End of season update

It's been a long time since my last blog when I was in Belgium, I've had some great late season results, had a few weeks off training, and am already getting stuck in to winter training.

My last race in Belgium was a roaring success in a fast flat race, 75 miles at over 27mph and the last 30 miles spent in a break of 12 at the head of the race driving the group. I tried to attack the group but due to the sheer pace of the race there was no getting away and it came down to a sprint, I started well but cramped badly and ended up 8th. My best result of the season and I was over the moon to have finally made a break stick in a kermesse!

I headed back to the UK much fitter, much leaner and with much more race experience and wisdom which I was hoping to put to good use in my last few races of the season. My first race back in the UK was a Regional A race in Stratford Upon Avon, the GP Bicicielo Pinarello. It was quite a short race at 56 miles, and an early crash put paid to the hopes of over a dozen riders. I got in a move on lap 2 that was away for 10 miles but couldn't stick. With 15 miles to go, 6 riders attacked the bunch and built a lead of 1 minute, I knew I needed to react to this, and with 7 miles to go I followed an attack on the drag through the village of Inkberrow, nobody else came with us and I was suddenly away with one rider for company. We had to push incredibly hard with a minute gap to bridge up to, and time was running out! with 1 mile to go we still had about 10 seconds to get across, after a couple of hard pushes we finally got across with no more than 500 metres to the finish line, my breakaway companion was on the front and put in a huge dig to go straight past the guys in front. I then came round him and lunged for the line beating him by about a wheel length. Arms aloft, job done, win number 2!

Winning the GP Bicicielo Pinarello in Worcestershire.

 



Next up was a midweek national b crit in Portsmouth, not a big race but with a few decent riders turning up it was looking to be a tough race. That it was. Spent 30 minutes in a break of 6 trying to take a lap on the bunch, we were lapping at well over 30mph, which showed in the eventual race average of 31mph! We eventually took the lap with 5 minutes to go and Felt-Colbornes took up the lead out for their sprinter Justin, who duly took the win, I managed to cling on behind for second place and clinched my 1st category licence, my main aim for the season! Fastest race I have ever done and one of the most fun, a complete smashfest!

 

I now only had one big race left, the National A road race in Essex, the Jef Schils Memorial. There were a lot of big name riders from big teams on the startsheet, and it was looking like it would be a veyr hard race. At 93 miles it would also be the longest race I've ever done, which I was relishing as I often come good at the back end of a race. A group went away early on, 3 riders building a couple of minutes on the peloton and staying out for a long time. The race was fast and exposed so it was important to pay attention. I stayed largely out of trouble for the first couple of hours, made my way to the front for a while but the race was too fast for anything to happen. Eventually with 20 miles to go I initiated an attack by attacking on an exposed crosswind section, we ended up in a group of 12, with another 10 riders ahead of us, we worked very smoothly together until about 5 miles to go, when we had a clear advantage over the bunch and it all started kicking off, however nothing stuck and our group was together until with 1 mile to go I put in a massive dig on the drag before the finish straight, I gapped my companions and drove for the line, however with less than 100m to go 4 of the group sprinted past me and I ended up in 15th place. Another great result that made me very happy, and put confidence in me that I am ready to step up next year and compete in Premier Calendar races.

 

And that was that, a couple more small races but I wasn't training much and got no results to speak of. My season ended on September the 23rd and I was relieved to be able to rest. It had been a long hard season and I was ready to take some time off and kick back for a while. It was a very successful season for me, I achieved most of my goals for the season, took two victories on the road, and gained my 1st cat licence. I would like to thank all the guys at Dream Cycling for their help in 2012, without whom it would have been a very different story.

 

What will 2013 hold for me? Who knows, but I have some big aims both in the UK and in Europe, some serious training and lifestyle changes planned, and a new team to ride for. I can't wait, but for now the excitement goes on hold as I start to build the foundations for 2013... Base miles and lots of them. Long rides, wrapped up warm, getting fit again.

 

Until then,

 

Ciao!

Learning some tough lessons

Hi guys,

So as I mentioned in my last blog I am currently in Belgium, staying near Gent in the Oost-Vlaanderen region, and trying to gain some much needed experience of racing on the continent. My first two races were mentioned in my previous post, but just to recap they went very well, bare the mechanical in the 2nd race. My legs were feeling good and I was excited for my next race.

Next up would be my first U23 kermesse, these are apparently even faster and even harder than 1.12B category races... oh joy. Kruishoutem was the latest Belgian town to be gripped by cycling fever as the townspeople came out in force, blasted their music, and cheered on a bunch of random guys in lycra. The Belgian attitude towards cycling and the atmosphere at races is simply incredible, something the UK could really learn from. Kruishoutem was a tough course and with strong winds it was bound to split the race as the strong guys 'stuck it in the gutter' to try and force gaps. This was more or less how my race went, I wasn't feeling fantastic, but being me I obviously had to have an early dig off the front of the bunch, bridging across (almost) to the break... I spent a few minutes off the front at 30+mph on my own trying to get to the lead group, got about 20 metres from their wheels... and my legs went pop. This would be the break that stayed away for the entirity of the race, so good tactics, bad legs. I managed to hang in the bunch for another 25 miles but eventually packed after 30 miles of furious racing. The race proceeded to break up completely and out of 108 starters, only 55 were placed, and less than 20 guys completing the full race distance. My legs weren't up to it today, but nevertheless a fun day out and a great atmosphere.

