BDCA 50 mile TT and Competition record

Saturday 28th June 2014 was the BDCA 50 mile TT. Matt Bottrill (Drag 2 Zero) set a new 50 mile competition record of 1.34.43 on A50/6. Average speed of 31.67 mph (50.97 km/h)

I was third in a pb of 1.39.36 (30.1 mph). Paula Mosely was fastest lady in 1:51:47. Female comp record is Julia Saw (1.46.46)

matt-bottril-bike-2Matt Bottril’s bike with lots of aero stuff.

Matt Bottril and BTTC

After finishing 2nd in the BTTC 2013 champs behind Alex Dowsett, Bottrill never hid the fact his main goal of the season was the BTTC champs in Wales last Thursday. Despite being on tremendous form and being well prepared, Bottrill was perhaps a little disappointed to finish 6th, 4 minutes behind a flying Bradley Wiggins. (Results at Velo UK)

It’s still an excellent result – there are many good pros who would struggle to finish 4 mins behind an on form Bradley Wiggins (4 minutes behind Wiggins would have been 17th in the 2012 Olympic time trial). Also a different course may have suited Bottrill more. When I spoke to Matt he was in philosophical mood, saying he made him realise how big the gap to the top pros was. Bottril said he was going up the climb in Wales at 475 watts, when Wiggins went past like a train. God knows what watts Wiggins was doing up there. (Also nice to see Wiggins regain his descending in the wet form.)

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UCI rules

Given the hilly nature of the course, I was  disappointed to be engaged up in Yorkshire for the BTTC champs. I’d much rather be racing courses like the BTTC champs than dragstrips like the A50. However, hearing about the UCI mandarins and their incomprehensible 10 cm rules – which caused a lot of problems for the amateurs, did make me feel a little better for not being there. A love these 45 page UCI clarification of their rules, which makes everything as clear as mud. They say the next BTTC champs might be in Isle of Man – do I want to travel there, only to risk the UCI declaring the bike illegal?

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Chris Boardman on hill climbs

chris-boardman-fc-cycling-plus

 

Recently, a friend dropped off a lot of old cycling magazines – from an era when cycling magazines had long articles and lots of timetrial times. Beautiful. I don’t know why I like flicking through times from a 25 mile TT in the 1980s, but I kind of do, I guess that’s why I ended up timetrialling.

One magazine had a special feature of Chris Boardman on hill climbs tips. This was earlier in his career when Boardman was still a domestic UK rider and three times hill climb champion (1989-91).

This was of interest because if anyone knew some good hill climb tips, Boardman would be one of the first I asked.

First up was hill climb sessions. I was really hoping to find some amazing, eyeballs out interval session that would be the new secret for upcoming hill climb season. Perhaps Boardman’s interval sessions could give me the competitive edge. After all, not many other people would be reading a Cycling magazine from early 1990s

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ECCA 100 on E2/100

Sunday morning was the Eastern Counties Cycling Association 100 mile TT. Based on the A11 and A14, it is a variant of the popular E2 courses. The ‘E2’ is a fast bit of road and can claim quite a bit of timetrialling history. It was here Michael Hutchinson set comp record for 50 miles (1.35.27); and just recently, Movistar pro, and Current British TT champ, Alex Dowsett, smashed the 10 mile Comp record with a mind blowing 17.20. (34 mph)

rider-e1

The course is fast because it’s flat, smooth surface and you get a drag from passing cars. The weather forecast for Sun was one of those forecasts all testers dream of – warm, no wind and dry. I’ve ridden through enough gales this year, to feel I deserve a ‘float’ day for a change.

As it happened, it was relatively cold when I arrived at the HQ. I had been so confident of a hot day, I didn’t have many layers.

Although the course is fast, it’s not all dual carriageway. The first 15 miles was based on a B road. Early in the morning it was as quiet as the still atmosphere. No cars, no nothing, just you and the bike. I really enjoyed this stretch. The first 10 miles of a 10 is always quite easy. You can get decent speed, as you are quite fresh. However, it didn’t all go to plan. Over the first lump in the road, my rear saddle mounted water bottle ejected itself never to be seen again. I’m not sure why I bother writing blog posts – I never listen to my own advice, I didn’t have a spare bottle planted anywhere on the course. I did test the bottle cage, and although it failed in testing – I thought I’d done a clever trick in sticking some thing on bottle to hold it in place. Anyway, it was gone and I wasn’t doing a u-turn to look for it.

