It was my intention to blog each race this season gone, but, it didn't happen. So, with the benefit, (or hindrance) of hindsight and memory, I will attempt to re-live what was a great season for me; a riders insight of the Veteran 40+ category: 6 races, 6 top tens, flat tubs, not much mud (bar Bradford) and some very. . very tough competition. I have to mention for those not in the know that I live on the beautiful Isle of Wight, so I also really need to add 2734 miles of travelling to to make it sound more impressive. Ouch! Good old Zafira, you did me proud. This was an expense I really could have done without, each and every race depended on 'how I was doing!' One bad result and I was likely to have given up.How does one set a target against such esteemed opposition? .... You go with the flow.
It has to said here and now that I write this having just travelled to Koksijde in Belgium to watch the World Championships, and the brutality of the pros racing through sand dunes, against seven Belgian riders that really were on a different planet. It was and will always be an experience that humbled me and put things into perspective. It made me realise that every rider has his/her limits and only a lucky few of us will (or might have had) have had the experience to ride at the very highest level. It does humble you. But like any echelon of every profession, there are far more individuals riding, competing at a domestic/amateur/ recreational level, providing the bread and butter of the sport and the backbone of the industry as it is; and that cannot be ignored. It is amazing how much effort, with little or oftentimes no financial reward, some of these individuals put into their pursuit, nearly always unpaid. Never can can you put a value on a life experience. We hurt the same as the top riders. We may not go as fast, but we hurt the same and try as hard as we can. Sometimes harder than a pro, to our detriment. It could be argued that the amateur works harder. 9-5 in the office, or digging holes in the road, it matters not. Then we train. Ever felt that sensation of being detached from your body after just 20mins of riding, during the dark commute mid-winter, when you haven't quite eaten enough during the day, not always your fault? I have, and it isn't nice. It is an edge most of us cross because we have no choice, we have to learn from our mistakes, or keep making them, whilst still working as hard as we can to achieve our goals, our desires.
Professional or not, all bike racers have experienced the highs and lows; those lucky enough to earn a living from it worked harder than anyone to get where they are, and their reward is to perform at the highest level and get paid for it.
The guys I went up against this season impress me far more than any professional though, they are the people I aspire to, the people I want to beat. Some are icons of the sport, legends, riders I used to read about, awestruck, wishing that one day I will be as good as them. We all get older, even those titans from my youth. I suppose it was inevitable that one day, if I stuck to it (and they did) I may get the chance to at least try and compete with them. The thing is, in between such times, more and more people come into the sport. Often they were always there, you just never knew them, but they were fighting just like you to reach their calling. Unnoticed, hanging at the edge of excellence. I believe that everyone has their level. If you are destined to be World Champion at 25 then that's you calling. If you are destined to be World Masters Champ at 60 then that's yours. But to stick to it that long takes guts, and you, if you do, are my true influence.
Where did these 'Veterans' come from? how are they so good? Suddenly, other names appear from your past. We are all 40 now, time for another go. There is something odd happening here. It's like I went back 20 years, and on more than one occasion this year I found myself riding on the wheel of a legend. Legends are human too it seems.
Pre and early season
Newcastle! Round one of National Trophy. Are you joking British Cycling. That may as well be bloody Scotland. Already I was in a panic as to whether I was even going to bother to do the series, knowing how important (to me) doing the first round was. It is only June, the race isn't until October. I don't want to drive to Newcastle, that's just stupid. Ok, I had four months yet, plenty of time. It has so far been a tough year. My training has lapsed, my focus is virtually non existent. I have the Mountain Bike events in the 2012 Island Games to do in just two weeks an I don't even feel I'm race fit, or dare I say it 'mentally prepared'. Actually, I don't want to be race fit in mid June when my aim is October, for cyclocross. I have done some endurance work, not much, not enough for the games. I finish, in the top 12, not bad, but I could have done much better. I had cross on my mind. Come July, that was it, I was in cross mode. I started to up the pace, cut out the endurance rides and tried to focus,... badly. To be honest, although June, July, August and September got better for me, my focus on training was no better. I had no direction, no grasp on what I was trying to do. I had an aim though. Top five in nationals and top ten in the National Champs. Both, I felt, were within my ability, but honesty, I had no idea how far from that target I was.
September arrived and quickly dealt the first two Wessex League events. At least that would give me an idea of how I was going. Decked out in my new kit, riding for Wight Mountain, I took to the start line of the Vets race at Oxford, aware of the fact that I had at least four notable riders that were there to wrestle my Vets title of 2010/11 away from me. On lap one Keith Sheridan (Hargroves Cycles) made a great start, following two Junior Team mates, Matt Hargroves and Matt Woods. Mike Groves and Dave McMullen were in the mix with me chasing this trio down. This was to be a sign of things to come for the season; a prophecy if you like as to how the whole season would pan out. But don't take that literally. Like a good novel, 2011/2012 would have, literally in cross, a lot of twists and turns, and not everything would turn out great in the end.