Chasing at Kruishoutem

So after a poor showing at Kruishoutem I was keen to jump straight back in to it, so the following day I was heading off to nearby Evergem for a 75 mile 1.12B kermesse. This was a smaller field than usual with only about 50 riders taking to the start line, but the field was insane, 2 national champions and about 20 of the top riders from Belgian teams. This was going to be tough. The race started fairly sedately for the first couple of miles, then a few attacks started going and the pace rocketed. A 10 man move went off the front after about 10 miles and got a gap that stayed just under a minute for a long time, the bunch were rolling through keeping them pegged, but eventually a few guys attacked and I followed their wheels, and a group of 12 of us escaped the bunch. We worked tirelessly for 30 miles to bridge the gap over to the lead group and at around 50 miles we linked up forming a 22 man break... unfortunately this is where my race ends, after working my arse off for 50 miles I lost contact sprinting out of a corner and was pulled out with 5 laps to go. We had averaged 28mph and this was by far the toughest race I had ever been in, I was placed 22nd and got my first bit of prize money out here in Belgium. Pleased with that. Gediminas Bagdonas won the race... he rode at the olympics and will be at the Tour of Britain in a few weeks time.

Just one more race to speak of now, a really fun course at Wambeek-Ternat that took in a sharp 500m cobbled climb no more than 13 times. Ouch. This was also by far the hottest conditions I have ever raced in, 35 degree heat is not fun for racing. Needless to say I didn't make it up the cobbles 13 times, but I did take in 7 laps of the circuit and was pulled at 35 miles, placed 52nd out of about 80 starters. I was dissapointed at not making the full distance, although only 15 riders did...

In the bunch at Wambeek

I figured after this race that I am doing too much out here, the dilemma is that I want to race as much as I can in the 2 weeks that I am here to gain experience of these races, but it seems by doing so much I am tiring myself out and not able to complete the full distances. My plan now is to rest for a couple of days before having a double day of racing before I go. Overall I am happy with how it is going out here, I am getting a feel for how good you need to be, and it is motivating me to train harder, for longer, and I am already looking forward to coming back next year, hopefully in much better condition!

Wish me luck for my last 2 kermesses!
Ciao.

Moving ever closer to 1st category

The last few weeks have been about going through the motions and getting my form back, which has largely been working. I have slowly been picking up points, getting some good placings in road and circuit races. I have been putting in more training time and really aiming to finish the season on a high, so far this has been going very well. The results are coming much more easily, as they were at the start of the season when my form was good.

The late season begins for me with 2 weeks in Belgium, I have been here almost a week now and have done 2 races so far. Now I have heard a lot about Kermesse racing in Belgium... mainly that they are bloody fast, bloody hard and bloody good fun! My first race was exactly this... the Merelbeke 1.12B Elite/U23 Omloop was around a 4k circuit with 3 straights, and 3 sharp bends... one of which was a dead hairpin... Oh and a cheeky chicane thrown in for good measure. It was flat out from the gun and lined out in the gutter along many stretches. At one point I managed to break off the front after about 30k, bridging across to the lead group, but they then stopped working and after a lap we were brought back by the bunch. I then sat in the line for the middle part of the race as those at the front kept the pace high, but as we moved into the last 15k I moved towards the front and tried a few digs, all of which got a small gao but never lasted more than 2k, with about 1500m to go I went for a flyer to the finish with a couple of others, sadly I got caught with 500m to go and led out the bunch sprint. I finished 50th out of 80 riders, but this was irrelevent, I had finished my first Kermesse... 110km at over 44km/h, fast and furious... and I LOVED IT! Mixing it up near the front and generally feeling strong!

The second one was not so successful... my freehub broke after 75k... so I had to hop straight in the broom wagon!! That's racing right? Nevermind.

Next race is Wednesday evening in nearby Kruishoutem, I can't wait to get back amongst the cobbles and in the infamous Belgian gutter!

Until then,

Ciao.

Injury, Maintaining Focus & Coming Back Stronger

Fellow Cyclists,

The last month has been a difficult one for me in terms of cycling, having suffered a setback just a few days after the National 10 Mile TT Championship. I had put in 2 big days on the bike Monday and Tuesday after the 10TT, and my right knee was experiencing some dull aching. I just shrugged it off as a normal niggle that all cyclists get every now and then. On wednesday evening I went down to Mountbatten Centre (Portsmouth) for a circuit race, and about 15 minutes into the race felt some sharp stabbing pains on the side of my right knee, this pain grew over the course of the race and whenever an attack stretched the bunch I was grimacing and fighting to keep contact. In hindsight I probably did more damage here and should have pulled out, however I did finish the race and somehow took 10th. I was worried though.

Thursday morning I went out for a short tester ride, short being the operative word. I turned round after 5 minutes, again grimacing with pain. I was advised to go and see a doctor, she wasn't particurlarly helpful and told me to just take 2 weeks off training. Thanks doc, that should sort it... Next piece of advice... Go see a physio. I got in touch with Sarah Tombs, a member of Zappi's CC who is also a sports massage therapist, and she diagnosed me as having ITB Tendonitis. This is a condition brought on by muscles which feed into the Iliotibial Band becoming extremely tight, and causing the ITB to pull on the side of the patella (kneecap). I was treated with massage, painful massage on the muscles most likely to be causing this, and it soon became clear that the main protagonists were my Glutes and my Frontal Quads. I started doing a sequence of stretching every evening, and using a foam roller on the ITB and quads. I was soon told no more training, and it was becoming clear that it would be a race against time to be fit for the Ras de Cymru, arguably my biggest race of the year. So I put in some more shifts at work, and let the treatment run it's course.

After 2 weeks I wasn't very hopeful, and Sarah advised me to see another doctor, one who specialises in sports injury, he confirmed Sarah's thoughts and also diagnosed ITB Tendonitis, he also advised checking my bike position, cleat position and saddle height. I compared my new bike with my old bike and mostly it was the same, however the saddle was clearly too high... I took it down by 8mm, I also adjusted the angle of my cleat on my shoe. Hopefully these would help. Another week of massage and my muscles were beginning to feel looser and more comfortable, so I tested myself again on the bike. It was clear that I was nowhere near fixed, but rather than a stabbing pain it was just a discomfort, and this told me that the massage was beginning to work, along with the position change on the bike.