I still had 1.6 litres in 2 water bottles, and since it was quite cold, I wasn’t too badly affected. Nevertheless, I spent the first hour thinking about asking someone on route for a spare. But, because it was so cold, I felt my bladder filling up pretty quick from water drunk before start, and this dissuaded me from drinking. It took 70 miles to drink the first 750ml (with 2 gels).

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French Cycling Terms

It is not often the British feel proud and happy to imitate and revere our French brothers across the channel. But, cycling is one of those rare situations when we can happily pay homage to the influence of France and the French. No matter how much cycling success the British may have enjoyed in recent years, the French and Italians will always have a certain élan, missing from Anglo-Saxon cycling. To gain your stripes as a real cyclist you need to master, at least, a smattering of French terms.

french-onions-brizzlebornandbred
No stereotypes of the French please. Flickr photo – brizzlebornandbred

Yorkshire-French

It will certain be a curious mix when die hard Yorkshireman welcome ‘Le Tour’ in a few weeks. “Aye Lad, they could do with a few pints of ale in the grupetto‘ Maybe it would have been more useful to give a list of terms from the Yorkshire dialect. In a few weeks, many European diligently learning the Queen’s English may be furiously flicking through their French-English dictionary  – mystified as to why so many words aren’t there.

The influence of the French on Cycling

Which would you rather join?

Rotherham Wheelers v South Yorkshire Vélo

Rotherham Wheelers raises connotations of mugs of tea for 30 pence in a cafe off the A87 after your 6am Sunday morning time trial. South Yorkshire Vélo raises connotations of gleaming Campagnolo and immaculate Italian bikes. (yes, French club, but Italian bikes – I guess all Europeans are the same really)

If you want to be cool in cycling, the farthest you can get from Britain the better. I know Team Sky have done the best to challenge this historical truth. They have this extremely un British habit of being successful and professional. It even looks like the French have, temporarily, become the plucky losers, a mantle they picked up from the old British style. But, no matter how many marginal gains Team Sky make, France will always be the spiritual home of cycling, in a way the British Isles will never be able to.

tour-de-france
Them are real mountains in France

If you want to prove you are a real cyclist, without being any good at cycling. There are two things you can try to do.

  • You can shave your legs
  • You can drop in French words with disarming regularity into your cycle chat.

This may sound a little contrived, but it will definitely impress your fellow riders to spend a few hours wheelsucking on the back.

‘He was a real grimpeur, but he forgot his musette and bidon and ended up in the Voiture Balai after bonking on the unforgiving Virage’s of the Geant de Provence Mont Ventoux.’

‘The patron of the peleton excelled at the contra le Monde, but…’

So here is a list of French Cycling Terms:

French Cycling Terms

  • un autobus – group that rides together to finish within time limit
  • un commissaire –  referee who makes decisions about race. E.g. allowing a bigger time limit to avoid eliminating whole autobus.
  • un coureur  –  rider, cyclist
  • un cycliste – cyclist
  • un directeur sportif – manager
  • un domestique  – support rider, often carrying bottles for leader
  • un échappé – breakaway
  • une équipe – team
  • un grimpeur – climber
  • un grupeto – same as autobus
  • un peloton – main bunch of riders, near front of race
  • un poursuivant – chaser
  • un rouleur –  smooth and steady rider
  • un soigneur – rider’s assistant
  • un sprinteur – sprinter
  • la tête de course – leader

Cycling Styles

  • à bloc – riding all out, as hard and fast as possible
  • la cadence – pedalling rhythm, often referring to high cadence
  • chasse patate – riding between two groups (literally, “potato hunt”)
  • la danseuse – standing up
  • Souplesse – riding with good style, pedalling a high cadence giving impression of making it look easy.

Equipment

  • un bidon – water bottle
  • un casque – helmet
  • une crevaison –  flat, puncture
  • un dossard – number on rider’s uniform
  • un maillot  -jersey
  • maillot jaune – yellow jersey.
  • une musette – feed bag
  • un pneu  -tire
  • un pneu crevé – flat tire
  • une roue – wheel
  • un vélo de course – racing bike
  • une voiture balai – broom wagon

Tracks and Courses

  • une borne – kilométrique ~milestone (literally, a kilometre marker)
  • un col-  mountain pass
  • une côte – hill, slope
  • une course – race
  • une course par étapes – stage race
  • une descente – descent
  • une étape – stage
  • la flamme rouge – red marker at 1 kilometre from finish
  • hors catégorie – beyond classification (extremely difficult mountain)
  • une montagne – mountain
  • une montée-  upward slope
  • un parcours – route, course
  • une plaine – plains, flat land
  • une piste  – track
  • une route-  road

