Cycling
My last blog post mentioned racing the Ely 25 at the start of Feb. Ouch the race was horrific. Hitting the first turn ay 8 miles or so in 21 mph avge was bad. My 5 min man passing me before 15 miles was very bad. Getting off my bike in 1.07:40 was the worst I've ever felt on what was effectively as much a float day you'll ever get in the start of Feb.
However, I didn't tear up the wall planner like so many others have when results have gone bad. I knew the plan was good and it would take MORE dedication not doing something else to find the right result. What Ely really taught me was there really is no point trying to be competitive at Triathlon if I can't be in the top few on the bike. I can't swim quick enough and as much as I think I'm a handy runner even the Brownlees couldn't make up the time I'm loosing before I get me trainers on.
So I pretty much decided there and then that the entire year would be written off to Tri (I'd still do a bit) but the focus was entirely shifted to testing and getting the bike part sorted. As much as you'll hear triathletes say "it's not all about the bike" like fuck it isn't. You try and make up 10 mins on someone over 10k!
So February passed, lots of biking with a fair bit of swimming and enough run to tick over. My head was down and my pal Ady was great in trying to pick me up. But I knew deep down I needed to beat myself up a bit.
We rolled into March and another hardriders race on the E1b/25. A tough course, certainly harder than Ely on a windy day. Tailwind out on the faster downhill half and a slog back into the wind. To be honest, I was shitting it. I knew I needed a good race and although I knew an hour was way out of the question I needed to show myself I could dig in.
Good outward leg, speed was fairly easy but what cheered me right up was a solid return. Much better effort for a long 1.03 on a tough day. Pushed hard and a 4 min improvement in a month, the first time I've been able to really measure progression on the bike.
Cracked on from there, the plan was the plan. By now though I had ETU LD duathlon on the horizon and I was worried about run form. Motivation was not high if I'm honest but I half fancied a medal in my AG if I could get a decent bike in.
Swimming was really coming good by now. Plenty of pool time (3/4 a week) and getting dragged around by the new flipper mr T I was actually starting to think Tri could happen this year.
Before March was over I would get a crack on the E2/10 course that Alex Dowset holds the competition record on. Basically the fastest 10 course in the country. Again we were greeted with a strong wind for the return leg.
I rode 808 rear and 404 front for this as it was bloody windy I could hardly keep the bike up on the warm up. First section out I really didn't start hard enough and pushed a poor 27 avge to the turn. It was a grovel on the way home but I ended up with a respectable 23.20 for my first ever 10. Not exactly setting the world on fire but a good workout nonetheless and again an improvement on my Ely disaster.
Into April I hit problems with my calf early doors resulting in a tear. Jogged before the Cambourne 10 and it felkt shitty so bailed. First ever TT on the F2D/10 Cambourne - Madingley course and yet another windy day. This time it was a fair cross wind so I rode 808s. Started too slow again to build in and was pretty shit to 8 miles. Last 2 pulled back a big chunk of speed to finish with a 23.10 pb. Again, not exactly what I wanted but yet more progress. To be honest most of the guys around here are all riding 22.30-23.10 so I wanted to get ahead of that.
Calf was still shitty for a couple of weeks so had to pull the plug on Horst which was a shitter. Was supposed to travel out with Kurt so had to drop him in it but he won his AG so not a total disaster.
April wound up with some decent swim volume thanks to only running a total of 13 miles.
Last weekend of the month I made the pilgrimage to the R25/3L course in Wales. Took the family for the weekend and had a lovely old time. Race day came and race start was delayed an hour. The course is the ultimate for a 25. Start with a couple of miles out then turn and ride on the DC for 12 miles. Hit a very large roundabout via a viaduct and then back for 10 miles. The 12 mile section contains a massive gift hill that you don't need to come up (until after the finish). Quick, quick (and legal) course.
I'd reccied the route the day before and guessed I'd roll down the hill at 30-35 mph. I hit the start of the hill on a 25 avge, peaked at 47.1 on the hill and then pretty much held a 30 avge to the turn passing 10 miles in 19.45 !! Wind was very strong but in the wrong direction for a quick time, blowing you all the way out to the turn and absolutely groveled home on the tougher stretch watching my average speed drop steadily to 25.4 when I crossed the line.