Eventually on Tuesday 12th June I finally began easing back into my training, over 3 weeks since my last training session, and a month since my last race. Needless to say my legs did not appreciate the time off, and I took a battering on a local training ride that evening. I took that week steady, doing mostly 1-2 hour rides and looking out for any discomfort in my knee, of which there was some, but none as persistent as before. All looking promising! So having tested my knee in training I now decided it was time to test it at race pace, I was supposed to be doing the Kalas Cup 2-Day race that weekend, but decided that was too much, too soon. I instead headed down back to the scene of my injury, Portsmouth. This was a 2-stage race, a short 1km TT and a 50 minute circuit race, all on a flat circuit with no hills, perfect to test out my fitness and the recovery of my knee.

A field of 40 riders signed on, and some strong guys turned up with Peter Hansford Racing, Pedal Heaven RT, Felt-Colbornes all bringing teams to the event. I was expecting a battering of epic proportions. The time trial went better than expected with me taking 8th place, 3 seconds down on the winner, Tim Elverson (Pedal Heaven RT). My knee held up fine in this fast explosive TT, and I was looking forward to the circuit race. It kicked off early in the race with a large group of 15 riders all taking a lap after 15 minutes, I was safely tucked in here and made it round with very tired legs after less than a third of the race. I sat on the back trying to recover for a few minutes before another group clipped off the front, after a while I made an attempt to bridge the gap, despite my burning legs... Somehow I got away with 2 others and we opened up a 15 second advantage, with the lead group a further 12 seconds in front. We spent the whole race agonisingly close to the lead group but never made the junction, with those guys taking a 2nd lap, and my group finishing just behind the bunch. I just got rolled in the sprint from our group so took 7th on the stage. Two consistent finishes meant I had done enough to secure 4th place on overall General Classification. This was one of my best results of the season and far exceeded my expectations for my comeback race.

With my knee now feeling 95% better I have gone back to full training, with 2 hours steady on Sunday, a hard 3 hour session Monday and a long steady 5.5 hour endurance ride in the sun on Tuesday. I'm now confident I will be racing at the Ras de Cymru, and even think I might still have the legs to pull off a decent result. Now really looking forward to getting some form back, and pushing on towards gaining my 1st category licence. 133 points gained, 67 to go.

I'm racing again tonight at Mountbatten, wish me luck.

Ciao.

RTTC National 10 Mile TT Championship

The first National championship of the year has come around very quickly, and it was a return to the village of Sawtry near Peterborough. This village played host to the 2011 British Time Trial Championship in September, and I had a nightmare of a ride... I was hoping to put those demons behind me and put in a solid performance. Conditions were chilly and pretty windy, it was a headwind out to the turn, and a tailwind home, so the first 5 miles would be crucial to the result. While covering the rolling single carriageway 10 mile course, riders would have to tackle no less than 7 roundabouts meaning that a traffic-free run would aid riders a lot.

I was #120 so had a long time to wait before my start time, this gave me plenty of time to get everything sorted and have a  solid warm up. I spent 30 minutes on the rollers before rolling out to the start a mile or so down the road. Standing on the line waiting to start it was very breezey, and the chill was rippling through my skinsuit.

I started off hard, knowing that there was lots to be gained on the outward leg and the lactate was immediately there in the legs. I negotiated the first 2 roundabouts with ease, I took the third slightly wide and locked up slightly on the 270 degree turn, I slowed right down but sprinted out hard and probably only lost a couple of seconds. The next straight section was extremely tough with the headwind, but I eventually got to the turn with an average speed around 25.5mph. I turned and the tailwind was obvious, but the last 5 miles were still tough as I had spent a lot of effort in the first half of the race. I kept pushing hard and a few people along the course were cheering me on, so I kept the pace up right to the line, sprinting out of the last roundabout and lunging over the finish line in a time of 21:56.

Turns out that 5 of us recorded that time, including Dan Barnett who went off 1 minute behind me, very good seeding by the organisers! So I learned today that the step up from junior to senior is a large one... I finished in joint 40th place, over 2 minutes down on Michael Hutchinson who won the event in a phenomenal 19:40. I was happy with my performance as I know I still have a long time to develop and gain more strength to match the top guys.

I have a hard week of training planned over the next seven days to get into my new regime of training. Incorporated into this week will be two midweek criterium races at Portsmouth on Wednesday and CastleCombe on Thursday, followed by a round of the National Time Trial Series on Saturday. It's going to be a tough week, but I want to keep improving and training hard so I am stronger, fitter and faster for the latter part of the season!

Thanks for reading!

Ciao.

Castle Combe Summer Series 3

Thursday night was round 3 of the Castle Combe summer series on the motor racing circuit. It's a very exposed course, often affected by the wind and tonight was no different. I took it steady for the first 10 minutes, keeping up near the front and out of trouble. The pace started high, and after a while I followed a move initiated by Ben Stockdale (Metaltek-Scott), he was away with one other guy, and 3 of us bridged across to them after half a lap. This was a strong move, but a rider from Wilier was stuck to the back intent on disrupting the break and never came through to the front, meaning the smoothness needed in a break wasn't there. We lasted a couple of laps before being brought back. More attacks came and went but nothing was sticking until a large group got away with about 20 minutes to go. The bunch chased very very hard and brought it back with under 2 laps to go. With half a lap left Colin Parry from Wilier jumped off the front and soloed to victory, while the bunch sprinted for 2nd. I was too far back and couldn't make enough places up to get into the top 15.

I was happy with my legs, felt good after recovering from a cold over the previous few days. Good signs for the national 10 on Sunday.

Ciao.

With the ups... Come the inevitable downs...

After a fantastic start to the season, putting in some good performances, there was always going to be some bad luck along the way.