Back to the race . . . Billy Girvan had had a crash just after the start and was not in contention. There were still several other Vets in contention at that stage though and all needed to be marked as unknown quantities in these early days. By the end of the first Oxford Lap I had moved into third overall behind the two Hargroves juniors and clear as leader in the Veteran race. This was good. I didn't feel as though I was struggling at all. I managed to close the two nippers down, but they pulled away again, although not before I had used them to set my pace, this, dropping the other Vets just a little more. I went on to win that Vets race (3rd Overall in the combined event) so really, quite surprised. The second round at Swindon however threw a curveball. I could only manage 7th overall and 4th veteran. Admittedly a mechanical messed up maybe one position better, but all the same, it was slack race for me. Maybe the temperature (80 degrees) didn't help, but in truth I just didn't get on top of things on a course that usually suits me; flat, fast and not particularly technical (open to discussion if you don't like the beech nuts)! Oh well, next race is round one of the trophy series. At least I know what I'm up against as far as Wessex riders are concerned.
National Trophy Round 1 - South Shields
Newcastle is a long way, for me, approx 735 miles there and back to Cowes on this here Island. There was no way I was going to drive that. Maybe I could fly? ... from Southampton was doable, and maybe cheaper. The ferry cost money, the fuel, the boredom... was it worth it? Yes it was, but seriously, that's a long way. Luckily, I was able to travel up with two Wessex league friends Billy Girvan and Anthony Dyment. Antony drove the whole way! What a star!! After staying overnight at Anthony's we travelled up to South Shields very early Saturday morning and arrived at around midday. Saturday was a local North East league race on the National Trophy course (and the National Fire Services Championships), so a great way of getting a course recce in. This was to be a Senior/Vets race so all us mortals had the opportunity to race against riders such as Paul Oldham, and on this day, several Belgians and Dutch pros and semi pros who had made the trip to pick up valuable World Ranking points.As far as the veterans were concerned, as well as the guys I had travelled up with, I only knew Matt Denby (Zepnat), not personally, just knew his capability from previous seasons, scanning results like a cyclocross stalker, only guessing where I lay in comparison. I was so far away from home, racing a whole bunch of different riders, pros and Sunday warriors alike, that when the start filled up with over 100 riders, I felt like a kid on the first day at school. Fortunately, the commissaries lined us up across the width of the field. There must have been 20 or more riders on the front row, probably more. Ok, it was going to be frantic, but at least I was on the front row, hammering into the first 100 metres. It was frantic! I think in the chaos I came out onto the tarmac section in around 20th?? so the front runners were still in sight. I didn't believe I could keep with them (unfortunately) so looked only for the three vets I actually knew. Billy Girvan, Anthony Dyment and Matt Denby. Billy and Anthony definitely weren't ahead of me but I did catch sight of Matt, maybe five or six places up front.With three to go the pros were well away, Matt was in reach and I was riding well, the course suited me. I had the sense Matt didn't know me so this might have been the only chance I had. As we were mixed among senior riders I kept it cool... yes cool ;0).. I slowly caught Matt and passed him. He didn't seem to react so I assumed he thought I was a senior and therefore no threat to his Vets position. Time to attack. It worked to a degree. Matt still chased, but I think his heart wasn't totally into it. We had a national to consider the day after. Sod that, I'm going for it. With half a lap to go I had the gap and finished ahead of Matt. Nice scalp; Matt is a rider I've always taken note of in recent years. In the process I won the Vets category and was 11th overall out of, I think, 106 starters. Swindon was forgotten.
After the race, Billy, Anthony and myself headed back down to Durham and stayed with a friend right next to the University campus. What a great location. I never went to Uni, but here I got a small taste of what it might have been like, in the bars at least. After an lovely Italian meal we visited the student union bar and a really old pub. I've at lest done one part of my life I missed out on. The student union wasn't bad either! Five, maybe six pints later, I went to sleep wondering if I'd maybe messed up. For god's sake, I had a National Trophy race Sunday morning! I needed the break though. In truth I was happy with my Saturday win and I felt ok. Thankfully, no hangover, nothing, I almost forgot I'd been drinking. (is that bad???)
10.30 Sunday morning. The race starts. I think I made the second or third row based on my 2010/11 National Ranking. Less riders this time, around 40-50, and only veterans ... ONLY Veterans (never underestimate). This was a national series race, the stakes were high. Denby knew me now, there was no hiding, I knew he was capable of a podium. This time I recognised maybe a dozen or so riders and what they were capable of with more Wessex League riders in Mike Groves and Keith Sheridan at least. I did two Trophy events last year and finished 10th in both (16th in the National Champs) so my aim was quite clear. Get in the top ten, top 5 if at all possible. For much of the race I was in 7th, I made it to 6th with Denby just behind and Darren Atkins (2011 silver medallist in the National Champs) dangling around 20 seconds ahead. What amazed me was the top three were less than a minute ahead with about three laps to go. This was a new experience. Two riders were chasing me hard, Greg Simcock and Mike Young, and any mistake would have them right on my wheel. Newcastle was fast and nearly dry, but the corners were slippery, greasy grass making it difficult to stay upright and hold your line. I made few mistakes, but even those few were punished. Last lap, I was still riding well within my first target and not far from my desired aim. Top three was unlikely, they were now more than a minute clear with Atkins about 40sceconds up in 4th, but 5th was still up for grabs. Denby wasn't going to let this one go though. He finished 5th with me in 6th, only 20 seconds or so further back, pressed close by Greg Simcock. This, now looking back, would shape the whole season. Wessex Riders on the day all claimed top 20, marking just what a strong core of riders we have here in the south.
National Trophy Round 2 - Leicester to follow . . . .
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