A3 2019

dahat

Hi all,

I've read a few of these and enjoyed them so for 2019 i'm going to start my own log of training, racing, food & whatever else one can add to this!

Goals for 2019

90kg racing weight for June/July time.
Top 20 in an A3 Race
10,000 km road work
More road less turbo where possible
Try win a club league race during the Summer

My current information is as below:

Age: 41
Weight: 99.2kgs
FTP: 330
Health: Generally good but i do take meds for Psoriatic Arthritis which i have been doing so for 15 yrs or so. Flare ups do occur and i may need to take a few days when it occurs.

I will be looking at one to one coaching in March after the current set plan expires end of February. I think the one to one aspect will be a benefit to me.

01/01/18

Power Profile test which went pear shaped as i bombed out on the 5 min effort after the other 3 tests went well with 5 sec & 1 min results being my second best of all time. I started this test at 11 or so but not getting to sleep till 2 am may or may not have had an effect on the test.
As i finished the test wrecked & pretty annoyed i took the bike off the turbo and went for a spin around town to clear the head. I returned less annoyed and hopefully my ftp test Thursday will go alot better!!

I will be logging my food with MFP and have allowed myself 2140 kcal with the aim of loosing 0.5kg per week. I have tried MFP before and failed miserably but sure god loves a trier!

I will aim to update this once a week or when the need arises if things are going well!!!:)

dahat

03/01/19

After the horror of the power profile test i was determined to approach today's FTP in positive manner to avoid a second failure. I did my last test at 6am and felt it went well so repeated the test conditions to try get the best result. 5.30am rise with a coffee + banana then a gel 15 mins before i started. As per usual it was hell with the wall hit twice but got through it with various thoughts of abandonment & swear words aplenty while hanging over the bars!!!

All my testing is done on the turbo btw,i feel its the best way to repeat test conditions time after time. I used Trainerroad FTP test format which i'm comfortable after 3 years of this method.

Test Result was 338 (+ 8 watts) which seems disappointing given the suffering but its an increase with threshold hear rate of 170. I must google the theory behind TR, do i want it to drop or increase? I've no clue but Google may tell me.

I've got a rest day tomorrow with a date with the scales Saturday morning plus a PP retest at coaches request. A 3hr endurance spin Sunday seems a long way off but i'm looking forward to it after a week of testing.

CramCycle

What protocol are you following for the FTP test?

dahat

It's is the TrainerRoad default. There is 3 x 1 min high cadence efforts with a 5 min full gas effort then recovery and 20min TT effort. All done over 60mins.

There is a few variations of it but I'm comfortable with this format, indoors at least.

dahat

5th & 6th January

As my coach is a particularly kind soul he rescheduled the PP for Saturday morning! This repeat when better but still ballsed up the 30 sec max effort due to poor gear selection. The other 4 efforts returned good figures for me but still a long way off being competitive in A3.

Sunday club spin was a roll around S.Tipp with The Vee thrown in as it's a nice short climb for all abilities. The gallop home was small with only 3 of us, victory was hollow in a small gallop but still. The legs felt good all day long which is encouraging.

I am beginning to realize that my biggest handicap this year will be my weight. My aim is 92 kgs but i'm not sure if i can get my head together to reach that as the commitment needed to drop another 7-8kgs will be massive. My post Xmas weigh in is tomorrow so hopefully there wasn't too much damage!!!

dahat

2019 Racing Plan
9th March Clonard ( one race only this weekend)
10th March Ras Na Luimni (one race only this weekend)
17th March Bobby Power
24th March NTW Wheelers ( not fussed)
7th April Dungarvan
21st April Ras an Laois
5th May Frank O'Rourke
26th May Clonmel 2 Stage
1st June Raparee Cup
14th July William Slattery
20th July Shannonside GP
4th August Collins Crit
17th & 18th Aug Wexford 2 day ( only a possibility)
2nd September Charleville 2 Day ( only a possibility)

I know most of these courses so hopefully i can get a good show somewhere. I have highlighted a couple that may present better chances for me.

sullzz

If you were willing to make the journey up to Clonard for the Ras Naomh Finian I think your have a great chance of a placing. It's ideal for a big power sprinter.

dahat

sullzz wrote: »

If you were willing to make the journey up to Clonard for the Ras Naomh Finian I think your have a great chance of a placing. It's ideal for a big power sprinter.

