2009 The Blog

21st June

Champ !

A successful weekend spent in Jersey with the Velo Club boys, we went to ride the Inter Insular Road Race but first a really entertaining game of crazy golf at Living Legends that showed the competitive streak in , well, everyone! Exasperation for the pro's and novices alike. Given the amount of calories consumed at lunch and in the evening getting round the near 90km course - 7laps and 1 climb of the Watersplash circuit should not have been a challenge nutritionally.

The senior race started 5 mins before the combined vets / juniors / ladies fields and we were faced with a bleak scenario of 3 vs 30.  Tim Holmes started riding near the front as planned chasing down the early breaks with Ian Scholes and I trying to save the powder for later.  However the attacks were becoming relentless and on the third ascent of the climb Ian started the attack and I continued it and we pulled a group of about 8 off the front of the peloton. The group worked reasonably well but was a bit too big and after the fourth climb it was all back together.
Picture Courtesy Guernsey Press / Jersey Evening Post  

So fifth climb I start on the front at the bottom and then gradually turn up the wick all the way up with Scholsie glued to my wheel and this time we get a break of four. Game on! The two Jersey guys were willing to work but one of them had no idea how to ride through on off, I nearly got run off the road at one point, the other Jersey guy was effing and blinding at the other's riding and the intensity of the break really hurt the legs on the top section.
Picture Courtesy Guernsey Press / Jersey Evening Post

Come the last lap the Jersey guys had been missing some turns but we managed to manoeuvre them to the front and they had some speculative attacks which came to nothing and then it came to the hill top finish.  For the first time in the race my legs started cramping and I thought my chances of a maiden road race victory were vanishing.  However as it unfolded I initially followed the wheels and positioned myself for the final sprint and despite the cramping I managed to nip away for the win, sitting up and punching the air as I crossed the line. Scholsie followed me across the line for a 1 - 2 .  Result!  Tim Holmes had continued doing a great job in the peloton not letting anything too dangerous get away, he worked like a trooper. 

So if that is  my only ever road race victory then I can retire a happy man as it was a true race, that mattered, won by effective team work.

The pocket rocket Annie Bowditch was the only women to finish and hence took that title and we scored a 2 -3 with the juniors.  However it was the seniors who cleaned up, much like our running boys do.  James McGloughlin took the win and we filled 1, 3,4,5,6,8 & 9.  Jersey humiliated.   

The Vets / Juniors / Ladies Team
Tim Holmes, Ann Bowditch, Me, Graham le Maitre, Alex Wilson, Richard Setters & Ian Scholes

18th June

Good legs #2

Back to the track and 1500mtrs tonight with some of the Island Games boys looking for a tune up and the juniors eager to show their improving form.  Great weather - warm and a light wind, but my warm up is a bit curtailed as I'm delayed at work.  Lee Garland leads out quickly, Ronan Shally slots in behind and after Will Bodkin apologises for bumping me at the start (who said the young have no manners !)  I go onto the back of the group.  Feels fast - 66 first lap and Lee continues to plug away, 2-13 at 800 and I'm in new territory for the year, but not panicking I stay close to Will as Lee starts to surge stretching the elastic. I'm through the bell in around 3-05 and Lee's opening up some daylight on Ronan. 

At 300 to go I accelerate past Will and chase Ronan who is fading, Lee's got a good gap now, coming off the crown of the bend the legs aren't collapsing and I over take Ronan and race it down the home straight.  Can't get back to Lee who wins in 4-07.5 and I take second in 4-10.1  I'm very happy with that - it ranks #5 on the UK lists for M40 1500's and is faster than last year.  Hope I'll get to run another this season and see if I can go sub 4-10.

The other point of note is that was the first time where I raced my daughter Katie. This time I'm first in the family, but for how many more times?

14th June

Great swim

The second open water tri of the year was a sprint distance, swimming from Chouet to Ladies Bay, the water was crystal clear and pan flat smooth.  For once I felt good in the water and was able to follow Gail King's pace, I over took her in the run up to transition and wasn't challenged from there.  Sunny warm weather made for a pleasant race, but with Tim John and Richard Stapley both bettering my bike split, I can't rest on my laurels.

11th June

Great legs #1

Trained on the road bike tonight getting ready for the Inter Insular Road race in 10 days time. Did a route with loads of hills which were attacked with gusto and my legs felt super strong.  First time this year - a sign of good things to come ?  :-)

23rd May

A Suprise

I'm running in the MeesPierson Golden Series 3000mtrs at Footes Lane and after Steve Dawes leads out with a good pace, I just follow him and the RAF's Matt Blunden to see what is there.  Steve fades after about a 1700mtrs and Blunden surges.  I hang on the best I can and get rewarded with 2nd place and 8:51.62, a new M40 PB for me.

14th May

Spat Out !