Standings and Scoring

  • la bonification – bonus points
  • une chute – fall, crash
  • le classement  – standings
  • contre la montre  – time trial
  • la lanterne rouge – last rider
  • le maillot à pois – polka dot jersey (worn by best climber)
  • le maillot blanc – white jersey (worn by best rider under 25)
  • le maillot jaune – yellow jersey (worn by overall leader)
  • le maillot vert – green jersey (worn by leader in points / best sprinter)

Verbs

  • accélérer to accelerate
  • s’accrocher à to cling, hang on to
  • attaquer to attack, spurt ahead
  • changer d’allure to change pace
  • changer de vitesse to shift gears
  • courir to ride
  • dépasser to overtake
  • déraper to slip, skid
  • s’échapper to break away
  • grimper to climb
  • prendre la tête to take the lead
  • ralentir to slow down
  • rouleur to ride at a steady / strong pace. A rouleur – is traditionally a strong rider, who is good on the flat, but tends to disappear in the mountains.

 

How far do we take the French language?

Everyday I go to a coffee shop and I’m confronted with this awful dilemma.

If I want a pain au chocolate? do you use a broad Yorkshire accent and pronounce it like it’s written? or do we have to order ‘the pain au chocolate’ with our best imitation of a real French accent, you picked up from 5 years of GCSE French lessons?

The existential angst of deciding how to pronounce often leaves me ordering the ‘chocolate thing’ No messing, just two solid English words. If I do try order, a ‘pain au chocolate’ I tend to pronounce the first word in French, but by the third word have descended into English – a kind of unsatisfactory compromise.

Related

 

H10/181 Oxford city 10 mile TT

h10_181

Today is said to be Super Saturday – World Cup football in Brazil, Test Cricket from Lords,  tennis from Queens, US golf open in Pinedales and a few amateur cyclists having a go up and down the Witney Bypass. Spot the odd one out.

Yes, it’s the Oxford City R.C. 10 mile TT, based on the H10/181 course. Designed by the late Chris Hart – an enthusiastic member of the London West Cycling District; Chris also helped me with my first promotion on this course a few years ago. I’ve promoted three events on this course for my club Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team, each time it went well, though conditions were never easy. It always seemed to be a cold windy May Sunday morning, but today, by contrast, it was very good.

H10/181h10_181

The H10/181 is one of my local courses. I like it because it’s a simple ‘honest’ course. 5.5 miles out, round a roundabout and 4.5 miles back. Road surface is good, traffic moderate, but not excessive and no intermediate roundabouts. Just one at the turn by Minister Lovell. There’s a slight height advantage, though nothing like other super fast courses, which descend a lot more. Also, the unequal distance out and back mean that it’s always going to be faster when the wind is coming from the East.

H10-181

Today, conditions were good. Warm, dry and most importantly a lightish North Westerly wind. The hope is that the wind would give a little help up the long uphill section, but not be too invasive on the way back.

I parked in Barnard’s Gate and cycled up to North Leigh. I assumed the HQ would be in the same HQ that we used. But, that was locked, and no one in North Leigh seemed to believe there was another hall in the village. I cycled back to Barnard Gate hoping to see some fellow cyclist. I have turned up for an event on the wrong day in the past – and often it’s the local courses where you don’t bother to check so much because you think you must know. Fortunately,  by the time I got back someone else had parked there. I got some directions to another small village hall in North Leigh and cycled back up Cuckoo Lane. It is one of the most picturesque rides from HQ to the start, though by the time I got my number, I’d clocked up quite a few miles.  I didn’t bother with rollers – too hot anyway.

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Zipp 808 Firecrest review

Review of new Zipp 808 Firecrest front wheel.

zipp-808

I’ve had a pair of Zipp 404 since 2006. They are a good versatile wheelset. They are lightweight 1,250 grams – so I was able to use in hillclimbs for several seasons (Until I got some Zipp 202s).The deep rim profile is also aerodynamic, making the 404s a good all rounder. The Firecrest 404s are said to be a significant improvement on the old 404s.