9th March so it fits better again, must refer to family diary!

This race is requiring some delicate negotiation as my kids birthdays are same day, 10 & 20. A promise of being back for 4 may sneak it through as last years race started at 11.

dahat

10/01/19

4 x 5 at threshold last night of which i did three at 100rpm. I've been trying to improve my cadence over the winter so i'm hoping to see improvement as the season progresses. Threshold work are my favourite so the more of these get the better!!!

12/01/19

The plan has a 1h 40min tempo session which will be done on the road all going well. As good as turbo work is i need at least 1 session per week on the road for mental state more than anything. Another 3/4 weeks and the evenings may be a little more generous with light so options for road work increase.

Weight

This has increased slightly to 99.9kgs over Xmas but tbh i'm happy it wasn't more. I have tried to be really focused this week so hopefully i can carry this forward from this point.

dahat

Last weekends tempo session was a learning curve regarding the target pwr for the required intervals. I have put avg power on the lap screen for each interval but it seems to be avg power for the session in total, maybe the 520 doesn't have a lap power avg per lap? I reckon need to aim for the avg power per lap then on review after the NP/AVG PWR figures should be quite similar.

At least that's what i think is correct!

As i have used the turbo for training maybe i need to get accustomed to road intervals more and judge pace, power when dealing with rolling roads in order to hit required targets. This would be for longer ones as VO2 & shorter are better suited to the turbo i'd say.

Takca

dahat wrote: »

I have put avg power on the lap screen for each interval but it seems to be avg power for the session in total, maybe the 520 doesn't have a lap power avg per lap?

Its there, Look for "Power - Lap"

dahat

18/01/19

While getting stuff ready for a session i noticed my cleats were further 1/2 inch forward on my right shoe so adjusted the cleat to match the left shoe. I'd imagine both cleats should be the same and i'm at a loss to explain how they were set different.

The 3 x 15 SS session ahead of me can be tedious and a bit of a struggle on a trainer. As i'm trying to improve cadence i decided to hit these intervals with cadence of 95 rpm to keep the boredom away. The increased cadence required extra focus so i quite enjoyed these for once and the cleat adjustment seems to have helped hold steady power. This may be in the mind though!!!

Weight check tomorrow so hoping the week or so went well.

joey100

Which foot do you unclip with? Might explain how one has moved, you sure the right one moved and not the left??

dahat

joey100 wrote: »

Which foot do you unclip with? Might explain how one has moved, you sure the right one moved and not the left??

I unclip with my left foot. The right cleat hasn't felt like it was sitting right for ages but never bothered to check. It felt a little too far forward and after two sessions with it moved back the difference is my pedal stroke is noticeable.

CramCycle

dahat wrote: »

I unclip with my left foot. The right cleat hasn't felt like it was sitting right for ages but never bothered to check. It felt a little too far forward and after two sessions with it moved back the difference is my pedal stroke is noticeable.

Make a mark on your shoes where the cleats sit now if you can. The next time you go to change them, have a look to see is there any side that is worn drastically more than the other at the engagement points with your pedals, it might give you an indication of any minor corrections needed.
Tip given to me by a fitter, one that I keep forgetting to listen to or follow.

dahat

22/01/19

5 x 5 at threshold today and after two lazy intervals the legs came around to finish the session in fine fettle. My HR was 3 beats lower than last weeks max for the same session though 4 x 5.
All in all pretty pleased with the session.

