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A2 or bust
Comments
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Great stuff dude, and extra kudos for the fact that the lad you beat in the sprint previously rode the Ras for the ireland U23 development team.
Ha, sandbagger, hope he takes the SDCC club champs :eek: He was dead sound, and it was an honest race in the end. I let him know before the last turn, as we rested for 5 seconds, that it was every man for himself before my brain clicked he could beat me so I just tore off. All I could hear on the run up to the line was him catching me. I am still not convinced I won, I am awaiting video evidence.
I forgot to mention, I threw up twice during the race, I threw my bottle off a few laps from the end as my vomit tasted of blackcurrant so I couldn't drink anymore and I was worried I'd try and take a drink again.0 -
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Done my first 25M TT in a year. I went all in, took off the bottle cages, TT bars on but the humidity the last few days has been a killer so I was worried about the no water but recent experience has taught em I cannot drink when going hard so what was the point. Got out there and drank so much water I was basically pissing drinking water. I had some slight pain in my left leg on the way out, so couldn't tell was it nerves, dehydration or what but I was going to give it a lash.
Started off OK, got up to speed quickly, knew there was a tail wind on the way back so figured I would aim for high 30s on the way out and high 40s on the way back. Well that course is a ****er to pace yourself on, I was bouncing between 30 and 50kmph the whole way out with zero consistency except my HR which stayed at 180 with little movement the whole way. I had to get out of the aero bars a few times as I was getting pains in my legs from the position but overall I wasn't too bad. About 5km from the turnaround I saw my minute man, which may have been a bad thing or a good thing. I stopped looking at the numbers and started looking at catching him. The issue here is that I never got much closer for the next 15km and it was a bit demoralising after awhile. I got to about 50m when my minute man came round me who then overtook my minute man, who then obviously enraged, upped the pace. I was close to the line but I managed to hold distance. Eventually we got to the last roundabout and the two of them took a bad line and slowed, I rode through with a racing line and took them both at 50kmph. The last 4km would be a game of cat and mouse as we all tried not to draft each other and stay within the rules. Coming to the last 2km I started to pile on the pressure and came through but I couldn't take my minute man and we ended up side by side for the last, with him piping me by a bike length in the end.
I needed help to get back on the bike for the way home as I couldn't lift me leg over and I pootled home at a snails pace. Stopped in Aldi as I bonked to get some sweets and proceeded to throw them up in to my mouth repeatedly on the way home, thankfully i had a slight tail wind so I still made it but it was torturous. My bowels and stomach are not right today, I hate cycling, this is what 25M TTs do to you. Why would anyone do this voluntarily.0 -
You can’t give us all that info and not the time!!!0
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1.02.10 according to Strava, 1.02.13 according to the time keepers. Averaged speed of 38.9kmph. I had a Dream of a 40kmph, an expectation of 36kmph so overall quite happy, except it seems to have ruined my intestinal system. I am really struggling to eat or use the bathroom, stomach still cramping and I came 8nto work and it was commented I looked like a heroin addict looking for a fix.0
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Galway Classic today. What a journey to get there. Family are in Wexford so I set the alarm early, swing by home to get the bike and catch the train to Athenry. I can't sleep and eventually at 2am I decide to go early and sleep a few hours at home. Got pulled over and breathalysed, presumably because I pulled into an empty petrol station (to take off my jumper). Home, stomach still not right from Thursday and spent the two hour nap with multiple toilet breaks. Packed the bike up and drove to the station and hit for Athenry, looking and feeling awful. Nothing like an Irish Rail toilet to tell your body to get over itself and stop being unwell or else you will have to use one. 3 hours early, I went for a breakfast, which continued to repeat on me for the next few hours, 2ater made me want to vomit preparation was going well. We rolled out and I sat near the back for the neutralised section but 1km after the flag dropped I went round and shot off the front. I got a good gap and held them out for over half a lap but a few strong lads reeled me in. And so it would.continue for 60km, attack, recover, attack, recover. The same lads kept putting in the work though. I rolled up beside a Mayo lad and it was clear we weren't dropping anyone so we sat at the front recovering. I counted down the land on the second last turn with a bit of a bump I took off again. An