snowboozeandderailleurs

Spring Racing

2010-05-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

Spring's about to turn to Summer so time for a blog update!
The early part of Spring was a bit of a disaster.
March 7th 2010 - Surrey League (Festival RC) 2/3Kirdford
Hit a pothole of biblical proportions 13 miles in, chain jumps up and drags front derailleur down, gears sieze up, end of race.
March 14th 2010 - Surrey League (Kingston Wheelers) 2/3 Dunsfold
Two club mates get away in break so I decide to play the role of super domestique and disrupt the chase backs. In the last 2km as the pace in the chasing bunch steps up for the final sprint I've run out of diesel. Goodbye bunch. To make matters worse the race stewards, thinking everyone is in, close up shop on the deviation on the final lap run in and I end up doing another lonely 5km before realising the error of my ways. Last place! Ho hum. Still, some reflected glory as club mate Julian bags the win.
April 3rd 2010 - Whitewebbs CC Spring Circuit Races E123 Hog Hill

3 punctures. End of story.
April 10th 2010 - Surrey League (Addiscombe CC) 2/3 Bletchingley

Legs are feeling good. I'm forcing the pace and enjoying the steep climb up to the finish line - apart from the potholes. 2 laps to go - dumph, I crunch into one of those potholes, pffttt, front tyre deflates. Neutral service takes a few minutes to arrive but after the wheel change I'm charging behind the service car, 4 inches off the bumper - living the dream! Half a lap later and the bunch is within sight - just need another minute behind the car...but then, up ahead there's a rider on the side of the road with a puncture and that's the end of my assisted chase back and the end of any chance getting back on. 42nd...
April 22nd 2010 - Crystal Palace Summer League 2 E12
The less said about this the better. Caught twice behind a rider who's chain keeps jumping - close the gap. Caught behind Cosmo who crashes nastily on Dead Man's Curve - don't close the gap. Palace is not for me...
May 2nd 2010 - Surrey League (Bayeux Landscapes) 2/3 Barcombe
An early start for this race - it was raining the night before and it's still raining hard in the morning. The only reason I decide to make my way to the start line is because I'm giving a club mate a lift to the race. Over the following 65 miles to the finish the bastard rain never eases up. It's a real war of attrition. I can barely see with all the grit that's formed a film between the eyes and contact lenses. It feels like I'm carrying an extra 5kg with my kit completely drenched. There are no break aways, just riders dropping off one by one from the back. As the compact bunch makes our way to the uphill finish I get a little boxed in and the legs haven't got to much to give but everyone else is dropping back as well. 9th place. The 10 minute cycle back to the start hut and hot tea/dry clothes is brutal. Everyone that finished the race has that idiotic satisfaction of proving stubborness can overcome sensible decision making.

Still to come - track racing, racing in France and the new bike:D

Imperial Winter Series 2010 - Final Race

2010-02-19T05:11:00.000-08:00

The final race of 2010's Imperial Winter Series at Hillingdon. I need to finish in the top 6 to win the 3rd Cat Series title. 4 of us from the club (Jai, Kieron, Mark C and me) had decided to work together and attempt to string out the final sprint to avoid bunching. The best case scenario would be a Paragon sprint train but we didn't expect to pull that off!

It was a chilly day with a fairly strong wind but a good number turned out on the start line. As the flag dropped the race began at a steady pace. 20 or so minutes in a couple of riders went off the front and were soon joined by Tim Benham (sitting 4th overall in the series). At this stage I probably should have relaxed in the middle of the peloton but instead moved near the front to make sure the break wasn't joined by more riders. This meant me chasing down a few attacks and using energy.

30 minutes in we passed the 4ths with Tim still ahead but now only with one other. It looked like we had them pegged so I settled into the bunch and sure enough they were reeled in over the next 2 laps.

A lap later, Tim B's team-mate attacked taking a Wheeler with him. As they rounded the corner to the home straight we were amazed as his bike seemed to slip underneath him. Fortunately he was unharmed and the peloton managed to avoid him and bike.

5 laps to go and with the peloton altogether Dulwich moved towards the front. With 3 to go we were in formation - 4 blue shirts leading the race with the peloton in a line behind us. With one lap to go that was still the case - an amazing effort from the lads. Mark C dropped out as Kieron kept a superb pace then Jai put in a monumental effort to lead out to the last corner. At this point 5 or so riders came round the outside and it was time for me to get out the saddle. Driving up the left hand side I managed to squeeze past two riders but 20 metres from the line there was no room to manouvre and I had to scramble for a few centimetres to nick 5th place.

So victory in the series was just sealed and my 5th place in the final race also took my BC points tally to 42 which means 2nd Cat has been attained. It's been a great winter of racing and thanks must go to Lucy and Doug at Imperial for the organisation. Next year I'll have to lift my game for the E123 series! *gulp*

Imperial Winter Series 2010 3rd Cat Race 12
Place Club Series points
1st w 73 Tristan Natoli AWCycles 3
2nd w 29 Ralph Keeler Cambridge CC 3 200
3rd w 86 James Dunsbier London Dynamo 3 150
4th w132 Matt O'Callaghan Exiles CC 3 130
5th w 41 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon 3 120
6th w 40 Tim Benham DHCyclesport.co.uk 3 110
7th w 6 Mark Northover CC Giro 3 100
8th w 53 Alex Turner FVS Tri 3 90
9th w133 Ian Redding TimeRT-TerryWrightCycles 3 80
10th w123 Piers Curle Exciles 3 70
11th w 18 Andrew Harvey Kingston Wheelers 3 60
12th w 91 Ed Rose Progression Fitness 3 50
13th w105 Jeremy Hewitt Kingston Wheelers CC 3 40
14th w102 Phil Adams CC Ashwell 3 30
15th w111 Jacek Reder private member 3 20
16th w117 Chris Grange Hemel Hempstead 3 10
17th w 3 Jon Noton Inverse Racing/Bikefood 3
18th w112 Gordon Kenneway London Dynamo 3
19th w106 Christopher Wright Private Member 3
20th w 39 Dave Ryan Imperial Racing Team 3
21st w 38 Mark Chan Dulwich Paragon 3
22nd w 85 Simon North Hemel Hempstead CC/TORQ 3
23rd w 60 Peter Dixon Willesden CC 3
24th w 93 Jai Watson Dulwich Paragon CC 3
25th w 76 Peter Jones Hillingdon Cycling Club 3
26th w 4 Robin Osborne London Dynamo CC 3
27th w 35 Andy Lack Kingston Wheelers 3
28th w129 Rune Sanbeck Nilsson London Dynamo 3
29th w 63 Wayne Thomas Reading CC 3
30th w122 Richard Rose Progression Fitness 3
31st w 50 Kieron Redmond Dulwich Paragon CC 3
32nd w 98 Mark O'Brien Archer RC 3
33rd w124 Josh Vicino VC Meudon 3
34th w 2 Paul Redman Thames Velo 3
35th w115 Nigel Burns St Ives CC 3
36th w 62 Nick Franzini London Dynamo 3
37th w127 James Stratton London Dynamo CC 3
38th w 75 David Webborn London Dynamo CC 3
39th w 92 Matt Treadwell Twickenam CC 3
40th w114 Peter Bolke DHcyclesport/Colnago 3
41st w126 Rosara Joseph private member 3W

Imperial Winter Series 2010 3rd Cat Series Leaderboard
1st w 41 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon 960 120 150 100 130 * 130 90 120 120
2nd w 42 William Platt Kingston Wheelers CC 930 110 200 150 130 40 * 100 200
3rd w 40 Tim Benham DHCyclesport.co.uk 830 200 200 200 * 120 110
4th w 31 Steven Jackson Rollapaluza CC 820 200 120 150 150 * 200
5th w 91 Ed Rose Progression Fitness 700 30 * 120 200 100 200 50
6th w 6 Mark Northover CC Giro 650 80 90 80 * 110 110 80 100
7th w 44 Nathan Smith London Phoenix 630 130 120 100 130 * 150
8th w 29 Ralph Keeler Cambridge CC 600 90 110 110 70 * 20 200
9th w 46 Andy Angwin London Phoenix 470 130 70 120 * 100 50
10th w111 Jacek Reder private member 430 * 130 130 150 20
11th w 53 Alex Turner FVS Tri 360 90 100 * 80 90
12th w 5 Tom Neale Spalding CC 310 100 120 90 *
13th w112 Gordon Kenneway London Dynamo 270 * 120 150
14th w 3 Jon Noton Inverse Racing/Bikefood 260 50 20 80 110 *
15th w102 Phil Adams CC Ashwell 240 * 80 130 30

Hillingdon Winter Series - Race 11

2010-02-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

After missing a week's worth of racing; this Saturday was a long wait and racing this week was with a twist. The target was to finish as high as possible BUT not in the top 3 which would have meant promotion to Cat 2 and no way to earn any more points in the 3rd Cat Winter Series.

Before we started the Peloton got a warning about bad handling/inconsiderate cycling - one guy was singled out for repeated bad cycling (last week's race and the one before) - rumours have been circulaiting...(no-one in the pic below!)

After an uneventful start, noted only for it's complete uneventfulness, suddenly 20 minutes in there was real DRAMA! I got a puncture at the top of the back straight (the worst possible place). I drifted to the back running flat but by the second last corner I had to dismount, run up the home straight and see if any one had a spare rear wheel. Fortunately Doug (the organiser) had one (Thanks again!). I flipped the old one out and started putting the new one in and the 3rds rushed past - shit! Tightening the bolts and setting off Le Mans style I had to nail it for a lap and a half to get back on.

That was hard work and at one point I thought it might have been game over. I sat at the back for a couple of laps to regain my composure and then started to move up.

