2nd place overall, 480.723mi, 773.649km
Wow.
Not being able to sit down without gritting teeth and grimacing and not being able to walk properly are not-so-subtle reminders of a very successful second attempt at the longest time trial on the calendar. 24 hours, twice around the clock, on a bike is bloody hard work. I think that’s why there’s only typically a single event of this duration per year (apparently there used to be four!) and they don’t tend to receive more than 100 entries.
This second attempt at the Willesden CC 24hr club record started about 2 minutes after finishing the ESCA 24hr in 2011 when I’d decided I had to have another crack at it after coming so close the first time. Training started with longish miles over a mild winter and then long miles on the TT bike over a cold, err, spring?
The Mersey Roads course was up north around Whitchurch near Chester and was quite a lot simpler than the ESCA 24 hour course with less than 85mi/130k of unique road in use. We bought a car so that I could drive to races (trains and hiring was painful and impractical so I finally caved and bought a used hatchback) and used this to drive up and recce the course a month before the race.
We stayed with the lovely Dave and Leslie in a great B&B in Whitchurch called Sedgeford House. This was right near the course and allowed me to pre-ride everything a few times over in one weekend. All up about 15 hours of wet and windy riding that weekend that included killing another Powertap hub and my Profile Designs bottle cage falling off my saddle. I didn’t like it anyway.
Most of the other training rides leading up to the race were wet and/or cold. One was supposed to be 11 hours riding around Richmond Park but that was cut down to 5 hours at night when I got sick of dodging wildlife and being cold and damp. Weak I know but it was a week before the race and I’d rather skip it than dig myself into a hole.
I’d made a few changes to my setup since the Sussex race including having Scherrit at the Bike Whisperer set me up with custom drilled shoes for a midfoot cleat position. This has proved very effective for injury prevention and meant I didn’t visit a physio or need a massage for my dodgy Achilles and calf during all my training this year – great relief! It should also be slightly more aero. Another change was running wheel covers on the rear wheel and wearing a skinsuit (my existing Willesden CC skinsuit as I never got around to testing the ?200 Castelli San Remo speedsuit I bought!). Lights were upgraded this year as I treated myself to the massive and bright Exposure Six Pack LED front light and some small Backupz LED lights. Tom also hooked me up with his MaaX-D again for backup purposes. Cheers! This year I would also run my deeper 808 front wheel instead of the 404 and use latex tubes to decrease rolling resistance in the 25mm Michelin Pro Optimum clinchers.
Friday
Day off work today to shave, get hair cut, prep bikes (I’d bought new Speedplay pedals and converted the S-Works to midfoot) lock myself out of the house and generally panic before Mal, Scherrit and I leave for Whitchurch in Corinne’s stocked-up Bongo van. I think it was about 3.5 hour drive up to the Sedgeford House B&B. We unloaded and went out for a great Italian dinner at Etzio.
Saturday
Slept in and had a late breakfast of eggs and beans on toast with peppermint tea – since I’ve been caffeine and booze free for a few weeks. Scherrit, the trackie, managed to forget the track pump but luckily Dave had one in the garage which he let us borrow. So I had air in my latex tubes for the race which I’m sure helped! The crew bought some water and supplies from Tesco and then we drove up to the HQ. Had a chat with Matt, chuckled at the Rapha photo shoot, wished I had a faster looking bike and signed on.
Rolled to the start line after about 500m of ‘warm up’ and chatted to the crew before moving over to the holder. I don’t recall much other than thinking “Quentin is filming this so don’t fall over when the holder lets go” and “lean me to the left” and then it was 3..2..1.. GO!
The 24 hour is all about the long game. Don’t do any damage to yourself in the first 12-18 hours. I focused on controlling my power output knowing riders behind me would go out too fast and pass me quite quickly. It’s a tough exercise in self-control when you’ve rested up for the race. I forgot to start my Garmin 800 so at the A41 turn, 15 minutes in, I hit Start. I was using a special mix of SIS Go for the whole event and SIS L-Carnitine “burner” gels for the first three hours as per the recommendation of Tim Lawson, Science in Sport founder (thanks for assistance Tim!). This got me to into the out-and-back Prees Circuit of the A41.
After these Prees laps there were four laps on the more technical, smaller roads of the Quina Brook circuit which had changed since I test rode it – there were ‘No Entry’ boards across almost the whole road! It was pretty sketchy going through at speed and only having a narrow gravelly gap on a blind corner to get the bike through. On perhaps the 3rd lap Scherrit called out “lights” but I saw Mal with a bottle and rode through yelling for a towel to lay down and stretch on. I decided to carry on and get another lap in as it wasn’t too dark or anything. What I did do was phone the team before I got to them – something we’d decided on after last year’s race was that a normal phone is a good idea. I called and asked for arm warmers and a towel so I could stretch. I also asked if there was somewhere I could take a leak. I stopped when I got to them and rushed into what appeared to me to be a Burger King but I found out after the race was a fish and chip restaurant. Cleaned myself up a little bit and went back out to a bike with lights. Put arm warmers on and did some stretching to ease the slight ache in my lower back. One more 35 minute lap of Quina and I called again and this time asked for a number to be pinned onto my CS Grupetto winter vest which I picked up from the team. Lights were on now and it was chilly.