unattached rider came with me strong as an Ox, I busted it out of the saddle and he stayed seated and came round me with ease. Forgot about the 90 degree turn at the bottom, and took it too fast but held on, MTBer and general all rounder made a dig and I went with him, let's go I roared with a sudden vibrancy I had not felt all day. We were 2km from the end but I thought we were three. A cork lad came round us like a train and my unattached friend blew up. I grabbed his wheel. Be smart, only 1800m. He sounded like he would explode but he never slowed, 1km left and two lads come round the inside, I go outside to catch their wheels on the way round. ****, there is the line and only 100m to go, I was 800m off, the lads have started their sprint and I am already behind. I panic and come out but I just don't have the legs. A third rider joins me at the line, neither of us know who got it but I am gutted once more my lack of attention cost me the opportunity. First points of the season though, although not clear if I get 6 points or not.0
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Well done, after a dramatic day that's a good result.0
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Nice one man, you're on a run of good form.0
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Not anymore, out in Corkagh last week and two days of beer and no sleep in Berlin meant I barely held on for half the race. Tried off the front with no dropping early on, eventually kept gettign swept to the back, the A1s caught us and I kept hammering it on the finishing straight and then getting shot out the back over the rest of the lap. My head and heartrate eventually forced me to pull over and call it a day within 20 minutes.Nice one man, you're on a run of good form.
Aiming for Roundwood this weekend but on holiday at the minute and won't have sat on a bike for over a week if I go.0 -
Well I missed Roundwood, for various reasons that don't warrant discussion. Regardless, the dream of a win is over for this year with that. Talking to a few friends at the race, only 30 riders, most of whom I know, it was a possibility. Fair play to the guy who made the early break from the gun with a pump the length of your arm in his jersey pocket, psychologically it was brilliant, no one chased as they pegged him as a fred.
No way to know if I would have went with him and if I had, would more people have chased, anyway, no point thinking about the past. The rest of the year will be hard, blow myself up training. Out to Mondello for the first time this week. As I said to a friend today, imagine telling friends when we were in our twenties, not only would we strive to have heart attacks, we would pay money to someone else and then cause the heart attack ourselves without them having to do anything, cyclists are a weird bunch of people.0 -
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So after a fortnight off from racing, I went out for a training spin for the first time in my life, and promptly got my ass handed to me after blowing up. Not goign to Roundwood may have been a good thing. I felt really good and then all of a sudden they went dead, completely dead.
So for some reason, I thought going to Mondello would be a good idea. Started off joking with the rest of A4 about TTing away but myself and another lad made a small gap, I figured I would warm up for the first lap adn then sit back in but with minimal effort I was about 10seconds up on the guy on my wheel, 4 laps later and I was still away, and gaining time on them, legs were coming back into form. Then all of a sudden, they started catching me. I figured they were finally workign together but as it turns out an A3 I met down in Galway had bridged over on his own and was now towing the lot of them over to me. I sat in but no time to recover, they all started working after a lap or two of confused signals. And then it happened, I looked behind and seen what I thought was A3 and I sort of sat up, but the rest of them kept chugging away, in fact they appeared to stay away until the last 3 laps. Anyway, one guy in a red skinsuit came round me and I grabbed his wheel, it was easy going and we were making space on the follow group and catching A4. Hooray I got the right wheel. Coming round a corner after a minute, both wheels went from under me, not sure how I stayed up but I lost the wheel and was spooked. Anyway, 2 Lucan lads came round me and let me tag on, living the dream, riding with A1s and hanging in there. We eventually sit up and let the rest of them swallow us up. All going OK, somehow I am holding in there with them but then an interesting thing happens. It turns out that they are as ****ing mental in regards handling a bike as A4s, in fact, they are worse. Lads tapping brake and swerving all over the place. FFS, none of them pro, you ain't getting paid enough for that BS. I sit up and ride the last 6 laps solo. I would have been dropped anyway but its nice to have a high horse to stand on.0 -
So organising my club league tonight and a volunteer said they couldn't race so could do something, so i let them take my spot at the finish line as I had the bike with me (no HR or Wahoo though).