My weight is stable at 99.5 and pretty puzzled tbh as with training 5 days I should be dropping some bit at least. My fall down is bread granary, soda but never white. In order to try shift some ill get a food scales and try MFP once more.

Overnight oats with choco protein powder, cinnamon, some berries and Chia seeds has become an almost dessert like breakfast for me on high intensity interval & long spin days. Very very tasty.

Time now to renew the A3 licence as my coach has told me to abandon any thoughts of A4 and accept that A3 is your place.

dahat

24/01/19

Sprint session today that basically went balls up. After a warm up it was 3 x 30, 3 x 20, 3 x 10 (twice)for max output. I knew after the first 30 secs reps my legs were fooked so abandoned ship with session incomplete. Ive accepted it was just a bad night rather than trying to find a reason for the failure.

Tomorrow brings a rest day with an appt for a rub so hopefully that will refresh the legs for work ahead before race season starts.

dahat

26 & 27 Jan

Nothing fancy here just 2hrs endurance Saturday with a 3.5 hr similar spin Sunday with a small gallop at the end. The overnight oats (oats, choco whey, chia seeds, protein youghurt & banana) seem to be a far better breakfast for longer spins. This will be my pre race breakfast for the season as my tummy is handling this without issue.

29 Jan

Tuesday am session, 3 x 10 at threshold indoors which is always a decent workout. I felt i handled this well but was pretty shook at the end! Burning 1,000 cals pre 8am is a big effort so a treat will be had today i think.

My scales is saying i'm up 1.5kgs but i suspect its reading incorrectly as i feel like i've lost a little. A trip to Boots on Saturday may be in order to get an accurate reflection of my weight is needed. I had hoped to be further down the line weight wise but such is life. 3.5 watts/kg just means alot of A3 suffering this year!

My race bike should be ready this week, new tyres,chain,cassette, cables & bar tape (€€€€€), cannot wait to get it on the road at this stage!

joey100

You mentioned your race bike but no pictures or mention of what the bike is! Best of luck with the season, you seem to be training well. Looking forward to seeing how you get on.

dahat

Race bike

thekooman

dahat wrote: »

22/01/19
My weight is stable at 99.5 and pretty puzzled tbh as with training 5 days I should be dropping some bit at least. My fall down is bread granary, soda but never white. In order to try shift some ill get a food scales and try MFP once more.

Overnight oats with choco protein powder, cinnamon, some berries and Chia seeds has become an almost dessert like breakfast for me on high intensity interval & long spin days. Very very tasty.

i'm working with a nutritionist at the minute and she is of the opinion you should aim for e.g. 14000 calories a week or whatever your aim is. dont aim for 2000 cals a day because at the weekend you will go over. aim for 1700 cals Mon-Thurs for example and 2400 for Fri to Sun. it evens out over the week. just an idea.

Love overnight oats as well with whey as well

dahat

Are you of similar weight? To guage the cals required.

The idea of weekly kcals is good and extra at the weekend does appeal especially with longer spins on the plan!

Have you felt under fuelled at 1700 during the week?

thekooman

dahat wrote: »

Are you of similar weight? To guage the cals required.

The idea of weekly kcals is good and extra at the weekend does appeal especially with longer spins on the plan!

Have you felt under fuelled at 1700 during the week?

i should have said im a 6'3" 74/75kg A3. I'm just a guinea pig for her at the minute but it is very informative... I had a lean winter (outside of xmas, put on 1.5kg), kept the carbs down but now ive up'd the carbs for performance. so good carbs and some bad carbs along with my daily protein and fats. I'm still maintaining my weight at 75kg. starting last September i was about 78kg.

I never feel under fueled or hungry... I actually get hungry quicker if I eat more carbs than protein. It's also important to keep getting plenty of water into you as well. i had another incident where i was having major pains passing water... turned out i was dehydrated due to the intense workouts i was doing at the weekends and not drinking enough fluid. D'oh! :rolleyes:

dahat

That's pretty lean for 6'3", fair play.

