Last night was the third Lewes Wanderers‘ club 10m TT at East Hoathly (G10/87). Conditions were cool and breezy – most of the headwind was on the homeward stretch.
As usual I arrived early and rode the course beforehand. This ‘deep’ warm up seems to really help when racing two days in a row.
Last week at this event I did a season’s best for ’10’ and was hoping that my form had returned. Since then I’ve turned in two poor performances and had begun to assume that I’d never do a decent ride again. This ride was a bit of a test!
This course’s fast start suits me and lets me ease into race mode without going too deep. It also encourages me to keep the cadence high. I was a bit slower off the mark than last week (dropping 5 seconds in the first mile) but by the turn I’d used the tailwind to be 15 seconds up on last week’s effort.
The journey back was tough as the headwind told. My form started to suffer and my head went down (metaphorically). I lost 16 seconds on last week’s ride in the first mile off the turn. Luckily the last couple of miles are pretty sheltered and I rolled it home for a 25:58, only 6 seconds slower than last week. I’m pleased with that.
I’m also confused. How come I got the ride out for that event and yet my effort levels were so low for the previous two races?
At the sharp end of the Nick Dwyer of the promoting club won with a 20:48 – some ride in that wind.
Race stats: Time: 25:58 (23.11mph). First 5 miles: 11:56, last 5 miles: 14:02. Top speed: 31.5mph. Slowest mile (6): 3:03 (19.67mph), fastest mile (5): 2:13 (27.07mph). Average HR: 164bpm, maximum HR: 171bpm. Average cadence: 73rpm. 24th of 40 finishers. Winner: Nick Dwyer (Lewes Wanderers) 20:48
Lance Woodman 