Rolled out with a small group of A2s and A3s. A few lads had digs off the front but I could feel nothing was holding so I stayed in the group. A few times lads tried to break and people bridged over but they never made enough of a gap and we caught them easily on any decent climb. I made a few tiny digs on the climbs but my legs are still recovering from holidays. Coming to the last climb though, I was near the back but started coming through them with ease, 3rd wheel and I was bopping up the climb and feeling good. I switched out when the guy beside me started dropping back. i could do this, I was going to crack them all, end their will and coast away with ease. I pulled around and overtook the three in front, one grabbed my wheel but I could handle that, I could see it level off up the road, i had them. Then of course it turned out I was wrong, the road curved, I was looking at a laneway, there was still half the climb. I dropped a gear, I still felt good, this was still going to work. I of course dropped into the wrong gear, ended up spinning and nearly ****ing myself off the bike. Everyone came round me as my heart stopped. I got over it and recovered very quickly but they had 200m on me. I caught my good friend from Lucan who helped me with my first race win, we worked well together and started taking turns, we were holding distance, and figured they would slow for either the last drag up, waiting for the sprint, or slow in the last 500m for it, we would ride through and crush their spirits.
Anyway, we held the distance but they never slowed, it was crushing as we both put in a great effort, and would have done well in the sprint. I was happy overall considering last year, I got dropped by everyone so it was nice to hang in there this year with a stronger group0 -
So earlier in the week, I woke up over night with bloodsugars at 27.1mmol/l. This is not good, I got up, corrected, went back to sleep but never really got fully back to sleep. Anyway, I wake up and I cannot move, my legs are cramping and my back has siezed, I am pinned to the bed, well sort of. I can move but it hurts like crazy. I finally get out after lying in pain for an hour, and stumble into the kitchen, recline into a seat and refuse to move. My grandson is wheeled over to me to look after while everyone makes coffee, I haven't told them of my pain yet as family in my house are not sympathetic to such things. Recently my wife told my daughter to suck it up while she complained of pain, stating women the world over manage it, so she should suck it up. As it turns out, her low pain threshold is all in our heads and she was in labour. Anyway. I check my bloods while sitting there, down to 1.7mmol/l, also not good. This is the reading where you have barely enough sugar in the blood to keep your brain functioning. So since then, saturday morning, my back has been aching although slowly improving, and my legs have been sore to the touch, like I ran a marathon. So Tuesday comes around, I haven't slept right in 3 days, had a bottle of vino last night to try and help sleep, turns out it doesn't, just makes you grumpy in the morning. Anyway, as the time counts down to decision time, I decide I am going for it, why not, just sit in and peel off once caught. We start off sedate enough, they clearly have given us damn all of a HCP so when I see the A3 bunch 15 seconds away after a lap and a bit, I sit up and grab some water, wash all the salt and sh1t of my face. I hang right, waiting for that one person who wouldn't follow the wheel tight enough and I slot into them as they pass. I tip along nicely, always 10 or so from the front, only working to hold a wheel, nothing else. I lose the wheel a few times, sometimes by accident, others on purpose as I know the guy in front won't hold it going round certain bends so I go round him before he knows. The next 30 minutes are a blur, fast but not impossible, a mix of our semi limit and semi scratch races. Then I see A1/A2 are nearly upon us. I take a breath and try and judge when they will get to us, I mistime it but I have enough in the legs to grab a wheel as they come through. now it is HR on the line time. I get a few shouts to hold wheels but my acceleration is not working properly, so I am timing getting dropped and cycling through corners to catch back on, it is basically track racing, no breaks for me. Everytime I go a bit to far back I surge around to near the front, I even dragged the bunch to a break away (who i was trying to bridge