Around 10pm I was moved back to the 60k/40mi long Prees out-and-back again. Two circuits done and the race’s half way point was crossed. 12 hours and I’d done just over 400k or 250mi in Ye Olde World measurements (2000 furlongs FYI). Tiredness was a becoming a factor now so in went two caffeine gels. Stopped for a wee and applied the endurance time triallist’s best friend Sudocreme (or the chamois cream of your choice). Another couple of laps and I stopped for another wee and I’d called ahead and asked for coffee which was lukewarm and knocked back quickly. Snickers bars were offered but declined (for once in my life). This coffee was the first “normal” food or drink consumed in the race. After a half lap I stopped at the car and had another coffee (thanks to the neighbouring team for the hot water, sorry I was a bit short when you offered tea) and spying some of Leslie’s cake scoffed some of that. Again, on Tim’s advice I was on SIS bars during the night. The guys told me this was my last Prees lap which cheered me up no end – I was mentally falling apart riding this over and over. Searching for extra motivation I resorted to playing music from the phone that I cranked up and jammed towards me ears or sat in my bento box. At the transfer though the marshal told me to go again. I rode up to him: “WHAT?! Are you sure?!”. The crew saw me turn around for another lap and drove past me shortly after. “Do I really have to do this bloody loop again?!” I moaned. They weren’t sure but had asked a time keeper who said I’d be turned around early and wouldn’t do the whole circuit again except when they mentioned my number he’d said “oh, he’s fast, he’s one of the top guys, he will probably have to do a whole lap but check at the roundabouts”. I had to do the whole lap. Kill me.
Finally I was allowed to move onto the Quina Brook circuit again. This time someone had moved one of the “No Entry” signs so riders could take the inside line on the corner which was nice. I was to do four laps of this. My team got some misinformation and moved off to the Finishing Circuit while I rode the final loop of Quina. It didn’t bother me too much as I was panicking about not breaking the record after such an extended bad spell in the early hours. Calculations in my feeble brain were run over and over to see if I could possibly make the 460 miles / 740 kilometres in the time remaining. I couldn’t think straight but worked out it was doable if I could hold over 20mph/30kph. Unfortunately I wasn’t sure if this speed was possible now.
Around 10.30am Sunday it was time to head north of Whitchurch again on the A41 bound for the Finishing Circuit. Calculate, pedal, calculate, pedal. “Is this going to be possible?” “Please let me break the record, I don’t want to ride one of these again!” “I don’t care if I beat it by an inch, I’m not going to do all this training again, no way, please can I have the record?!”
On the Finishing Circuit now and pushing hard. Almost sure I can get this record now. I’m delayed by a truck or tractor or something. The roads are winding and skinny in most places. Mal says I flew around the corner at Bruera like a mad parrot, she barely had time to get ready. I was taking on gels again now as well as the bars but getting really bad acid reflux or heartburn or something – to the extent that I was vomiting into my mouth after taking food in. I’m sure you wanted to know that. So I called ahead and begged for flat Coke and some Rennies (antacid tablets that I’d figured would come in handy after last years gut problems). Got these in and felt better. YES! 740k done. I’d got the Willesden CC club record! Now it was self-destruction time. My left shin muscle (whatever that bit is called down near my ankle) was trashed but now it’s time for ruination. No point saving anything. Ride ride ride. More pain equals bigger margin. Earlier in the night another support member had mentioned I was close to rider 54 who was close to a podium position. I thought he was just doing his bit to spur me on. At the time I didn’t think anything of it other than trying to catch a rider with number 54 on their backs. It didn’t happen and still I went on, almost into the hedges at the side of the road when a large truck didn’t leave me any room. Another lap and another can of Pepsi. The cheers during the day from Prees roundabout were great but the wave of cheering and cowbells, people calling my name at the HQ on the Finishing Circuit were awesome – my wattage would double every time I rode through there.
Now I was watching the clock. The deal is, ride past your finish time (2:18pm) and stop at the next checkpoint and your distance will be worked out based on average speed between last two checkpoints. I love this bit – riding to a time rather than a finish line. Tried to get out everything in the tank out but I’m sure I had a lot left – probably due to the inordinate amount of time spent feeling like rubbish in the early hours. I’d gone past 2:18 and now it was time to stop.. Bruera sign.. checkpoint! It happened to be the one my team was parked at. Skill. It was over. I’d got the club record.
The team, along with fellow B&B resident, Charles’ son Jacob? (sorry mate, I’ve forgotten) headed back to the HQ to the roars of Mark Cavendish winning the final stage of the Tour de France and Bradley Wiggins winning Belgium’s, sorry Britain’s first Tour.
The presentation finally kicked off and 3rd place went to Ishmael Burdeau (GS Gazzette) with 472 miles. “Strange” I thought to myself. “I’m sure Scherrit and I worked out my mileage from my kilometres to be something like 475-480. Maybe it was 465 or something”. The presenter started again.
“We don’t actually know anything about this rider. We’re not sure if he’s even ridden a 24hr before. From Willesden CC..”
My ears pricked up.
“.. with 480 miles, in second place”
“Woah, are you talking about..”
“Hippy”
H-O-L-Y C-R-A-P!
I’d just won a medal at a National Championships!
Ultan Coyle won his 3rd attempt at this event with 488 miles.
They asked if I would come back and try to win it and I said hell no.. but you never know.. only 0.55kph down on Ultan.. 😉
www.rttc.org.uk – 2012 24hr race report
cyclingtimetrials.org.uk – 2012 24hr results
www.cyclingweekly.co.uk – coyle wins national 24 hour time trial
Massive thanks to the organisers, helpers and marshals, the people who knew my name and cheered for me, the Hemel crew, supporters, people who offered me tea, CharlieK, Leslie and Dave and especially my crazy crew Scherrit and Malwina.
