Colin McPhee

There was a large entry of 80 riders for this race which I'd entered as I can't manage WOSCA race next week. All started well enough and was feeling comfortable at the end of the first long climb up to black loch. The pace was fairly high on the descent from the Loch into the tight wee left hander where the course became more rolling. This caused the bunch to string out and I was miles from the front at this point (not so good). However didn't panic and just got on with things Then came the short sharp climb on the back end of the circuit. Held on well here also until a crash in front of me saw a split in the bunch a few riders in front which I wasn't quick enough to notice. I chased back on however and managed to bridge across. So ended lap 1. As lap 2 began I realised on the next ascent up to Black Loch that I'd pretty much emptied my tank by loitering around too much at the tail end of things instead of battling for position more into the climbs. So as the ascent began I felt the elastic snapping and just had to soldier through the remaining laps catching many others who had been caught out behind the crash earlier. However felt I was getting stronger as the course continued. Well done to Lewis Mulholland on 3rd overall and I think 1st junior as well. A good course this one and very well run. Look forward to the reports of Wednesdays race which I won't manage. Good luck to all riding.

Great stuff Ramsay hope to do the 10's later this season

really big bunch tonight of about 35. A bit scrappy from Port Glasgow where a few guys did not wait at top of Clune and split the bunch. Cars then got between the bunches followed by near comedy as a fire engine and police car also got in the mix and the whole convoy, about 300m long, headed to BoW at 30 mph, held up by the small front bunch. Some mental undertaking of cars, those of us with families and jobs stayed back and enjoyed the tow to the final Georgetown habble.

Great to see you back Ramsay

yeah, well done all.
 
I'm not really back on the bike properly, as still injured, but just felt like having a spin/play on the TT bike. I was truly "all the gear and no idea"! I can now say that I have raced in 2014! Hopefully TT bike will not have two year's worth of dust on it next time I use it.
 
Good fun had, but neck now very sore from TT position.
 
R :banana :banana

Martin
Great work being done by you and team. For me the priority has to be youth. After that I think the WOSCA series is great for the many, it is so popular there might be room to make an age split and still have 2 full races on the course. This would get more people doing more racing.
 
Track fantastic, youths get a lot of time and that should not change. What would be good for the rest and has been very popular is the 3-4 hour structured sessions when folks can have a go at all types of races and drills. I think they were called 'cluster sessions'.
 
Finally, to get a licence you must first attempt the Arran challenge
 
 

Thanks Kenny, the videos are very sensible and watchable.
 
I like the emphasis on keeping safe and not crossing the central lines
 
Alan

An enjoyable nights racing was had in beautiful sunshine although Richard and I couldn't decide if it was one water bottle or two for this one given the heat. As the race rolled out I was managing my effort well but my last words to Richard were that I woul be sitting on and trying to last the distance. Funny how you make these plans at the start. On the northbound leg of the a77 I was sitting in the first 3rd of the bunch but riders were veering across the white line constantly so in the interests of holding position I duly moved up on a riders wheel. The rider then decided to give chase to a small group who had gone up the road and I had to make a decision to stick or twist. I went with him and got into the breakaway of about 6 guys .
 
I knew I was over cooking it and when I was pulling through for my turn it was at the bottom of the first climb up the dams road so was really on full gas. This gave me a good 1 min advantage up the climb do decided to sit up and drop back in to the bunch.
 
Over the top feeling ok but recovered a bit too much and ended up in poor position going up the clunch road hung on ok but the poor road surface at the top nearly caused me to come off the bike a couple of times and I lost a bit of ground as the bunch accelerated over the top so realised it was day over.
 
Linked up with a couple of other riders and tried to chase back on but it wasn't to be. Hmmm a lesson in pacing me thinks
 
Well done to Richard for finishing strongly and good to see Chung out in support

An enjoyable nights racing was had in beautiful sunshine although Richard and I couldn't decide if it was one water bottle or two for this one given the heat. As the race rolled out I was managing my effort well but my last words to Richard were that I woul be sitting on and trying to last the distance. Funny how you make these plans at the start. On the northbound leg of the a77 I was sitting in the first 3rd of the bunch but riders were veering across the white line constantly so in the interests of holding position I duly moved up on a riders wheel. The rider then decided to give chase to a small group who had gone up the road and I had to make a decision to stick or twist. I went with him and got into the breakaway of about 6 guys .
 
I knew I was over cooking it and when I was pulling through for my turn it was at the bottom of the first climb up the dams road so was really on full gas. This gave me a good 1 min advantage up the climb do decided to sit up and drop back in to the bunch.
 
Over the top feeling ok but recovered a bit too much and ended up in poor position going up the clunch road hung on ok but the poor road surface at the top nearly caused me to come off the bike a couple of times and I lost a bit of ground as the bunch accelerated over the top so realised it was day over.
 
