossie

Team Cambridge 10

Held on the lightning-quick E2/10 on the A11 at Newmarket on Saturday, VC10 riders Dave Johnson, Pete Lawrence, Chris Greig and Greg Lewis were a little disappointed to find quite windy conditions on arrival at the HQ at Westley Waterless, failing to live up to its name with the summer scent of recent rain.

Off at number 2, Tall Chris was unimpressed with his 23.40. He was slowed by a weight-loss week weakening him, as was Greg Lewis – 22.59 – 2.5kg lighter, and many watts down. Time for a retrenchment week, gentlemen!

Fatter Dave Johnson was off sometime later, and feeling good, was able to blast the course with a best-in-3-years time of 20.50. No hills allowed Dave’s momentum to remain unbothered, and a tactic of allowing the slow bits to be hit by a big 400Watts, and allowing the power to lower while already going fast while sucked along by the afternoon dual carriageway traffic.

Man in form Pete Lawrence was JUST behind in an excellent 20.52 – where were those two seconds lost? Well, Pete was baulked by a car at the turn, losing between 5 and 10 seconds, so Johnson’s smugness was short lived! Dr Hutch won in a sluggish (for him!) 18.59. Pete and Dave were encouraged to find that, if Hutch can take Competition Record a minute faster than this, then, in similar conditions, our boys can get under 20 minutes!

Pete Lawrence lost because of a Lorry

West London Cycling Assoc (Organised by VC10) 25

The next morning dawned a little damp, and Greg Lewis and team descended on Marlow for the event. Starting at Handy Cross motorway junction at High Wycombe, The course gives the riders a free descent to Bisham Abbey, but then makes them pay with the toughness and roughness of the A404, then the A4 to Sonning and all the way back to finish at Marlow. Most teammates were doing the decent thing and helping out, but someone has to fly the flag, right?

High Wycombe’s own Adam Topham, currently in National-Standard form, won well with a stupendous 51.26. VC10 riders were:

Dave Johnson – 53.46 in 6^th place; Alan Simmonds with a sparkling 55.28 in 12^th; Ralph Dadswell, pleased to get under the hour, with 59.16, Chris Greig, 1.02.28 and Anna Holder with 1.4.21 to place joint 2nd in the ladies competition.

Ade looking fresh at the end of the RAB receiving a cuddle from his young son

VC10 member Steve Quinn has a cycling brother in law called Ade. Steve has mentioned Ade a few times and says he does a bit of training with him.

Steve dropped the odd hint that Ade was quite a good rider.  Recently Ade took part in The Race Across Britain. You can read in his own words how he managed to finish 12th out over 650 riders.

About Me

I’m a 38 year old male. I’m a married father of two young boys aged 5 and 2. I live in the Oxford area and I’m a Police Detective Inspector with Thames Valley Police.  I would describe myself as physically fit. I’ve always been physically active and enjoy the gym, running and cycling. As I approach the big four zero I have been looking for challenges that stretch me.  I heard about the RAB through a mate who works for Deloitte. Immediately I was gripped by this challenge. I’m someone who hates organising things but if someone does all this and wants people to come along I’m up for it. The RAB sounded ideal pay your money and let someone do all the organising. I just need to turn up with my kit bag and bike. I filled out my on-line form then was told the RAB 2010 was full so I entered for 2011.  I thought this would give me loads of time for the training and learn from any mistakes people made in the first effort.  In Jan 2010 I got a call from Threshold saying a few people had dropped out and did I want to bring my ride forward. The temptation was too much, so I was in! Here my life changed for the next six months……….

Training

I must admit when I entered the RAB I became obsessed with training and equipment.