I decided to get a Zipp 808 Firecrest front wheel because:

  • Aero tests suggested there was less drag on a Zipp 808 Firecrest to my old Zipp 404 front wheel. Some aero tests suggest the front wheel can be as important if not more beneficial than a discwheel on the back.
  •  It’s one potential marginal gain for quicker time trials.
  • I haven’t bought a new front wheel for time trialling for seven years
  • It looks good. (the least important of course, but it does look good.
  • Amazingly I had the necessary £850 in the bank account

Front wheel 808 Firecrest

  • Weight: 745 g (including skewers). Note I’ve seen different weights advertised, but that’s what it weighs on my scales!
  • Rim depth: 82mm
  • Max width: 27.5mm
  • Spokes: 16
Zipp 808 hubs
Zipp 808 hubs

The first observation about the wheel was that I had to adjust the brakes. The rim is significantly wider than most standard wheels. The rim profile is (27.5mm) The wheel didn’t actually fit into the brake blocks when I first tried to put it in. This was a bit irritating. I often swap wheels when training. I’m not keen on having to adjust brakes every time. Secondly, it seems counter-intuitive to improve aerodynamics by increasing size of wheel. But, this seems to be a recent development – finding that wider rims can actually give improved aerodynamics.

Zipp claim that Firecrest is the first aero profile that effectively controls airflow around the back half of the wheel. They do this by  maintaining a near constant width all the way to the spoke bed. I’ll have to take their word for it.

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Why cycle in the middle of the road?

I recently heard  a cycle campaigner who suggested that one of the best tips for cycling position on the road is to always cycle one metre from the edge. Interestingly, the Dept of Transport have also given out advice to cyclists that it is advisable to cycle 1 metre from the edge (Direct Gov link).

The problems is that although this is good advice, motorists can get very impatient when they see a cyclist in ‘middle of the road’.

1metre

 

One metre from edge is just over 3 feet and much further out in the road than the average cyclist will generally be. In fact I remember when I was very young and starting to cycling someone told my I should cycle in line with the outside of drains (basically 1 feet). When I was looking through photos of people cycling in Oxford, it was much easier to find people cycling by double yellow lines than it was 1 metre from the edge!

Even Transport for London advise taking the lane in certain circumstances.

Stay central on narrow roads. Try to ride away from the gutter. If the road is too narrow for vehicles to pass you safely, it might be safer to ride towards the middle of the lane to prevent dangerous overtaking by other vehicles.

drains
Don’t feel obliged to ride in the gutter.

For many years I thought that is where I should be. But, I don’t advise this position.

Benefits of Cycling 1 Metre from Edge

If you are 1m from edge, you are more visible to cars turning right. This avoids the “Sorry, I didn’t see you mate type accidents”

The car doesn't see the bike hugging the curb. But, he does see Bike 2 out in the middle of the road.
The car doesn’t see the bike hugging the curb. But, he does see Bike 2 out in the middle of the road.
  • You are more visible to cars turning right.
  • You are more visible to cars coming from behind
  • It is harder for cars to turn left just in front of where you are cycling. This is a big problem where cars overtake cyclists and then soon turn left, leaving you squeezed on the inside.
  • It gives you more flexibility to avoid potholes. If you are in the gutter and swerve out a foot to miss a pothole cars will sometimes beep because they are overtaking you too closely. But, with a metre you have room to move in
  • It is where motorbikes tend to position themselves.
  • It could make cars more careful in overtaking because they can’t squeeze through when traffic is passing in opposite direction. They have to wait for a genuine gap.
  • You avoid nasty accidents from cars opening their doors into your path and other obstacles in the road
  • Sometimes cars will be in a long line. The car immediately behind you might see you, but if they overtake close to you, the 2nd car in line might not

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British time trial championship experiences

The British time trial championship has been held annually since 1997. Originally a joint CTT / BC promotion, it was for a while it was also called the Circuit championship (to distinguish with long standing CTT championships of 25 miles, 50 miles e.t.c) In the past few years, it has been run solely by British Cycling to ensure the best spot in the calender so that Pro riders can make sure they can enter, and pick up any precious UCI points on offer.

In the domestic time triallist calender, this is the big one. A chance to compete against all the pros.

This year there was a certain logic to me not entering the British Time Trial Championship in Wales this July – My bike is of dubious UCI legality; I sold my only UCI compliant tribars, and it’s a hassle to get another pair. Then there is the cost of BC license, new tribars e.t.c., and I’m up in Yorkshire that week e.t.c., e.t.c. Yet, although there is a logic in not entering, I still feel a pang of regret when I see the startsheet.  – especially after learning how hilly the course is.