Closing up on the 4ths about three riders bridged the gap but no-one seemed too bothered. So I went to the front to pull the front runners up and we moved passed the 4ths without any issues. Not many people seem to think this is a time to be vigilant?

There was some fairly sketchy riding again - particularly on the home straight when the peloton kept bunching up - fortunately these were low speed encounters.

As the 5 lap warning came up I moved right near the front and managed to get on the right wheels. A Willesden CC rider kept the line drawn out on the second last lap with me tucked in behind. On the last lap I kept behind the first wheel and as the sprint started I tried to judge my finish to allow 3 riders to cross the line ahead. It was quite a tight finish and I almost nailed it to perfection but 2 riders just snuck ahead so 6th it was to be.

So, with one more race to go, I lie second but both Jimbo in first and Steven Jackson in third cannot earn any more points in the third series (having made 2nd Cat). A top 6 finish next week will bring me the Series title! Excited? Yes!
Photos: Gavin Morton

Imperial Winter Series - Race 11
Place Club Series points
1st w 91 Ed Rose Progression Fitness 3 200
2nd w111 Jacek Reder private member 3 150
3rd w138 Eric Degolier Energy Cycles 3
4th w102 Phil Adams CC Ashwell 3 130
5th w139 Jonathan Shubert Verulam CC 3
6th w 41 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon 3 120
7th w 73 Roland Chuter private member 3 110
8th w132 Matt O'Callaghan Exiles CC 3 100
9th w 93 Jai Watson Dulwich Paragon CC 3 90
10th w114 Paul Derrick BadTri/Fred Baker Cycles 3
11th w126 Tristian Natoli awcycles 3
12th w 6 Mark Northover CC Giro 3 80
13th w120 Jon Pybus awcycles 3 70
14th w 39 Dave Ryan Imperial Racing Team 3 60
15th w133 Ian Redding TimeRT-TerryWrightCycles 3 50
16th w 38 Mark Chan Dulwich Paragon 3 40
17th w 84 Chris Long T.V.S. Sherborne 3 30
18th w129 Neil Macleod lonon dynamo 3
19th w 29 Ralph Keeler Cambridge CC 3 20
20th w128 Mike Jubb Verulam CC 3
21st w115 Adam Ellis Splading CC 3
22nd w 85 Simon North Hemel Hempstead CC/TORQ 3 10
23rd w122 Declan Higgins Twickenham CC 3J
24th w134 Rupert Beale Onelife-Fuga Racing Team 3J
25th w 43 Phillip Burgess Norwood Paragon CC 3
26th w 60 Peter Dixon Willesden CC 3
27th w124 Adam Tranter Mike Vaughan Cycles 3
28th w 74 Sam Connolley Maldon & District CC 3J
29th w 94 Gareth Welch Dulwich Paragon 3
30th w123 Piers Curle Exciles 3
31st w136 Mike Joseph Colavita USA 3
32nd w 76 Peter Jones Hillingdon Cycling Club 3
33rd w 35 Andy Lack Kingston Wheelers 3
34th w112 Gordon Kenneway London Dynamo 3
35th w 98 Mark O'Brien Archer RC 3
36th w 50 Stuart Stow Twickenham CC 3
37th w125 Gareth Dickenson Farnborough & Camberley CC 3
38th w 97 Andrew Stronge London Dynamo 3
39th w 82 Adam Buckland banjocycles.com/specialized/torq 3
40th w 75 David Webborn London Dynamo CC 3
41st w 62 Nick Franzini London Dynamo 3
42nd w106 Christopher Wright Private Member 3
43rd w119 Adam White Reading CC 3
44th w 77 Paul Stedman Reading CC 3
45th w130 Josh Vicino VC Meudon 3J
46th w135 Nigel Burns St Ives CC 3

Series Standing - Imperial Winter Series 3rd Cat Leader Board
PosTotal Rider Club Race Points 1-11
1st 930 William Platt KW CC 110 200 150 130 40 * 100 200
2nd 840 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon 120 150 100 130 * 130 90 120
3rd 820 Steven Jackson Rollapaluza CC 200 120 150 150 * 200
4th 720 Tim Benham DHCYCLESPORT.CO.UK 200 200 200 * 120
5th 650 Ed Rose Progression Fitness 30 * 120 200 100 200
6th 630 Nathan Smith London Phoenix 130 120 100 130 * 150
7th 550 Mark Northover CC Giro 80 90 80 * 110 110 80
8th 470 Andy Angwin London Phoenix 130 70 120 * 100 50
9th 410 jacek reder private member * 130 130 150
10th 400 Ralph Keeler Cambridge CC 90 110 110 70 * 20

Footon - How can you not like them?

2010-02-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

Pro Tour teams have in the last season or two suddenly become a lot more PR savvy. Look at Cervelo Test Team's excellent Bartape series of videos or the slick, media revolution at Team Sky. Both provide some interesting glimpses into what goes on backstage in the Pro Cycling - but you're aware that what goes out to the public is a polished version of reality. This is a concept someone at Footon Servetto forgot to take on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW_lDA7Eaoc&feature=player_embedded#

This is Footon's initiation ceremony for neoPro's. It involves racing round a carpark somewhere in Spain and drinking some high-strength firewater every lap. Perhaps the riders are drinking to forget they've signed to a team with the ugliest kit in the ProTour - who knows. What I do know is I like Footon more now than before.

Hillingdon Winter Series - Race 9

2010-01-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

A massive turnout for the 3rds today - almost 50 riders! Positioning was obviously going to be critical in the last 2 laps...unless a break could stick?
A large contingent of Inverse riders drove the pace high from the off - I think they were trying to split the bunch but their tactics were never going to get results. I stayed in the middle of the field for most of the first half then moved up to the top 10. Jimbo and I had discussed making a break but I was sandwiched on the wrong side of the bunch when he made the jump on the back straight. He created a gap of 150m before I sprinted to join him before taking my pull half way up the home straight. Hard work though - the wind was unfriendly. By the back straight we had been joined by another 3 riders then about 3 others but the effort put in wasn't big enough to break the string with the peloton and we were reeled in after another lap. I kept my position in the top 10 on the regroup and soon the 5 laps to go board came up.
Kingston Wheelers played the game well throughout trying to disrupt the peloton whenever they had a man in the break. One of their riders, Jim, went off with two to go but ran out of steam. On the final lap I was in an OK position but found my sprint thwarted by riders going backwards. Impossible to make it through the gaps and ended up with 8th place. So, sitting third in the Winter league with 7 more BC points to play with before my spell in the 3rds comes to an end.

Photos from Lucy@Imperial Race Team

Place Club Series points
1stw 91 Ed Rose Progression Fitness 3 200
2nd w114 Ben Moores Norwood Paragon 3 150
3rd w111 jacek reder private member 3 130
4th w112 Gordon Kenneway London Dynamo 3 120

5th w 6 Mark Northover CC Giro 3 110
6thw 42 William Platt Kingston Wheelers CC 3 100
7th w150 Andrew Elderfield VC Revolution 3
8thw 41 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon 3 90
9th w102 Phil Adams CC Ashwell 3 80
10th w109 Jon Lewis Charlotteville CC 3 70
11th w 87 Josh Maynard Welwyn Wheelers 3J 60

12th w 18 Andrew Harvey Kingston Wheelers 3 50
13th w 50 Stuart Stow Twickenham CC 3 40
14th w 16 Charlie Pearch Rapha Condor 3 30
15th w 88 Clinton Thomas lonon dynamo 4 20
16th w 55 Andy Edwards Kingston Wheelers CC 3 10
17th w 29 Ralph Keeler Cambridge CC 3
18th w 33 David Murrell London Phoenix 3
19th w 85 Simon North Hemel Hempstead CC/TORQ 3
20th w 5 Tom Neale Spalding CC 3J
21st w 43 Phillip Burgess Norwood Paragon CC 3

22nd w107 Stephen Hird London Pheonix 3
23rd w106 Christopher Wright Private Member 3
24th w 76 Peter Jones Hillingdon Cycling Club 3
25th w 93 Jai Watson Dulwich Paragon CC 3
26th w113 James Clark Inverse Racing/Bikefood 3
27th w110 Phil Roker Ful-on Tri 3

28th w 35 Andy Lack Kingston Wheelers 3
29th w 36 Tav InverseRacing/BikeFood 3
30th w 75 David Webborn London Dynamo CC 3
31st w 39 Dave Ryan Imperial Racing Team 3
32nd w 63 wayne thomas READING CC 3V
33rd w 60 Peter Dixon Willesden CC 3
34th w 92 Matt Treadwell Twickenham CC 3
35th w 47 Robert Wright Addiscombe CC3
36th w104 Corrine Hall Team Corridori 2Jw
37th w 62 Nick Franzini London Dynamo 3
38th w 81 Maryka Sennema Kingston Wheelers 2w
39th w101 Jason Evans Inverse Racing / Bikefood 3
40th w 64 Leona Kadir Kingston Whrs / SigmaSport 2w
41stw108 Rachel Przybylski Charlotteville CC 2w
42ndw103 james cartridge Inverse Racing 3
43rd ?
44th w 80 Jim Ley Kingston Wheelers 3
45thw 44 Nathan Smith London Phoenix 3
46th w105 Jeremy Hewitt Kingston Wheelers CC 3

Hillingdon Winter Series - Races 7 and 8

2010-01-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

Race 7 was fell victim to Britain's mini ice age. About a foot of snow blanketed the Hillingdon track and sub zero temperatures meant it wasn't shifting anywhere fast. Instead I took to the MTB for some snowy rides round Richmond Park - great fun and a good workout.