I’ve been riding bikes for four years. I have a group of mates who always go out for a ride at the weekend. I went once and that was it I was hooked.  I set about buying a bike and all the toys that went with it.  I ride every weekend all year. I generally ride for three or four hours on a Saturday and follow this up with a short ride in the week.  I’ve done a few sportives – Dragon Ride, Amstel Gold (Holland), Whitehorse Challenge but nothing major. I’ve never ridden in a club.  As soon as I was in the RAB I knew I had to up my game and increase the level of training. Threshold sent some training plans and I looked at Club level and decided I would try to stick to this. I enjoy riding long distances and in my mind I thought the more 100 milers I could do the better. The winter we had really hampered the training. I’m sure everyone remembers the snow and ice and the sub zero temperatures. I kept riding 3-4 hours but this was the absolute max. In Jan, Feb and March I increased the frequency of my rides and dropped going to the gym. So on a weekend I rode both days instead of one.  I achieved my first 100 miler of the season at the start of April. I have ridden 100 miles before but I have never ridden them on back to back days.  My training from April took over all my spare time. I really concentrated on long rides but also backed this up with short intense turbo sessions. I found these really beneficial and the training plans helped keep them varied so I didn’t get bored. In mid April I rode to Paris non stop. I know this sounds mad but I rode for 24 hours continuously with just a break when we went through the tunnel.  A group of 5 of us set off from Big Ben at midnight and rode continuously for 258 miles with a van for support. We rode at a steady slow pace 15-16mph and just kept going. I used this as a training ride. It was exhausting but it was amazing what you can stretch the body to do. In my mind I could cope with any ride after that. I knew I could ride all day at a steady slow pace.  I’m not saying everyone needs to do this but if you are considering the RAB I would have one training ride where you rode all day 0700-1900 (12hrs) it will put miles in the bank but more importantly it will train the brain that all day riding is possible.  Everyone concentrates on their riding but you need to prepare mentally as well. You will be in the saddle all day every day and you will start early. If you prepare for this it will not come as a shock. I was confident when I started the RAB I could ride all day, the pace just depends how you’re feeling and the conditions.  When chatting to other riders on the RAB I was amazed at how many had never ridden 100 miles before in their training. 

My Bike

I’ve had the same bike for the last four years which has done me proud. However after getting in the RAB I wanted a new piece of kit. I treated myself to a new Scott Addict R3. This is a very light road bike. For those of you who are experienced cyclists you will know all the differences in gearing and ratios. My aim was to find the best set up that would allow me to climb but also the ability to go fast on the flat. I opted for a compact group set (50/34) and I changed the rear cassette to an 11/28.  This gave me the best of both worlds. I had a big gear for the descent and a nice easy gear to climb – trust me you will need that.  Before the RAB I had my bike serviced and put on a new set of tyres. I used a set of Michelin pro race 3’s.  They did me proud but they did take a battering. I had one puncture on day 3 in Scotland but that was it.  The trick to no punctures was to keep the tyres well inflated. I was surprised how much they went down in just one days riding so I pumped them up each day to 120 psi.

My Riding Kit and Energy food

As a keen cyclist I did have most of the kit required. I took and used most of my winter/autumn kit. I used my hat, full gloves, arm warmers and full leg warmers on the first two days of the ride. I personally didn’t take my winter jacket I was warm enough using a gilet and lightweight rain jacket.   Scotland is definitely colder than the south. Have a look at the weather maps on the news it is generally 5/6 degrees colder up there and with the wind and rain it felt colder than that at times.  I took five sets of bib shorts and tops. I must admit I was disappointed with the RAB adidas tops. I think adidas missed a trick. I purchased new kit before the RAB and I expected adidas to offer a deal on their equipment. It didn’t materialise and they only produced the tops ready to be collected on the RAB. Again my feeling was these were overpriced at £60. Most club kits made by a reputable supplier can be purchased way below this. Hopefully this will be addressed in the years to come. In the end I joined a virtual club VC10 and purchased a number of Castelli kits (thanks for that Greg).

Again before the RAB during my training I tried and tested many different combinations of energy food.  In the end when the RAB announced SiS as the supplier I moved on to this.  Initially I questioned the amount we were being offered for each day. I was wrong on this point and the supply of energy products on the RAB were enough. In fact most people had trouble taking this amount of sugary products for 9 days.  I did take some extra gels and bars but I didn’t need them. The pit tops on the route were well organised, well positioned and food was plentiful (variety ranging from flapjacks to tortilla wraps).