The startsheet shows the strength in depth of British cycling; even in the absence of Chris Froome, it’s probably one of the strongest time trial line ups in Europe.

It also shows the unique nature of the sport of cycling, that you can still rock up alongside people who you watch and admire on tv and get to partake in the same race as them.

These are some past experiences of riding the British Time Trial Championships, now organised by British Cycling under UCI rules.

2005

In 2005, I finished 14th, five minutes behind the winner Stuart Dangerfield in Penistone, Yorkshire. It was very hilly race and my first season of racing. After the first lap, I was in a ridiculously high position after storming up the hill as if it was a 5 mile prologue. I blew up spectacularly, but for one lap out of three I was riding with the best. In the absence of any expectation, I enjoyed it all tremendously. It was the first race my mother came to watch and she said unlike everyone else, I never braked to go around a corner she was watching from. I’m not sure whether she said this as criticism or as a complement.

2006

I finished near last in that race. I wasn’t in good form, and not racing much that year. I also got lost and took a wrong turn at a roundabout; at least it was a good excuse for a dismal performance. The only thing I remember about that championship was that I even turned up on the wrong day (arrived on Sat, to learn it was on the next day Sunday). Fortunately, it wasn’t too far from Oxford.

2009

The third championship was on local roads near Buckinghamshire. Bradley Wiggins, after finishing 4th in the Tour de France in July, stormed around the course to win in 1.02. I was a good nine minutes behind in 28th place; it was one of the few races I managed that year, but it was still good to participate.

2009-bttc
A pre wind tunnel position. There’s a minute right there.

2010

Wiggins, Hutchinson and an unknown club cyclist riding together.
Wiggins, Hutchinson and an unknown club cyclist riding together.

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Cycling and health

Cycling offers significant health benefits from the increased aerobic fitness. Given the rise in health problems associated with physical inactivity and obesity, cycling could play a major role in improving the nations health.

beating-queue

Health benefits of regular physical exercise

  • Reduces the risk of dying prematurely
  • Reduces the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease
  • Reduces the risk of developing diabetes
  • Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure
  • Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure
  • Reduces the risk of developing colon and breast cancer
  • Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
  • Helps control weight
  • Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
  • Helps older adults become stronger and
  • promotes psychological well being

However in cost-benefit analysis of transport, health issues are often ignored. Unfortunately, concerns over the safety of cycling deter many from one of the most accessible forms of exercise. The tragedy is that as people lead increasingly stationary lives this causes hidden problems such as rising levels of diabetes and heart disease.

The rise in motor transport and decline in cycling / walking

4-modes-transport

The post war period saw a sustained fall in pedestrian and cycle transport. In the post war period, transport policy was driven by the attempt to accommodate the growth of motor transport. However, combined with a decline in manual labour, this era saw a sharp fall in physical exercise and a resultant increase in health problems.

Rather belatedly, transport policy has begun to acknowledge wider issues such as health, quality of life in determining transport policy.
For example, in 1998 the Integrated Transport White Paper A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone made the acknowledgement that

“The way we travel is making us a less healthy nation.”

Cycling and Health Statistics

deaths-cyclists-chd

Perceptions about the dangers of cycling deter many from cycling. But, in perspective, mortality rates from cycling are much lower than the ‘silent killers’ , such as heart disease.

UK Deaths in 2003

  • All Cyclists – 113
  • All road users – 3,471
  • Cancer due to inactivity – 28,016
  • CHD / Stroke due to inactivity – 57,322

Source: McPherson, Klim. (2002). Coronary heart disease: estimating the impact of changes in risk factors; Klim McPherson, Annie Britton and Louise Causer. – London

Despite cycling often being perceived as a ‘dangerous’ exercise. Society is arguably ignoring the hidden dangers of sedentary lifestyles.

Net health benefits of cycling

There have been various studies which show the net health benefits of cycling.

One of the largest was the Copenhagen Center for Prospective Population Studies It involved 13,375 women and 17,265 men aged 20-93 from a population of 90,000 living in central Copenhagen. Of this group 14,976 cycled regularly.

  • The study found that even including risk factors from cycling (injury), those who did not cycle experienced a 39% higher mortality rate than those who did. (Study)

Copenhagen has a low accident rate  helped by good cycling infrastructure. But, the size of the study shows the great potential for health gains from a city which encourages cycling.

Risk factor of mortality depending on levels of fitness

risk-death
Source: Risk death

Another study suggesting an inverse relationship between mortality rates and levels of fitness.

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