I’ve got a huge white board that has written down all this year’s events and results, it acts as a sort of motivational tool ,I can look at where I’ve got it right and where I’ve got good times and results. But not this year its served as a painful reminder of the start of the year with DNS and DNF and 4th place ,2nd place ,no tt bike ,race cancelled etc etc .but its slowly turning around and serving as a positive of things turning around with a 1stand course PBs and a lot of races coming up that give me chance to turn it all around.
This weekend was one of those turn around moments for me, I’ve had a few weeks on the TTE and two course pbs on it despite the power not really hitting where it should be so it’s been a big boost. I was hitting the F11/10 on the Saturday where I had my 19:33 pb from last year knowing everything was there to smash that and put a big tick in a box on my list of targets. Theweather was not playing ball early doors but I had a while before my start time and looking at some of the times coming in was growing more confident this was going to be a top day. I wriggled into my new nopinz / bioracer skinsuit and was buzzing to go, walking out of the HQ to go warm up I saw a few people walking back with numbers not too far away from mine only to be told it was cancelled due to an accident involving a rider on the course , thankful the rider was not from what I’veheard seriously injured which is a huge relief and a great quick call from the organizers to cancel it instantly, butyet again a good chance had passed me by and the 5 hour round trip seemed that little more painful.strangly I was still positive I had a 50 the next day and it was the first time I had that “ I’m feeling good and ready “ attitude at a race since last year.
Driving back down the motorway I was determined I was going to nail the 50 that was my reward , it was a sporting course and something I would normally not enjoy but I wanted to get some longer rides in heading towards my first 100 , the weather was damp to start with and the course map at the HQ was littered with circles of points on the course to take care.it was a 2.5 lap course so the plan was take it steady on the first one in the problem areas and make that back on the second, I went out with a plan ( matt had given me a plan and I was sticking to it ) the first lap flew by I was trying the nutrition on the bike plan James had given me for the 100 with the new jersey pocket super race bar and sticking bang on matts plan and feeling great and growing in confidence with every passing mile holding power at about 8 watts lower than I done a lot of 10mile tts last year at. The first lap was a 46:19 over 2 mins in front of second and now it was time to ramp it up I knew where the problem areas where and I knew I could go faster into some of the turns so it was game on. Onto the long back section I was flying, edging up the pace abit more and holding it well, feeling great like everything was finally clicking and everything matt had been telling me for months I was now fully believing in my own head and I was ready to pass the line on the second loop knowing it was then a big drive for the last 10 miles and abit of well-deserved glory. 33.3 miles boom game over o caught the corner of a raised man hole and it blew out my front tire, a quick bang and the pssst of air leaving the inner tube and that was race over. What followed was a mile walk to the marshal point which I spent angry but oddly positive , I had been going harder than I thought and I was still building and going faster, not fading away and hanging on wishing away the miles, which got me thinking how much harder could I go , waiting at the marshal point for a well appreciated lift back to the HQ I had a good look at the file from the ride and compared what others had gone through the point at and knew a win by a big margin had slipped through my fingers but despite everything my confidence was through the roof which is perfect with another 50 coming up and the 100 a week after , then we can build for the big targets of august.
Matt has really proved to me over the last few months that being on board with him is about a lot more than a monthly training plan, I’ve made huge steps in pacing , mental approach ,off the bike training , pretty much every single area of racing and kept me pushing in training when my motivation was on the floor from racing results and other problems holding me back, so it feels great to finally send over race files and data that hit the plans and getting to where he said I could be and thinking in the back of my head now it’s time to push it on again and really show you what I can do when my head is in the game.
I’ve looked at this season as mopping up all the little details, nutrition, kit, aero testing all the little things I felt I had the potential to find decent gains in, one of the key things has been having the chance to work with www.indurance.co.uk blood profiling, the latest TT specific kit came thought the post with everything there I needed, all I had to do was get a sample tacking and pop it back in the post it was that easy. A few days letter I get a super detailed email from Will explaining what it all means and the reassurance we are on target and a few tweaks here and there and we can keep me pushing on. It was very interesting to see the changes since the last set of tests and how we had managed to turn low values around but still keep important bio markers at good levels which have helped both on the bike and off it with better recovery and making sure I’m ready for whatever sessions matt can throw at me, plus they have given me exercises and techniques that can improve me as an overall athlete without the use of supplements etc. so it’s really been a huge eye opener.
The post box has been rattling a lot this month and first to drop through was the brain child of rich from www.jerseypocketenergy.co.uk the so called super race bar which was solely designed for longer indurance events with the goal aim of keeping you going longer and harder on race day and making sure your body gets everything it needs without all the added crap,all organic all natural and extremely well thought out, from a quick chat about the national 100 to a bar that means you can have all the nutrition you need and carry less on the bike is pretty cool and I’m pretty proud to of had a small input on it, but rich has really nailed in and reviews from riders doing a lot more miles than me have been great , it’s awesome to see a company thinking about rider health and ingredient choices right down to making sure the wrapper for the bar is going to be biodegradable and not pose the risk of chemicals from the wrapper leaking into the bar when its being used on extremely hot days or stuffed up the leg of someone’s skinsuit on a long race.
Another company who are always thinking about outsidethe box and next thought the letter box the Nopinz / bioracer collaboration skinsuit, Blake told me they wereworking together so I’ve been badgering him for ages to make sure I got one , and no it wasn’t given to me I paid for it and I love it , the fit is perfect the leg length and arm length straight of the shelf is bang on for me and its super tight in all the right areas and the arms have the ribbed material right up to the shoulder. I got to wear it on Sunday and its spot on , felt very comfortable in the tt position and really breathable despite it being a snug fit so not your normal boil in the bag suit when you get them super tight, plus its already got the nopinz speedpocket fitted as standard so win win , best comment so far was at the F11 HQ when a guy said it even looks fast indoors J teamed up with the velotoze overshoes it’s a pretty slick combo, I think they are the only overshoes I’ve worn that stay up due to my little chicken legs , I managed to rip one the other week from pure rage and being a ham fisted fool after a race that didn’t go well and yanking them off rather than taking them off correctly , but the other pair I have I’ve used a lot and in training and are still going strong and still gripping my skinny ankles well so can’t be faulted, and at that price you can afford to keep a shiny pair in the kit bag for the big races or if you’re a proper tart like me a pair to match your skinsuit
So now it’s all about looking forward to the nationals and just building and building , addressing little areas and trying to get everything right, I’m thinking of extending the season into September and even October as the start has been a disaster in the hope that I can will have the opportunity to look back on this year as a success on race day, we are working hard at ticking all the other boxes so it’s close to the time when it all comes down to me which is perfect and what I’ve wanted all year.
H10/17r is the next stop then it’s a 50 followed by the national 100.
Big thanks go this month to the people who have stuck by me (you know who you are) and kept me focused on the plan and given me the great opportunities I feel very honoured to get.
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