over to but no matter). My style is different than the rest but I am staying up there. I look at my Wahoo, can't be more than 5 laps left, then it was 4, I was still in there and, not comfy, but holding in there. Then there was 3, the pace jumped but it became more accordion like. I stuck to my plan, lose a bit of space, gain a bit of space. I got caught in tight corners as the pace had changed but all was OK. Down to 2 laps, and then it happened, the space grew, my legs were not doing it, i felt tired. Not burned out or bonked, I was still spinning but not gaining. The A4s were nearly all burned off though, I had lapped half of them, and none were in the front bunch I was getting seperated from, all I had to do was beat whoever was left. Head down, just had to keep tipping away, ready to pounce if any caught me. 1 lap left, I am starting to come across the remnants of the bunch. Riders are just packing it in and taking the short cut home. I see one in the distance, just dropped but he is goignt othe end, he didn't take the easy route. He was my target, I was aiming only for him. Last bend and I had him closed down to 10m, he sped up out of the corner and I had to put the head down. He beat me by a metre but I had done it, 1st A4, huzzah. only 30seconds down on the bunch after two laps on my own.0
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So back on the track bike commuting after awhile away, and the legs were hurting from lack of use but no matter, it was fun. This week I missed MOndello due to urgent IKEA furniture that needed building but somehow I wasn't really fresh at the club league, with bags under my eyes and sore legs. We got moving and it was from the gun, Semi Scratch put the hammer down and worked well together, a few lads had trouble slowing on their turns but it was fast paced, not really dropping below 44kmph for the first four laps. We came round the corner for the prime on lap 5 and I got the right wheel to follow but I tried to come round to early and blew up, coming over the line 5th. This was my grave error for the night, I couldn't hold on and drifted from the bunch. i sat up and started my recovery, I only had one hope, I needed to grab Scratch, a mix of some of the strongest A1s in the country and I needed to hold on for dear life, recovery was key. 2 Scratch riders had broken away and caught me within the lap, I grabbed their wheel, along with another dropped SS rider. He eventually packed it in but I was sitting in and was comfy, they were not perturbed by me and let me sit there without issue. I tried as we made in roads in to the group ahead to take turns on the front, and again, a grievous error. They gave me 5 seconds before coming round both times and now I was struggling to hold their wheels. Nonetheless, the group were within spitting distance, just had to hold on. We were now within metres, no need to stress, relax, grab hold, you don't need to compete with Scratch riders, just everyone else. Final mistake, I relaxed, i never quite grabbed on. I hung on 20m back from the group but never made it, you fool, what have you done. A lap of chasing and I finally sat up to wait for the other Scratch riders. One of them had overtaken me in the league rankings, in reality, I just needed to hold onto or beat him to stay within two points. They flew through and I grabbed their wheels. They were lined out like it was the Ras, and I sat in, switching over when near the front to avoid a turn. I didn't need to catch the front group, I just needed them not too. Then my ego got the better of me, my unrequited arch nemesis goading me into taking a turn on the front, which my ego of course had too. I took my turn and they came round and then I looked over, it was going to take an almighty change in pace to catch them now. 7 turns left and they still had 15seconds. As the pace increased, I simply sat up and pedalled it in, they would have to be gods to catch them, and while they maybe kings in A1, they were not gods today. i rolled in a few seconds behind.
Everyone laughed, they thought i was messing as I raised my arms aloft but the achievement, albeit, incredibly cynical was made. My arch nemesis had made no points, and I had made no points, therefore we were no different than before.
or so I thought, my last error for the day, one I am over the moon about. He had not missed as many races as me, so this race added to my total, and not to his. Without either of us realising, I had overtaken him by simply finishing near him.
