thejanullrichdietplan

Didnt realise there were other Wheelers riding! Hope you all enjoyed yourself
 
Was an enjoyable event. Pleased with my time and also my sprint placing, have much to improve on with the king of the mountain section though. Highlight was towards the end - there is a tough little climb at Logierait that catches riders unaware because most are in the big ring then take a corner directly onto a steep slope which is hidden from view. Anyway because i knew it was coming i'd changed down in advance and overtook a guy on a Boardman bike who was also wearing Boardman top...it was only after i noticed these things that i realised it was Chris Boardman himself.

Didnt realise there were other Wheelers riding! Hope you all enjoyed yourself
 
Was an enjoyable event. Pleased with my time and also my sprint placing, have much to improve on with the king of the mountain section though. Highlight was towards the end - there is a tough little climb at Logierait that catches riders unaware because most are in the big ring then take a corner directly onto a steep slope which is hidden from view. Anyway because i knew it was coming i'd changed down in advance and overtook a guy on a Boardman bike who was also wearing Boardman top...it was only after i noticed these things that i realised it was Chris Boardman himself.

Didnt realise there were other Wheelers riding! Hope you all enjoyed yourself
 
Was an enjoyable event. Pleased with my time and also my sprint placing, have much to improve on with the king of the mountain section though. Highlight was towards the end - there is a tough little climb at Logierait that catches riders unaware because most are in the big ring then take a corner directly onto a steep slope which is hidden from view. Anyway because i knew it was coming i'd changed down in advance and overtook a guy on a Boardman bike who was also wearing Boardman top...it was only after i noticed these things that i realised it was Chris Boardman himself.

Didnt realise there were other Wheelers riding! Hope you all enjoyed yourself
 
Was an enjoyable event. Pleased with my time and also my sprint placing, have much to improve on with the king of the mountain section though. Highlight was towards the end - there is a tough little climb at Logierait that catches riders unaware because most are in the big ring then take a corner directly onto a steep slope which is hidden from view. Anyway because i knew it was coming i'd changed down in advance and overtook a guy on a Boardman bike who was also wearing Boardman top...it was only after i noticed these things that i realised it was Chris Boardman himself.

Reminds me of the quote from Theo de Rooy: "it's bollocks this race! You’re working like an animal, you don’t have time to piss, you wet your pants. You’re riding in mud like this, you’re slipping, it’s a piece of shit…â€
 
Interviewer “Will you ever ride it again?â€
 
de Rooy, “Sure, it’s the most beautiful race in the world!â€

Reminds me of the quote from Theo de Rooy: "it's bollocks this race! You’re working like an animal, you don’t have time to piss, you wet your pants. You’re riding in mud like this, you’re slipping, it’s a piece of shit…â€
 
Interviewer “Will you ever ride it again?â€
 
de Rooy, “Sure, it’s the most beautiful race in the world!â€

Not the greatest of performances tonight as i got dropped after 15 minutes and spent the rest of it on my own or with one other rider. Managed to avoid getting lapped at least! Knee was troublesome when trying to accelerate which didnt help things but what got me dropped was my cornering - at a tight zig zag bend (tight right, tight left then tight right) i'd go into it reasonable placed but on the middle part riders kept coming up my inside then drifting across me to go into the right hander so i kept hesitating / braking when everyone else was accelerating - this was followed shortly after by a 180 degree bend and i wasnt comfortable going round that either. So for about 5 laps in a row i was off the back at this stage then having to chase back on the long straight into a headwind...i managed this a few times and got back on but by then it was the zig zag corners again and it all started again.
 
Got to hope i'll improve over the coming weeks as injury clears up and i get to know the course better.

It might be worth checking in Thomsons Cycles as they ordered a couple of womens jerseys to help meet the minimum order. I dont however know what size these are (or even if they are still available!)

I have an 800 and if you are following a route and take a wrong turn it will put you back on track.
 
I dont really use the mapping feature that much but its handy when riding in an area i dont know particularly if mountain biking because with the OS maps you can see contour lines, footpaths, streams etc.

