Track Star, Punk Rock Star and now it’s official Mountain Goat as well. Joe Holloway winter training on the track now paying dividends

Surely it’s getting boring – VC10 riders taking honours, personal bests and strewing sunshine everywhere they ride!

 

High Wycombe CC Aston Hill Challenge

Despite the presence of champions, or perhaps spurred on because of it, the awesome climbing attack brought by the Holloway family swept all before it last Thursday – The Hill climb is about 1.5 miles and around 8% gradient, ascending the Chiltern scarp alongside the M40 up to Stokenchurch. Cooled by its woodland setting, it is nevertheless a significant challenge.

Engineer and super-supportive dad Kev blasted his ultra-lean body up the slope in Five minutes exactly to eventually take third, less than half a second behind second-placed ex-national XCMTB champ Paul Lazenby.

Student and rock guitarist Joe, however, could not be beaten. He exploded up the ramparts of the col to take the win by just over a second in 4.58! Stew King, just off a series of night shifts, took a more leisurely approach and surfaced in 5.50

 

Hertfordshire Wheelers 10

 

A sizeable contingent from the team nipped round the M25 and up the A10 to Hoddesden to compete on this super-rapid 10 course. All were just a little disappointed to find an unhelpful wind blowing across the track, but spirits undampened, some excellent times ensued – Anna Holder, showing that she is developing real talent  on a restricted training program, was just outside her pb for the distance in 24.08; Chris Grieg was pleased with his rapid 22.34; Greg Lewis’s 22.00 was just a little frustrating – couldn’t that finish line arrive a tiny bit sooner?; Rich Davies’ 22.26; Dave Johnson was even grumpier than normal with 21.02, his fastest time in the last 3 years, but those tiny 3 seconds…..;Pete Lawrence was equally frustrated with 21.11 as he produced yet another personal best – surely a 20 minute ride will come this season?; Rob Fletcher hit 21.16 to provide VC10 with a superb, though virtual team win with a highly creditable 1.3.29. Not too many clubs can boast a team time of that calibre! When the second squad can produce 1.07.00, then the strength in depth in VC10 is bordering on the utterly splendid!

Hemel Hempstead 25

 

3-man team of Pete Lawrence, Chris Grieg and Dave Johnson attacked this time trial on the A41 between Bicester and Aylesbury. Legs deadened by the previous nights desperate attempt to get personal best 10’s in Hertfordshire, our heroes felt that just getting round would be an achievement. As it turned out, prizes were attained, showing strength in depth envied by many of the competitors. Dave Johnson showed his many years of riding experience, and led the trio home with 56.08, good enough for 3^rd place and 2^nd veteran on age-adjusted times. Pete Lawrence showed that he had tried rather harder the previous night, fading a little, but holding on to 6^th place with 57.51, taking some good scalps in the process. Tall Chris was totally empty, but still produced 1.3.44. The boy’s efforts earned them 2^nd team, too.

ECCA 100

“One hundred miles in the heat?” Easy for mileage-man Ralph Dadswell, who this time swapped 3 wheels for two, and sends this report:

“On Sunday, starting at the rather early time of 0551, Ralph Dadswell rode the Eastern Counties CA 100 in Cambridgeshire.  On this occasion, Ralph left his tricycle at home, and was on two wheels for a change.  Conditions were generally good; although rather warm by the time the finish was reached.  His time was a modest 4.18.36, with split times showing an evenly-paced performance. 

With plans for a much longer ride later in the summer”, (The Road Records Association 24 hour record – Paul Mace on the back – Pembroke – London – Great Yarmouth and finishing up in the Fens. Ed), “this race was just the first of three hard weekends of serious preparation.  Next week he rides the Icknield RC 12 hour in Bedfordshire, followed a week later by the National Championship 100 mile TT in Norfolk.

My 25 and 50 mile splits were

1.4.55

1.4.40      2.9.35

1.3.55

1.5.06      2.9.01”

Awesome pacing!

San Fairy Ann Road Race

 

Second Claim member, Ossie Assem sends this fabulous report:

“Hi Diesel Dave!