I now have three points on him, which means, to be safe, at a minimum, I need 6th place next week, 4th place is a guaranteed draw if he wins, anything higher and he is mine.0 -
Well that was anti climactic, a young lad turned up, and he was strong so spent a good bit off the front and attacking, which was great. A few lads went for breaks and I happily soft pedalled up the front. If they made it, I might be able to bridge over later but the group were having none of it. I made a few digs but nothing was happening and I settled into the bunch. Coming round one corner, I dropped a few gears, ****e, derailleur is acting up, weird, it started behaving and I caught back on. After lap one we made it onto the main road and I was near the front, pushing but not too hard, no one was going too hard. One rider came roundm e, he is a hard worker and he lets a roar at me to come with him, I go to tag on but he has his head down and is sprinting. I get into the drops and put the hammer down, second pedal strioke and the bike slipped, wheel locked up and I skidded into a sideway.. No idea what had happened tll I got off, wheel was loose and seemed to have popped out under the power. Got it back in ASAP and jumped back but the wheel was rubbing, get off again, callipers are misaligned, fix them and hop back oon, but then I just gave up. I could have TTd for a lap but it was never going to work. They smellled blood and would be long gone.
The young lad won the race, and it was well earned, he went for the sprint early and held them off in style, a competitor for next year no doubt.
Another year over, one of my two frenemies didn't place, and the other one got fourth. In the end it was a joint 3rd place for us both, alongside free tea and sandwiches, all worth it in the end.0 -
I fear the hunger is gone for the year. Having spent my winnings from the club league on takeaways and beer, I have been a bit more sluggish and not all that enthusiastic. Nonetheless, Mondello was ending last night, and if I didn't go, there would only be one more race for the year. I left work with two flats, surely a sign not to go but I got them fixed handy enough and thought, shure, go on up and see how you feel. Truth be told, I did not feel enthusiastic, and I was at spins to hide the tiredness from my poor lifestyle choices over the week. We rolled out anyway and the A4 group were a larger but very mixed bunch this week. I tried sitting in but it was too slow, I worked with my clubmates and a few others but it was hard to get a break to form although we came close a few times, riders just seemed to give up rather than realising they were away. One clubmate commented that our Limit group would have given them a good run for there money, and he was right, most had given up before they started. I went for a few digs but eventually settled back in around the 4th lap. A rider came upto me to say there were some A3s bridging over and we should just rest up till they got there. I settled in and let a teammate who was drilling it up front it was time to settle down and try and catch them as they passed. In the end, only one of them made it over, tore past us and I was the only A4 to catch his wheel. Within a lap we were out of sight away. I took a few digs on the front but after two laps with him I let him go, I was never going to hold him and taking the turns up front was idiotic. I could see that the A2s and A1s had caught the rest as I slowed up. I rested, drank what I could and fired my bottle at a friend on the sideline, I missed him but Ill get him next time. The A1s and A2s rode through hard, there were gaps but the speed was tremendous and I couldn't match it quite right. I eventually caught a wheel after about 20 had passed and just dug in to hold on, and from there on in it was accordion city, up and down with the speed but i was holding in there. Finally we got to three laps left and I was still in the top 20, 5 riders broke away and I let them as I hadn't got a jump now, but for some reason the bunch stayed on my wheel and let them get away, not for the first time I would be given out to for not holding a wheel, guess the A4 numbers were not obvious enough. Coming to the start of the second last lap, I took a dig off the front to catch, more for sh1ts and giggles, presuming the other A4s were not there. It didn't work, although I closed down two of them, I then had to move sideways and let the bunch come around. I was getting tired and in my stupidity actually missed a rider on my left who was thankfully more aware and let a roar as I drifted into his path, sorry about that. I stayed in the bunch for the final lap, even taking a few more tries and barging through the bunch. I got caught on the wrong side coming into the wind though and was at the back. The legs were dead and with half a lap to go I simply just rolled it in.
One race left. Hopefully i will be more enthusiastic.0 -
The dream is over for 2019.