Race 8

Like Team Sky's thin line between success and failure there's also a fine line between an ordeal and enjoying yourself when it comes to road racing. There was no snow left in London so the race was on. Heavy rain was predicted however so there was a fair bit of umming and ahhing about whether to turn up. It was dry when I set off but half way there the heavens opened and I got drenched. I made a futile attempt to dehydrate my kit under the air dryers but during the race the rain fell hard. Conditions were pretty tough - I was cold, wet and my eyes were puffed up with all the rain and grit flying into them. Nobody made any breaks (other than Jai from Paragons well-timed break for the prime) until Jimbo launched into the ether 20 minutes in. I sprinted to get on his wheel and forged ahead. I pulled for 3/4 of a lap them flicked the elbow for James to take over only to see him sit up! I was gutted - we'd established quite a gap and the 4ths peloton were only just ahead. Didn't feel up to 40 minutes TTing it so I sat up and joined the back of the peloton.
The 5 laps to go board came up so I moved my way forward steadily and with 3 laps to go I was nicely tucked away in the top 10. With 2 laps to go Andy from KW made a break which gave me a great opportunity to move into attack position and then on the final lap Jimbo went on the back straight keeping the line ordered. On the final curve I was able to sneak in right behind a couple of riders who started their sprints early before launching myself 200m from the line. 5 of us were in full sprint - 15m from the line I was just ahead but by the line I was just pipped into 3rd.
Post race I bought two teas but ended up loosing half of each to the cold shakes - I was that cold. 7 points, 9 away from 2nd Cat. Still think I could give it more in the sprint but that's a reassuring thing. So in the end just the right side of the ordeal/enjoyment line.

(Photos from London Cycle Sport and Lucy Collins)

Place Club Series points
1st w 31 Steven Jackson Rollapaluza CC 3 200
2ndw 44 Nathan Smith London Phoenix 3 150
3rd w 41 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon 3 130
4th w 91 Ed Rose Progression Fitness 3 120
5th w 6 Mark Northover CC Giro 3 110

6th w 46 Andy Angwin London Phoenix 3 100
7th w 17 Calum MacLean Edinburgh RC 3 90
8th w 87 Josh Maynard Welwyn Wheelers 3J 80
9th w 60 Peter Dixon Willesden CC 3 70

10th w 77 Paul Stedman Reading CC 3 60
11th w 55 Andy Edwards Kingston Wheelers CC 3 50
12th w 63 wayne thomas Reading CC 3V 40
13th w 97 Andrew Stronge London Dynamo 3 30
14th w 86 James Dunsbier London Dynamo 3 20

15th w 10 Gregg James Behind The Bike Shed 3 10
16th w 85 Simon North Hemel Hempstead CC/TORQ 3

17th w 2 Paul Redman Thames Velo 3
18th w 93 Jai Watson Dulwich Paragon CC 3
19th ? Aragon bike
20th w 76 Peter Jones Hillingdon Cycling Club 3
21st w 29 Ralph Keeler Cambridge CC 3
22nd w 92 Matt Treadwell Twickenham CC 3
23rd w 94 Gareth Welch Dulwich Paragon 3
24th w 43 Phillip Burgess Norwood Paragon CC 3
25th w 42 William Platt Kingston Wheelers CC 3
26th w 4 Robin Osborne London Dynamo CC 3

Hillingdon Winter Series - Races 5 and 6

2010-01-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

Racing on the January 1st - crazy right? Yep, that's what my friends all thought when I left the boozer sometime between 1 and 2am when the drinks were flowing. It was a 50:50 decision but some how the urge to race overcame my desire for another Laphraoig. Maybe I need help.
Race morning, hangover, no time for prep or even porridge - Bran flakes instead. Cold and chilly at Hillingdon but a good turnout of T-Totalers and the race obsessives. Tim Benham was on the start line so he was the man to watch. I spent most of the race near the front or at the front and jumped on to all the promising breakaways. Really enjoyed the race today. Ended in a bunch sprint - I was in a great position again but just drifted off the front 3 to end 4th. Tim Benham won.

Imperial Winter Series - Race 6
Perhaps a degree warmer than yesterday and a massive turnout for the thirds. Started racing near the front again. Even pulled a breakaway with 2 others round an entire lap only to see the peloton close down on us all too easily. I think I'll need to go into the red to make a break stick rather than hoping for an amicable split from the pack next time. Decided to move to the back to see who was there and spent the rest of the race in the shadows until the last few laps. I was badly positioned on the second last corner so sprinted to move to the front. Loads of shouts alerting to my move - think I'm a marked man. Unfortunately I made a shocking decision to ease up to find a wheel before the final charge rather than just going for the line. Soon found myself surrounded and blocked in. No points, not even series points! 16th - meh.

Aviemore - best snow in 20 years

2010-01-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

It's a rare event when you can plan a ski trip a week in advance when Scotland is the destination. It's even rarer when snow covers the whole mountain, the roads are still open and the lifts are all running.

It was a bit dicey on the road up from Edinburgh on the 27th. We hit the road round about 4.30am with the snow still falling. By Perth it was like a scene out of 'The Day After Tomorrow'. The snow was tumbling - one narrow lane open on the motorway and that was coated with an inch of ice and topped with 2 inches of fresh snow. We passed 2 jacknifed lorries whilst we followed the pioneering trail cut by a 4by4 just ahead of us. No other vehicles were on the road. It was touch and go but eventually it cleared up just south of Dalwhinnie. We later heard the police closed the road - just after we got through!

Arriving at Aviemore - the town was like a winter wonderland. Our accommodation was still closed so we changed in the car and headed for the mountain.

The snow was incredible - as good as I've ever had in the Alps. Light, fluffy and deep! The visibility was rotten though. Still a good day despite all of feeling like we'd forgotten how to ski.

Good night out in town - great food at the hotel next to the Bunkhouse (veal stew and chocolate brownies for pud served by a saucy Polish girl) and a few pints.

Early start the next day and the skies were crystal clear. Loads more people queueing for the first lift however. Up on the mountain the conditions were perfect - could not be bettered. A great days skiing with queues and broken lifts being the only issue. Anyway, more of this in Scotland would be great!
On the drive back to Edinburgh temperatures plummeted to -16.5C just north of Dalwhinnie. We, and every car driver, had to pull over and scrape the ice off the windscreen (inside and out) every 30 minutes!

MTBing in the snowy Pentlands

2009-12-29T10:58:00.000-08:00

Up in Edinburgh for Christmas, there's loads of snow and the Pentland Hills are on my doorstep so the road bike stays at home in London and the MTB gets a run out.Does make me wish I had all this on my doorstep more often. There is nothing more frustrating however than riding knobbly tyres on the road.

Imperial Winter Series Race #3

2009-12-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

Freezing conditions today with a dusting of snow across London. The Imperial Race Team did a sterling job of clearing the snow and ice from the track but three sections were still coned off. The flag dropped and for the first 20 laps it became clear no-one was going to put a concerted effort on the front or attempt a breakaway. We meanered round the track and after 30 minutes or so the 4ths were nearly on our tails. Boredom got the better of me so I went to the front and put in a dig to increase the speed. Jimbo and another rider took the opportunity to make a break leaving me to drag the rest of the peloton to bring them back. The 4ths overtook us on their second last lap - a lone rider coming through first, then mingling in with the thirds before making a solo break for the line with the rest of the 4ths completely oblivious to his attack.For the 3rds, yet another bunch sprint. On the final lap I got into a reasonable position but then found myself getting boxed on the last corner. On the charge to the line I got caught twice behind slower riders in front and had to check my speed. 20m or so from the line a rider from Rollapaluza made an impressive surge to take first and I made it over the line in a disappointing 6th place having used too much of my energy reaccelerating round slower riders. James's view that you should sprint to the line on the right hand side to avoid the congestion is clearly the way forward! No racing for me on the 26th but I'll be sprinting on the right come the next meeting.
Pictures from London Cycle Sport
Place No. club cat BC Points Series Points
1st w 31 Steven Jackson Rollapaluza CC 3 10 200
2nd w 42 William Platt Kingston Wheelers CC 3 8 150
3rd w 46 Andy Angwin London Phoenix 3 7 130
4th w 44 Nathan Smith London Phoenix 3 6 120
5th w 29 Ralph Keeler Cambridge CC 3 5 110
6th w 41 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon 3 4 100
7th w 45 Rich Cooper Willesden CC 3 3 90
8th w 43 Phillip Burgess Norwood Paragon CC 3 2 80
9th w 73 Roland Chuter private member 3 1 70
10th w 74 Alex Pantelides Twickenham CC 3J 1 60
11th w 4 Robin Osborne London Dynamo CC 3 50
12th w 59 Ralph Carter London Dynamo 3 40
13th w 55 Andy Edwards Kingston Wheelers CC 3 30
14th w 50 Stuart Stow Twickenham CC 3 20
15th w 65 Ben Knowles London Phoenix 3 10
16th w 39 Dave Ryan Imperial Racing Team 3
17th w 60 Peter Dixon Willesden CC 3
18th w 26 Patrick Hawkins Dulwich Paragon 3
19th w 38 Stoyko Bussarov Imperial Racing Team 3
20th w 27 Steven Noble London Dynamo 3

Imperial Winter Series - Race #2

2009-12-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Second race of the series and my form going into this is pretty good although my prep wasn't. I like to watch this clip of Der Kaiser in action a good two or three times before I leave the flat to get me in the right frame of mind but only managed a sub-optimal singular viewing. This upset my mojo.

On to the race. A strong north easterly meant the start finish straight was head on into the wind. This meant the average speed was well down on the first week. Attempted breakaways almost seemed to grind to a halt when they turned into the home stretch. I twice found myself amongst the escapees, the first time when I was just marking and then felt obliged to do a turn at the front and the second was deliberate when I saw Jimbo take off for a small group who had slipped away. Missed his wheel so had to do a fair bit of work to catch the group. We started to get organised with a bit of through and off but found ourselves reeled in after only 1/2 a lap.

