Today I rode the Verulam Hardriders Timetrial. Verulam CC is my home club, so it’s nice to turn up for some club events every now and then, plus, I had a pb to beat.

In fact, coming into today’s race it didn’t look like I had much chance of beating my 1h23m PB. I’d only ridden once in the last 2 weeks, and apart from that one time I hadn’t been on my TT bike for at least 6 months. Still, I was going to give it all I’d got. Being given the number 1 by Don Andrews (Verulam President) meant that I had extra pressure to perform!

My basic plan was to wind it up during the first lap, blast the second lap and then try to hang on for the third. Each lap was 9 hilly miles long. As it turned out, I went out a little fast (that didn’t stop Steve Kay, who went off after me, catching me within half a lap), and did a 26 minute first lap. Nearing the end of that first lap my saddle shook loose, and I had to stop at the end of the lap to readjust it loosing one and a half minutes! I’d blame my mechanic, but I’m the mechanic.

Been as I’d ridden faster than I hoped for my first lap and was still feeling “ok”, I won’t say good, because the pain started about 2 miles in, I decided to modify my tactics on the fly. The second lap I’d try to ride a similar pace but not push it too hard, trying to get into a rhythm and then I’d try and go even faster on the last lap. As it turns out I did just over 26 minutes for both those laps, and that coupled with the stop meant I crossed the line with a 1:20:17, breaking my PB by 3 minutes.