Camping

There are two distinct parts to the RAB. The first is ride management (I’ll get to that later) and the second is camp management. You need the right kit to survive camping.  I, along with everybody else, had a huge bag. The limit was 15 kg but mine was close to 24 kg. I thought I was being smart by taking everything I needed but it was too much and I had to carry it around on site each morning and evening.  I really regretted the weight of my bag. In hindsight you need a really big bag as you have to pack and unpack your kit each day. Mine was tight and I spent many mornings jumping on the bag trying to close the zip.  I took too many clothes for the evening. You only need the minimum but you do need warm clothes.  I took a torch and did not switch this on for the whole 9 nights. The lights in the campsite are enough to get by.  As a last thought I threw in a set of earplugs. Thank god I did as these were a god send. The camp is noisy with generators and people. I took a pillow but regretted this as space was tight.  I had a single person tent and found this fine. I took a one season lightweight sleeping bag which was a slight mistake as it was cold in Scotland. A personal medical kit is important. I went through 24 ibuprofen, 6 Imodium, and a tube of leg lift.  I took a few treats in my kit like sweets and other food items. I didn’t need these as the food on site was excellent. It was the best mass catering food I had experienced.  Each day there was plenty to eat and there was a good variety. After eating and drinking sugar all day I stuck to the classic meat of the day and potatoes and vegetables. The portions were well sized and you could always go back for more.  The site toilets for the first four days were a challenge.  They were not many gents’ toilets and although in good condition there were not enough and at times there were queues. This was rectified after Ludlow.  There was a change in style in the trailers and the units were much larger and there were many more urinals and cubicles. It appeared the posh toilets had been dropped for a more practical approach. The showers were excellent. There were always clean towels and plenty of hot water. I couldn’t fault them.

Riding

As mentioned earlier ride management is really important and I had a plan (or so I thought). My aim was to take it easy not to go mad in the first few days as days 3 and 4 were going to be tough.  We started day 1 in wind and rain after a terrible night where I doubt anyone slept more than a couple of hours.  Off we went at 0700 hours and I was in the third group out. As I pulled out from the start line the bloke next to me had a puncture – we had not yet reached the John O’Groats sign!!! I was not going to ride with him. My plan worked well for 20 or so miles. Nice and easy just thinking about the first pit stop. Then a group of 12 or so riders came passed. I jumped on the back and that was it we we’re off. A much faster pace with a group doing the work.  In the group was a big lad called Alex. Alex is 6’5 and a good rider. We came to the first big climb and I found myself dropping the group and moving away with Alex. That was the start of things to come.  As I would find out during the week Alex has a competitive streak in him and he will chase anyone down that passes him – that includes James Cracknel.  That first day was then spent pushing the pace and seeing how fast we could go.  I kept telling myself this was not in the plan! The last 30 miles were really fast nearly all downhill. It was a great start.

I rode with Alex for the next two days and we kept bumping into another rider called Paul. Amazingly Paul had only been riding for 9months. He had an aggressive style where basically everywhere he went was fast!! My plan was right out the window I had my head down and I was putting everything into each ride. It was great but I thought I may suffer in the days ahead. I have a great memory on day three. We set off last and the three of us were riding in a group of 10 or so which included James Cracknell.  We rode with him for two hours. I was sitting on the bike riding at 27mph thinking this is mad I’ve got 130 miles to do today!!!  I managed to stay with Cracknell until we were going up Glen Coe. My eyes were popping out of my head and I had to sit up.  I watched Alex giving it his all as he rode off after Cracknell. Myself and Paul caught Alex up at the next pit stop after he had a blow out and Cracknell had dropped him.

My funniest memory was on day five as we came into the Lake District. Alan (the chap who owns Boardman bikes) had passed us and Alex set off after him. I had learnt my lesson and I let them go.  An hour or so later in the middle of the countryside I came across Alex. He was off his bike slumped on a garden wall. He was totally gone. He was white and looked out of it.  I gave him a couple of gels put him on my back wheel and dragged him around the last 30 miles.  

The first seven days were great for me. I rode fast and hard and was really surprised how my body was coping.  I rode with Alex and Paul and we formed a mutual respect for each other and we shared the work. Then came day 8!!! I had a terrible nights sleep and was up all night on the toilet. I had caught the camp bug.  Not a pleasant experience !!! I felt sick as well. I filled myself with Imodium. I took four before getting on the bike. I then entered my darkest time on a bike. I decided to ride totally on my own and just get round. 120 gruelling miles later we got to Launceston.  Along with most other riders I was worried about Scotland and the Lakes but for me Devon and Cornwall were a nightmare. Up and down all day long and when you’re feeling rough it’s not the best.  I was about an hour slower than I normally would have been but I did it, nothing was going to stop me finishing now. Day 9 was brilliant. Firstly just 95 miles it felt like sprint.  The scenery was brilliant. I really enjoyed that ride and the thought of seeing the wife and two boys was quite emotional.

