Good Friday

The goal of this blog was to encourage greater consistency in my training, and already that's had its challenges. I was pleased a few weeks ago when I found out my entry to the Good Friday Meeting was accepted. This was some good motivation to get stuck into some solid training so as not to make a complete fool of myself in front of a crowd and amongst some elite riders.

Unfortunately it worked out that I was to be in Berlin for the weekend prior at the Berlin Bike Show. Well, unfortunately with respect to my training and preparation for the track meeting, but it was definitely a beneficial thing for the business - which ultimately is my real job! Plus the Berlin Show was also hosting the European Singlespeed Cyclocross Championships - so I'd get a little riding in.

More beneficially though, as I was making my preparations for the Berlin trip I got wind of some friends having organised a track training weekend in Alkmaar, Netherlands. A quick check of the map and I realised it was on the way, more or less.... So a quick clearance with the boss and I had the makings of a nice road trip.

I already posted in some more detail about the weekend, which really was great. Sadly then I had to get in the car for another two days' driving to Berlin, then three days on my feet at the show, then another two days driving back home. So it was not exactly ideal prep to be well rested with fast legs for among the toughest racing I've done.

The Good Friday Meeting is iconic, one of the longest running cycle events in the world. The last few years have seen it move indoors to Lee Valley after long having been held at Herne Hill. That's fine by me as I much prefer racing indoors. Well, I shouldn't say that, I much prefer 250 tracks I think, but I've never ridden an outdoor one. Would love to have a go on the wooden outdoor 250 that my friends in Minnesota ride, some day...

Anyhow, the main event for the endurance guys is the Golden Wheel 10 mile scratch. Qualification for this is via two heats for the amateurs, with 10 pro/elite guys going through automatically. So 9 of 28 in each heat would go through. With such competition for spots in the final I was expecting it to be crazy fast from the gun, so I put a massive 98" gear on in the hope this would help me hang in there to the end. This was not a good idea. It was crazy fast from the gun, then it eased up, then it was super fast again... All the accelerations on that big gear and my flat feeling legs meant I was pretty cooked. I did a turn with about 10 to go, went too far to the back, let a gap open and couldn't close it. So I was a DNF in the qualifier, pretty embarrassing....

Once the selection was made for the final everyone who didn't make it was thrown in to group 2 who got another elimination and a consolation final scratch in the Ron Beckett Memorial 5 mile.

The elimination was a bit odd as it was two out every second lap so the field dwindled pretty rapidly. I was feeling better (and also changed to a smaller gear - 94") and managed to position myself reasonably well, right up until the point I was eliminated.... I wasn't on the limit physically though, just made the silly mistake of getting caught inside at the wrong moment. I think I finished 8th. So that was an improvement. The final scratch was again a battle of survival, very stop-start but still averaged 48kph, so some periods were blazingly fast.

Overall a great experience and a lot of fun to race in front of a crowd amongst proper elite guys. Another kick in the bum to get cracking on with the training on a more consistent basis! That said, I've now got a three week trip to Australia to celebrate my 40th, so am not going to be out regularly on the bike during that. My intention is to do a good amount of running and some good core and flexibility work. Then when I get back the summer race season kicks off!

A common sight on the day, me at the back. This was the elimination, I think two rounds before I went out.