I had the Dublin Champs planned as my last race and this week started eating better and trying to be a bit more focused. Went out for a walk at the weekend and my dog made a beeline for me as I was jogging. I stopped seeing he was going to collide but when I stopped, he slowed, I started to move again and he darted crossways between my legs and tripped me. It was comical in its stupidity.
Minor sprain around the ankle, nothing major. Woke up at 3am overnight with a bright red foot and immense pain, to the point I was near vomiting/collapsing. To out of it to think enough I might need to see someone I banged in a load of painkillers and went to bed. Slight swelling in the morning but nothing terrible but now an old knee injury has resurrected itself. It makes a delightful crunching sound as it moves. Taking a few days off but I fear that is the end of the year for me. Not terribly sore but my body is clearly compensating as a co worker said it looks like I am walking with a dead leg.0 -
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That sucks but look on the bright side - you had some amazing results this year. Nothing to prove! :cool:
There is always something to prove.
So last post of the year. I was in the Dublin Champs a week ago. Preparation was terrible to the point I forgot my helmet and was still putting my shoes on as everyone else was on the line. A helmet handed to me by the future A3 Dublin Champ let me compete (Thanks Dave). I lost my insulin pump before the race, bloods were low and I had no food so just took out my pump, then forgot where i left it and then found it 3 minutes before race start. I got to the line and they rolled out immediately. I was not focused, not paying attention and overall out of form and shape. None of this actually annoys me, I crossed the line last, the day was great. Unfortunately the one thing that annoys me was the one error that I made on the second last lap which cost me the possible win. I made a break and got a decent gap in seconds. I was on the third turn and a clubmate bridged over but I was on the limit. I went in front of him and told him to hold my wheel, I wasn't going to last. And here was my mistake, not that I went in front, not that I offered, but that when I put down a pace I could hold, I pulled away from him, and he called to me, and i sat up. My error was not reading the race, I was away, if I had ignored the idea of workign with someone, I would have held off. I only had 1.2laps, sitting up was idiotic and it annoys me so much that my loss was no ones fault but my own.
Anyway valuable lesson learned, be a selfish bast*rd and care about no one else.
On the positive side, I hit some of my targets this year (I expected none) and if I learn to challenge the rage i feel commuting into racing, I might actually win an A4 race.
DONEAims for the year:
- Sub 80kg from March 1st and not to go back above it for the rest of the year.
Got the points, not the win, so FAIL- I also have the potential to win an A4 race, something I didn't really believe last year, if I can stop falling back into old Audax habits and getting lost en route, I think I can definitely get a few points, provided I work on my sprint.
DONE- Starting this year in Semi Limit in the league, so aiming for Semi Scratch by end of season
Find out in 4 weeks- get HbA1c down to under 50mmol/L, sitting in the sixties again
Took up swimming, didn't drown, did not do the race, so a FAIL- Aiming for the Dun Laoghaire open swim organised by Half Moon Water Polo club. So I will be taking up swimming again. Haven't done it for years and after a dip in the sea today, I look like a drowning fish, so I want to be competitive for this. It is a 2.2km open race so this will require alot of effort on my part.
Didn't happen at all- Finishing off the heavy boozing today. Drinking will be reserved for winning races, births, deaths and marriages. Hopefully this means I will not be having a drop until march at the earliest.
Held this up until 2 weeks ago so WIN- Diet: back to the diet I took up in August last year, which was fairly simple. Eat healthy, cut down on carbs, replace breakfasts and lunches with shakes. No eating after 9pm
I did join a Gym, and even went for a few months, must keep that up over the winter.- Training. Back to commuting from the morning, so rain, hail or shine, every day is on the bike going forward. Currently working out longer, hillier routes for the commute. I also have a range of exercises done out for building up other muscle groups to both strengthen weak spots as well as stretch out and train myself to be better. I was contemplating a gym membership but the truth is I won't make it to one.
Next year, simpler goals. A win in A4, in fact, if I don't think I have a first I will sit up, I need that adrenaline of a win. Get upto Scratch in the Club League. Be a bast*rd in races.
See ye next year.0
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