Criterium time again, this time a smaller field, but the legs aren't so good on the opening laps, I'm lying second last in the front group when I hit a stone whilst cornering which throws the bike off line and heading towards the changing block, so a dab of the brakes and I get it back under control, but I'm 20mtrs off the last guy and he's 10mtrs off the pace. So I chase in earnest but the pack does not ease off and the gaps grows. After about 5 laps of chasing I can see the lost cause approaching to lap me, so I ease back for a couple of laps and let the lead group complete the catch before jumping on and sitting in for the rest of the race.  At least no crashes tonight!

10th May

Having a blast in Rennes

First Tri of the year and three of us have come over from Guernsey to Rennes, along with some of the Jersey boys tempted by the choice of a Sprint or Olympic Distance run at civilised times of the day (1:30pm & 3:30pm starts) and having closed roads, a nice round the lake run.... 276 people running into the lake always makes for an interesting start, but I survive that with a usual average swim for me and make up a bunch of places on the long run back up to transition.

Jumping on the bike in what has been a drafting race in previous years, I immediately sprinted off and jumped on a wheel and began to slip my feet into the shoes. Peep Peep! a motorcycle is alongside and the referee is waggling a finger and blowing the whistle - no drafting! Ooops! Two years ago it was a draft legal race, well it certainly explained why bike check in was a bit lax. Three frantic laps on the bike and I've moved up through the field, a cluster of four of us have been together for the most part, my attack on the fast straight was un-successful in breaking away so we all come back to T2 together.

Onto the run and I sense I'm in a duel, unusually someone is running at a similar pace to me, my legs are running well but lungs are burning, I close down the 20mtr gap on the first lap but get held up with lapped athletes at the junction with transition.  So I close down the gap again and realise I'm hanging on rather than planning a winning strategy.  Up the hill from lakeside to finish chute and we are sprinting, but it is in vain and I can't quite get past, the official time gap is .15 of a second.  I've finished 7th overall, first vet and fastest run split of the day.

Jon Greenfield comes in 54th after very respectable swim and bike sections, but he faded a little on the run.  Richard Stapley raced the Olympic Distance and produced a solid all round performance to smash his PB and record 2:10:59.  OK we know tri courses can vary inaccuracy but he's way inside his target for the year and I'm sure he'll clock more times sub 2:15 in races to come.  Photo album is here.

23rd April

Bump and Grind

Time for some top end action to help prepare for my first tri of the year - a sprint distance in Rennes - courtesy of the first GVC Criterium Race at Delancey Park. Criterium's are hard work, flat out riding, shoulder to shoulder, it sharpens your bike handling skills and your speed.  A bumper turnout meant that racing was going to be tight, I was unlucky to get to the start line as we finished warming up at the back of the field. From the gun the the attacks went in and being stuck near the back with no route through meant that as the pack split almost straight away, I ended up in the 'chase pack'  before you knew it!  Still it gave me the opportunity to grind away on the front and get a good workout.

Then came the bump. One of the riders in the lead pack grounded a pedal on a corner which flipped his bike up and sent another rider tumbling. Tony Bleasedale (lime green shorts) came off the worst, landing on his shoulder breaking his collarbone! So race abandoned - which was just as well as the strange feeling I was getting from my back wheel was the tyre detaching from the rim. A lucky escape for me, not so for Tony.  Get fixed soon Tone.

20th April

More Bike Races

Knowing I need to raise my bike game I used the L'Eree hill climb TT as a training session with a couple of hills as part of warm up and a second run just 6 seconds slower than my first after a short recovery. In awe of nipper James McLaughlin nearly 50 seconds faster than me in 4:33. Superb!
Good conditions on Saturday made for a good field for the next 10mTT and I was rewarded with a better performance, 30 secs faster than last week. Waiting to see the full results to see how much progress I am making against everyone else. Turned the TT into a brick and was pleased that the legs felt fluid after such an intense effort.

15th April

6 Races in 4 days - I must be barking

It must have been a rush of euphoria after exceeding my expectations over 10km on Friday and sneaking under 33mins, that lead me to think it was possible to complete all the Guernsey Easter Festival Runs ( 10k - Cross Country - Relay - Half Marathon) but also take in my original targets of the Tri Club's Easter Challenge of adding a 10mile Time Trial and a 1,000mtr swim. Well I did it, and a lot better than I would give myself credit for. More to follow.

5th April

Doing the Du

Turned out for the last Duathlon of the winter series and after a steady first run, I was somewhat surprised the Ian Scholes caught me the outward leg of the bike. I'd thought my speed was sufficiently high to hold him off at least until the turn. So chapeau mon deux, your biking is awesome! So being just a little canny I let him set the pace and I hung back outside the drafting box and waited. I attacked hard up the slope up to Albecq and got away, but it did for my legs, and a couple of glances back further up the coast road showed he was coming back. Roadworks then disrupted the pace and we came back to T2 together. Whilt I ran OK, Ian cracked and got caught, but still won the overall series. Well done.

