This last week we've had almost the whole area of cycling covered by Criterium, Road Races, Team Time Trial and a 600Km Audax (stand up that man!). Keep those reports rolling in!

So in Chronological order...

 

Pat Ellerbeck MK Bowl May 16th 2nd in 65+ Age Group

BM race at the Bowl. Back of the pack for a couple of laps on the full circuit with a soft front tyre, took a lap out and reinflated, rejoined at the back of race and worked hard to join the leading group, kept the pace honest for the rest of the race, dropped off the front with a couple of laps to go and tailed the the other 65+ rider in the group, unfortunately lost his wheel in the final bend but although catching him lost out in the sprint to the line, so second. For those who know the circuit we raced the full circuit anti-clockwise, great fun.

 

Frances Lammyman MK Bowl May 16th 5th Senior Women 

 

Anastasia Bowler May 20th TTT 3rd Team and May 21st Banbury Star RR 25th

Sat May 20th - Le col SpeedfesTT Team Time Trial
On Saturday I raced the TTT at Thruxton race course with 3 of my teammates and we had a blast. We worked really well together, me and one other taller girl working hard into the headwind, and our two smaller climbers bringing us all up the climb round the back of the course. We took about minute turns until the final lap, where we were pulling for a bit shorter but harder. We came in 3rd, not bad behind a couple of teams that have done TTTs before.

Sun May 21st - Banbury Star RR
On Sunday we tackled the next Team cup event on the calendar. 45 miles over 3 laps of relatively flat terrain, other than the horrific climb up Edgehill. 3 times up Edgehill is 3 times too many if you were wondering. One of the official top 100 UK climbs, it was tough. Kicking up to 13%, I was just hoping to get over it! On the second lap, a group of 10 climbers went clear over the top of the hill, including 2 teammates. Myself and another teammate sat on the front of the chase group, slowing it down to ensure the break stuck. Teamwork makes the dream work and the break stayed away until the finish. The finish line was just after a little kick uphill. I positioned myself well going into it, but had no gas to actually see me to the finish. I rolled in 25th, but luckily we finished with 2 of the team in the top 10! Climbing isn't my strength, so I'm looking forward to the flat of next week's interclub TT! 

 

Simon Richardson Flatland Friends 600K Audax (final qualifier for Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP)) May 20th to May 21st

The Paris-Brest-Paris https://www.paris-brest-paris.org/en/home_/  qualifying merry-go-round moved on to the longest ride last weekend, a 600km ride in which I wisely/cowardly (delete as appropriate) opted for the flattest event I could find, a 600km "ticket to Hull and back" https://www.tomsk.co.uk/fenland-friends-600/2023/ .......although my Garmin ended up saying I'd dragged myself around 611km.

Leaving Great Dunmow (home of the fitch, for all you fans of bacon &/or marital harmony) we started on familiar roads through Saffron Walsen to Cambridge ahead of the first control at Chatteris......and yes I did get the Half Man Half Biscuit earworm stuck in my head https://youtu.be/yY2aHxWV1xE We then moved away from more regular haunts on our way up to next control at Spalding for a much needed cafe stop. At this point I might point out that the obvious disadvantage of a mostly same direction route is that should the stars align against you you can find yourself having to ride for almost 300km into a flatland headwind....although I'm told the key to success in such matters is to find an idiot to sit on the front to tow you along ðŸ¤”  

Next up was Sleaford and I'm afraid I completely seem to have blanked it from my memory. No mods spotted either.

Both pre-planned and ad-hoc groups I'd been part of had mostly fallen apart by now and I rode to Gainsborough with a couple of guys before leaving them in trusted Audax style and sat on the floor of a petrol station questioning their life choices. 

...and so onto the turn at Glews (no, me neither) which seemed to be no more than a couple of houses near a M62 motorway services outside of Goole (are the locals called Goolies do we know?) The halfway distance was passed about an hour or so after leaving for the next control.

 As ever, usual Audax requirements of obtaining 'proof of passage' applied, so I always wonder how long it takes for local shopkeepers in each of the control venues to get right royally hacked off with smelly cyclists wanting a receipt with every purchase?   

For the first bit of night riding I latched onto a group of fellow idiots on the basis that safety in numbers meant we would both be very visible to any drivers and surely not all of us could miss the 'information control' where you have to answer a question as by now shops and cafes were all sensibly closed for the night.

I had scoped out a few audax staples of bus shelters and church porches for a sleep spot (I mean you can use hotels, get a decent night's sleep and a shower, but where's the fun in that?) but the knock-on from the clear blue sky of the hot daytime was a temperature only a few degrees above freezing, so I decided to nurse a few cuppas and try to grab a few winks at a 24 hour McDonalds in Lincoln at around 370km. I soon found the reason it's open all night is because its in the University Campus where students gather to shout at each other all though the small hours #BahHumbug

I set off again just before 5am, cruelly before the chance to have an Egg McMuffin, a 'treat' that would have to wait until the next control in Boston. I'd also re-grouped with the two guys I'd ridden with for much of Saturday afternoon....and suitably replete with breakfast and with the sun having mostly burned away the overnight dewe we decided some sleep might be a good idea, even if it meant a few odd looks from the locals.

Our arrival in Whittlesey coincided with 'Fenland BusFest', so apologies to anyone whose photos of old Routemasters were ruined by me not missing the opportunity to sit on something that wasn't my bloody saddle for a few minutes.

Soon after leaving Whittlesey the 500km mark was passed, which made the finish seem tantalisingly close; only a club run away, how hard can it be? I will also mention that the battering northerly headwind we'd had on the outward journey had of course switched around to more of an easterly so it was mostly crosswind, apart from the 100km or so of heading eastwards we did......including to the penultimate control at Red Lodge. 550km done, *only* 60km to go.......

You might think the wind from the east would be good news now we were starting to head west, but 'clever' route planning meant the first half of the final leg was in sheltered lanes where no benefit was derived but around 25% of the total climbing for the whole ride was done. Fortunately the last half of the last bit from Clare back to the finish at Dunmow was more benign and I was back for 611.5km in 26hrs 52mins of riding. 

I have obviously promised myself, and in particular my feet, ankles, knees, wrists, undercarriage and neck that I will never ride a bike again.....until next time obviously!

For anyone thinking that sounds horrendous, you'd be right, but there are much more pleasant audax rides to be had https://audax.uk/ . Starting from 50km they offer something for everyone and I doubt that you'll find any friendlier more supportive people, even among fellow cyclists

Go well!