Our aim was to maximise the Finchley RT numbers by working out a strategy for the race. It was agreed Dermot Kealey would be our team leader, with the rest of us working to set him up. The plan was for Dermot to go in a break.

The race was 80kms over 8 laps of a rolling course, with several narrow sections, a short steep climb and a few long drags.

The race started with Finchley RT on the front, on the first lap or so and any breaks were kept in view of the peloton.

Thereafter, breaks started to gather impetus, and so began my work. Dermot got in some of these, and while he did so, I remained vigilant near the front of the pack.

Paul Burgoigne from Finchley became very active, starting to spring a few attacks. This caused the peloton to be stretched as they worked to pull him back.

Seeing this, I took my chance, driving down the outside line to push out ahead. After a while, I looked back to see if anyone had joined me, and though no one had, Dermot told me when I was caught that these attacks were whittling down the energies of our key rivals he had identified. He said if I could repeat such an attack it would further break the competition down.

The racing continued in this vein, with Paul once more attacking, followed by Dermot. Knowing who our main rivals were made a big difference, I marked one rival in particular whenever he attempted the chase.

After another such chase and regroup, at a momentary lull, I saw an opportunity and put my head down and attacked hard off the front. Mistakenly, I looked at my HRM as I did so and it read 175bpms and was continuing to climb. Knowing the effects the attacks had been having on our adversaries made a significant difference, I was inspired to drive on hard for a long time. I was off the front and with a good gap for several minutes.

Eventually I was caught by the chasing peloton, pleased this had once again forced the chase.

I’d put in some big efforts, but in spite of these, I felt I was able to recover well enough and quickly enough to resume my marking role. Dermot went up ahead with a couple of other riders, and seeing one of our main rivals charge after him, I was able to close him down. As Dermot’s effort started to stick, so the counters continued to build. I drove hard to stick like glue to the key chasers.

Eventually, Dermot’s break ahead got away, our key rivals stifled in their attempts to get up there. Coming into the last .5km, one rider commented to me that we’d done a very good job in protecting Dermot; it was good to hear this.

So it came down to the bunch sprint for me, and while I was inevitably swamped, especially by riders who hadn’t shown themselves all day, I pushed over in a respectable position finishing in 19th.

When I crossed the line, I heard Dermot had won, this was the best thing I’d heard all day, and it was truly immense!!

I’d worked my socks off good and proper for our team leader, attacking hard several times to take the sting out of the opposition, and playing a hard marking role on some of the key competitors identified. And bingo did it all come off to perfection, our leader bagging the win in a breakaway that the key competition simply couldn’t close because of the job done on them.

Top news too was that I bagged a very princely 19th place even after all of my super tough eyeballs out efforts! 

This was my best race to date, tactically and physically! With each race, it gets better and better, I feel I have so much more I can offer.

I am well aware I still need to work on my sprint; I was so focused on getting Dermot away that I didn’t switch my attentions to my own finish when the time came. I know I can multi task and that as we cross the finish line in the latter circuits, I should be able to hatch a plan for my own finish.

Another aspect I feel I would like to explore in more detail is my own breakaway: sprinting is not my natural game, and since I was able to get away a couple of times on Sunday, I think with some focus I could give breakaways a reasonable shot with a view to making one stick to the finish. I feel I could have this in me.

Overall stats 80kms. Avg HR 158 (83%) Max HR 180 (94.7%). Time in Zone 4 (87% – 92%): 43mins. Time > Zone 4:  6 mins Overall time 2:10 avg speed 36.4kmh.

This was my fourth road race, I’m sure there is plenty more I can bring!

Cheers

Os”

HWCC 22mile circuit tt

Last and least this week was last night’s 22. In windy and warm conditions, Rich King impressed with a first-time ride of 1.3.23. No relation Stewart King svelted his tanned, sprinter’s frame past the timekeeper with 55.38, just besting Ralph Dadswell’s 57.45. Dave Johnson stomped round with legs still as heavy as Ralph’s from a tough weekend’s racing, just managing to hold off the opposition, but failing to beat his target of fifty minutes, in 50.18

A busy and impressive week for VC10 riders. There’s a load more to come!!

Dave Johnson

david.johnson@aspireholistic.com