So it looked like it would be a classic Hillingdon bunch sprint and I settled back into the peloton. A little bit too comfortably it would seem. Out of nowhere the bell rang for the last lap while I was near the back thinking there were another four laps to go. Ooops. Fortunately I managed to move my way up and by the last corner I was sitting perfectly behind Jimbo as he wound up for the line. In the bag I thought but as we made it towards the final curve Jimbo cut into my line and I had to ease on the brakes. I made a few continental style hand waving protests which almost backfired as the rider in third was creeping up on me. Second place then. Good fun although there was a pile-up behind us on the final sprint (which explains the big gap from 8th to 9th!).Place Club Cat Series Points BC Points
1st w 42 William Platt Kingston Wheelers CC 3 200 10
2nd w 41 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon 3 150 8
3rd w 44 Nathan Smith London Pheonix 3 130 7
4th w 68 Krisitian Borbely Sigma Sport 3 120 6
5th w 51 Luke Ollett Inverse/Bike Food 3 110 5
6th w 70 Przemyslaw The Gregarios 3 100 4
7th w 53 Alex Turner FVS Tri 3 90 3
8th w 47 Thomas Sutherland Twickenham CC 3 80 2
9th w 55 Andy Edwards Kingston Wheelers CC 3 70 1
10th w 61 sean molyneux Metropolitan Police CC 3 60 1
11th w 50 Stuart Stow Twickenham CC 3 50

12th w 63 wayne thomas READING CC 3 40

13th w 59 Ralph Carter London Dynamo 3 30
14th w 3 Jon Noton Inverse Racing / Bikefood 3 20

15th w 16 Charlie Pearch Rapha Condor 3 10
16th w 60 Peter Dixon Willesden CC 3

17th w 66 Andrew Stevenson Inverse Racing / Bikefood 3

18th w 71 Estelle Rogers Rollapaluza CC 3w

19th w 62 Nick Franzini London Dynamo 3
20th w 39 Dave Ryan Imperial Racing Team 3
21st w 69 Mark Phillips Rapha Condor 3
22nd w 27 Steven Noble London Dynamo 3
23rd w 2 Paul Redman Thames Velo 3
24th w 9 paul shoobridge private 3
25th w 7 Mike Diggins Gregarios Superclub Ciclista 3
26th w 58 Mick McManus RT 316 3
27th w 67 Mike Inder Thames Velo 3
28th w 21 Lionel Birnie Gregarios Superclub Ciclista 3
29th w 52 Kieran Dineen InverseRacing 3
30th w 49 Phil Glasgow New Forest CC 3
31st w 32 adam elderfield Inverse Racing / Bikefood 3
32nd w 31 Steven Jackson Rollapaluza CC 3

Pictures from London Cycle Sport

2010 Race Season Starts!

2009-12-06T02:59:00.000-08:00

First race of the new season at Hillingdon and the usual mix of fun and danger. The 3rds set off first and soon caught the large mob of 4ths. Chaos ensued as some of the 4ths tried to mix in with the 3rds - but at least this gave us an opportunity to have an enjoyable rant at those riders.The occassional futile break thankfully strung out the peloton but these were brought back easily and led to some dangerous bunching. There was some dubious riding on display and I was almost unseated twice during these regroupments. Inevitably, there was a bunch sprint finish. I got on to the second wheel on the final drag and ended up 4th over the line. Happy with how I raced and reckon I could have upped my sprint a notch. A few points in the bag and looking forward to next week.
3rd Cat Race Imperial Winter Series - Saturday 5th December 2009 (Hillingdon)
Place Series points
1stw 40 Tim Benham (DHCYCLESPORT.CO.UK) 200
2ndw 28 Ben Jacobs (London Dynamo) 150
3rdw 23 Andrew Brown (Gregarios Superclub Ciclista) 130
4thw 41 Alan Strang (Dulwich Paragon) 120
5thw 42 William Platt (Kingston Wheelers) CC 110
6thw 33 David Murrell (London Phoenix) 100
7thw 29 Ralph Keeler (Cambridge CC) 90
8thw 6 Mark Northover (CC Giro) 80
9thw 13 James Lowden (Lewes Wanderers) 70
10thw 27 Steven Noble (London Dynamo) 60
11thw 3 Jon Noton (INVERSE RACING/BIKEFOOD) 50
12thw 38 Stoyko Bussarov (Imperial Racing Team) 40
13thw 1 Rob Pelham (Lewes Wanderers) 30
14thw 48 Justin Lord (GS Henley) 20
15thw 16 Charlie Pearch (Rapha Condor) 10
16thw 17 Calum MacLean (Edinburgh RC)
17thw 34 Russell Painter (Norwood paragon)
18thw 36 Tav (Inverse Racing)
19thw 8 Chris Morris (Pontypool RCC)
20thw 45 Rich Cooper (Willesden CC)
21stw 22 Mark Smith (Welwyn Wheelers)
22ndw 32 adam elderfield (Inverse Racing / Bikefood)
23rdw 25 Adam Gellatly (Epic-Viner RT)
24thw 31 Steven Jackson (Rollapaluza CC)
25thw 19 Simon Alexander (Southend Wheelers)
26thw 14 Joseph Frend (South Western RC)
27thw 43 Phillip Burgess (Norwood Paragon CC)
28thw 26 Patrick Hawkins (Dulwich Paragon)
29thw 18 Andrew Harvey (Kingston Wheelers)
30thw 35 Andy Lack (Kingston Wheelers)
31stw 9 paul shoobridge (private member)
32ndw 12 Joe Holloway (VC10)
33rdw 39 Dave Ryan (Imperial Racing Team)
34thw 44 Nathan Smith (London Pheonix)
35thw 20 Rob Robbins (Sydenham Wheelers)
36thw 2 Paul Redman (Thames Velo)
37thw 7 Mike Diggins (Gregarios Superclub Ciclista)
38thw 11 Robert Lard (Behind The Bike Shed)
39thw 5 Tom Neale (Spalding CC)
40thw 47 Thomas Sutherland (Twickenham CC)
41st w 4 Robin Osborne (London Dynamo CC)
42nd w 24 Chris Browne (private member)

Eggs and Potatoes - Pro Team Nutrition

2009-11-29T06:54:00.000-08:00

It's raining hard so a good chance to catch up on the enjoyable videos on Bartape.net

These follow the progression of Cervélo Test Teams 2009 season. Of particular interest was Carlos Sastre's pre race smoothie.

Ingredients: 2 raw eggs, 2 table spoons Vin Santo, a squeeze of honey.

Instructions: Blitz all ingredients with a blender and serve in a glass.

I've also read Sastre's favourite food is fried eggs and chips. He obviously likes his eggs.

Less polished but still of some interest are the Liquigas Cannondale videos. Breakfast at their training camp at Benicassim is lower on the egg content featuring bread, proscuitto, cheese and small pieces of tomato. Daniele Bennati seems to be genuinely excited about describing his breakfast intake.

Meanwhile, over at Team Garmin, the squad pushes Cliff Bar. David Millar guzzles 1 Cliff bar every hour and a packet of Shot Bloks every 45 minutes when he's in an inevitably doomed breakaway in a stage race. Dr Lim (Team Garmin's nutrition expert) also reveals some of the squad's non-sponsored mid race snacks. This includes his boiled potato with parmesan recipe as well as the now famous Dr Lim rice cakes. Apparently the boiled potato (skinned to remove the fibre) is best eaten near the end of a race as the potato rapidly increases blood sugar. Some nice tin foil origami is also displayed.

Hydration-wise, Dr Lim informs us the riders get through 1.5 to 2.5 bottles of fluids every hour during a stage race - that's between 10 and 25 bottles. In one hot stage of the Vuelta the team went through over 400 bottles!

Things get bizarre when we head over to Team Milram.

Niki Terpstra gives tips on how to make your picnic a success and a number of recipes are featured which naturally all include Milram products. I would suspect Fillet of beef with cheese crust (including Agrafrost oven croquettes and Milram rahmkase) and Cheese Swirls with Paprikaquark (including 2 packets of Milram PaprikaQuark and 125g of Milram Benjamin cheese) may be behind the team's lack of success in 2009.

Mudguards - this season's must have

2009-11-26T07:55:00.000-08:00

Mudguards suddenly seem to be acceptable this winter. For many attaching mudguards to your prize race machine was tantamount to labelling yourself as an Audaxer but with the arrival of Crud 'Roadracers' I've even heard of Weight Weenies fixing up. I've just fitted mine and will road test them on tonight's chaingang. These fit closely to the wheel and are consequently fairly inobtrussive.I think Audaxers advocacy of the mudguard stems from an altruistic concern for not spraying fellow riders with road muck. For the Roadie it's more a concern for avoiding the mud stripe on the back of the Assos shorts.

VERDICT: Easy to fit (although which is front and which is back??). Does require a bit of fiddling to get the right fit but did the job - road spray on to me and to fellow club members cut right back. Sarcy comments from club members about mudguards were at a minimum.

I've also just bought a Topeak saddle bag to replace the Specialized wedgie. The Wedgies look better but the 'waterproofing' zips have failed on the two wedgies I've owned. That's no good.VERDICT: Good. Plenty of room and seems sturdy enough. The strap to attach round the saddle is not ideally positioned for my Specialized saddle however.Also new, some IXS arm and leg warmers to replace my road savaged Endura ones. These are a Large but out the packet they look tiny!

VERDICT: Not bad. Cosy and very snug. They're more functional than a fashion accessory having no stitching detail or bold logos. The leg warmers have dangly zips rather than a recessed ones which I'd prefer. They also don't have left and right arm/leg designs unlike Endura. Is this good or bad, I'm not sure! There's always that nagging doubt though - should I have just bought the Assos ones...

The Saga Continues...

