|
Time Trial News June 2001 by Chris
Colford
Messrs Colford and Tunnell did the Finsbury
Park CC 50 mile time trial on F1A/50 (2000) on Sat 9th June in the
afternoon. This is the course based on the A1, starting around St Neots.
You head north for about 12.5 miles, and turn around at Alconbury, arrive
back at the Cambridge turn-off and repeat. It is a fast course. There was
some wind, but not too much. Results as follows:
Paul Tunnell - punctured after 30 miles.
Chris Colford - 2 hours, 7 minutes and 8 seconds.
This is Paul's second 50 of the year, and
the second time he has had to stop at about 30 miles. Last time it was a
bad back, thankfully now cured. This time he hit a big piece of metal,
which looked like a clamp off a car's roof-rack. He was just pulling in
after passing a rider, so he didn't see it (although he had seen it the
first time round - infuriating). He was doing 25 mph plus. Despite the
front wheel leaving the ground by a distance, and despite being in the
tribars at the time, he managed to stay on the bike. But the tire went
down almost immediately. He said later that it was his first experience of
an impact puncture on tubs, despite decades of riding. It was a particular
shame, because he was comfortably on schedule to beat 2 hours.
All in all, it was a funny old day. The fun
started when I got a parking ticket outside Paul's house (for parking on
the pavement). I was only inside the house for a couple of minutes. I
reckon the traffic warden lives next door. Or perhaps they live in Paul's
caravan. Or under it, in a slimy little hole between the paving stones,
with the other worms. As I said at the time, it was a fair cop, and I
didn't mind at all paying the £30 fine, which was clearly due in law. It
was in any event a perfectly reasonable price for 2 minutes' parking,
comparing favourably with NCP prices in central London.
Then I got lost going trying to get through
town to the A1. I blame Paul for this. "Did I say we were headed for
the Elephant and Castle? Sorry, I meant Vauxhall Bridge." Not that my
diversion took us anywhere near either place. And of course there were
road works on the A1, when we eventually got there. The upshot was that we
arrived at race HQ just under 12 minutes before Paul's start time. The
start was a couple of miles away, and we needed to change, get numbers,
get the bikes out, pump up tires etc. We clearly didn't have time to find
the changing rooms, so we got changed by the car, just as the heavens
opened, and the temperature fell to 11 degrees. In the end Paul arrived at
the start 30 seconds before his appointed time, and still hadn't even
attached his number. Number finally attached, he had about 5 seconds to
compose himself before the off, which he later assured me was more than
adequate. I was off two minutes later. I didn't even have time for a shit
(not for the Gazette.)
A most bizarre day. Once I had started, the
sun came out, and all memories of gripping the steering wheel as the
minutes ticked by in heavy traffic on the A1 just melted away. I was doing
175 beats per minute without feeling like I was even trying. (Yes, I am a
monitor-moron, and I can't tell whether I am out of breath without
consulting my wrist watch.) I completed the first 25 mile circuit in about
an hour and 3 minutes, and didn't really start suffering until the last 8
miles or so, the last 12 being against the wind, which was not strong, but
too strong for yours truly second time round the loop.
The highlight of the afternoon was being
passed by the winner. Zak Carr won the race by several minutes, his time
just over 1 hour and 43. He caught me for 16 minutes after 38 miles. My
average speed was about 23.5 mph. His was over 29 mph. So when he overtook
me, I suppose it was just like someone jogging past you at about 6 mph as
you mend a puncture by the side of the road. It didn't seem like that,
though. He appeared to be going like an intercity train, whose brakes had
failed going down a steep hill. With the wind behind it. In fact he looked
just like I imagined I looked, until he passed me, and shattered all my
illusions.
Anyway, I was chuffed to bits with my own
time, which beat my personal best by over 5 minutes. If there are any
riders out there who want to know how to beat their PB by more than five
minutes, I suggest this two-stage approach:
1. Choose a distance you have never ridden
before; go out miles too fast; blow up in the second half of the race; get
a rubbish time.
2. Ride the same distance a couple of weeks later; don't start trying
until the second half of the race.
Even if you have spent the intervening
fortnight eating lard sandwiches, and avoiding the bike like a plague of
boils, you should comfortably beat your PB the second time out.
Chris
|