At the Milbrook Classic for Men on Monday 7th May, I was feeling fantastic... and punctured with 3k to go. Bugger.

At the Bath Cycle Races Round 2, I got dropped because despite knowing the course didn't suit me... I went anyway... and only lasted 10 minutes. I don't like corners, bugger. My team-mate Alec won it though, so it's not all bad!

The Tour of the Milburys was my first stage race of the year and went slightly better, but still not great. Stage 1 was a 4 mile prologue time trial, mostly it was gently uphill with a few false flats. I opted for my time trial bike, but used deep section wheels rather than my disc wheel which is heavy and very flexy. This turned out to be a good choice as I spent a lot of time on the TT bars, but also the lighter wheel aided the climbing sections. I ended up covering the course in 11:03, my target was 11 minutes so I was happy. It turned out to be a great time on the day and I was joint second place with Mike Simpson from GS Henley, while my team-mate Alec had a stormer to take the win in 10:39, putting him in the yellow jersey going into stage 2.

Stage 2 was based on a tough 8 mile circuit with some rolling sections and one very slow long drag. The team were looking to protect Alec, and I agreed to sacrifice my own GC placing to help him out. We let a lone rider, Ed Clemens (VC10) go up the road early on, and he pulled out a 2 minute advantage, and on his own we knew that it was no danger, and it helped us as he swallowed up the time bonuses on offer at the finish line. Eventually I got away while maring a rider from High Wycombe CCRT, we bridged across to Ed and stayed away for a few miles, in which time I took the sprint for a time bonus. By the time we got reeled back there was about 25 miles gone, more futile attacks came and went but nothing stuck until Danny Axford launched a fierce attack with just under 3 laps to go, we missed this move and by the time we hit the front they had about 20s advantage. Rob and I were chasing on the front, but due to his earlier efforts marking on the front, Rob couldn't keep the chase up, which left me chasing on the front more or less on my own, I held the gap for a few miles but eventually the break got away and put over a minute into the bunch. I kept chasing hard but was tiring rapidly, Alec came to help at the front as things were starting to get desperate, we both pushed ourselves above and beyond the limit of our legs, and consequently we both got shelled out of the peloton. We rolled in over 3 minutes down on the bunch, losing our GC placings having gambled on trying to maintain the lead. It was dissapointing, but I always prefer to ride aggressively and go for victory rather than sitting in, racing negatively and settling for a top 10 in these small Regional A races. My legs were performing, but the tactics didn't come off this time, we tried out hardest though!

I tried to race again on Sunday, even though I woke up with a stinking cold, coughing and dribbling from my nose. Bad idea. I lasted 10 miles hanging on the back, before I headed straight on at one of the left hand bends, straight past the marshalls and back to my car. I don't want to make my cold worse in the lead up to the National 10 next Sunday. I have since been resting and recovering... Not 100% yet but I am hoping it won't affect me too much for the national.

Until Sunday! Ciao.

Last few races!

It seems again that I have been neglecting this blog of late, I haven't stopped racing, just stopped writing about them! Firstly, after my win in the Noel Jones I stupidly continued training through without a rest day... Hence I was knackered for a week afterwards! I raced Portsmouth again that Wednesday, really tired legs meant I clung on to the end and mustered a small sprint at the end, ended up in 12th place which I was happy with considering the state of my body!

AW Cycles 10 Mile TT... this was horrific, conditions changed so badly for the last 40 riders, I was in the last 40 riders. Long story short... it hailed, wind speed doubled... I was frozen... and I ended up 10th, not the result I wanted but hey ho, that is the fickle nature of the time trial!!

The Gerry Hughes road race in Worcestershire came around far too quickly and I was still not back at 100% for the race, nevertheless with 3 other team-mates in the race I was hoping to help pull something out of the bag for the boys! It was a flat course, with a couple of rolling sections but nothing too hard, the wind however made it a brutal race! The finish was going to be a block headwind sprint for the line! Things kicked off immediately, and my team-mate Alec got in the first break that soon pulled out a healthy gap. Commence the rest of us marshalling the bunch and chasing down all of the attempts to get across... Freddie, John and myself were doing a great job in this department... until I accidently dropped the bunch whilst chasing down a break. A large group of 15 got away, including me, and everyone was working hard to pull away from the bunch, we quickly pulled back the early break and Alec unfortunately was spent so could not stay at the head of the race, leaving me alone with lots of team-mates in the break. My legs were still feeling heavy but I was trying to break off the front, knowing I lack a huge sprint at the moment, however I couldn't get away, and ended up taking 7th place. A good result considering my legs and the team worked really well together, good signs!

Another local club TT came and went... 2nd place after a 75 mile morning ride, great training and another top 3!

I took a couple of easy days and by the time I got to Portsmouth for the penultimate round of the series I was feeling a lot better. Rested and ready to smash it! It was super windy so I opted for normal wheels rather than deep sections, I was also racing for the first time on my new Giant TCR Advanced II! A beautiful machine kindly supplied by Avon Valley Cyclery in Bath! It handled fatastically in the wind this week. The race started fast with a group of 11 taking a lap on the bunch within 8 minutes of the start, I was in this group and felt pretty comfortable taking the lap. There was soon another attack from Simon Brooks (VC St Raphael), I followed him off the front and we soon pulled out a third of a lap, working hard for 5 minutes before Jon Dibben (Hargroves) bridged across and the three of us pulled out to half a lap ahead. We were held by a chasing bunch for 30 agonisingly painful minutes, before thanks to a few hard pushes from Dibben and myself, we finally took a second lap. Dibben attacked again with 7 laps to go, Brooks went with him and I was boxed in on the inside, so missed the move. I chased hard right to the end but ended up half a lap down on the 2 guys, who had taken a third lap on the main field by the end. So a strong 3rd place, my best result in a National B race ever and enough to move me up to 3rd place overall in the series with one race remaining.