It is the weekday workouts where i'm getting caught with under fueling an odd time, last weeks sprint session being an example. I've looked at today's meal at 1pm to have good carbs etc to see if my legs are crap or if it was under fueling!!The same session today will hopefully reveal what was the cause of last weeks failure.

Whyner

Great work, enjoying the read

I try not to treat myself after a really good workout - I feel even better
I've quit my share of TR workouts but I always try to get more than one interval in, my legs always burn in the first interval until they settle in so it's not an accurate reflection of how recovered I am

Keep it up and good luck this year

dahat

31st Jan

A repeat of the sprint session that i had to quit the previous week. This week i had better preparation, lunch was a carb based light meal ( sweet potato) with an energy bar & coffee. The session itself went ok with full completion and though the numbers were so so sometimes a mental victory is worth more.
The session itself was warm up - 30 secs x 3, 20 secs x 3 ,10 secs x 3 twice. Recovery between each effort was between 4mins 30 secs. These were max power efforts on the turbo so a bit risky as well!!!

2nd & 3rd Feb

Same as last weekend, 6hrs of endurance stuff with some efforts at the end of Sundays club spin.

This week is a transition week with FTP Test Thursday & Power Profile Test Saturday, can't wait!!! My weight is still hovering around 99.2- 99.8 kgs though i look and feel lighter so its remains a mystery ( there is no way i'm overeating after weekend spins!!!!!)

dahat

A side note to training activities.

After a service to the race bike my winter bike needs a chain asap. Costs really do add up with 2 bikes plus only very basic mechanic skills.

Some things I really should be able to do but fear making a balls of it makes a lbs visit worth it really.

CramCycle

dahat wrote: »

A side note to training activities.

After a service to the race bike my winter bike needs a chain asap. Costs really do add up with 2 bikes plus only very basic mechanic skills.

Some things I really should be able to do but fear making a balls of it makes a lbs visit worth it really.

Replacing a chain is actually easy once known, the tools will cost you more than a LBS visit but on the second time you need them, you'll be saving money

Bambaata

Chain is very straight forward, go with KMC and its easier again with their quick link

dahat

Yeah, think after these chains I'll purchase 2 new ones plus a chain breaker for next season or in case of a disaster racing. . It all looks straightforward on Youtube,sure most things do really!!!

Keeks

Get a chain break tool (most multi tools have one) and use your old chains to practise.....just take out and put back in the pins to practise......but you should always carry a quick link anyway....saved me a long walk home one time

dahat

I actually carry a mini chain break tool with 2 spare pins though i've yet to use either, guess that's a good thing!!!

dahat

07 Feb Thursday Terror

Today was FTP day so the usual, 05.30 rise, coffee banana then on the turbo for pain!!!

The format was Trainerroad with 3 x 1 min high cadence clearing effort plus a 5 min all out effort then the 20 min TT effort. I matched my last 5 min effort from the previous FTP test. The test itself went good with holding a chosen avg wattage for first 10 mins then a an increase of 10-15 watts for the last ten which i managed though nearer 10 then 15!!!

368 watts @ 94 rpm, avg HR 164, 3.71 watts/kg which gives me an ftp of 349. This is my best ever ftp test in terms of watts & avg hr so i'm chuffed. Watts/kg will always need improving but it's not something i'm going to be silly & drastic over. It should come down to around 95kgs for May all going well.

I've looked back at my FTP history & from my return from surgery on August 1st to date i've lost 8kgs and added 50 watts to my ftp. FTP isn't everything but it's the basis of winter training so i'll take the positives from the results.

barry75

Good result on the FTP nice one,
Its a very hard workout on the turbo

dahat

Thanks!

I think i've done all my ftp tests on the turbo, far easier replicate conditions so the results can be compared. I will however try one on a local climb this year depending on the weather as training will be mostly outdoor based once the clocks go back.

duffyshuffle

dahat wrote: »

Thanks!

