my first time trial

Just finished my first time trial. 14.5 miles in just over 44 minutes.
Finished 4th out of 7 riders. I now appreciate what people mean when they
say it is easier to push oneself in a racing environment as opposed to
leisure/utility riding. Got soaked in the first three miles but thankfully
very little wind.

Glad to have completed the course and not disgraced myself.

Hopefully next time I can get a 20+ mph average.

Adam

in message , Adam Lea
') wrote:

Just finished my first time trial. 14.5 miles in just over 44 minutes.
Finished 4th out of 7 riders. I now appreciate what people mean when they
say it is easier to push oneself in a racing environment as opposed to
leisure/utility riding. Got soaked in the first three miles but
thankfully very little wind.

H'mmm... My time tonight was 33:12 for a ten. My excuses are (i) that it
was windy and (ii) that my legs were on strike after the weekend.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Hobbit ringleader gives Sauron One in the Eye.

"Simon Brooke" wrote in message
...
in message , Adam Lea
') wrote:

Just finished my first time trial. 14.5 miles in just over 44 minutes.
Finished 4th out of 7 riders. I now appreciate what people mean when they
say it is easier to push oneself in a racing environment as opposed to
leisure/utility riding. Got soaked in the first three miles but
thankfully very little wind.

H'mmm... My time tonight was 33:12 for a ten. My excuses are (i) that it
was windy and (ii) that my legs were on strike after the weekend.


I could have done it a little faster but sods law prevailed in the form of a
car in front, two oncoming cars and a car parked on the roadside all meeting
at the same point thus temporarily blocking the road.

What did you do on the weekend?

I went on a club run on Sunday morning then rested from then on. I decided
to go out with the intermediate group instead of the sporting group so I
would recover in time, despite the sporting ride being the more interesting.

Just checking in now I am back in some sort of semblance of existing
after my efforts at the club '10' tonight.
I am completely wasted. Got a lift out to the strip, plenty of banter,
especially with the chap starting at 9 (I was off at 2), reckoning
he'd easily catch me.

Reasonable warm up, onto the start. Wondering why on earth I was doing
it as I really am overweight and underfit. And then the countdown. 15
seconds. 5 4 3 2 1 and off. Sprint up to speed - a short dip through
the village and then rise again - hitting 30 after a few tens of
metres, only to drop back to 21-22 as I crest the rise. Check the HRM.
Must be wrong, my heart can't go that fast (190+). Time to settle,
breathe deep, get a rhythm and make best use of the wind to the turn.
Most of this was at 22-25mph, nothing over. HRM still telling porkies,
trying to relax on the downhill drags to save something for the
return. Not much success with that HRM still barely dropping below 180
on the easy bits, definitely redlining it.

The turn is two roundabouts at about 5.5 miles, easily taken with no
traffic. Slight drags and now into the easterly for the return leg.
It is a struggle to keep over 20mph, one which I was losing. My minute
man had been in sight since early on and I was slowly gaining, or to
be more precise, he was falling off the pace faster than I was. Lungs
going fit to bust, 3 miles to go. ease past my minute man. I'm now
ahead on the road. Traffic at 2 miles. A crop sprayer,one of these up
on stilts kind of things doing about 15mph. Fortunately the cars could
pass it before I got to it. It was sorely tempting to not go round,
just to go straight under, and I wasn't the only one with that thought
briefly flickering across my mind. But I passed properly and safely.
Someone came up to me just before the crop sprayer, no idea who but
they dropped back again. I think it was the person at 3. I am now the
front man on the road and having noone to chase does take a bit of the
impetus.
But now I can see the finish. 500m 400m. My speed is dying, my legs
are almost completely gone. I am just trying to hang on to the finish.
300m 200m. Whoosh, past goes number 9, first man to finish by ten
seconds, followed by me, and a few seconds back my minute man.

A gentle roll back to the strip, trying to find my legs and lungs.
Wasted, absolutely off my feet.

One advantage of being first back is first dibs on the tea and cakes.
Much general chatting and socialising. It was a field of 37 so sorting
out the times and prizes takes a good time. New course record for the
couple on a tandem. Fastest time on the night was a very impressive
21.52, second 22.07 and third 22.11. Fastest youth 25.59, taking
nearly a minute off his previous time on the course.

I then rode home, 9 miles up over the Newtyle brae and back to Dundee.
I had switched to getme home Audax mode, soft pedalling as much as I
could. One of our youts was also riding back so hung on my wheel - an
easy wheel to follow if you can keep your brakes on. Home. Bath. My
stomach muscles ache like crazy, my legs will be interesting tomorrow.
But a good ride.

My time? 29.17. My aim was to break evens (30 mins) so I am very
pleased with the result.

...d

"David Martin" wrote in message
oups.com...
My time? 29.17. My aim was to break evens (30 mins) so I am very
pleased with the result.


Is that what breaking evens means - a 20 mph average?

in message , Adam Lea
') wrote:

"Simon Brooke" wrote in message
...
in message , Adam Lea
') wrote:

Just finished my first time trial. 14.5 miles in just over 44 minutes.
Finished 4th out of 7 riders. I now appreciate what people mean when
they say it is easier to push oneself in a racing environment as
opposed to leisure/utility riding. Got soaked in the first three miles
but thankfully very little wind.

H'mmm... My time tonight was 33:12 for a ten. My excuses are (i) that it
was windy and (ii) that my legs were on strike after the weekend.


I could have done it a little faster but sods law prevailed in the form
of a car in front, two oncoming cars and a car parked on the roadside all
meeting at the same point thus temporarily blocking the road.

What did you do on the weekend?

24 hour event - see ride report elsewhere in this group.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; part time troll.

On Jun 19, 11:12 pm, "Adam Lea" wrote:
"David Martin" wrote in message

oups.com...

My time? 29.17. My aim was to break evens (30 mins) so I am very
pleased with the result.

Is that what breaking evens means - a 20 mph average?

Yes. On old bikes it was more of a challenge than today's carbon aero
things. I'm still riding in classic mode - no tri bars, steel frame,
box section 36 spoke wheels. Full aero kit (aero bars, helmet,
skinsuit, frame with concealed cables, disk/trispoke wheels etc),
could be worth up to two and a half minutes or more, but to me it
feels like cheating when I am racing myself and have far to go in
terms of fitness (my BMI is still higher than the number of spokes in
my wheel)

...d

In article , Adam Lea
says...
Just finished my first time trial. 14.5 miles in just over 44 minutes.
Finished 4th out of 7 riders.

Well done.

I now appreciate what people mean when they
say it is easier to push oneself in a racing environment as opposed to
leisure/utility riding. Got soaked in the first three miles but thankfully
very little wind.

Glad to have completed the course and not disgraced myself.

Told you so. :-)

Hopefully next time I can get a 20+ mph average.

Did you ride your Birdie? How long before you get a race bike? :-)

"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...

Did you ride your Birdie? How long before you get a race bike? :-)

Yes.

I have considered a racing bike but the thing is it is a lot of expense for
a bike that, when I am not racing, can only be used for any journeys without
luggage in dry weather (i.e. no mudguards or rack).

One of the club members has offered me one of his old road bikes to have a
go on and keep if I like it (he has too many bikes apparently).

Adam

in message , Adam Lea
') wrote:

"David Martin" wrote in message
oups.com...
My time? 29.17. My aim was to break evens (30 mins) so I am very
pleased with the result.

Is that what breaking evens means - a 20 mph average?

Yup. I have /never/ achieved this - my personal best is 30:06 - but all the
under-16s in the club do it regularly.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

'graveyards are full of indispensable people'