Finished up with 58.59 #happydays. Since I started cycling my only real target was to ride a sub hour 25 and I'd done it. It's a fast course and it has a gift hill but fuck that I had done what I had always wanted to and wasn't entirely sure I would ever be able to.
April also saw the start of decent weather which meant I could start knocking out a regular training routine on the bike which I've been fairly well sticking to since.
Into the month of May. Swimming takes a bit of a back seat due to time and starting to run again. Also I switch out my round DA chainring to the QXL I removed after Ely #controversial.
May is the start of proper TT season - that is road conditions and air pressure start hitting better numbers so the times should start being positive.
First race in May was back on the F2D/10 course. Home race again but yet again the wind had come out to play, this time it was a severe head wind / tail wind ride. All the local riders were out and there was a fair bit of friendly banter flying about especially as a couple of the guys had put down good times on the Team Cambridge Wednesday event.
Tough, tough outward leg and I'd ridden far too conservatively. Hit the turn in 22.8 avge and knew it would be a tough ask. From the turn it was fireworks though with last 3 miles at 32-34 mph all the way. Q Ring felt smooth and I nearly caught my minute man who entered on a 22.04 - 66 secs quicker than me. Finished with another pb 23.05 but should have been better.
Turned out it was close between me and a lot of guys but I was really fucked off with my power profile and knew I'd dropped 20-30 secs on the way out. Also Ady was 35 secs up on me.
2 nights of curry and beer later I headed off to the F11/10 course with Rich & Ady. I'd heard a lot of good things about this course and FINALLY I'd got a pinging day. No wind in 2015 - unheard of! The course starts on a ramp so you are up to speed immediately and then its a slowish 1.7 miles to a blind roundabout which I all but stopped at. Slow around and then it's a net uphill to opposite the start line at 4 miles. I buried myself completely to keep the speed up here and I'm not joking when I say I was all but done by 4 miles. Then the gift hill. It's not long (half mile) but you get a great boost and from there it's 2 miles to the final roundabout and 2 miles back. I kept the average as high as I could to the roundabout (another slow one) and then emptied the tank in mile 9 before grovelling home. I could not believe it when I stopped the clock on 21.32. FINALLY a respectable time and I was pleased as I'd earned a good time by riding really hard on the tough parts of the course. Great day all around as Ady (21.39) and Rich (20.30) both also ride pbs.
Now I'm buzzing and full of confidence. I stick a really good weeks training in (swim, bike & run) and then get ill for a week.
2 weeks after the 21.32 I'm racing the E2/50c. As a Triathlete with most experience in half iron I'm not actually phased by a 50 TT. There's no half marathon to run off the bike for a start !
I barely warm up for the event and plan to just ride into it. Give myself 10 steady, ride hard to the hour and see how it goes.
To be fair that's how the race pans out. There's a nasty crosswind that's never right in your face or right on your back and it just makes the race hard. However speed is never that far away. On the quick bits I'm pulling 27 on the slow bits I'm pulling 22.
I pass 25 miles in 57.20 and I finish up with a 1.58:14. 25.4 mph avge and yet another big target ticked off. Great day for St Neots CC as mr T rides a 1.50 and Ady rides a 2.00 split. Solid work all around.
So that's pretty much it. FINALLY as I started I'm starting to feel that I can progress. I can feel what bike fitness and speed feels like. Don't get me wrong I am a long, long way off what the top guys are doing but I'm getting closer. I have a plan and it's working.
I have no idea how this season will work out as at the minute I only have plans to do a single triathlon - Grafman in June. Apart from that it's all testing! That will probably change though as run fitness comes back but at the minute I am enjoying the bike time.
Next year I'm still not sure if I'll target sprints, standards or middles? I'm just enjoying the ride at the minute!
Next target - none. I've done them all this year just need to crack on, work hard and have some banter while I'm doing it.
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