I think i've done all my ftp tests on the turbo, far easier replicate conditions so the results can be compared. I will however try one on a local climb this year depending on the weather as training will be mostly outdoor based once the clocks go back.

Well done, good to have a training log back to read, what was your average power for the 5 min test/part?

dahat

duffyshuffle wrote: »

Well done, good to have a training log back to read, what was your average power for the 5 min test/part?

418, needs some work & a little more to be gained there before the racing season starts.

Bambaata

dahat wrote: »

418, needs some work & a little more to be gained there before the racing season starts.

For me the 5 min power is more important than the 20, more likely to need to use a hard 5 min effort in a race than a 20 min effort (and repeated 5 min efforts at that!). It was a real limiter for me too coming from a TT background but its finally starting to increase through a lot of hard 3-6min reps!

dahat

Bambaata wrote: »

For me the 5 min power is more important than the 20, more likely to need to use a hard 5 min effort in a race than a 20 min effort (and repeated 5 min efforts at that!). It was a real limiter for me too coming from a TT background but its finally starting to increase through a lot of hard 3-6min reps!

Repeatability is the key word here for me, training for these efforts will pay off but its bloody hard work as you know.

5min VO2 are repeatable but 5min max efforts can only done on an irregular basis as these efforts require alot of recovery if over used in a plan.

dahat

11th - 16th Feb

This week saw the return of VO2 efforts which as a direct result of improved ftp were testing though somewhat enjoyable in a sick way!! 4 x 1 min on/ff x 2, a gentle start for this years VO2 efforts. I'm away this Sunday so its a 5 day block for me so the rest of the week was filled with some threshold work and 5 min efforts Sturday which should be fun!!

I finally got some progress on the scales with a drop to 97kgs, pleased and hopefully a racing weight of 95kgs is achieved for March 17th. The reduction is probably due to a reduction in my beloved Hovis Granary bread, sad times buts needs must.

dahat

16th Feb

This session was a 60 min warm up with 5 min power efforts with 10min rest betwwen. The segment picked was 2.8% for 2.5km so ideal really.
My average for each 5 min effort was well within previously achieved wattage for same effort so being able to repeat these was very encouraging.

The last effort did hurt & i did need a couple of minutes hanging over the bars before i went on to recover & cool down!!!!!

My early season programme is set as follows:

Clonard 9th March
Carrick 17th March
NTW Wheelers 24 th March
Dungarvan 7th April
Ras An Laois 21st April

My aims for the above would be bunch finishing in each with a Top 20 in any deemed a success. A3 is somewhat unknown for me so while a Top 20 seems a low aim it reflects what i achieved last year racing. I am currently in around 4.3 watts/kg for 5 min power but i have repeatability on this number so hopefully my lard ass is strong enough for a positive result.

dahat

The good & the bad

Last weekend had some 5min power efforts with usual Sunday endurance spin. The power efforts went well with all above the previous weeks efforts of the same interval, progress if only slight.Sundays endurance spin was just two of us and really enjyed the spin with the pace even throughout on rolling roads and one decent climb near Clogheen. This climb is a fav of mine as it runs parallell with the first part of The Vee and has little traffic for the 6-7min climb.

All in all a cracking weekend and the feelings were good with weight solid at 97ks so the power efforts crept up on the watts/kg scale.

Tuesday had a new workout for me, race attack intervals. These were a warm up with a 15 sec sprint, threshold for 3 mins @ 90 rpm plus then a 10 sec max sprint x 4 with 6mins recovery between each. On every 10 sec max sprint i was overgeared with awful wattage for the sprint. My cadence only maxed at 110rpm for each so i'll need to be aware of this when i go at it again next Tuesday. In general i was disapponinted with the wrkout as my legs felt good & feeling positive in general.

A final note............i miss sliced bread!!!!