Next up was the Reading CC Road Race, a VERY wet and VERY windy affair... 50mph gusts and standing water throughout the course surely meant a very attritional race was on the cards! I was feeling really good and attacked on the second time down the crosswind section, Nick Baker (Zappi's) and I pulled out a minute very quickly on this section and were flying round the course, well out of sight of the peloton, which was losing riders by the minute! Unforunately Nick punctured after about 8 miles off the front, and with no service he didn't get a spare wheel until he passed his roadside support, by which time the bunch had swallowed him back up. Nevertheless I carried on and went round another lap by myself, cresting the climb to take the only sprint prime of the day, and with another 25 miles to go in the race, the bunch had closed the gap to 45 seconds, I made the decision to sit up and wait, a slightly negative decision but I didn't fancy my chances against the bunch for 25 miles. I was still feeling good though and ready to go again on the final lap, however I didn't get the chance, 30 seconds after I rejoined the bunch.. I punctured. No service. Game over. Bollocks. A great shame as I reckon I could have pulled a result out, nevertheless the team did not dissapoint as Alec took off with 20 miles to go and put a staggering 6 minutes into the bunch by himself, and taking a fine win in a tough race!!

The final round of the Ray Martin Memorial League at Portsmouth was a dissapointment for me, nobody took a lap and the bunch were marking the strong riders out of the race... My legs weren't 100% so I didn't get in any significant breaks, and ended up drifting back during the bunch sprint and coming in 14th place. I did manage to hold on to 3rd place in the overall league, taking home £75 for my troubles. Pretty happy with how the 5 race series went, I love the track at Portsmouth and will be back soon for sure!

Final race for this blog is the Andy Morrison Memorial Road Race, this was in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. The circuit was a 2.5 mile triangle with a descent, a drag (headwind) and a flat (tailwind). A rider from London Dynamo attacked early and stayed away by himself all race (WHAT..?) although he did get caught by one guy who had attacked with 5 laps to go. All told there were 3 riders out front at the end, but despite my best efforts to get out of the bunch, I wasn't one of them. I had attacked a lot and always pulled a decent gap, but the bunch seemed to love chasing me down today, and also enjoyed sitting on my wheel in a break doing no work... nevermind! With 1.5 laps to go Ed Clemens (VC10) attacked, and I went after him, with some nob from Team Corley Cycles stuck to my wheel offering no help with the workload. I have very little time for people that don't do their turns on the front. We caught Ed after one lap, by which point there was just over 1km to go, sadly the bunch had caught us again too, so it was a sprint! I settled into bunch in the top 5 riders, I'm not known for having a huge kick in a sprint so I went for a long one, starting my sprint with about 5-600m to go, I pushed my speed up over 35mph leading out the whole bunch, but knowing if I held the pace high I could hold them off. One guy came past so I ended up crossing the line in 5th. Happy with that after a tough attacking race, I just wish more people were willing to help in a breakaway!!

I now have 98 points on my licence, so just under halfway to moving up to 1st category... I aim to be there by the end of July, which is definitely do-able if I hold my current form!

I will try to stay on top of my race reports from now on as I know it is pretty dull reading about 10 on the trot! Thanks for reading though!

Ciao.

Noel Jones Memorial Road Race - April 15th

When my alarm clock starts buzzing at 5am on a Sunday morning, when most normal 19 year olds are just getting in from a night out, it can only mean one thing... Race day! I travelled over to Wales with my team-mate Rob, and although it was a clear blue morning the temperature was a chilly 3 degrees when we arrived. We signed on, changed, and rode a lap of the circuit to warm up... Despite having ridden the circuit last year, it was a lot more rolling than I thought with a fair few draggy sections before the final 1 kilometre climb to the finish, a perfect breakaway course. Riding for the team today was Rob, Matt and me, joined by John and Mark from the club.

The race started steadily with nobody willing to start the work on the front, and taking advantage of this, 2 riders soon made an early move and went up the road, Scott Easter (Felt-Colbornes) and Charles Coleman (Cadence-Cannondale) quickly gained a sizeable gap, and once they were joined by a third rider from NFTO Racing they pushed hard to pull out over a minute on the bunch. Rob countered this move by jumping away with a couple of guys, and I moved across to him soon after, we didn't stay out for long but it signalled early, our intent for the race.

Early chase group containing both Rob and I.

The next couple of laps passed without much entertainment, but the bunch were so un-interested that the break had pulled out a gap to 2 minutes, Rob and I were both trying our luck off the front, but none of the strong riders wanted to come out to play. With just over 2 laps to go, the break had pushed the gap up to 2 and a half minutes, and I started to worry so I rolled back to the bunch and grabbed Matt and John who started working with me on the front to bring down the gap, little did we know Rob had just jumped off the front with 2 others... whoops, we brought back our own team-mate, sorry Rob! The gap came down to 2 minutes, and when 2 riders drifted off the front, I bridged across on the finish hill and we got a gap on the bunch.

Bridging the gap

We were soon joined by a couple of other riders, forming a strong 5-man break and as we started working smoothly together, we got a time gap of 1m50s, then 1m20s, then 50s and by the time we went up the finish hill for the penultimate time, there was just one rider left up the road at 20 seconds.

Penultimate lap

We caught the final rider, Scott Easter with 8 miles to go and he joined our group. The 6 of us continued to chaingang for another 4 miles before Daniel Davies (Wallis CHH RT) and I attacked the group with 4 miles to go... This was a futile attack as we couldn't gain a big enough gap. By this time we had over a minute on the peloton, and it was clear that people were thinking about the finish by missing turns on the front. Davies went on the attack again with 2 miles to go, pulling out a decent gap, and he held it to the bottom of the hill, but couldn't maintain it to the finish. Karl Hine (Cadence Cannondale) made his move with 500m to go by passing everyone on the outside, I stayed on his wheel as we surged ahead of our breakaway companions.

