A lot of results this week from lots of different riders and another Triathlon, some TTs, crits and road races, read Stassi's race reports, that's life at the top!
We know there's more TTs to come and as a club SNCC are being very well represented. Dawn has been very busy, mind you Pat and Stassi have been racing a lot as well.
Tues 25th Jun MK Bowl Crit Pat Ellerbeck 6th (2nd in Category)
Weds 26th Jun E2/10 6 Mile Bottom Paul Williamson 21.29 26th (PB); Dawn Donaldson 25.29 52nd (5th Female)
Weds 26th Jun Otley GP Anastasia Bowler St Piran WRT 21 miles 64th of 120
Thurs 27th Jun VCLE 10 miles 2UP Dawn Donaldson and Mark Redmond 26.27
Fri 28th Jun Ilkley GP Anastasia Bowler St Piran WRT 35th of 90
Stassi's Race Reports - Otley and Ilkley GP
First of the Nat A circuit series and boy, were they hard!! Otley was on Wednesday night, and warming up in 28C was already making me nervous. I had been off the bike for a full week with a holiday and an infection the week before, so my hopes weren't too high, but I warmed up and got a carb drink down me before heading to the gridding pen. Uh oh, everyone was there super early, we were right at the back. We rolled to the start and suddenly we were off around the 2km circuit. Immediately I have to slam on my brakes so as not to go straight into the back of another rider, and then I luckily avoid a crash on my left hand side. After a few laps, the elastic that I've been bouncing on at the back of the peloton snaps and I end up in a chase group of maybe 20. We settle in and all work hard to keep chasing, but to no avail. I rolled in 64th out of 120, a bit disappointed but with an incredible atmosphere I wasn't unhappy.
Ilkley on Friday. I was NOT being at the back again. A cooler night and we are warming up much earlier. We roll to the gridding pen super early to avoid the back row, and thankfully we are one of the few other morons leaving a 45 minute gap between warm up and race start. Finally we are rolled to the start, and the gun goes off. We take an immediate right into a 20% climb. HARD. These girls are so strong, and there is a drag over the top of the climb before a sharp descent towards the start/finish straight again. I am giving everything on this climb every lap to try and stay with the group, but again I can't stay with the front girls, luckily the top group is made of a fair few less riders this race, and I settle into a second group with a couple of my teammates. We pull around our group of 20 odd everytime up the climb is brutal and the drag over the top has everyone sounding like they're about to have an asthma attack. Finally we get around to the sprint finish, where I come in 35th out of 90. A bit better than Wednesday. A really hard couple of races, but I feel ready for Guildford next week now!
Sat 29th Jun Finsbury Park CC F2/50 Shaun Jarvis 14th 1.47.35 (PB); Paul WIlliamson 35th 1.54.40 (PB by 3 mins)
Paul's Race Report
This was my 3rd 50 and after the first 2 I thought maybe not again as they are tough but here I am again! Arrived at HQ and was fortunate enough to say a quick hello to Shaun as he was starting much earlier and got to admire his stunning new bike. It was a warm day with little wind to start but it did pick up a bit, good conditions though. I used a bladder stuffed down the front and a bite valve threaded through the sleeve which made drinking very easy as I only needed to lift my hand slightly to drink. I'd been practicing my position and knew I was more aero so the plan was to keep to the same watts as last time and hope for the best. As always, I started a bit too hard but soon settled into a good rhythm. Only one slight delay at the Caxton turn but otherwise all good. There was a slight tail wind on leg to Madingley so I knew I was having a good ride when I was up on planned time when average speed was looking good at the Caxton turn. The multi lap course adds a bit of interest with riders coming together and the good news is that I definitely overtook more riders than overtook me. The final lap was tough as body began to cramp but hung in there to take 3 mins off PB with a 1:54:40 and over 2 minutes faster than Spindata predicted so very happy with the result.
Sun 30th Jun Southport CC TT 10 on the D33/10 Adam Williams 21.06 6th Welcome back Adam
Sun 30th Jun Swanage Triathlon Dawn Donaldson Final Results not seen but Swim 1.6K yards 35.53; Bike 40K 1.27.55; Run 10K 68.28
Sun 30th Jun BMCR Road Championships Southwick Pat Ellerbeck 8th of 14
Pat's Race Report
Sunday was the British Masters Age Group road race championships at the Southwick 6 mile circuit for us oldies just 6 laps or 6 tortuous climbs of Southwick hill up to the water tower all completed at max effort, got dropped on most or the climbs but got back on the downhill and Cotterstock straight, on the second lap as I’d hit the front was greeted by a raucous bunch of cyclist wearing green/black/white kit on their Sunday long ride (Ed's note if that's too cryptic it was the SNCC Long Group), the race itself was dominated by the hill, after 5 tough climbs the final climb no exception, got the bottom of the climb in a group of 10 put a big effort at the start and got up to about 4th then tired and ended up 8th. The winner incidentally was winning his 18th national title , on the plus side all my 6 hill efforts beat my previous pb.