Bit breezy on the E2/10!

  One of those days where you know your time is going to be…

   …absolutely rubbish but you end up really enjoying it anyway!

  Or more accurately, enjoying the last 5 miles in a screaming tailwind!

  I knew it was going to be a tough ride out to the turn just driving down the A11 to Newmarket because the old car would barely do 70mph into the wind!

  We were horribly late due to the congestion at Elveden which I totally forgot to account for and got to the HQ at Westley Waterless about 25 mins before I was due to start. Frantic rallycross style drive to the start and was parked and on the turbo a few yards from the A11 in under a minute thanks to the help of my 'soigneur' Sue. Sorted! And relaaaaax……

  Managed a 15 min warm-up which is better than nothing then off into the bushes for a quick wee… where the zip on my skinsuit decided to explode. Came wobbling out of the bushes like a traumatized toddler.

 “Sue, Sue… Aaargh, look what’s happened…. Aaaarrrgghhh….”

  3 minutes until I was off….

  “Don’t panic, hang on, where’s my scissors…” She reached into her knitting bag and began hacking away.  Within seconds there was the reassuring ‘zzzzip’ all the way up to my neck.  “There!”

  2 minutes until I was off.

  I was a bit worried about the wind pulling the bottom open again so borrowed a safety pin from my race number.  Sorted… Although now my number was flapping like a parachute.  Sue quickly dismantled the car keys and freed a metal ring with which she reattached my number to my bum. Good these soigneurs aren’t they?

  Got to the start just as the rider ahead of me, a very determined looking elderly lady vet was tightening her toe straps with 30 seconds to go.

  My turn. 3 – 2 – 1 – GO!

  Holy crap it was windy. As soon as I got round the bend onto the sliproad I got the full blast in the face.  Kerclunk, kerclunk, right down the block into the lowest gear and just keep turning the pedals… as fast as you can but no faster….

  The lady who’d started a minute ahead of me had barely made it to the end of the end of the slip road when I caught her so she must have been having quite a torrid time of it.  I’m sure I saw 19mph on the computer at one point so it was pretty slow progress but there’s nothing you can do about it except look forward to the fast ride back!

  Over 13½  mins to the turn – bloody hell, what a grovel. Got held up for a couple of seconds on the Fourwentways roundabout for good measure – if I’d been on a quick ride I’d have just pulled out and blended between the cars coming from the right gung-ho style as normal but not on a ploddy day like today.  As soon as my back was to the wind, I could feel a huge push…. “Houston, we have ignition...”

  Kerclunk, kerclunk, into the 56 x 12 dropping back down the sliproad and didn’t change gear again for the next five miles, even going up the niggly drags on this course. Yeehah!!

  Spinning like a maniac on a couple of occasions got me up to 38mph and, to be honest, I’m sure an 11 sprocket could have seen me hit 40mph.  Excellent fun – that’s what it must feel like to be Cancellara, Martin or Sir Bradders.

  All too soon the finish line arrived (blimey, don’t say that very often!) and I zoomed across at 38mph in 22:17. Crap time but a nice treat.  Mrs Cosmic had even made friends with some other riders' wives while I’d been gone and had quite enjoyed herself too.  She really enjoyed seeing me grinning like a buffoon when I got back – I’m usually really disappointed and grumpy I suppose!

  Back at the HQ, there were already about 30 times up from the other early starters and they’d all obviously been seriously slowed down by the wind… Apart from one who’d knocked out an incredible short 20: something. I was seriously impressed at the time but he was later disqualified for riding the event behind his mum & dad’s car! Not quite grasped the rules methinks. Silly boy!

  The last 20 riders saw the conditions change dramatically and PB’s were even broken as the wind eased right down. Just my luck…. Sigh….

18th out of 121 riders. Not too bad I suppose...

  That’s me done racing Opens for a couple of weeks.  I hoping to get some quality training in, taper off and regather a bit of form for a last assault on a fast 10 time before the season finishes.

 I’ve entered events on the B10/35, V718 AND the F11/10 on consecutive days at the end of the month and, hopefully, I should be fast enough to get in the last two without any more of that ‘reserve’ drama! Obviously can’t / won’t ride them all but at least I can pick and choose. Having said that, logistically I could manage the V718 and F11/10 back to back if the conditions were good but we’ll see….

  Really focused training this last few days since Saturday and I’m feeling really good. Oh, and managed a 19:22 for 5000M on the Concept2 on Monday too! Might have to avoid the gym for a while though – called the co-owner a ‘fat c**t’ on my last visit when he criticized my parking. Oh dear….