CramCycle

thekooman wrote: »

I never feel under fueled or hungry... I actually get hungry quicker if I eat more carbs than protein. It's also important to keep getting plenty of water into you as well. i had another incident where i was having major pains passing water... turned out i was dehydrated due to the intense workouts i was doing at the weekends and not drinking enough fluid. D'oh! :rolleyes:

I get the same with carbs, the more I eat, the hungrier I get. I get the dehydration bit as well, or I used too anyway, caused quite bad back pain.

dahat wrote: »

A final note............i miss sliced bread!!!!

Me too but the cravings do die down. I learned the hard way i cannot just treat myself. I used to think it was OK but now I realise I just keep eating and it kick starts the cravings as well so I just say no unless it is an emergency.

dahat

Clonard 9th March
Carrick 17th March
NTW Wheelers 24 th March

A nice block of 3 races starts this Saturday for me with hopes of at least one good showing high. I've been trying to adapt postive thoughts with visualisation methods twoards these races in order to break the absolute fear of A3 i had last season. The fitness feels good which helps but a nagging feeling that i could do with a rub before Saturday won't go away ( too many commitments to ge tone now) so a week of foam rolling will have to do.

Saturdays race is an out & back 76km so should be fast & furious with the likelhood of last weeks A3 winner a favourite so bunch gallop for minor placings most likely. If i am placed for a sprint i will go for one to get some practise in irregardless of any possible placings. Obviously won't attempt anything dangerous as main aim here is to get bike & body home safe.

thekooman

dahat wrote: »

Clonard 9th March
Carrick 17th March
NTW Wheelers 24 th March

A nice block of 3 races starts this Saturday for me with hopes of at least one good showing high. I've been trying to adapt postive thoughts with visualisation methods twoards these races in order to break the absolute fear of A3 i had last season. The fitness feels good which helps but a nagging feeling that i could do with a rub before Saturday won't go away ( too many commitments to ge tone now) so a week of foam rolling will have to do.

Saturdays race is an out & back 76km so should be fast & furious with the likelhood of last weeks A3 winner a favourite so bunch gallop for minor placings most likely. If i am placed for a sprint i will go for one to get some practise in irregardless of any possible placings. Obviously won't attempt anything dangerous as main aim here is to get bike & body home safe.

if there is one bit of advice i can offer... WEAR PLENTY OF WINTER GEAR! DIED on Sunday. pulled out at 83k

dahat

thekooman wrote: »

if there is one bit of advice i can offer... WEAR PLENTY OF WINTER GEAR! DIED on Sunday. pulled out at 83k

You did well to make 83k, fair play.

Forecast not as bitter next weekend by all accounts, at least I'm hoping it's not!!!

I don't do well with excess clothing so fingers crossed.

Forecast looks fine & dry for Saturday morning so likelihood of a bumper filed (100+) very likely i'd say.

dahat

Ras Naomh Finnan

This course looked relatively friendly and an ideal start point for the year ahead. As I'm at the other end of the country a 5.30 rise for an 11 o clock race with a 5pm arrival home meant a long old day.

I had decided to start handy and get warmed up by being involved on the early action on the faint hope I'd land in an early breakaway but it wasn't to be. The legs felt good and condfidence was high after an encouraging start.
The trip out was into a murderous headwind so we were all happy to hit the turn with a tasty headwind home, apparently quote a few were dropped here after chasing back on after an early crash.
The headwind meant pace picked up and lads got a bit tetchy at times with two lads skipping away not to be seen again. The focus now was to remain with the bunch to get invovled with the gallop. The Kms ticked away and I was starting to realise I may have a shot of pts here and I shouldn't leave this pass me by. However failure to mark the last 200 meant I started sprinting around 600 out and blew but got going agsin to finish well up the field and happy overall.

