>The first event of the year on the Marlow/Maidenhead Thicket course (or, to give it its more poetic name, the H25/2) courtesy of the West London CA. This is the course that I did my PB LTS on last season, so I was looking forward to it. My target, given recent poor form, was a long 1:3:xx. I missed that by 30 seconds with a 1:4:29.
It was a cold day. Several riders noted that their average heart rates were down. It didn’t make it feel any easier though. The two mile descent after the start is always interesting (and is the reason the course is fast), but the rest of the roads are fairly testing with some sustained rises. At times it felt (and apparently looked) as if I was swimming up these banks. It was a breezy day, but it was never entirely clear which quarter the wind was coming out of. The last five miles were certainly tough.
A 10m TT on the same roads tomorrow.
Race stats: 25 miles in 1:4:29 (23.26mph). 56 out of 80 finishers. Slowest mile (9): 3:11 (18.85mph). Fastest mile (2): 1:50 (32.73mph). Top speed: 36.5mph. First 12.5 miles: 32:15, next 12.5 miles: 32:14. Max heart rate: 159bpm, average HR: 150bpm. Winner: Steve Golla (Sigma Sport) 52:21.
Lance Woodman 