Wet and Cold

Can’t believe it’s Tuesday already. Where did the last 3 days go?! Sometimes life gets so busy! Anyway, here is an update on all things tri.....er......cycling?

The TT on Sunday lived up to expectations. Not the fast course expectations but the awful weather! It was cold, wet and windy. Over half the contingent DNS, which made me wonder what I was doing wet through at 0652 about to start 25 miles of pain. I had jumped out of the car and straight to the start, so my warm up was zilch. I set off rather steadily and didn’t really get going. The legs were heavy but I told myself it would be good training, if nothing else. So it was head down and stop whinging time! Over the Black Cat roundabout no probs. However, at the bends before Buckden there was a car accident, with a car lying cross ways on the carriage way. Everyone seemed ok but I got held up. Once through, I accelerated to try and make up lost time. A couple of minutes later my chain came off. I tried to replace it whilst free wheeling but it just wasn’t happening. I hate stopping but I had no choice. The chain had somehow got jammed and it took a while to sort. Off I went again, half expecting riders to pass me. As it was, with so many DNS, there was a gap of 4 mins behind me. I had a gap of 3 mins in front of me so it was a lonely ride! After the turn at Buckden, the wind was more favourable but I knew that I had turned at 15.2 miles outside 40 mins! I resigned my ride to being well outside the hour. As it was I clocked 1:00:53. Under the circumstances, I was happy enough. That got me 8th place and a share of the Team prize as St Ives CC won!! Hoorah! Paul Davies from St Ives CC seems to be riding very well over 25 miles and missed overall victory by 2 seconds with 57:40.

I swam at the Cambridge Tri Club open water session on Friday and actually really enjoyed it. It tool me 22:30 to swim a single loop around both islands. This is as fast as I have ever completed the loop (which is not really that fast at all) so I am in reasonable swim shape for a slow swimmer dude. I did 2 lots of 6 x 100m on 2 mins with big Nige P on Monday. He was flying but I was steady at 1:30 per 100m. Again, not fast but ok for me. Eeek! I am enjoying my swimming again! I may try the Thursday morning session at the pool in Cambridge. Will Clarke sometimes trains there – not that he would be in the same lane as me!

On the injury front, I now have a date for Headley Court (Defence Rehabilitation Centre) on 25 June. I hope to get sorted once I attend this. I chatted with one of the Docs from Headley and he advises that I keep cycling (what a nice man!!). After all, we must always do what the Doc says!

I am doing the club 10 TT tomorrow evening but yet again, the weather forecast looks pants. Is it me, or does June just keep getting wetter and wetter each year?
My good friend JC has asked me to accompany him in a bike race on 5 July!! I am very tempted to try this. It would be good training, if nothing else. Just a bit afraid that I will be dropped from the off and left tootling around trying to find my way back to the finish!