2009-11-25T14:29:00.000-08:00

Less than 2 weeks have passed and I'm now almost certain carbon is the way forward *roll eyes to back of skull*
So, I've narrowed it down to three - the first two available from Epic Bikes, who have a good rep, so they'll be getting a call from me shortly.

Viner Mitus Plus

£2256 (frame and forks)
Positives:

The top of the range Maxima is one of the best riding bikes I've tried
Italian made
Custom fit
Light weight (about 1kg)
Good reviews
Uncommon

Negatives

Expensive
Paint job is a bit garish (custom paint job available)

The Argon 18 Gallium Pro£1599 (frame, forks and seat post)
Positives:

Weighs under 1kg.
Technically, the geometry is ideal for me with a 57.5cm top tube and down tube.
Very rigid BB and head tube
Looks great
Not common

Negatives:

Some top tube flex according to Frankie Andreau (but otherwise positive review)
I've not ridden it

Kuota Kebel£1149 (frame, fork, seat post and headset)
Positives

Light enough (1.1kg)
Cheapest of the three - the Kharma and KOM sit above this. Don't like the look of the Kharma though.
Reputably stiff
looks pretty good

Negatives

More of them on the road
Lots of decals
Not ridden it
Good reputation amongst time trialists :O

The Argon is edging it so next stop is a test ride.

The New Bike - The Saga

2009-11-15T14:36:00.001-08:00

The quest for the new road bike continues. So far I've narrowed it down to the frame material - Titanium - beautiful looks, bomb-proof, soft but responsive ride.

If money was no object (which it is) then I would be thinking about one of these bad boys:

Baum Corretto £3975 (frame and forks)

Independent Fabrication XS £4455 (frame and forks)

Slightly more realistic options are:

Van Nicholas Astraeus £2100 (frame, forks and headset)Moots Compact £2500 (frame only I keep returning to the Astraeus. A great looking machine with reputably lminimal flex. The Lightweights really set it off but, again, a bit out of range. On the downside, it's not the lightest - tipping the scales at 7.44kg (16.3lb) and thus sadly conforming to the UCI minimum of 6.8kg. Halfords also used to sell them. Hmmm. I need a test ride otherwise my head starts introducing further complications. A nice Viner Mitus carbon frame maybe...Aaargghhh.

Paragon Hill Climb and Downhill Championships

2009-10-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

The weekend of October 17th And 18th was the club's Hill Climb and Downhill Championship. 12 of us turned up to compete on what was a cold Autumn day for the Hill Climb. White Lane, aka Titsey Hill was the chosen climb - also the hill used in the Bec CC climb the week earlier. I'd only cycled this a couple of time before - it's a real brute. Only 700 yards (640m) but relentless. It starts of with 17% and ends up with a 25% finish.

I set off 5th and decided on a steady start. After 200 yards the gradient ramps up. The cold air hitting the lungs was like breathing in anti-freeze. The legs scream. The last 100 yards I'm out the saddle giving it everything and cross the line completely exhausted.

2.17.00 is my time - very happy with that. Just milliseconds ahead of Mark B for second place. Matt puts in a stunning time of 204.7 to win.

1. Matt Pilkington - 2.04.7
2. Alan Strang - 2.17.0
3. Mark Brown - 2.17.2
4. Louis Proust - 2.21.1
5. Mark Perry - 2.24.4
6. Graham Little - 2.31.3
7. Jeff Tann - 2.42.4
8. James Felstead - 2.43.0
9. Nigel Wood - 2.54.9
10. Mark Orphan - 2.56.6
11. Matt West - 3.02.3
12. Andrew Eagles - DNF

The following day 14 of us set off for the club Downhill. Some cracking roads lead us to Tilburstow hill near Godstone. Cranks were cable-tied up and one-by-one we set off in our best aero tuck. This was a real hoot. Two cars passed me on the way down but as they slowed at the junction I trickled past and eventually came to a halt just before the brow of the hill towards Godstone. Comfortably first - Woohoo!
1. Alan Strang
2. Matt Pilkington
3. Mark Parsons
4. Simon Bird
5. David Jones
6. Gary McGowan
7. Steve Sorba
8. Louis Proust
9. Sarah Strong
10. Jai Watson
11. Mark Turner
12. Mark W
13. David JB
14. Giles Borton

Cycle Show London

2009-10-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

Went to Cycle Show at Earl's Court and had fun day drooling over all the shiny bike stuff.

Club Championship - Hillingdon, Saturday 26th September

2009-09-26T13:09:00.001-07:00

A beautiful sunny afternoon at Hillingdon for the Dulwich Paragon Club Championship. This was a handicap race with the 4th Cats, women - (just one) and non-BC members setting off first, followed by the 3rds (6 of us) and then the 2nds/1sts (4 of them). We're racing for 1 hour followed by 5 laps. No points, so all for fun and a bit of glory.
We 3rds set off just under a lap behind the 4ths and working well together we closed in after 25 minutes. 3 of us made a couple of attempts to escape the peloton but we were brought back in and we were soon joined by the 1sts and 2nds.

The extra pace soon led to 5 of us breaking from the pack and this was the decisive split. A lap or two later we were down to 4 and the cycling chess began with 4 laps to go. Dan (1st Cat) eventually accepted the responsibilty of leading us in. On the final straight Dan made the jump and the rest of us got a bit tangled. I made a good charge to the line to get second.Andy W made a great video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuMmDbh4Drs

Photos are from Kev.
RESULTS:
1 Dan Felstead 1
2 Alan Strang 3
3 Matt Plikington 3
4 Mark Perry 2
5 Kieron Redmond 4 First 4th cat
6 Jai Watson 3
7 Greg Rowlands 3
8 Wayne Van Ry day licence First non-BC member
9 Mark Brown 4v First veteran
10 Matt West 4
11 Mark Orphan 4v
12 Delia Beddis 3W First woman
13 Guy Phillips 3v
14 Nigel Wood 3v 1 lap
15 Mark O'Donnell 4 "
16 Peter Thornton 4 "
17 Lee Coomber day licence 2 laps
18 Eoin Keating 4 "
19 David Rees 2 3 laps Lantern Rouge
DNF Andy Waterman 2

Fiorenzo Magni

2009-09-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

Great story of this legendary cyclist:
http://www.bikeraceinfo.com/oralhistory/magni.html

Surrey League/VC Meudon Road Race, Cutmill, September 20th 2009

2009-09-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

Surrey League/VC Meudon RR's held at Cutmill on September 20
3rds - 57 miles
Pos Name Club/Team Cat
1 Michael Staines Team Corridori 3V
2 Martin Hulbert VC Meudon 3V
3 Douglas Coleman Hemel Hempstead CC 3
4 Niall Digby Sigma Sport RT 3
5 Andy Duff Swindon RC 3
6 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon CC 3
7 Daniel McCarthy VC Meudon 3
8 Graham Wyatt Velocity Bikes CC 3
9 Nick Gasson 34th Nomads 3
10 Mike Mooney Private Member 3V
11 Nick Calverey Finchley RT 3
12 Nigel Hobday Cambridge CC 3V
13 Paul McGuigan Norwood Paragon CC 3
14 Gordon Kenneway London Dynamo 3
15 Robert Cranstone Royal Navy & Royal Marines CA 3V
16 Steve Atkinson South Down Bikes 3V
17 Martin Garratt London Dynamo 3
18 Peter Clifton London Dynamo 3
19 Calum MacLean Edinburgh RC 3
20 Dean Frost VC Meudon 3V
21 Christian Rudolf De Laune CC 3
22 Mike Debney London Dynamo 3
23 Roger Todd Team Larkfield Cycles 3
24 Graham Wood AD Cycles RT 3V
25 Andrew Redding i-Team.cc 3V
26 Colin Addison VC Meudon 3V
27 Gavin Garrett Redhill CC 3
28 Kevin Stroud Redhill CC 3V
29 Scott Amory Gemini BC 3
30 Ian Vincent Norwood Paragon CC 3V
31 Rob Robbins Sydenham Wheelers 3V
32 Colin Bateman Festival RC 3V
33 Terry Morgan VC Meudon 3V
34 Andy Sykes Thames Velo 3
35 Henry Burrows Bognor Regis CC 3
36 Richard Moss Beyond MTB 3
37 Michael Lancaster VC Meudon 3

Cutmill, Sept 20th - 3rd Cat Road Race

2009-09-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

My first proper road race. No idea what might lay ahead other than the rudely early start required - 6.15am alarm call. By chance I meet Christian of De Laune CC at Vauxhall at 7am heading for the race as well - good to see a friendly face. Arriving at Guildford we set off along the country roads for the 10 mile journey to Elstead Youth Centre where we sign in.

The smell of deep heat pervades the air as I walk in. Riders sit pinning their numbers on their jerseys - Brighton Mitre, VC Meudon, Mosquito Bikes, South Downs Velo and London Dynamo. Just before roll-out at 9.30am the race organiser announces the circuit is to change slightly due to a horse race. A slightly shorter 10km circuit, a steeper climb and one extra lap. The first 1/2km will be neutralised.

The Depart
We roll-out behind the commissaire's car. We have two out-riders as well. Cool:) As the race starts in earnest I find a space in the top 20 and we climb past the start/finish line. Soon after a rider jumps from the peloton. He's joined by another, then two more. My plan is to stick with the peloton and make no rash moves. The pace is steady rather than rapid. There's 4 turns on the circuit - one at the top of the climb, then a treacherous, gravelly but slow corner at the bottom of 'The Sands', a fast turn on to the B3001 and the final sharp bend to the start of the drag to the finish line. The two sections of climbing have an impact on the legs but the downhill sections aid recovery. Infact, the downhill stretches seem longer than uphill - this is a good sign.