After getting the dressing changed today i now see the merits of shaved legs!
 
Bike seems ok, just a puncture and some scuffs / scratches

After getting the dressing changed today i now see the merits of shaved legs!
 
Bike seems ok, just a puncture and some scuffs / scratches

After getting the dressing changed today i now see the merits of shaved legs!
 
Bike seems ok, just a puncture and some scuffs / scratches

going up the Clune
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slCyAtBYKDc

going up the Clune
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slCyAtBYKDc

Nice night for it and good turnout too.
 
I had a gopro camera on the bike but i accidentally turned it off at the top of Clune so missed everything after that and before then most of the footage is into the sun so not the best quality. Conveniently this means my poor excuse for a late breakaway on the Georgetown was missed!
 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ioI9aSDhEE

They aim to get people arriving between 12 and 1 for the lunch break so stagger the starts for this (they dont start the afternoon lap until after 1) but if you are outside this then its ok too - latest start for the afternoon loop is 2.30pm so as long as you average about 12mph you'll have time to complete the morning loop plus also have time for a lunch break. Obviously you'll be able to go slower than this too but that will cut into the cake eating opportunities!

It is about 7 or 8 miles from Inchinnan. The easiest way to the clubrooms is from the cycletrack, however if you dont know the cycletrack it is worth looking at the satellite maps on google to get your bearings about what exit you should take (the one beside the bridge that has a cage on it halfway between Johnstone and Elderslie)

Legs felt good today then when i saw alot of the fast young guys were missing (presumably with junior tour of Scotland coming up) i felt quite confident of making the breakthrough tonight in the Bs.
 
Shouldnt have counted my chickens though as there was not enough A riders tonight and too many B riders to fit them all in the same race, so two combined a/b races and i was put in with Davie Lines, Andrew Whitehall, Callum Watson and a couple of others. Wasnt too bad to start with but when the hammer went down with a few laps to go it blew things apart, was just about hanging on but someone drifted down and i had to ease up slightly that meant i lost the wheel and it was game over. Next up was a Kieren, didnt do great then it was a B group only scratch where i attacked with a couple of laps to go and managed to get either a 2nd or 3rd. Another Kieren next managed a 3rd in this however there were only 5 riders in that one so it was also 3rd last! Finished off with another A/B race when the split happened i had just joined the end of the line after taking my turn so completly the wrong place. Riders in front were pulling out meaning i kept having to try and close down gaps by the time things calmed a bit there was a group of 4 about half a lap ahead and a small chasing group which i was about 10 metres behind but just couldnt get back on, eventually got lapped by the 4 in front then chucked it with a couple of laps to go. Painful night but was enjoyable as well because the race programme was a bit different to normal.
 
Some good results from Alan tonight although i suspect he is just as pleased with avoiding crashing into a rider that went down right in front while they were both in the middle of a sprint. Very impressive save!

Legs felt good today then when i saw alot of the fast young guys were missing (presumably with junior tour of Scotland coming up) i felt quite confident of making the breakthrough tonight in the Bs.
 
Shouldnt have counted my chickens though as there was not enough A riders tonight and too many B riders to fit them all in the same race, so two combined a/b races and i was put in with Davie Lines, Andrew Whitehall, Callum Watson and a couple of others. Wasnt too bad to start with but when the hammer went down with a few laps to go it blew things apart, was just about hanging on but someone drifted down and i had to ease up slightly that meant i lost the wheel and it was game over. Next up was a Kieren, didnt do great then it was a B group only scratch where i attacked with a couple of laps to go and managed to get either a 2nd or 3rd. Another Kieren next managed a 3rd in this however there were only 5 riders in that one so it was also 3rd last! Finished off with another A/B race when the split happened i had just joined the end of the line after taking my turn so completly the wrong place. Riders in front were pulling out meaning i kept having to try and close down gaps by the time things calmed a bit there was a group of 4 about half a lap ahead and a small chasing group which i was about 10 metres behind but just couldnt get back on, eventually got lapped by the 4 in front then chucked it with a couple of laps to go. Painful night but was enjoyable as well because the race programme was a bit different to normal.
 