Linked up with a couple of other riders and tried to chase back on but it wasn't to be. Hmmm a lesson in pacing me thinks
 
Well done to Richard for finishing strongly and good to see Chung out in support

An enjoyable nights racing was had in beautiful sunshine although Richard and I couldn't decide if it was one water bottle or two for this one given the heat. As the race rolled out I was managing my effort well but my last words to Richard were that I woul be sitting on and trying to last the distance. Funny how you make these plans at the start. On the northbound leg of the a77 I was sitting in the first 3rd of the bunch but riders were veering across the white line constantly so in the interests of holding position I duly moved up on a riders wheel. The rider then decided to give chase to a small group who had gone up the road and I had to make a decision to stick or twist. I went with him and got into the breakaway of about 6 guys .
 
I knew I was over cooking it and when I was pulling through for my turn it was at the bottom of the first climb up the dams road so was really on full gas. This gave me a good 1 min advantage up the climb do decided to sit up and drop back in to the bunch.
 
Over the top feeling ok but recovered a bit too much and ended up in poor position going up the clunch road hung on ok but the poor road surface at the top nearly caused me to come off the bike a couple of times and I lost a bit of ground as the bunch accelerated over the top so realised it was day over.
 
Linked up with a couple of other riders and tried to chase back on but it wasn't to be. Hmmm a lesson in pacing me thinks
 
Well done to Richard for finishing strongly and good to see Chung out in support

An enjoyable nights racing was had in beautiful sunshine although Richard and I couldn't decide if it was one water bottle or two for this one given the heat. As the race rolled out I was managing my effort well but my last words to Richard were that I woul be sitting on and trying to last the distance. Funny how you make these plans at the start. On the northbound leg of the a77 I was sitting in the first 3rd of the bunch but riders were veering across the white line constantly so in the interests of holding position I duly moved up on a riders wheel. The rider then decided to give chase to a small group who had gone up the road and I had to make a decision to stick or twist. I went with him and got into the breakaway of about 6 guys .
 
I knew I was over cooking it and when I was pulling through for my turn it was at the bottom of the first climb up the dams road so was really on full gas. This gave me a good 1 min advantage up the climb do decided to sit up and drop back in to the bunch.
 
Over the top feeling ok but recovered a bit too much and ended up in poor position going up the clunch road hung on ok but the poor road surface at the top nearly caused me to come off the bike a couple of times and I lost a bit of ground as the bunch accelerated over the top so realised it was day over.
 
Linked up with a couple of other riders and tried to chase back on but it wasn't to be. Hmmm a lesson in pacing me thinks
 
Well done to Richard for finishing strongly and good to see Chung out in support

The pressure is relentless,
 
in diary awaiting final confirmation from social secretary

Made it to the start line in this one with Andy despite the conditions. It was really horrendous hanging about in the rain for the race to get underway felt like January lucky Paul you are sunning it up in Spain ! Felt ok in the neutralised roll out and was preparing for the first surge as the flag came in. Put my nose into the wind at one point and speed dropped by about 2 mph so realised it was going to be a hard day. Managed to sit in down to the first corner into the dams climb. Was well positioned here and feeling ok. However the pace setting on the front was pretty savage and I started to become aware thAt I was losing ground fast (sorry if this is sounding a bit familiar). Anyway got my head down and was almost back on by the time the bunch got to the top. However a further injection of pace courtesy mainly from couriers riders saw me distanced again so I resigned myself to a day of time trialling in terrible conditions. Think a few guys gave up (sensibly) after a lap or so but sucker for punishment that I am decided to battle on. My pace on the a77 slowed to a crawl into the headwind then joined up with a small group for a short spell. I think I must have got myself into the 'too much negative self talk' because of the conditions at the start as I'd been feeling strong all week. I actually dropped them next time up the dams climb ( good to know that there are people out there struggling with the up bits even more than me) and picked my pace up on the downwind leg towards the clunch road. Further toil back into a hurricane like headwind followed by lap 3 when the wind changed round so didn't get the benefit of it behind as on laps 1 and 2. All on all a tough day at the office. Now someone pass me the red wine. Racing can be very humbling at times !

B race for me tonight and i did a bit better. Felt comfortable in the bunch, rather than hanging on the back and then getting dropped. Partly it was a bit slower although my fastest lap tonight was better than ive done in previous weeks so partly it recovery from injury and finding a bit of form and getting to know the course better as i was able to carry more speed through the corners that were giving me difficulty previously. Anyway i didnt do any work at all only moved up the group if someone attacked so i could get mark any moves if someone tried to bridge. I had no intention of bridging myself though! Last lap a sizeable group (i think about 12) still together, i moved up on the double corner before the back straight but someone drifted off their line and i had to go on the grass. It didnt slow me much but i lost a few positions so had to make my way through again through the zig zag (someone near the front was forced onto the grass here so i made up a place because of that) then by the final bend i was sitting about 5th then round the bend and into the sprint, managed to overtake one guy on the corner gap then chased down the guy in 3rd. Soon as he checked his shoulder i knew i had him However i didnt have enough distance left to get 1st or 2nd. Happy with 3rd, but feel i had the speed to have gone better if i'd made it through the final corner 2nd or 3rd wheel which had been my intention - but presumably also the intention of everyone else too!
 