Halfway
26 miles in, 5 laps to go. As we pass the line the race official calls the time gap on the breakaway - 1 minute. There are some attempts at organising the group. I find myself at the front a couple of times and pull the group along. 3 laps to go and the gap is 40 seconds. I'm jockeying for a position in the top 5.

Final Lap
The breakaway is gone so it's minor placing honours. I'm sitting in third when on the final descent an unattached rider in blue makes a move but I'm on his backwheel. We make the final corner and we're shifting uphill, I'm sitting comfortably in second. The finish line appears and a rider on my right makes an impressive break. I make the jump from the wheel in front - remembering to get out the saddle. Across the line, second in the bunch sprint, 6th overall.

Lessons to be Learned
Happy with the result (considering it's my first proper road race) but disappointed the break got away and the main group did nothing to draw it back in. Also misjudged my final sprint as I wasn't sure where the line was. 6 points on my licence but the season is drawing to a close.

Might be worth moving to Denmark...

2009-08-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

No hills but there are compensations:

Photos courtesy of Velorbis, handbuilt bicycles - Danish design, made in Germany.

Performance, that's the name of the game...

2009-08-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4
"A word of advice to all of you hipsters
Go and get yourself some brakes and some shifters."

Crystal Palace - August 11th

2009-08-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

My second attempt at Palace but first with a full licence. Attempt number one I made it through 10 laps before getting spat off the back, doing another 10 solo before getting lapped and deciding that was enough punishment. It's a beautiful, sunny evening and I definitely have more in the legs than last time so hopefully I can do something better.

The Race
After a warm up lap I make my way to the start but I'm right near the back - this is a mistake! The flag drops and the pace is hellish from the off. It's really congested and you're at the mercy of other riders not slicing you up. After the deadman's curve we hit the ramp and riders are dropping off already. The pace for the first 6 or so laps is relentless but I just about hold on to the back of the lead group. At about lap 20 there are only 20 or so riders left in the lead group but as we hit the ramp I lose touch and the gap soon engulfs my chances. I plug on and soon there are three of us (including a E/1/2 rider who's been dropped) making our way round. We pass lots of dropped riders but I'm near the rivet. At about 8 laps to go I find a bit more stamina and I eventually drop the other two and complete the race having not been lapped. I'm delighted when I discover I finished in the Top 20 (err, 20th).

Dunsfold Cycle Race Results

2009-08-10T03:11:00.000-07:00

Surrey League racing at Dunsfold Pk on August 9 and hosted by VC Meudon
4ths - 30 miles
Pos Name Club/Team Cat Time
1 Alan Strang Dulwich Paragon CC 4 01:19:05
2 Ian Russell Kingston Wheelers 4V
3 Morgan Lewis Brighton Mitre 4V
4 Nick Gasson 34th Nomads 4
5 Rupert Burbidge Redhill CC 4
6 Cliff Steele Brixton Cycles 4
7 Richard Whitworth AD Cycles RT 4V
8 Benjamin Marks Private Member 4
9 Christian Rudolf De Laune CC 4
10 Tom Knight Medway Velo 4
11 Mark Brown Dulwich Paragon CC 4V
12 Paul Hamnett Army CU 4
13 Alex Jump Dulwich Paragon CC 4
14 James Trigg Redhill CC 4
15 Dominic Clegg Redhill CC 4
16 M Beckingham CC Basingstoke 4V
17 Nick Bonneson Addiscombe CC 4
18 Claire Leonard Brighton Mitre 2W
19 Ben Ware Dulwich Paragon CC 4
20 Roger Richards Dulwich Paragon CC 4V
21 Mark Orphan Dulwich Paragon CC 4
22 Kris Dunn Dulwich Paragon CC 4
23 Robert Wills Dulwich Paragon CC 4
24 Barnaby Sharp Private Member 4V
25 Ashley Baker Private Member 4V
26 David Jones Private Member 4
27 Matt Coshing VC Meudon 4
28 Tony Longhurst Redhill CC 4
29 Jeremy Hudson Private Member 4
30 Henry Burrows Bognor Regis 4
31 Stuart Hamilton London Dynamo 4
32 P Thatcher Sydenham Wheelers 4
33 Martin Bouty Brighton Mitre 4V
34 Simon Wroxley Hounslow & District Wheelers 4 @ 0:14
35 James Curry British Airways CC 4 @ 0:20
36 Joe Saville Private Member 4V @ 0:37
37 Richard Bremner North Hants RC 4
38 Simon Pemberton London Phoenix 4
39 Gareth Welch Dulwich Paragon CC 4
40 JP Saville Private Member 4
41 Trevor Montague AD Cycles RT 4V
42 N Killne AD Cycles RT 4
43 Warren Low Dulwich Paragon CC 4
44 Simon Deefholts Redhill CC 4V
45 Jason Doe Private Member 4
46 Dave Wilsher Redhill CC 4
47 Graham Rees Brighton Excelsior 4
48 R Hicks Redhill CC 4
49 Chris Eccles Sid Valley CC 4
50 Paul Butler Sydenham Wheelers 4
51 Stuart Grieg Redhill CC 4V
52 Christopher Merryfield-Day Worthing Excelcier 4
53 Christopher Perkin Private Member 4
54 Gareth Richards Roy Pink Cycles RT 4
55 Nick Holmes Private Member 4 @ 1 lap
56 P Lourgsour Private Member 4V
57 Gavin Lowery Velocity Bikes CC 4
58 Andrew Duffin AD Cycles RT 4V
59 David Youngham AD Cycles RT 4
dnf Kelvin Arterton Medway Velo 4
dnf Matthew Castle AD Cycles RT YA
dnf Nick Upshall VC Meudon 4
dnf Ralph Swallow South Western RC 4
dns Matthew Chard Pearson Cycles 4
dns Nicholas Busst Private Member 4

Dunsfold Victory!

2009-08-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

Early Start
An early 6am alarm call this morning and out the door at 6.30am. Despite the impromptu disco last night in the flat below I feel OK. First to arrive outside Gareth's house but I'm soon joined by Mark B, Mark O and Chris. All five bikes loaded in the back of Gareth's Pargon wagon and we set off for Dunsfold for the race.

The Circuit
Dunsfold is an airfield so as you would imagine the course is pancake flat. It's also famous for being the Top Gear test circuit. Thankfully Clarkson's not doing donuts in a hot hatch when we arrive. After signing up and pinning our numbers we do a quick circuit - it's more or less a giant 'O' shape and very exposed. Thankfully we have perfect conditions, very light wind, dry and mild.

The Race
The flag drops and we're off. The first corner is neutralised but once the official car turns off, the pace doesn't really pick up. Infact apart from the slight increase in speed on the corners it's a relatively stately procession. There are a couple of breaks but the peloton closes these easily. Another break of three goes off and puts a 100m on the pack - no Paragons so the blue train organises a superb chain to bring the escapees back.

Trouble
At the far end of the circuit the curve is sharp but badly marked. Not ideal. At the near end there's two giant airplane size Cateyes and a great big hole to be avoided. Not entirely sure what happened but I end up going wide and my bike fixes itself on a collision course with a plastic cone. Smack - I hit it right in the middle but amazingly I'm still upright. My chain is off however and suddenly I've moved from near the front to near the back. The racing gods have smiled on me today though, I'm able to re-engage the chain and power back to the front of the group. A close shave.

and we're off...
Out of the blue the pace doubles - is this the last straight? There's 20 or so ahead of me and half are racing to the line! I dig deep and cross the line, no idea what position and then we hear the bell! This is the last lap. I find myself in third wheel, the leader is setting a good pace - there's no way he can keep this going and I'm just cruising in the slipstream. Just before we enter the last corner two or three riders come by and I jump onto their back wheel. Final corner - no incidents.

The Final Straight
I must be in fifth. I follow the wheel of a Redhill CC rider and suddenly it's just me and him with 100 metres to go. I'm well within the zone in his slip but shit, he's angling to the right exactly where I am. This takes me out my stride so I step out my saddle and make my move but earlier than planned. I feel like I'm riding like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, the power's on and I'm tearing to the finish line. I punch the air! Victory - welcome to Cat 3 hell!

Cinglés des Mont Ventoux and the Tour

2009-08-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Off to France
Lugging a bike bag with bike, kit and civilian gear is hard work. Especially at 5.30 in the morning. Heading for the Eurostar to join Mark and Mal in Provence for some post Etape riding and to see the pros ride the Ventoux stage of the Tour de France. The landscape through the heart of France is fairly unremarkable - flat farmer's field after flat farmer's field but then, still miles out from Avignon, Mont Ventoux looms on the horizon.

Mormoiron
Our villa for the week is just outside the little town of Mormoiron. Nestled amongst the vineyards of the Cotes du Ventoux it's a very pleasant spot. Time to unpack the bag, build the bike, watch the Tour stage highlights and then off to town for dinner/carb loading. Tomorrow morning we take on Ventoux.

Les Cinglés des Mont Ventoux
It seems I'm skipping the frying pan stage and jumping straight into the fire. My first day on the bike in France and I'm taking on the Giant of Provence - not once, but three times, and hopefully adding my name to those in Le Club des Cinglés (the Mad Club...).

Mark is eager to take this on after his seat post bolt disaster forced him to pull out of the Etape. Mal has 'saddle comfort issues' after his successful Etape. Having done the Quebrantahuesos in June I'm happy with the climb - it's the heat that worries me.