Some good results from Alan tonight although i suspect he is just as pleased with avoiding crashing into a rider that went down right in front while they were both in the middle of a sprint. Very impressive save!

Legs felt good today then when i saw alot of the fast young guys were missing (presumably with junior tour of Scotland coming up) i felt quite confident of making the breakthrough tonight in the Bs.
 
Shouldnt have counted my chickens though as there was not enough A riders tonight and too many B riders to fit them all in the same race, so two combined a/b races and i was put in with Davie Lines, Andrew Whitehall, Callum Watson and a couple of others. Wasnt too bad to start with but when the hammer went down with a few laps to go it blew things apart, was just about hanging on but someone drifted down and i had to ease up slightly that meant i lost the wheel and it was game over. Next up was a Kieren, didnt do great then it was a B group only scratch where i attacked with a couple of laps to go and managed to get either a 2nd or 3rd. Another Kieren next managed a 3rd in this however there were only 5 riders in that one so it was also 3rd last! Finished off with another A/B race when the split happened i had just joined the end of the line after taking my turn so completly the wrong place. Riders in front were pulling out meaning i kept having to try and close down gaps by the time things calmed a bit there was a group of 4 about half a lap ahead and a small chasing group which i was about 10 metres behind but just couldnt get back on, eventually got lapped by the 4 in front then chucked it with a couple of laps to go. Painful night but was enjoyable as well because the race programme was a bit different to normal.
 
Some good results from Alan tonight although i suspect he is just as pleased with avoiding crashing into a rider that went down right in front while they were both in the middle of a sprint. Very impressive save!

Legs felt good today then when i saw alot of the fast young guys were missing (presumably with junior tour of Scotland coming up) i felt quite confident of making the breakthrough tonight in the Bs.
 
Shouldnt have counted my chickens though as there was not enough A riders tonight and too many B riders to fit them all in the same race, so two combined a/b races and i was put in with Davie Lines, Andrew Whitehall, Callum Watson and a couple of others. Wasnt too bad to start with but when the hammer went down with a few laps to go it blew things apart, was just about hanging on but someone drifted down and i had to ease up slightly that meant i lost the wheel and it was game over. Next up was a Kieren, didnt do great then it was a B group only scratch where i attacked with a couple of laps to go and managed to get either a 2nd or 3rd. Another Kieren next managed a 3rd in this however there were only 5 riders in that one so it was also 3rd last! Finished off with another A/B race when the split happened i had just joined the end of the line after taking my turn so completly the wrong place. Riders in front were pulling out meaning i kept having to try and close down gaps by the time things calmed a bit there was a group of 4 about half a lap ahead and a small chasing group which i was about 10 metres behind but just couldnt get back on, eventually got lapped by the 4 in front then chucked it with a couple of laps to go. Painful night but was enjoyable as well because the race programme was a bit different to normal.
 
Some good results from Alan tonight although i suspect he is just as pleased with avoiding crashing into a rider that went down right in front while they were both in the middle of a sprint. Very impressive save!

Tough night in the Bs but an improvement on last week - got some points in the points race (2nd and 4th) but then suffered for those effort and eventually the elastic snapped and i was off the back and just hanging on hoping not to get lapped. Last scratch was alright was in a breakaway of 3 that then became 2 that stayed out for a few laps, eventually caught then too far back to do anything in the sprint (not that i had a sprint left in me). End result was the same as last week did not get any podiums but at least this week it felt like i was racing rather than hanging on so much more enjoyable!
 
The Cs looked fast tonight, thought you were a bit unlucky to lose the wheel in front just before the pace picked up making it difficult to get back on again. If you'd been mid bunch then you'd have been alright i think - you were doing well for the first half of the race.

