2018 saw me taking part in a Team TT, I left that experience thinking “no thanks” to any more such events, but in 2021 I wandered into riding individual TTs and to my surprise I had found enjoyment in the challenge against the clock.
I’d targeted a bold goal in 2022, one which I didn’t execute but the goal had seen me training consistently from November 2021 through to March 2022. So, coming into the season for 2022 I had a very solid base of fitness and stamina, the only problem was that I’d had to let go of my bold goal and didn’t really have any direction to focus my efforts against. This meant that I simply raced where and when I felt like racing, here’s a summary of my 2022 races:
RTTC National Road Bike Champs 25
2022 marked 100 years of time trialling in the UK and CTT had arranged 6 centenary events throughout the year to recognise the milestone. All the events were road bike events to possibly encourage those without a specific TT bike to enter, and to reference the bikes that used to be used in the early days. I entered the 25 Mile Road Bike TT on the central district A25/34 course just south of Newark, as my season opener in March. A fuller write up of the race is here, and it was a reasonable start to the season and yet another race where I was the only rider on a steel road bike. This was my first race in a skin suit!
- March 20th
- Course: A25/34
- Official time: 1:04:45
- Avg Speed: 23Mph
- Avg Power: 293Watts
- Placing: 40th from 52 riders
- 3rd Veteran Male (40-44)
- Spindata category: C4
Kings Lynn CC Open 25
Heading back to my home county to make this race, I travelled down in the car by myself enjoying a very relaxed drive to the HQ. I’d familiarised myself with the course via google maps and was looking forward to seeing what I could do with my new skin suit and my Ridley TT bike. Spindata had predicted over the hour mark for my finishing time, so I was looking to beat that and get as close to, or lower than my 2021 PB of 58:26 for the distance.
Parked up at the HQ, I was next to a couple who were preparing for the race. They had some very nice looking Canyon Speedmax bikes and were friendly. We talked a little about the chill in the air and wether to wear gloves or not for the race. I had a long sleeve base layer and my gloves on as it was bloody cold – hovering around 6degC.
The race was hard, the course a single carriageway exposed to the fetch of large Norfolk farming fields. I was able to use my minute man as motivation as I slowly but steadily caught up with him. I ended up passing him shortly after the turnaround point and was able to make it stick. I also passed a couple of other riders towards the finish. A successful ride, however I wasn’t able to get under the hour this time, but I did beat my Spindata predictions and my VTTA standard time.
- April 2nd
- Course: B25/33
- Official time: 1:00:31
- Avg Speed: 24.8Mph
- Avg Power: 319Watts
- Placing: 16th from 46 riders
- 3rd Veteran Male (40-44)
- Spindata category: C4
- Spindata prediction: 1:03:18
Shaftesbury CC Open 25
This race was on a fast course, a dual carriageway over at Cambourne near Cambridge. I took the drive over nice and easy as the UK was experiencing spiralling fuel costs and my approach seemed to be to drive slowly, conserving fuel, listening to chilled music in advance of the major physical effort to follow. I liked the contrast.
The HQ had a small car park but I was able to get parked up easily enough as I had been given an early race number. I again chatted briefly with the person parked next to me during my preparations for the race; a friendly guy from Welland Valley CC, a club based out of Market Harborough fairly close to my home town. He was impressed with the little plastic tray that I use to stand on at the back of the car which provides a clean platform to pull skin suits and shoes on and off, and he was also impressed with the oversized beach surf poncho that I wear whilst getting changed – protecting my modesty.
This race would be the first race for me with my new deep section carbon wheels. A Parcours Chrono wheelset comprising a 77mm front and an 86mm rear, fitted with Scwalbe Pro One TT tyres and latex inner tubes – a significant step up in wheels from the standard aluminium ones I had been riding. Once kitted up I got rolling and started warming up, it was at this point that I realised that I had neglected to study the course in enough detail, it seemed a confusing run from the HQ to the start line and I couldn’t quite get my bearings, so ended up following others.
A short dash from the start line to the first roundabout where a sharp left was taken and then I was out on the dual carriageway at speed. The crosswind was pretty severe and with my new deep section wheels it was a battle to keep the bike straight but I was managing it and making good speed. The wheels sounded great too, they really hummed at speed. The turnaround point came sooner than I expected and having got around the roundabout without any hold ups I was ploughing back towards the HQ very quickly.
I took the correct exit off the carriageway to make the next turnaround but once on the slip road I became confused… I headed up to the roundabout that I had taken the hard left at just after starting but unfortunately took the 3rd exit as opposed to the 4th exit back onto the carriageway. The 3rd exit took me onto the Saint Neots Rd and away from the dual carriageway. I was very confused… it didn’t feel right but I couldn’t seem to work out how to get back into the course. I pushed on past the start line and I ended up on the roads I had been warming up on! Arriving at the next roundabout I stopped and could see other riders down below me on the dual carriageway! I had got it wrong and I decided with the time I had given away, that I had no option but to DNF. Completely my fault for not being familiar enough with the course. A tough lesson to learn when I was going so well and was on for a distance PB. Gutted. Had to just chalk it up to experience.
- April 23rd
- Course: F2A/25
- Official time: DNF
- Avg Speed: 27.9Mph
- Avg Power: 318Watts
- Placing: DNF
- Spindata category: C2
- Spindata prediction: 00:57:14
Bourne Wheelers Open 10
Back to the event organised by the club that I ride weekly TTs with and the event that was my first ever Open TT in 2021. Significantly reduced rider numbers were evident at this years event which was apparent in many other TTs throughout the year, but fortunately there were enough riders to make it worth staging for the club.