I bided my time until 100m to go, when I attacked Karl on the right hand-side and pulled out a good few bike lengths to cross the line first and take the win! My first Road Race win of the year, and I was over the moon!

Rob had to settle for around 15th after riding a very strong race, Matt paid the price of not drinking with bad cramps and had to pull out, and John finished in the main bunch.

Presentation with Team Sky Neo-Pro Luke Rowe

Video Highlights - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4aOtB8xuEM

It felt fantastic to take the win in a tough race on a fantastic course, my first ever win in a road race on the open roads, and yet another win for Dream Cycling. I've now got about 60 points and I'm moving in the right direction in terms of tactics, strength, and points towards my 1st category licence! Now looking forward to getting more out of my good form at the moment when I head to Portsmouth on Wednesday!

Ciao!

Update

I've had a few races since my last blog, with varying degrees of success. I won't bore you with long drawn out reports from each race but here is a short summary from each!!

Wednesday 28th March - Newbury RC 10 Mile TT
Won this event on course H10/3A in a time of 21:24, very ver pleased with this as put serious time into some strong riders and took the win by 40 seconds from Pete Weir (Banjo Cycles), with Ian Greenstreet (Newbury RC) a further 10 seconds back.

Sunday 1st April - Ham Hill Road Race
Got in the first break of the day that only managed to stay away for 15 miles, team-mate Alec Baskaya got into the main break of the day to take a well earned 8th, meanwhile I finished in the bunch. Legs felt good for this race, just didn't go with the right break! Such is life!

Wednesday 4th April - Ray Martin Memorial League Round 1
Portsmouth is usually a happy hunting ground for me as it suits me attacking, powerful style of riding. Today I attacked far too much for my own good, but nothing I forged managed to stick. A group of 4 managed to take a lap on the bunch so the sprint was for 5th place. Due mainly to good positioning and timing I managed to take 8th in the race so a few more points towards the cat 1 licence!

Friday 6th April - Castle Combe Easter Classic
Our first race with all the team present in 2012 kit was a great occasion and a great race. Okay so none of us placed in the points, but we made our presence felt with Alec and myself prominent in various breaks, while Fred and Rob stuck it near the front for the whole race. 45 miles with an average speed over 27 mph, so a fairly rapid race!! Good to race as a team and looking forward to getting some results with the boys!

Sunday 8th April - RTTC Rudy Project Round 2
One of my main aims for the year is to win the Espoir (Under 23) category in the Rudy Project Time Trial Series. So I may have been the only Espoir on the startsheet for this particular event... But I am confident I could have given any under-23 a run for their money on Sunday. The course was a technical one with various sharp bends, long drags, and wet roads to make it more interesting. I paced my ride badly, riding the last 5 miles with little energy left in the tank, but still managed a respectable 45:19 for the 20 mile course, taking 4th overall, 3m40s down on multiple national champion, Michael Hutchinson (In-Gear Quickvit RT). Very happy with that, and I am now sitting joint 1st in the standings for the espoir series... A lead I don't intend to relinquish to anybody!

Wednesday 11th April - Ray Martin Memorial League Round 2
Once again I arrived at Portmsouth keen to impress, and gain a few more points towards my first cat licence. The 20 minute hailstorm put a slight 'dampener' on things, but nevertheless it was mainly dry by the start of the race. We started fast as is often the case at Mountbatten, and before long I found myself in an early break with Justin Hoy (Felt) and a strong rider from Primera-Specialized. We pulled out around 15 seconds on the bunch and held it for about 10 minutes, before the hard-working pack reeled us back in. More attacks came and went but the decisive move came after around 25 minutes when I, along with 4 others gapped the peloton, soon to be joined by 4 more riders, creating a 9-strong break that worked hard for 20 minutes to eventually lap the field and rejoin the bunch. My tactic was get in, get out, meaning I attacked again as soon as we passed the bunch. This caused a large split of about half the field, however as 5-laps to go was signalled it all came back together for the sprint. I was way too far back with 2 to go, but made good ground and ended up sprinting in about 8th, but some riders in front of me were lapped so I think I was about 5th/6th in the race. Great to get into the winning break and really good to feel some form in my legs. More points, more recognition and most importantly GREAT FUN!

Next race is the Noel Jones Memorial RR on Sunday with the boys from the team, I may also do a local TT tomorrow evening if my legs hold up after the morning ride!

Ciao.

Bill Jinks Memorial Road Race

Today was a glorious 20 degree day in Coventry, the setting for the Bill Jinks Memorial, a 2/3/4 category race with a pretty strong field of riders due to the ever increasing popularity of the sport. It was to be raced around a fairly short course at 6.4 miles, with 2 short hills thrown in for good measure, one being on the run in to the finish line. It looked to be a perfect breakaway course, with a rolling profile and lots of corners, so my plan was to attack hard early on in the race.

We rolled out for the neutral section with riders jostling for position early on, I placed myself in the top 20 riders ready for the early attacks. Immediately 2 guys went up the road with a small gap, however as is often the way, the first attack was brought back fairly quickly. Next up I attacked out of a corner and moved away from the peloton fairly quickly, my first thoughts were "crap... nobody is coming...", however after about 2 miles on my own I looked back to see Adrian Bird (Rapid Performance Coaching RT) moving up, so I sat up took a drink and when he latched on, we went full gas to increase our gap! We worked well together for 1 lap, and soon saw 2 other riders bridging across, as they reached us it became clear that Bird was struggling, and he dropped back to the bunch. So I began working with my new companions Matthew Bonehill (Stafford CC) and James Ratcliffe (Fred Williams RT).

 Breakaway

Large gap to the bunch.