30th March

Catching Up

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted anything but things have been hectic. Gradually I have been building up a reasonable block of training, but it seems that I am becoming increasingly immersed in the shadow of my daughters success.  Having  become county u13 girls cross country champion, she was called up to run at Nottingham in the Inter Counties.  Again we said that she was going for the experience, and as it was a longer distance than she is used to added to a fairly steep hill at the start, we suggested that she went off steadily.  Well she did that, but when she appeared about 1200mtrs later, she was leading the race!

When she re-appeared again at about 2,200mtrs of the 3,000, she was still leading, but the wheels were about to come off, as the eventual winner made her move.  My girl slipped back but finished a very impressive 17th, an amazing achievement for someone with two years to go in the age group!  Added to that was great coverage of the races on SkyTV, and a recording for the family to cherish.  Not to be out-shone Lee Merrien stormed to a 3rd place finish and a place on the GB World Cross Team - well done Lee! Inter Counties Photo Album

Two races, 2 second places!
I turned out for the Island at the Inter Insular Cross Country on March 15th and felt pretty good so being eager to put some distance between me and those who I though might be challenging me, I took the pace on from the second of 6 laps and lead Steve Dawes round at a good lick. By the time it started to hurt on the 4th lap we were well clear and I started to start to conserve some energy so not surprisingly Steve pulled away for his first Inter Insular win on home soil and I stayed not too far back in second. We finished seven athletes before Jersey got their first man in - so another great Sarnian result! Move on nearly two weeks and I joined Louise Perrio and Martine Scholes on a trip to London and the Serpentine AC Last Friday of the Month 5km race.  It was quite a blustery day and I probably did too much work on the front as by 2.5k I was puffing and Belgrave's Hassan Raidi eased away.

I hung on in the last 2k and I suppose I am OK about my 16:06 finishing time, but I suppose I was hoping for better. Still a good workout in preparation for a 10k at Easter.  Louise and Martine came first and second respectively - so a good club result and another step back towards form for both of them.

25th February

Getting back to where I was

It's taken a while to fully recover from the flu and after several weeks of gradually building up the training I took the plunge last Sunday with race 2 of the winter duathlon series. Another great turnout for our little island - 36 of us and this time we were racing the Super Duathlon Format : 1 mile run - 6 mile bike - 1mile run - 6 mile bike - 1 mile run.

With my Isaac back at Ian Brown's for a safety recall I set my Cervelo Soloist road bike with draft legal tri bars and full speed weaponry - i.e. my Zipps. However I decided that I'd risk switching shoes between each discipline as I do prefer cycling in bike shoes.  I attacked the first run across the beach at Ladies Bay with some gusto and got back to T1 about 20 secs clear and then pushing into the headwind down the west coast on the bike was a bit of a slog.  Paul Brehaut was moving though quickly on the bike and think he spurred on Ian Scholes and newbie Jon Greenfield. As  a quick glance behind during T2 showed me that my lead was slender.  

Second run didn't feel too bad and the gap seemed comfortable so I conserved a bit of energy for the second bike leg. I probably looked behind a fair few times on the bike as I expected the guys to be charging after me, but the threat didn't materialise letting me cruise the last run. Ian Scholes came through for second with Jon Greenfield third. Looking at the official splits showed that Ian's decision to use one pair of shoes throughout was a cunning move as his run splits which included transitions were right up with mine - where as I took 20 seconds out of him on the first run. So that probably shows that he saved 15 seconds or so on each transition. A sizeable gain.

So what did I learn - I need to do more biking and more brick work as I felt very rusty and perhaps next time dig out the old toe clip pedals and save a whack of transition time! Guernsey Press online coverage is here.

28th January

Sick !

Well it finally had to happen, with so much illness around it is not surprising that I have caught a dose of it. In fact 3/4 of the family have had it, with one person escaping. So Hampshire XC Champs has been scrubbed for me, no defence of my M40 title, though I was able to go over and watch my daughter pick up the u13 Girls title.  Not bad for a little 'un who at 11 was only going for the experience.  Now she has two more attempts to defend & retain.

So after more than a week with no training I try to ease back into it, the lungs feel useless, the legs even worse.  Three weeks pass before I swim again and now it feels just terrible.  Still experience tells me I just have to grin and bear it and after a few weeks it will click again.  I hope so. 

This coming weekend sees the new month in and the first of the club's winter duathlon series and I'm left in a pickle.  With my coach hat on I know what I need right now is to do the steady state training to build back the base that I have missed and lost through illness.  If I do the event then I can't really train too hard on Saturday as I'll be weakened for Sunday and I know that some of the guys are going well on the bike and in my weakened state I am definitely vulnerable to having defeat inflicted on me.  There is only one place I have finished in any local Tri Club Duathlon or Triathlon and that is first.  So if I race, I don't get the training I need, and I might get beaten.  If I don't race people will just say I'm afraid of being beaten. Hmmmm....