Well finally its here… After what seems like an eternity of hard graft winter miles the race season arrives…First up the Sheffrec 2up TT with Simon Beldon on the Hatfield Woodhouse course.

Race face on and ready for Simon!

A very cold, windy but dry (it was!)  day began and looked promising.  A good warm up in which the immortal and erroneous agreement that I would take the start line first was made…  at 3pm dead we hit the start and fired over the motorway at about 3million watts for the first 5 minutes.  Hmm I do never quite learn to start slow and build up!  Oh and it belted down and we were soaked by mile2. So much so when I tried to speak halfway through it came out as a slurred dribble I was that cold!

The first 2 legs were tough then onto the old ’10’ course, a superfast blast to Blaxton and crawl back.  Working well together we managed to cross the line in 52:18 to win by 1:19.

http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/event/20678 – race report.

Part 1 complete.

For me this was a 2 part weekend.  Felt like going from zero to a thousand miles an hour in one go – but in for a penny in for a pound I’d signed up to repeat the Kettering CC 20m Hilly on Sunday on the undulating, bumpy but fun course near Thrapston in Northamptonshire.

The Sunday alarm arrived oh too quick to sore and tender legs… this was going to be tough. As tradition for me I cycled a circuitous 17m to the HQ and could tell I was on for a tough day!  But it was sunny at least!

I was off last man with a nice target of Team Bottrill’s Elliot Gowland as my minute man.  I did my usual and flew off the start line – then was quickly reminded of yesterday’s effort! into the wind I focussed on aerodynamics over power and made surprisingly good progress catching Elliot on 9minutes.  At this point I knew I was on for a win and even though struggling to get used to a more extreme position, that proved very aero, but difficult to get the power down I focussed on aero-dynamics and churned it out.

The finish was nothing like as quick as last year, where we had a roaring tailwind the last 10miles,  still I stopped the clock on 44mins dead, 30 secs slower than last year, but 2min 30 ahead of Gavin Hinxman who rode to a solid 2nd place.

Now to ride home…

Lessons

1.  Why do we race this early?!
   1.  No idea!
2.  The compromise between aerodynamics and power is a fine one and I still have not got the happy medium!
3.  Really – have I entered another hilly 30m next week?
4.  Where is the nearest shrink… I need seeing to…