There is a new feature on strava that lets you track riders that have passed the same gps co-ordinates as you on a ride, makes for a virtual race playback. Perhaps not very interesting for a crit that ends up in a group sprint but will be good to see for road races to see when winning moves and attacks are made.
 
http://labs.strava.c...W8IHeFvCNYFcAg=
 
Anyway ive typed too much - still buzzing a bit (from the race that is ive not been following the Boonen recreational activities!)

Really enjoyed it Mark, although my lungs were bursting. I will be back for more for sure. Cheers for all the advice!

So looks like 7th June, 7am for the inagrual One.Fiver, this is a one point five laps of Arran in 4h15m and will require an average speed of 18.4mph.
The average speed is reduced but, and it is a bit of a but, the challenge goes over the Ross twice. Dependent on wind that might mean two times up the steep side of the Ross ( bit like dark side of the moon )
The roads to be covered are leave ferry head for Lamlash, over the Ross, turn right along to String and back over to Brodick. Left at bottom of hill and full coastal route until the Ross turn off and head over in reverse direction back to Brodick.
Nae problem to the single loop hall of famers ( which I can confirm after lengthy consultations and court proceedings does include Mark and Colin )

14th June. A stepping stone to the full double. 81 miles in 4.25 hours = 19.1 mph. Dosn't sound too hard, don't be fooled, it is. Based on a slightly extended figure of 8. The heavy roads, twists and turns and uphill down dale nature ensure this will be a leg bender. There are bale out options for punctured tyres and lungs Saturday has the most ferry options so thinking the usual 7am start.
Holo, I know you will be there in 3D spirit but I accept your apologies in advance for not being there in physical matter.

 

I'm in for June

Please note this is not a cycling date line Al and Chung if you don't like then suggest an alternative
Much preferred when the Trotskyite was in Auz

Good day despite the mechanicals ( my own included) the rattle kicked in again just as I crested the summit at mennock pass and I decided it was better to press on than to force everyone to listen to the coffee grinder noise for the rest of the way
 
Thanks for the assistance Chung think team sky are looking for a mechanic. Hope you're wheel is ok for Paul's Arran challenge next week billy come to think of it hope my legs are ok too !

The race started at a fairly benign tempo with the usual attacks. Most of the bunch stayed together on the first climb of the mini braes but it broke up on the second climb of the braes with various groups forming. I did some work at the front in the run in to the first climb and tried to go with a couple of the moves and foolishly put myself on the red by the time the bunch reached the mini braes. Not my best effort but at least I didn't finish last. Although difficult this was a good course with only one slightly dodgy corner but was very well marshalled. Well done to Lewis of the couriers on a 5th place. Chapeau Andy for recovering from a dropped chain to finish well up

Two souls, Greg and Andy joined renfra bunch. I never realised there were so many places you could breathe out of
Andy

Finally recovered enough to write a bit!
 
Another fantastic day of weather in East Lothian for a great event on some hilly country roads. Mike Ferguson and I were along for another TT outing on a hilly course, and it was a cracker!
 
Two laps of an 11.5m course made it interesting as there were more people than usual to chase down! The course begins with a slightly uphill start, then plunges into East Saltoun with a couple of (well marshalled) junctions to negotiate and then downhill for a couple of miles, easily mid 30's and I passed my first victim at 43mph after 4 minutes. There was steady uphill and some 33mph flats with the tailwind for the next few miles, then came a challenging downhill with a couple of sharp "red flagged" corners. Not for the faint hearted!
 
It got interesting at the 18minute point as Stuart Balfour, a wee slip of a boy who regularly wins the 'A' races at track league, caught me just at the end of the biggest hill. He was on his second lap and flying, he went off number 5 and I went off 33. I knew he was going to well up the standings at the end, and I did the maths on how much he had taken out me and where we were at, and realised I was doing quite well. We started on a long undulating section heading back towards the finish line and I managed to power up, push myself well into the red and pass him again at speed. He caught me again on the last hill before lap 2 but I overtook him at 40 on the start/finish straight for the start of lap 2 for me.
 
I hit lap 2 spurred on and knew I was going to be well inside my target of 60 minutes as I started lap 2 on 29 minutes. Knowing exactly what was coming I managed to keep pushing and caught another 5 or 6 riders on the way round. Great fun!
 
So, I finished up getting the prize for 3rd (I was actually 4th in the end) as Gary Robson 14secs in front of me got the 1st Vet prize. Stuart Balfour ended up just about 1 minute in front of me and he won overall, impressive for a junior!
 
I was quite pleased with the day out, as I left with my petrol paid for in prize money and 3 minutes faster over the hour relative to everyone there that I'd competed against already this year. That said, I did have to actually lie down a couple of times mid conversation on the pavement while chatting to Jon from Glasgow Wheelers afterwards.
 
Bring on the flat stuff!

Just to mention that due to the great generosity of Thomsons in supply the prizes there are some surplus funds from the race on Saturday. And so the club coffers will benefit with an input of £150

Great day oot today. Thanks to all. Legs are totally shredded now after playing footie for an hour with Robbie.
 
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/483688282