We pushed really hard for over a lap and pushed the gap up to 40 seconds, before settling into a rhythm together. As the race went on, the gap was held at 40 seconds for 3 laps, but with 5 laps to go it was clear that the chase had sped up behind us, and after 35 miles we were swept up by the bunch. This was when the decisive move came from Tom Black (Cycle Premier RT), taking advantage of the tired legs in the bunch he countered with a huge attack on the hill to the finish line, pulled out a sizeable gap, and was never seen again as the bunch messed around behind.

With 2 laps to go I launched another attack and got away again, once again James Ratcliffe was there along with 2 others we worked to bridge up to Black, but we could only stay away for 1 5 miles before heading back into the bunch. At this point my legs were really starting to hurt and after one more futile attempt to get away I was resigned to finishing in the bunch, as 3 other guys clipped off the front to stay away. I didn't really have the legs for a full-on sprint so just stayed in the bunch and held my pace to the line, riders blew all around my in the last 500m and I ended up around 20-25th as we crossed the line.

Very happy with how my legs felt today, but with only 3 riders against a chasing bunch it was always going to be tough to stay out for 60 miles. Nevertheless it is encouraging to see the legs performing well early season. Hopefully there is much more to come! Next weekend is the Ham Hill RR.

Ciao.

Weekend of 17th/18th March

Another double header this weekend with a 2/3 crit at Milton Keynes Bowl followed by an E/1/2/3 Road Race in Worcestershire.

To be honest... there's not a lot to tell about either race. Saturday was frustrating as I was chased down every single time I broke away, then a counter attack of 10 riders stuck and I spent half an hour chasing with the help of one other rider, typical 2nd cat negative riding from the bunch! I ended up pulling out as it became clear that the group were gone for good.

Sunday... Similar story, got in an early move but missed the decisive break! It was a large group that got away and once out of sight we never had a chance of bringing it back, despite a huge effort from Felt-Colbornes on the front. I clipped off the front a couple of times to try and distance the bunch, once on my own and once with a small group, but it never lasted more than a few minutes.

A sub-standard weekend for me... Pretty dissapointing, but the racing will always be hard in E123 races, and it won't always work out the way you like! There is always next week though!

Ciao!

Weekend of 10th/11th March

This weekend was to be a double header for me with a race on both Saturday and Sunday, I had an easy back end of the week so was hoping to be going well for the weekend.

Saturday was the Roy Thame Cup in Buckinghamshire, this race is considered one of the early season classics in the UK and always attracts a high quality field, and this year was no different. There were full teams from 100% ME, Team UK-Youth, Rapha Condor Sharp, Metaltek-Scott, and plenty more to go with them, this was bound to mean a very controlled race. The course was gently rolling with no big climbs to tackle, however the road surface was atrocious with huge potholes and broken surfaces everywhere on the course, this was to make the race very tricky and technical, like a proper classic race such as Flanders or Roubaix.

It was a warm day in Bucks and as the riders took to the start line it became apparent that everyone was psyched up for this, and so it was proven when the first 11 mile lap was completed with an average speed just under 29mph. Attacks were coming thick and fast but with the pace so high it was nigh on impossible to get a meaningful gap on the bunch. About halfway through the race the decisive move got away as the pace gradually slowed in the bunch. 4 riders soon pulled out 2 minutes on the bunch. It was obvious that UK Youth missed the break as they sat 5 riders on the front for over a lap trying to bring back the break, but it wasn't happening for them so they stopped giving chase on the penultimate lap. Throughout this I was staying out of trouble in the bunch feeling fairly comfortable and trying to avoid holes, it was however difficult to move towards the front due to the high pace set on the front so I stayed hidden in the pack. On the last lap I moved up through the pack slowly and with around 5k to go I was in the top 20 trying to jostle for position, a second group got away at this point as Steve Golla (High Wycombe) attacked and took a group with him, they pulled out a small gap and just managed to hold this to the finish. All this meant we were sprinting for about 15th place in the bunch, nevertheless it was going fast down the final straight towards the line and with 1k to go I jumped on the wheel of a Metaltek rider who moved to the front... Not my smartest move as when he pulled off I had nowehere to go so had to move over and try to rejoin the motoring 100% ME train down the right-hand side. I had no time to rectify my position and ended up finishing in the middle of the pack. Phil Lavery (Node-4 Giordana) took the 3-up sprint from the break, with Richard Lang (Rapha) and Tom Moses (100% ME) completing the podium.

We finished the 69 mile course with a 27mph average speed, pretty quick considering the road surface too! I generally felt very good, just need to work on positioning towards the end, and perhaps be more confident with my attacks!

Omega Portsmouth Circuits

I had an early Saturday night and rested up so I was fit and ready to race again on Sunday at Mountbatten centre, Portsmouth. It was even sunnier than Saturday, and my legs were not feeling too bad considering the battering the day before! I had a nice long 30 minute warm up to get the legs nicely loose before the smash-fest began.

The race started fast and attacks came thick and fast, my first meaningful attack saw me escape the peloton with my training partner Nick Baker (Zappi's CC), we pulled out about half a lap on the bunch and held it for around 8 laps, but with just 2 people we were always going to struggle for firepower.

Pulling away with Nick Baker (Zappi's CC)

More attacks came and went but it was apparent that due to the high pace, a break would always struggle to stay away, that didn't stop people trying though! Another attack went and I latched on to it, 2 riders from VC St. Raphael and a Mid Devon CC rider rode off and I was there with them.

Driving the break along!!

We quickly increased our advantage to over half a lap and worked really well together, one guy dropped off after a while but 3 of us continued to push on, and for a while I though we might take a lap on the peloton, however with the bunch chasing hard for the duration of our break, we were always going to be reeled in.

3up break pushing on.

We stayed away for 20 minutes and this was to be the most succesful break of the race, except for the solo attack of Toby Neave, he attacked with 4 laps to go and caught the bunch by surprise. He quickly pulled out a third of a lap and held on for the finish, a well timed move to take the win. The bunch kick for 2nd place was led out at high pace and I was sat halfway back, as we rounded the back of the track for the final time I was quickly moving up through the pack and kicked hard, I think I managed a place just outside the top 10, so some minor points. Lewis Atkins (Twenty-3c Orbea) took the bunch sprint from Justin Hoy (Felt).