I had pleasant chats with some of the Bourne Wheelers riders and club members before taking to my warm up. No repeats of previous navigational errors would take place through the race as I knew the course from the 2021 event. I can’t recall a great deal from the race but can remember that I caught my minute man and also that it was windier and more ascending on the back leg. I was pleased to beat my previous time on the course by 01:37 and also happy to beat my Spindata prediction time, placing and VTTA standard time.
- May 8th
- Course: C10/29
- Official time: 23:22
- Avg Speed: 25.8Mph
- Avg Power: 327Watts
- Placing: 10th from 18 riders
- 1st Veteran Male (40-44)
- Spindata category: C2
- Spindata prediction: 23:46
East Anglian VTTA Open 25
Given my last performance on this course I had taken steps to make sure I navigated it correctly. I had studied the route in detail on google street view, understanding where I had gone wrong last time and I had also made a Gpx file and uploaded it to my Garmin as a back up that I would use during the race.
There was a very full field which was really good to see and there were a lot of people at the HQ in various states of signing on, getting changed and making final adjustments. My TT preparation routine had long been established, so I made my way through that and cracked on with my warm up. I was confident that I had the course navigation nailed now. Taking my position a few minutes before my start time and my minute man was late to line up. When he did arrive he was in a panic, he asked me to hold his bike while he tried to sort his overshoes out – they kept falling down and flapping about. He asked me if I had any tape on me! Then he asked me if the time keeper would have anything… I advised him to just take them off and leave them with the timekeeper rather than faff about with them. More of a marginal gain not to have them distract you during the race. He accepted my advice and took them off.
Out on the course and it all felt fast. I concentrated on my power output and cadence and could see that I was catching my minute man. I passed him just after a quarter of the distance along with another rider. I was going well, felt strong and capable to hold the pace to the end…
At the second turnaround point (where I had messed up previously) I was in no doubt of where to go and made the correct exit choice off the roundabout. I continued on at pace, still feeling strong and able to navigate the rest of the course successfully, holding my effort until the last…I was totally spent as I passed the chequerboard and I suspected that I had set a new distance PB (which I had), beating my Spindata and VTTA predictions and times again.
- July 24th
- Course: F2A/25
- Official time: 55:55
- Avg Speed: 26.8Mph
- Avg Power: 294Watts
- Placing: 25th from 89 riders
- Spindata category: B20
- Spindata prediction: 56:34
V.C. Baracchi Open 50
I was on holiday in Norfolk at this time and had planned to ride this event in advance. The timing of the event worked out well with other commitments and I was kind of familiar with the course already as it was similar to a 25 that I had raced last year at this location. With this being my first 50, I was heading into the unknown… of course I’d ridden the distance previously but had never ‘raced’ a 50. I really wanted to be under the 2 hour mark but I knew that meant riding at 25s and above – not easy…
My plan was to set off relatively easy and then progressively lean into the effort. Another factor for consideration was nutrition – I’d need to eat and drink with this distance which is something you don’t have to do on 10s and 25s. Setting off, I just tried to keep a lid on it keeping my power below threshold and using the wind to my advantage as much as possible. Weather was pleasant with the wind being with us on the way out and against us on the back legs, I was able to pass a couple of riders fairly early on and just ahead of half way I took out a gel from my sleeve and got that down my neck. I did the same fairly soon after halfway too, not wanting to suffer from any lack of fuel for the later efforts. I had carbohydrate drink in a bottle holder behind my seat and was drinking from it approaching the slower parts of the course (roundabouts). The fuelling seemed to work well as I had no lack of power and I felt good, progressively the race got harder and the traffic got busier as the morning marched on making it more of a lottery as to if you got round a roundabout without being excessively slowed by the traffic. I concentrated on my position, keeping as aero as possible and just keeping my power output in a range that I could see through to the end. The last 20Km I was able to lift my power up and really empty the tank… You can imagine the rest… full gas, totally spent crossing the chequer board. I really enjoyed the event and going sub 2hr for 50Miles felt like a great achievement for me.
- August 21st
- Course: B50/17
- Official time: 01:57:28
- Avg Speed: 25.6Mph
- Avg Power: 288Watts
- Placing: 6th from 25 riders
- 2nd B Category
- Spindata category: B16
- Spindata prediction: 2:04:07
Sherwood CC (ANDCC Lighthouse Trophy) Open 25
I was back to the course where I opened my 2022 season and this time was on my TT bike, hopeful of a decent time. There was a good sized field with around 70 riders taking part. I arrived early and went through my normal pre-race routine of getting ready and warmed up. I knew the layout of the course and was looking forward to getting going on the TT bike.
I had the wind largely with me on the way out to the turnaround point and I was holding good power, which I’d need to maintain and lift on the way back. The race went quicker than I expected it to and the only thing of note that I saw was a dog running into the northbound carriageway from a slip road, the owners clearly underestimated the pace of their animal. Hopefully no harm came to the dog or it’s owners. I managed to lift my power a little on the inbound stretch and really emptied myself from the final roundabout. I’d paced well and given it my all, which resulted in a new PB for course and distance!
- September 17th
- Course: A25/34
- Official time: 54:35
- Avg Speed: 27.4Mph
- Avg Power: 315Watts
- Placing: 16th from 69 riders
- 3rd Veteran Male (40-44)
- Spindata category: B15
- Spindata prediction: 56:12
Weekly TTs
Out of 20 weekly TT events with Bourne Wheelers, I participated in 9 of them. Rider numbers were generally lower than the 2021 season, with 8 riders on average participating in the events that I raced. This aligned with a nationwide reduction of participation numbers in Open TT events.
My results:
- 1st Place (x2)
- 2nd place (x4)
- 3rd place (x3)
Very pleased with all of those podium placings, and I have plenty still to aim for in 2023! Thanks to Chris and Julia Kettle for organising and to the timekeepers for their kind volunteering.