Onto to Carrick next week feeling confident of a good showing.

dahat

Man down

With Sunday coming being my main goal event over the winter my immune system has decided to inflict a cough upon me at the worst possible time. My schedule this week has AR today, SS Wed with a sprint session Thursday followed by the usual pre event on Saturday. At this point in time the sprint session thursday looks like being binned but i should be able to complete the rest while assessing hr during each to guage my internal illness.

Not a good start to the week....

Edit: I passed on today's 60mins AR after some honest assessment, I'm sickened to get this now of all weeks.

dahat

Race Weekend

After a sickly start i had two good workouts this week, sweet spot & a max sprint session (30/20/10 x 3 ea) . Both of these went well so i'm heading into this weekends reace with good legs. The race itself is 96km so longer and lumpier than last week so how this ones goes will be interesting. I will be expecting plenty pace arly on but hope to postion myself handy as i'm expecting some action on a potential crosswind section given the N/W wind. Overall the forecast is for cold and slightly blustery with an odd shower, i'll take that all day long.

My weight has dropped again to 95.8kgs, slowly but surely the kgs are heading towards my 90 kg aim for the summer races.

dahat

Tommy Sheehan Memorial

As this race was one of my A targets all winter i was pretty nervous going into the race. The weeks training had gone well so i approached the race as the previous one, handy early with some intention to get away or get into a fluky break in order to get the blood pumping. This again worked well plus had a few digs on the first two laps with crosswinds on the open section, nothing stuck but i enjoyed getting involved.

I came very close to getting totally dropped on the long descent on laps 3 & 4 which is mad when you are at a max speed of 72km/h!!! Mnay matches were burned getting back on each time but i did eventually with the bunch easing up just after to let me recover. At 66km my right hammy & groin cramped which looked like the end of my day, this season though i've been working on psitive thinking, mind over matter stuff so i went into the 36/25 for 600/700 yards to see if i could ease it out. After this i was careful not to blow up so sat in to see if i could make the gallop for minor placings. 5 lads had skipped away on the last lap so the race was between them to sort out.

As we entered the last 15km my legs came back underneath me so made every effort to try get a good result but after making the sprint my legs blew up 25 yards from the line. I wasn't close to the last placings but from photo evidence it looks like i may have made top 15-20 which i am over the moon with. This was my first race beyond 80km so cramps aside it was a good day for the parish!

Can you check placings at all? Strava flybys maybe?

My next race is Sunday, NTW Wheelers which is 120km. The cramps could be an issue here so fingers crossed it wont be.

sullzz

dahat wrote: »

Tommy Sheehan Memorial

As this race was one of my A targets all winter i was pretty nervous going into the race. The weeks training had gone well so i approached the race as the previous one, handy early with some intention to get away or get into a fluky break in order to get the blood pumping. This again worked well plus had a few digs on the forst two laps with crosswinds on the open section, nothing stuck but i enjoyed getting involved.

I cam very close to getting totally dropped on the long descent on laps 3 & 4 which is mad when you are at a max speed of 72km/h!!! Mnay matches were burned getting back on each time but i did eventually with the bunch easing up just after to let me recover. At 66km my right hammy & groin cramped which looked like the end of my day, this season though i've been working on psitive thinking, mind over matter stuff so i went into the 36/25 for 600/700 yards to see if i could ease it out. After this i was careful not to blow up so sat in to see if i could make the gallop for minor placings. 5 lads had skipped away on the last lap so the race was between them to sort out.

As we enetered the last 35km my legs came back underneath me so made every effort to try get a good result but after making the spring my legs blew up 25 yards from the line. I wasn't close to the last placings but from photo evidence it looks like i may have made top 15-20 which i am over the moon with. This was my first race beyond 80km so cramps aside it was a good day for the parish!

Can you check placings at all? Strava flybys maybe?

My next race is Sunday, NTW Wheelers which is 120km. The cramps could be an issue here so fingers crossed it wont be.

Any pictures I saw of this race, you are sitting at the front of the bunch.
You also took a lot trimmer from the last time we met.
Well done.