In the absence of Pete (who seems to be swanning around in Majorca as far as I can tell) I have produced an initial spreadsheet to keep track of the new league stage times. So far I have as per below so if I have missed anyone out who has set a time for the stage 1 TT, let me know and I'll add you on.
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JuhaL
Guru
In here disc herniation symptoms are getting better, i had a good medicine called Gabapentin. That is anti-epilepsy drug but it treat very well sciatica pain, finally better sleep. Can't drink beer and whiskey for awhile but i guess those products taste even better after a long break.
BurningLegs
Veteran
Looking good!
I assume it’s lowest cumulative time across all stages that determines league position? Or are your spreadsheet skills up to the job of ‘best three out of five’ or similar?
I really do hope I will not make the stage 1 TT this week
.... ...as I'll be doing a real life TT if weather permits. An exceptional beautiful rolling hills 10-miler, starting next to the Viking ships in Roskilde and passing Herslev brewery (https://herslevbryghus.dk/) - I may take a wrong turn again on purpose this time
.We've always just done overall cumulative time. I'll try and include a mix of terrain to suit different strengths.
(i.e. no, my spreadsheet skilss aren't up to best three out of five!)
Randyberlin
Guru
- Location
- Sitka, Alaska
Good luck @LBHIFII really do hope I will not make the stage 1 TT this week
...as I'll be doing a real life TT if weather permits. An exceptional beautiful rolling hills 10-miler, starting next to the Viking ships in Roskilde and passing Herslev brewery (https://herslevbryghus.dk/) - I may take a wrong turn again on purpose this time
From their website. "We have beer, coffee and lots of hygge."
What a country!
Thanks Randy.
I work just a few kms from there, but never realized there was such an exceptional route there. I'm definitely doing that TT route, even if I have to do it on my own off competition day.
mjd1988
Guru
50.37 for me please!
Martin, have a great race and enjoy what must be a pretty unique and awesome experience! Full report please
Ok, you asked for it
At the start of this year, if you’d offered me the package of:
qualifying for the Gran Fondo World Championships (which I’d failed to achieve the year before), finishing 88th of 145 starters, getting my highest ever average speed of 22.6mph ….. I would have ripped your arm off.
But maybe it is the nature of people that like to race, I have a sense of disappointment after the race because I feel I could and should have done better.
I flew out on the Friday, my bike having been picked up a week earlier and dropped off at the hotel. I met a few other riders as the Sports Tours guys picked us up at the airport and took us to our hotel. Most were pretty serious, so when I asked if people were nipping to the bar for a couple of beers after dinner, I got no takers from the guys at our meal table!
On Saturday we did a recce of the route. It was clear that the start was going to be really fast. It was a straight, well surfaced main road that was pan flat. After about 10 miles it turned off onto roads that resembled the Tour of Cambridgeshire route, flat, very open and variable surface quality. We did about 30 miles in all and it was a nice warm up ready for the next day ahead.
I was up at 6 a.m. on Race Day and everything went smoothly. I got to the start pen early and staked my place near the front. The actual front was reserved for the winners of each of the National Qualifying events. The race started at 9 a.m. and each age group started together, separated by 7 minutes. In my head this looked like it would be like the expanding Universe – with each group slowly moving away from the following group. My group, the 55-59 one, started at 9.32. Looking at the final start list, there were 145 starters from 28 countries with the Brits having by far the largest number of riders.
As usual, as the preceding groups started, our group got shuffled forward until we were at the actual start. This was when I realised I’d allowed myself to slip back until I was very near the back of the pack. What a dickhead. I hoped I’d have a chance to move up in the pack once we got underway.
The race started and it was like a Zwift race on steroids. The first hour was pretty mental. The speed was high and with riders all across the road it was virtually impossible to move up. There were quite a few concertina moments when the pack had to slow for constrictions like the roundabouts and there were a few crashes early on. I was still near the back and was stuck there.
After about 10 miles the inevitable happened. A gap opened up and about 80 riders in the front slowly moved away from us. Maybe I should have jumped and tried to catch back on, but I didn’t and that sealed my fate in terms of outcome for the day.
The good news was that I felt like I was the strongest rider in the remaining group I was in. The bad news was that I was the strongest rider in the group, so I was either pulling at the front or sat in the wheels feeling frustrated we weren’t going faster. The group were really hard to organise and we were not effective, so chasing and catching the next group was not going to happen.
There were 3 or 4 of us doing 90 % of the work in this group and it also started to splinter, as we dropped people out the back. At one point in the wheels, I was slow to see a few guys pull off the front of our group. I had to put in a 10 minute hard effort to get back to them, but luckily I managed it. I recall in that new group there were now 2 Brazilians, a few brits, an Irish guy, an Aussie, an Italian and a couple more.
Still the organisation was poor and with the open nature of the route, the wind was an increasing factor. It was also 33 degrees and bright sun, although I don’t think that bothered me much.
About 2/3 of the way in, a much younger, very fit looking Russian guy went past at a very decent pace. I jumped on the back of him as did a few others and we started making better progress (I’m guessing he had had a mechanical, or earlier crash). It was really tough even to stay on his wheel and soon it was just me and one of the Brazilian guys left with him.
I started taking the odd turn as well and this was going well until he pulled into the drink station. Just me and the Brazilian then.
I won’t carry on with the blow by blow account – suffice to say the Brazilian guy blew up with about 18 miles to go and I caught a Brit a bit later and the 2 of us worked hard together until near the end.
With 4 miles to go, the Russian guy came past and I again jumped his wheel. He was flying and I could only hold on for 2 miles until he dropped me on a minor incline. The other Brit was unable to make the jump so I soloed to the end.
Over the last 20 miles I had caught quite a few small groups or individuals and pretty much every time was gutted to see that they were from younger age groups and therefore passing them didn’t help my position.
Finally I was in the last kilometre. A French guy comes sprinting past me with a couple of hundred metres to go. A few Brits spectating started shouting at me to get him back, so I opened what throttle I had left (about 670 Watts apparently) and sprinted the last section passing him back to the cheers of the Brits – maybe that was my highlight
So, as I said at the start – I finished 88th of 145 starters at an average of 22.6 mph. There were loads of crashes and one of our group is still in hospital with 2 breaks of his pubic bone. I am gutted that I cocked up the start because I don’t think I was then able to give of my best.
But overall, I really enjoyed the event. I’ve earned and worn the GB kit and I have a thirst to do it again, only better next time. Sorry this was a long read and well done for staying with it if you are still here
Great write up, and well done.
Intentional or not, this made my day ....
You 'cocked' up your start .... think about that poor guy's cock up
Intentional or not, this made my day ....
You 'cocked' up your start .... think about that poor guy's cock up
Great write up, and well done.
Intentional or not, this made my day ....
You 'cocked' up your start .... think about that poor guy's cock up
- yep, should have spotted that.Not sure I know exactly where the pubic bone is - but it doesn't sound like a good injury to get.
Are you sure he didn't break his boner?!?
Not sure I know exactly where the pubic bone is - but it doesn't sound like a good injury to get.
<there isn't an emoji to show my true fear here>
Aleman
Knees are FUBAR but I don't like to mention it
- Location
- Blackpool UK