The last 5 miles I tried to get my head around the fact that it was coming to an end. Months of training and thinking about this moment and I had made it. I crossed the line and I will admit the eyes were watering. I collected my medal from James Cracknell and hugged the family. It was a great moment, a real achievement that will stay with me for years to come. I am now considering what the next challenge will be!    

Ade with Paul and Alex sporting VC10 kit

Round 9 only started after a quick vote from the riders on whether or not they felt it was safe to to ride. Heavy clouds and the odd spot of rain could have put paid to the event.

Everyone wanted to ride and it turned out to be the correct decision as conditions improved as the event unfolded.

After the 9up TTT the night before at Weston on the Green airfield there were some heavy legs amongst the riders. No surprise then that a well rested Pete Lawrence took more time off his course pb with a 21.51.

Showing that youth really is an advantage Will Dixon had no tiredness from the night before taking almost three quarters of a minute off his course pb with a 24.45. Will beating some high quality riders toa 5th place overall on the night and moving up to 5th in the championship.

Damien Cahill’s riding is improving each week. After a fine performance at the 9up TTT. Damien set a new pb for the course setting a time of 26.08. Only a few seconds off his season best set on a much faster course.

As the gloom descended again the results showed Pete had beaten his coach Dave Johnson into second with Rob Fletcher in third.

A bumper edition of results for the club championship this week.

Round 6 was a 25 mile TT. Again riders were greeted with good conditions. Holidays and other events meant the turnout was lower than normal. So good points were going on offer for the riders who could make the start.

Riders were also timed over the 10 mile course to see how the race was going.

VC10′s current speed merchant Pete Lawrence was having a battle royal with Chris Starling. Passing the 10 mile point Pete had a 12 second advantage. Chris riding his single speed TT bike managed to claw a second back over the remaining 15 miles to finish second within 11 seconds of Pete.

Will Dixon continued to impress with a new 25 mile pb to follow up his 10 mile pb the week before on the F20/10. Will taking two minutes off with a 65.55.

Ralph continued to build a healthy points total with a steady 64.08.

Round 7

There was no round 7. Finally our luck ran out and the weather broke. A heavy thunderstorm 5 minutes before the start caused the round to be called off.

Round 8

Lady Luck brings good weather. Despite a conversation with Ralph who was in Bristol and dashing through the rain to get to the station. The weather was perfect for fast times.

Preparations for the Bicester TTT series continued with Rich Davies and Mark Wakely doing a 2up. Producing a speedy 24.07. Crossing the finish line in perfect position. Looking very professional.

Anna Holder made her VC10 Club TT championship and despite heavy legs from her pb on Saturday on the Newmarket 25 course . Anna managed a 26.37 to show some of the guys a clean pair of heels.

Overall the standard was high with no time slower than 28 minutes which for a club event is exceptional.

Pete Lawrence without his main competitors Dave Johnson and Chris Starling continued his fine run of form with a winning time of 21.57. Not bad consider Pete rode a 10 the night before.

Junior Ed Clemens continued to show the seniors that he is a force to be reckoned with by posting a 23.18 for second place. Not far behind and fresh from success in the National MTB XC Championships Kev Holloway’s 23.36 was good enough for 3rd.

15 year Will Dixon again improving on his course pb with a 25.25. Will is moving up the leader board fast and has a chance of a podium finish in the championships. Will just needs to enter all the remaining events and hope some of his main competitors take holidays. 

Lawrence fighting gale

Pete Lawrence has finally cracked the 20 minute barrier! The elite short-distance time triallist took just 20.23 to better his personal by over half a minute in the Whitewebbs event on the vaunted F20/10 on Saturday evening.  Pete is now the fastest club member over 10 miles this year. Conditions were good as he lined up for the long drag uphill at the start, and Pete knew that he had a chance to do yet another pb, but his delight at his actual finishing time was all-consuming! He took 14^th place in a star-studded field. Perseverance pays for Pete! He’d been to the course the previous Tuesday and “only” managed 21.13!! Chris Grieg also produced a fast time, clocking 22.35, though he said: “I don’t get on with the course – the drags are a bit too long for someone my size.” It’s off to the P613 for you, then, Chris!