Tough night in the Bs but an improvement on last week - got some points in the points race (2nd and 4th) but then suffered for those effort and eventually the elastic snapped and i was off the back and just hanging on hoping not to get lapped. Last scratch was alright was in a breakaway of 3 that then became 2 that stayed out for a few laps, eventually caught then too far back to do anything in the sprint (not that i had a sprint left in me). End result was the same as last week did not get any podiums but at least this week it felt like i was racing rather than hanging on so much more enjoyable!
 
The Cs looked fast tonight, thought you were a bit unlucky to lose the wheel in front just before the pace picked up making it difficult to get back on again. If you'd been mid bunch then you'd have been alright i think - you were doing well for the first half of the race.

Tough night in the Bs but an improvement on last week - got some points in the points race (2nd and 4th) but then suffered for those effort and eventually the elastic snapped and i was off the back and just hanging on hoping not to get lapped. Last scratch was alright was in a breakaway of 3 that then became 2 that stayed out for a few laps, eventually caught then too far back to do anything in the sprint (not that i had a sprint left in me). End result was the same as last week did not get any podiums but at least this week it felt like i was racing rather than hanging on so much more enjoyable!
 
The Cs looked fast tonight, thought you were a bit unlucky to lose the wheel in front just before the pace picked up making it difficult to get back on again. If you'd been mid bunch then you'd have been alright i think - you were doing well for the first half of the race.

Ok here goes, i suspect im going to type too much as im still buzzing
 
As it was my first crit i'd read alot beforehand and also asked Paul and Billy for some advice at the track the other night - how important it is to be near the front, always be moving up in the bunch and things like that. So i made to sure to position myself on the first row for the start. So far so good - It was a neutralised lap to see the course then back to line up and start for real. However by the end of the neutralised lap i found myself right on the back! I stayed near there for the first 15 minutes struggling with the pace (i dont think i did a hard enough warm up) but after that started to find my legs so on the hill/ramp on the finish straight i put in a dig to see if i could move up to a better position managed that alright and stayed up for a lap before drifting back again to hide from the wind feeling a bit more confident that i could move up if needed. By this point there were a couple of guys up the road and managing to maintain a good gap (mostly out of sight of the bunch) then another couple of riders tried to bridge - when we eventually caught those two they were a couple of others with them and i thought that was everything back together. However it was 2 lapped riders and the 2 out in front were still there! Was about 5 laps to go by this point and things starting to heat up, final lap i made an effort up the hill to get near the front but i maybe put in too big an effort as i found myself on the front going through the carpark and onto the backstraight as we hit the first speedbump. I wasnt wanting to be there after the turn onto the home straight as there was a headwind on what was also the fastest section of the course (this section would be from about 500 to 100 metres before the finish) so let others come past - slipped back probably a bit much to about 10th, then it was down the sweeping bend onto the straight and right into the headwind. The sprint started as soon as we exited this corner which was good for me as i could pick my way through as others were starting to tie up however there was still one rider in front who managed to get to the roundabout first (this came before by the final corner) so i had to brake a little and couldnt carry momentum, then started again but that was that. Was a strange mixture of being really pleased but also a little disappointed because i didnt feel like i'd been able to give it everything. However in some respects it is just as well i didnt overtake him as i'd have looked a right spanner celebrating 3rd place as if i'd won the race
 
 
I should add if i had known there were 2 riders still ahead i wouldnt have been able to do anything about it, they rode a great race and were by far the strongest on the day.
 
Overall though really enjoyed it - i was worried beforehand partly about what the pace would be like but mostly about what the riding would be like as i'd read so many horror stories of Crits - particularly 4th Cat early season ones! There was some dodgy riding at times (i was almost put into a barrier due to someone diving up the inside of a corner then drifting over and rubbing shoulders) but overall it was pretty good and nowhere near as bad as i was expecting it to be. Good weather and a good course - nice mix of fast and technical - the highlight being a fast downhill corner where you could smell burning rubber with the tyres on the limits of their grip. Could have done without the speedbumps they werent pleasant at all. Also great to see so many out racing from all age groups to the elite riders and a world champ. On another note the Jets look really pro, this was my first time seeing their set up at a road race and i was impressed! Well done to all the riders, coaches and support