First Assault - Bedoin (21.5km, 7.5%)
We're tackling the route which lies ahead for the Pros on Saturday first. This is regarded as the toughest. We set off just before 8am from Mormoiron, a 10 mile cycle to the town of Bedoin. There are dozen of cyclist in the town - this is a real velo Mecca. We head towards Tourist Information and stamp our Cinglés card - the first of 6 stamps that will show we've completed each ascent. The skies are fairly clear, it's not too windy, the temperature is about 18C. We spin by quite a few cyclists on the way (loads of MTBs as well!) and pass the sign marking the start of the climb. The first 6 kilometres and fairly gradual (c4%) but as the road takes a sharp kink we enter the forest and the gradient increases. Encamped along the side of the road are first wave of fans here to see the Tour. The Dutch are in abundance. Mal and Mark drop the pace a little and soon I'm ploughing a lonely furrow through the forest. I'm a bit underwhelmed by the climb at this stage. It's a hard slog but quite monotonous and without great views - sacrilidge I know! With about 10km to go Mal is suddenly passes me. After a bit on his wheel I decide to shift back to a slower pace. As I reach Chalet Reynard, Mark's also on my tail. We pull in together to see if Mal's around. No sign, so I continue leaving Mark to natter to Team Rapha.

The Moonscape
Chalet Reynard marks the end of the forest. There's 6km to the summit and from here there is no vegetation, just the harsh, grey rockface. From here the views across Provence are magnificent. The weather station that sits at top the mountain also comes in to view - it's like the tower on top of Mordor. The wind really picks up now I'm out of the shelter of the the trees and it gets more forceful as you near the summit. The final hairpin and the finish line is in sight up a steep little ramp directly into the powerful headwind so it's out the saddle for the final push. It's a busy little place with the tourist shop doing a brisk trade. Mal's waiting with a cold coke in hand. Time to admire the view and get the all important stamp on the Cinglés card.

The Descent
A very over used word but the descent is truly AWESOME! The first kilometre or two are a bit gnarly as the wind tugs and heaves you towards the abyss below. There's also quite a few cautious cyclists to negotiate. Soon though it's full throttle, aero position and Mal and I are rocketing downhill at 55+mph. It's 20 minutes of thrills (fortunately no spills) and we arrive in Malaucene.

Second Assault - Malaucene (21km, 7.5%)
After refuelling at a local café and getting our cards stamped at Tourist Information we set off just after 12pm. As we make our way up into the forest the heat is stifling. The views from this route are much more interesting as the Ventoux National Park opens up all around us. This is tough though, it must be about 30C and with about 8km to the top I have to stop. As Mal continues upwards I take my last slug of water, take a few pictures and then plough, slowly onwards. Actually, the gradient seems to ease off just after this point and I'm soon cycling throught the desert again, pleased that the wind offers some respite to the temperature. At the summit it's time to fill up with some ice cold water before the descent to Sault. This is a good descent but we're having to peddle most of the way - the winds in our faces and the gradient on this route is less severe.

Final Assault - Sault (26km, 4.7%)
We refuel in Sault. An ice cream goes down very well. On the final climb as we pass through the lavender fields the wind is well and truly on our side and we're tanking it up Ventoux at 16mph. It's just before 5pm now and the sun is lower but the air is really dry leaving you gasping breath but we're making great progress. When we enter the moonscape, the gradeint ramps up and the wind is truly fierce now. On the final ramp we jump out the saddles and make a kick for the summit. Card stamped, refuelled with water, coke and nougat we make the final descent back into Bedoin. Awesome, awesome, awesome! We arrive into Bedoin just before 7pm or beer o'clock to be more precise. Cinglés done! We both agree there's no need to attempt this again.

Cycling in Provence
The next day I take a deserved rest until the late afternoon. Chris, Loti and I decide to do a pre-BBQ bimbe to the Gorge de la Nesque. What a stunning ride! This has to be one of the world's greatest cycle routes. The road is virtually car less and winds along through the scrub at a pleasant, steady gradient. As we enter the gorge the views are breathtaking. The road carves through the rock face and plummets to the gorge below. At the top we turn round and head back to the villa - a great descent.
On Friday Mal and I take a spin out to Gordes. Another good ride with the picture postcard town of Gordes to enjoy.

The Tour de France
Mark and Sally have headed up Ventoux the evening before in the car. Mal and I are going to take on the giant again but this time we're going to be lumbered with a rucksack full of food, water and warm clothing. We're taking the Bedoin route and the road out to Ventoux is mobbed with cars and cyclists. Mal takes off with about 10km to go but I catch him up with about 2km to the summit. The wind is ferocious. At the summit it's getting quite chaotic as the final prep is made for the Tour. We cycle back down to Mark and Sally's camp spot about 2km from the summit on the second last curve lighten our loads then take off 8km down the hill towards Sault to pick up more provisions from Mark's car. On the cycle back up the police have blockaded the roadwith about 2.5km to go so we duck over the railings, rejoin Mark and Sally and then bed ourselves in. Thank heavens we have brought the sleeping bags - it's freezing!

Le Caravan
It turns out Mark has staked a great spot for seeing the Tour but not quite so good for grabbing the freebies thrown from the Caravan. Pretty much everything that's thrown towards us ends up getting grasped by the wind and scattered down the road. I do manage to get a pen, a keyring and some Festina clappers. A sixty year old lady who was standing next to me made a superman dive to try and get her hands on this! I pipped her to the post! None of us manage to get any Haribo...

The Pros
The excitement is building. Mark has twitter updates on his phone so we know there's a three man break ahead of the yellow jersey group. The motorbike outriders swarm by and then the crowd starts cheering as Garate, Martin and then Pellizoti swing by swiftly followed by the Schleks, Contador and Armstrong. Wiggins then come into view and we shout encouragement for all we're worth. We later find out he's managed to keep 4th by 4 seconds!

Final Descent
Post Tour we cycle back down to the car and unload our kit. Mal and I decide to try and weave our way through the madness on the Sault route. It's crazy for four of five kilometres but soon we're motoring past everyone and everything. It's a stunning descent. At the base of the giant we decide to take the route back to Mormoirson via the Gorge. We do a superb bit of paceline, smoking every cyclists on the route - great fun.

Devil Ride 2009

2009-07-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Off to Wales for the 105 mile 'Devil Ride' sportive. Getting there is a bit of an adventure - Wilf and I have to smuggle our bikes on to the Piccadilly line to collect our hire car from Heathrow. We get nabbed as we arrive at Heathrow - too late though for anything but a finger wagging. We meet up with Rich and Mike at the campsite just outside the pretty town of Crickhowell and pitch up Rich's tent - gotta love tents with foyers:) Not a lot happening in the 'race village' so we head to town for dinner and the odd carb loading pint. Early night, back to the tent, raining fairly hard but the forecast is dry for tomorrow.

Race Day
7am alarm call, it's raining. No mass start so plenty of time to prepare. We eventually get to the line at 9ish and meet James before we roll over the start line. The 5 of us do a bit of through and off at an easy pace but as the first hill arrives I keep the tempo up and the rest drop back. Not intentional and I was surprised James wasn't with me. Another rider joins (Mark) and I push on before flicking the elbow to follow his wheel. Soon we're joined by a third rider (Karl) and we're working well together - passing loads. Kudos to the two riders, I drop a water bottle and they wait to let me rejoin. The three of us plough on with the occassional rider joining as we pass before dropping off. It's a good route but hard - lots of little hills which break the tempo.

The Devil's Staircase
We push on past the first feed stop and you can sense the excitement/fear as the infamous Devil's Staircase gets closer. This famous climb featured in the Milk Race in the 80s and forced the pros to unclip and walk! The road narrows and the climb begins. I'm in my 34-27 from the off and I'm having to take every hair-pin wide. There's no cadence, it's just push, push. Mark is struggling a bit but no wonder - he's riding 39-25! At the top we regroup, we're off again. Tough, very tough, but no walking. The descent on the otherside is superb. With the wind behind our backs we're pushing 50mph.

The Second Climb
This one is unannounced. The road surface is horrible - resurfaced loose gravel everywhere. The climb goes on forever and Mark drops back. 30 minutes later I drift off - Karl is a strong rider. This is the worst part of the race for me. I'm on my tod and descend like a demon bringing the group up ahead close (there looks like 10 or so riders). But as the gradient goes up the gap widens, I'm running close to empty. My solo ride goes on for 5-10 miles until eventually two riders catch up - Mark and Trevor (SWRC). I latch on to the back. At the second food station I load up with jaffa cakes and water. The feed station attendants inform us there's one more slog ahead.

The Final Stretch
Not exactly one more slog, infact there's still plenty of little spikes to sap all remaining energy. Round about mile 75 we're into roulering territory. Wheelsucking is pretty much all I'm up to. Mark's doing some great turns but with about 8 miles to go he's disappeared. We slow up for a moment but cannot see him so push on. I've recovered a bit and take the lead - Trevor and I are giving everything. I'm quite keen for the finish line but as my cateye reaches 105 miles we're still on the move. Aargh. I spot a sign for Crickhowell, 2 miles away - I can handle that. Soon I spot the campsite and we're rolling up to the finish line. 108 (and a bit) miles. Really tough ride - lots of spikes and I was pushing hard all the way. Great result though - 5hrs 56mins, a Gold Classificatiion and 11th overall.

South Down Way in One Day

2009-07-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

First Attempt
My first attempt at the South Downs Way was back in September. This was a 2 day attack and a valiant effort but ultimately we were defeated. Andy G's sub-par Carrera and Dodge's heroic lack of fitness were the culprits. Crappy weather also didn't help.

The Plan
I'd discussed taking on the SDW with Mike. Like me he's an ex-MTBer who's now a born again Roadie. Mike's idea was to do the route in one day. Hmm, 100 miles off-road wouldn't be easy. We agreed on a date - July 4th - and roped in Jorge as well.

The Big Day
Insane Alarm call. Only a couple of hours sleep (grrr). Cycling to Clapham Junction for our 5.20am rendezvous was slightly surreal - plenty of people staggering their way back home from the nightclubs in Brixton and Clapham. The train journey to Winchester takes just over an hour so plenty of time to enjoy some bacon and egg rolls. Worryingly, as we approach Basingstoke the clear skies we'd enjoyed in London become obscured by thick fog.