Belper 25

Greg Lewis and Dave Johnson went course-hunting up to the Derby to Stoke-on-Trent road, only to find the potentially super-fast A25/11was doing what it is often prone to do; blowing a hooley. The long drive was wasted, and the lads found their speed was down to less than 20mph on some of the exposed drags on the course. Johnson had vowed never to return some years back after suffering the same fate in a 100 mile tt – his slowest ever. Lesson learned! To add injury to insult, he turned one roundabout too early, and was disqualified. Greg did better with his route finding, and passed the timekeeper with 59.01. Not bad – he came back from the turn at an average of over 30mph!

Icknield 12 hour

Ralph Dadswell missing a wheel

Ralph Dadswell competed in this madness, riding his trike as far as he could in 12 hours – surely a long day in the office, and made tougher by that strong wind. Ably assisted by Chris Grieg, whose

long arms made him the ideal man to hand up food and drinks every hour throughout the event, Ralph commented that the definition of his tan lines had improved, though that of his muscles had not. All this before starting a brand-new job placement the next day, Ralph’s distance for the race was 234 miles.

Shaftesbury 50

Another personal best to report! Richie Davies produced a storming 1.58.37, his fastest ever 50 mile race by over a minute and a half. Richie reports: “I nutted myself good and proper. I posted 22.37 for the first 10 miles, and 55.40 for the first 25. I knew I was on for a Pb with an hour still to go! I had to lie down shortly after the finish, but recovered after a couple of minutes”.

Crabwood 10

Barry Watkinson blasted to his fastest 10 mile event for many a year with an excellent 21.58. The track rider was delighted to get under 22 minutes.

High Wycombe Firth 30

Starling in flight. "The Body" going flat out

Chris Starling bested a small but select field buffeted by the strong wind on the Thame road. Starling, starting a minute behind Dave Johnson, slowly reeled in the older man, but Johnson put in a burst towards the finish to hold Chris at bay.

Chris ran out the winner in a rapid 1.8.15, with Johnson’s 1.8.31 good enough for 2^nd. Alan Simmonds excelled with 1.13.22 for 5^th place. Mark Wakley, whose previous night’s curry was causing him to suffer more than most from the hot and windy conditions, still got round his first ever 30 in 1.18.30. He had to leave very soon after the finish, but no-one knows why……..

Southern Sportive

Rich King, despite ongoing thigh injury troubles forcing a curtailment of training, got round this very hilly event, with its 1200m of climbing at a stately 23kph. Good determined riding on half a leg, though!

HWCC Evening League 22

Another windy old race to report, covering 2 laps of a rural 11 mile circuit near Thame in Oxfordshire, where Dave Johnson had set himself a target of 50 minutes, but the wind on the Haddenham Straight pushed him outside that as he tired on the second lap. Dave managed the fastest time of the night, however, with 50.18 (first lap 24.59). Stewart King, a pure track rider, impressed with 55.38 (27.36), though he may have been preoccupied with thoughts of moving house to Kent the following day. Ralph Dadswell finalised his preparation for the weekend’s 12-hour with 57.45 (28.47), but was, no doubt, still feeling the effects of his 100 mile tt of just 2 days before. Rich King, in his first ever attempt at this race, scored 1.3.23 (31.13)

Dave Griffiths Memorial Road Race

Ossie Assem continued his campaign of road racing at the weekend. As his comments indicate, he is rapidly turning into an indispensible Super Domestique for his team, working to get a man in the breakaway, then tirelessly chasing down any attempts by others to bridge up to the leaders. Last week he got his leader the win, and this week, their man was third. Ossie says: “We got our man in the key break of the day, and then worked to stifle the pack. Our man got a good third, despite cramping near the end. It was a tough race with guys springing attack on attack. I finished in the pack, coming 33^rd.” Hope your boys are sharing their prizes with you, Ossie!

Dave Johnson

davidrmjohnson@gmail.co.uk