Another good race and my strongest performance of the season so far, feeling better with every race and hopefully coming into form for some early season results!! Next weekend is another double header with MK Bowl crit on Saturday and Evesham Vale Road Race on Sunday.

Ciao!

Pre-Season Training Camp in Calpe - Part 1!

So I'm sat in a bar on the seafront in sunny Calpe in Spain, watching the waves crashing in after a gentle recovery ride this morning. Temperature is a mild 13 degrees, but looking to warm up next week!

We arrived Tuesday afternoon and had an easy transfer from Airport to Bus Station, the 1km walk to the apartment was not so easy... with a 32kg bike bag and 20kg luggage... it took quite a while...



HEAVY!

Once we arrived we went for 1h30 at a steady zone 2 pace, just to prepare our legs for our first 3 day block of training. It was a lovely ride along the Coastal road towards Xabia, a great view and a cracking way to start the 3 weeks out here! The plan is to start steady this week with some long mileage, before using the last 2 weeks for some high intensity specific sessions to prepare the body for the long season ahead... We began our first 3 day block with a 4 hour ride with a couple of other lads, one from the area and a guy from Team Isle of Man. The ride was steady with a couple of lumps but mainly flat, we stopped at a café for lunch and rode steadily back to Calpe, an average speed of 17.5mph, not quick but it was very windy. Day 2 of the block was a 5 hour ride including 7,200ft and taking in the amazing Col du Rates near Altéa, we rode steady up most of the climbs, and smashed down the descents! I was feeling really strong and managed to spend the last 45 minutes on the front driving us back towards Calpe, a great route and a great ride... So much so that we used the same route yesterday to complete the training block!



Climbing!

This time we rode much harder up the climbs including a huge pull up Col du Rates, averaging around 14mph for the 4-5 mile ascent, I was feeling strong and can definately feel my climbing improving with every ride! We followed the Project 1t41 Pro Cycling Team down the descent for half an hour, and spent the rest of the ride going hard back into Calpe. Matt and I decided to do an extra few miles taking in a local 4 mile climb up to Benissa before descending back into Calpe again. Ended up doing 90 miles at 18.1mph with 8,500ft of climbing. Very pleased with this first block, I was feeling strong, climbing well, and loving it! Long may it continue...

We took a steady 1 hour ride today to recover before we do our first specific session tomorrow, SPRINT TRAINING! My favourite.

Will write again next week! Enjoy the snow everyone... :)

Ciao.



East London Velo Winter Series Round 4

Saturday 4th Febuary... The coldest day of the year... I know... I'll go and smash it around a tarmac track for an hour... what fun!

Yesterday I raced at the Hog Hill cycle circuit in East London, conditions were bright, but ominously cold as the car showed a chilly -1 degrees... We arrived bright and early at the track, got changed and went for a walk round so I could take in the circuit. It consisted of an undulating start followed by a long descent, half a mile of flat, winding section, then a drag up to the final bend with a steep kick to finish. A tough circuit.

Nick & I warming up...



I warmed up on the rollers for 20 minutes before getting out on to the track, doing one quick circuit and it was time to begin! The race started FAST with Zappi's rider Nick Baker tearing away from the gun. The race soon settled down though as lots of attacks went away and were brought back almost immediately, including a few attacks of my own that did not last. I soon settled in the peloton so my legs could recover. After about 30 mins a Maldon CC rider went up the road and was soon joined by Roger Maidment of East London Velo, these guys worked strongly together to pull out a gap of almost a minute, and maintained this to the finish where Cousins of Maldon took the victory from Maidment.



Early Breakaway Attempt... Which Failed.

Meanwhile in the bunch things were spicing up as we hit the final lap and there was a small group just ahead of us, they were brought back with 3/4 of a lap to go and we flew round the flat section of the course at a high pace. With around 400m to go the sprint started, I thought this was slightly to soon, but these 4 managed to maintain a slight gap over the rest of us at the line. I saved my kick for the final 150m where I pushed past the 3 guys at the front of the bunch and rolled over the line in 7th

place.

Report: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20120204-road-Road--Cousins-fastest-in-ELV-Series-0

Overall, a much better race then my last one at Hillingdon, more enjoyable, better legs, better result, can't argue with that! Climbing is improving... Sprinting is improving... Recovery was not great today but that could be down to the cold weather. Pretty pleased to get another few points on the licence before the season begins, and to get a decent result before I head to Spain on Tuesday. Spain is a great opportunity to really fine tune the legs before the first big road race on March 4th, the Severn Bridge RR.

On a side note, we had our first team photo with Dream Cycling last weekend in Bath:

Dream Cycling Team & Team Issue Giant TCR Advanced 2 Bike.

Ciao.

January Training

So as we come to the end of the first month of 2012, it seems the racing season is getting ever closer and all the top riders have been getting in some big mileage since the new year. My training has been no different as after a quiet Christmas period, I hit the miles big time in the 2nd week of the year. I began with a strong 5-day block of 18 hours, then since then have got in a couple more 15 hour weeks, and in total I have ridden 1005 miles in January. In general I have been feeling a lot stronger, and now feel it is time to start putting in a few high intensity sessions to try and hit the season with some form in early March.
I am going away to Spain on Tuesday for a 3 week pre-season training camp with a group of lads including my new team mate Rob Yeatman. We should be getting in some more big mileage whilst including some high intensity focussed training sessions to prepare us for the first big road race of the season when we return. The first road race for the team is going to be the Severn Bridge RR on 4th March, usually run with a very competitive field, it should be a great early season leg tester!!

Keep training guys!

Ciao.