We set off from Winchester just before 7am and after a mile or so on the road we hit the trail. The route is mostly well marked but there are points that without a good map, or in our case a couple of Garmins, getting waylaid would be easy. I realised that on my previous attempt we'd taken a 5 mile detour and climbed 2 big hills unneccessarily - oops.

Round about 12pm we stopped for lunch having covered 50 miles. Reasonably on track. The weather couldn't have been better. There had been a patch of drizzle earlier but the skies were clearer and most importantly it wasn't too hot. Onwards - the second part of the trail gets a bit steeper and fatigue starts to set in. Mike has several encounters with the 'Man with the Hammer' but we're fairly certain we can make it. After 80 miles or so the coast line appears and we see what we think might be Eastbourne - it isn't - more pedaling to be done. By the time the real Eastbourne rolls in to view the sun is starting to set but it's mostly downhill from here. Infact, the last section into the town is a real hoon and at some point I must have buckled my rear tyre. 100 miles on my cateye and we arrive at Eastbourne and my rear wheel has more wobble than Big Daddy's belly. It's 8.40pm - time to get some fish and chips and a beer to enjoy on the train back to London.

It's been a hard day but our mission has been completed. Demon's laid to rest.

Food Consumed (including brekkie and post ride munchies)
5 Torq gells, 3 Mule bars, 1 Clif Bar, 3 Bananas, 2 bacon & egg rolls, 2 sausage & mustard rolls, 75% of a Soreen malt loaf, 1 Muller rice pudding, Haddock & chips, 1 beer, over 8 litres of water.

The Fray Bentos - my best day in the sadddle!

2009-06-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

Wowee Zowee! 3 days have passed and I'm still buzzing. Last Saturday was the Quebrantahuesos, Spain's answer to the Etape du Tour and my best day, and hardest day, I've ever had in the saddle.

The Build Up
The anticipation had been building up for quite a few weeks. I think we booked our flights and accommodation for this back in the cold winter months (ideal motivation when freezing your arse on cold Saturday mornings in the Surrey Hills). The chaotic registration process (in hindsight) even heightened the sense that I and my three other cycling buddies had managed to secure a place in this event as keenly sought after by the Spanish as VIP tickets to Glastonbury.

As the last few days approached before we flew out to Barcelona, all 3 of us were deliriously splashing our cash on cycling accessories that might just help improve our chances on the 205km circuit up and down 4 Pyrenean mountains.

Thursday
We arrived in Barcelona airport on Thursday and loaded up our VW people carrier with our four bike boxes and set out for the 5 hour drive to Badaguas. As the foothills of the Pyrenees emerged on the horizon you could feel the sense of excitement/fear building. Berns in particular was starting to rue his lack of dedication to winter and spring training.

Friday
Wilf, Berns and myself set off in some light rain for a leg stretching ride leaving Mark in the hotel to protect his Parlee from the wet stuff. Cycling into Jaca from our hotel we got a taster of what we would experience on Saturday - a long, steady descent on billiard table like roads. Great lunch in Jaca - liver tapas and calamares washed down with a couple of beers. We then cycled back to Badaguas experiencing the long, steady climb with the sun now beating down on us.
All 4 of us then headed in the VW to Sabinanigo to sign in and collect our race numbers. Thousands were there. Excitement building. Weather forecast for Saturday - dry and in the mid to high 20s. Perfect. An early dinner at 7pm, with Berns and Wilf ordering two portions of Spag Bol. Back to the hotel for an early night's sleep. Must sleep.

Saturday
Alarm goes off at 5.20am. Half an hours sleep last night. F**k. Everything prepared so we pile into the van and make our way to Sabinanigo - AC/DC 'Highway to Hell' on the stereo. We improvise a parking spot. Breakfast in the van then off to the start. Berns looking quite green and his lack of preparation now showing - he's left his helmet back at the hotel. He heads off in search of a solution so Mark, Wilf and I head to the start line. Riders stretch out as far as the eye can see in front and within minutes the road behind is packed with our fellow competitors.

The Race Starts
The gun goes off at 7.30am. Over 20 minutes later and we too are able to roll out over the line. Start the Cateye. The pace for the first few kilometres is a steady 25mph over rolling flats. I have my crib sheet attached to my handlebars. 19.1 miles to the start of the first climb, the Somport.

Somport
Both Mark and Wilf have dropped off. I'm not racing at his stage but speed really depends on the pace of the group you choose. The Somport starts, a 17.5 mile climb with an average gradient of 2.91%. After a few kms I find a grupetto of 3 riders from the Barbastro CC. I like their pace and stick to their wheels figuring they'll know what tempo to set. At Canfranc we see ski lifts and the gradient steps up to between 3.6 and 8.2%. The clouds have closed in and a low fog eventually engulfs us. At the summit I feel good, the Somport was no problem. I grab a newspaper to stuff down my jersey from one of the many spectators lining the side of the road. I still freeze. My legs are shuddering as I make my descent. Too many riders in the way to go the speed I'd like. Eventually the temperatures warm as I near the valley and the sun breaks through.

Marie Blanque
On the flats before the next col I find the group I'm in drifting further back from the one in front. This is no good so I break out, put some speed down hoping to take one or two with me. No-one bridges so I push on. I have to cover almost 1km to bridge the gap solo but I'm determined not to get swallowed up by the pack I've left. It's a great effort! I've made the gap. Now we approach the Marie Blanque. I don't know what to expect here other than the stats - 6.2 miles at 7.15% average with stretches up to 12%. I've also read Eddie Merckx rated this as his hardest climb! I'm in a strong group and as we ascend we spit riders off the back. There's two riders from the same club, one of which looks like Robert Millar. His riding style is similar as well. I'm riding well and stay firmly planted in the saddle whilst pretty much all the local riders seem to jumping on their pedals. We're passing quite a few riders. Kilometre markers pass steadily, each announcing the gradient we have to look forward to. The summit, I've made it and actually really enjoyed the climb although the road was rough in patches. At the top I eat some food and try to clean my sunglasses. Mark rolls up behind! I'm a bit surprised, as although he's a strong climber I didn't expect for him to be so close. We roll of together and I suggest some RPCC roulering. The descent is fast with lots of sharp turns. The rumours are true, the Spanish can't descend. At the bottom I've lost Mark, wait a few minutes at the water station but presuming he must of gone through I push on.

Portalet
The road to the Portalet rolls along a main road past French villages. A group has formed and we set a steady pace. The climb starts, 17.8 miles with an average gradient of 4.46%. This is a step into the unknown. The legs are feeling OK still. For about 8 miles I'm cycling just in front or just behind a few riders I've rode the Marie Blanque with. Robert Millar is there too. Kilometre signs pass but there seems to be a longer wait between each. The gradient ramps up. 10% for 1km, 11% for 1km. I need a flatter section to recuperate. It doesn't come. The last 4 miles are the toughest I've ever grinded up. The hills are bare, brutal, unforgiving and then the man with the hammer visits. Robert Millar is long gone and soon every rider I passed on the first 12 miles of the climb seems to come past me. I approach another km sign - surely it's three to go I try and convince myself - no! it's four. The crowds are building up along both sides of the road. The last 2kms are like the Tour de France - there's only room for two riders, the crowds are chanting 'Venga! Venga!' I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm getting quite emotional now. A combination of the crowd's support, the grinding pain and the fact that I know I'm going to make it to the top of the Portalet makes me well up. A good looking blonde that I passed 2 miles back comes by, the crowd shout 'Venga! Venga! Chica!' It doesn't matter, I've made it!

The view at the summit is breathtaking - a textbook Pyrenean vista. The descent is extraorinary. I've soon forgotten the pain and I'm riding like a demon. There's more room on the descent and I'm taking no prisoners - 50-60mph is common, my cateye even says top speed of 70.1mph! The road plummets, I tear through a ski lift carpark - awesome. Soon I'm alongside a beautiful, serene lake. I race over the dam - awesome. Nearing Hoz de Jaca, the final climb.

Hoz de Jaca
This is a little spike, 1.42miles but with an average 7.96%. The roads are quite rural here but it's fun to mix it up. This is twisty and narrow with groups of spectators on the corners. I stick pace with a group of 8 or so. We're at the top and making our way back to Sabinanigo.

The Final Stretch
In a group of about 8 riders we're driving along the main roads again but into a strong headwind. There's a couple who are trying to organise a chain. My turns at the front are hard. My legs are pretty sapped and my 50-12 is just a little to low to drive the pace in the wind. The chain seems to break down as two riders decide to keep jumping to the front and not rotating. Tempers are getting frayed. I'm happy to let them do the work and sit in third. Close to the line I jump from wheel to wheel but decide not to sprint - partly as I'm not sure where the line is, partly as it'll probably make me look a prat. I'm over the line at 14.54.

The Aftermath
The free beer tastes good, there's free pasta as well but I'm surprisingly not hungry. Mark calls, he's in 10 minutes after me - a great effort. I'm pretty sure we've both got Gold and when we collect our medals and certificates it's confirmed 'Oro'! Get in! My time is 7hrs 12mins 54secs. An average speed of 28.41kph. Both totally elated we head for a free massage and wait for Wilf and Berns. Wilf heads over in just over 9hrs, he's ecstatic. More beer. Berns then appears 40 mins later. He's been destroyed, he's quitting cycling! This of course is temporary - all four of us will be back next year. 2010 I will have a green dorsal!

Davos - one week and counting...

2009-03-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

Davos in one week - Woohoo! Most likely the last chance to enjoy the pow until 2010:( Never been there before but as Klosters is the neighbouring town I suspect we'll be on the sandwiches and litre bottle wine mostly. Plenty of snow forecast - result.

2009-03-26T02:27:00.000-07:00

Snow - soon, booze - last night, derailleurs - maybe later.