thejanullrichdietplan

Another hard but enjoyable night, managed to get a couple of thirds in the scratch races so pretty pleased with that. Was nowhere in the points race - 32 laps with sprints every 4 so was hard going.
 
 

Races a little bit longer tonight and some big names in the As (and Bs too) so those races in particular looked very fast.
 
The Cs started off with a 15 lap scratch and it was pretty shambolic at times - most riders are alright but there were 2 or 3 who you didnt want to be around. First time ive been in a race where a rider got an official warning for doing something daft. Was a bit far back when the sprint started so felt a bit like the race passed me by. 2nd scratch was 20 laps, didnt do any work - there were a couple of breakaway attempts and others chased them down, made a move with about 3 to go and found myself just behind the front but also high on the banking. Pretty much the ideal place so managed to go and then get a bit of a gap and the win. First one ive had in months! Last was 25 lap points, the aim was to go for the 2nd sprint and then go on from there but didnt have any speed left so ended up just trying to hang onto the group.

Yeah the A devil was race of the night, some great tactical riding (plus the legs to back it up!)

Going to be tight for time but will try to make it. The curry, pakora and naan bread ive just finished probably isnt the best of preparation though

Good night overall but would be nice to have a bit more track time as there were only 3 races tonight and the distances were a bit shorter too. Good to see so many Wheelers and Jets, by far the biggest representation of all the clubs.
 
Overall legs felt better than last week although the results didnt really show it much. First up in the C was a 30 lap points and the sprints were fast - 2nd sprint was 45 mph, thats the fastest i've seen at the track league so far. Normally the sprints in the points are a bit slower than in the scratch but not tonight, well done to Alan for winning this.
 
Second up 15 lap scratch - my positioning was pretty woeful on this, thought i was being smart and was marking Kevin Stewart but i guess the distance was too much for him.
 
Third another 15 lap scratch - managed to get a second, helped no doubt by the field being a bit smaller! Managed to avoid doing any work then there was a Thomsons rider about a half lap ahead, i attacked with 5 to go and managed to bridge however by that time the other Thomsons rider had got away from the group and was on my wheel and came past.
 
Rider of the night was Richard - 2 breakaway wins in the Bs and also i think in the top 3 in the points.

At the weekend I was down south for the RideLondon 100 - This was a closed road sportive starting at the Olympic stadium heading through central London out to the Surrey Hills then back to London and finishing on the Mall a few hours before the pro racers did a slightly longer version of the same course. Anyway just thought i'd post some thoughts on the event as the ballot for next year is opening next Monday and some of you might be interested in what i found to be quite a unique cycling experience.
 
I was in a starting wave at 6.10, which meant I had to be at the Olympic Park an hour before to get in the starting pen so an even earlier start to get there from central London. The 5 mile trip was a bit more stressful than it should have been as i had neglected to put some lights in my kit bag but fortunately most of the traffic heading east was other cyclists. As for the ride itself there were many highlights - the start, which was neutralised, had us riding along the motorway then turning west and heading past Canary Wharf and through the Limehouse tunnel.

Was in a group of about 300 at this point, barely needing to pedal and coasting along about 25mph and this continued for the next few miles past the Tower of London and the City, along Embankment, up past the Ritz - it was all quite eerie as the streets at this point were deserted apart from the cyclists - if you've ever seen the movie '28 Days Later then it reminded me of the opening scene. Although minus the zombies. The first 40 odd miles were fast - only a couple of mild hills, one going over an overpass and one in Richmond Park which along with a few tight corners did thin the group out a fair bit although at about 50 was still pretty big.
 
Eventually we got into Surrey and the start of the hills proper. I had never been up of them before so didnt know what to expect which always makes the climbs that bit harder. First up was Newlands Corner which wasn't too bad, really nice descent off that with a wide road and smooth tarmac, then it was Leith Hill which was the hardest of the day, quite steep in places but also hot with it being enclosed with trees. Eventually made it to the top feeling quite pleased that while I had been dropped I hadnt quite lost sight of the group so felt i could catch them on the descent. I didnt manage this however and lost even more ground here than I did on the climb - the surface wasn't great, and it was like riding through a tunnel of trees so was struggling to make out any potholes and i also found it difficult to judge how tight the corners were so i minced down and by the bottom i was in what felt like the gruppetto with 3 others. We made a reasonable pace for the next bit through Dorking where the streets streets were lined with well wishers and onto the next climb at Box Hill. I keep reading about how this is a legendary, iconic climb so i approached it with some trepidation and went up at a steady pace holding a bit in reserve expecting the hard bit to come, but it didnt. It is a pleasant climb with a smooth surface but the overwhelming feeling by the top was "is that it?".
 
On the descent i realised i had dropped the others (presumably they stopped to fill their bottles rather it being due to my awesome climbing ability) and so followed a lonely 5 miles on my own which felt a bit strange considering there were 20'000 others on the road at this point. I eventually got caught by a bigger group so could slot in and get a welcome break and it was then relatively flat for the return to London, couple of tricky little hills that wouldnt normally have meant much but with the miles in the legs were tough. After the last one at Wimbledon came a descent to Putney and it was flat to the River Thames , crossing that we turned along the Embankment, through Westminster past Downing Street a final corner heading onto the Mall with the crowds banging away on the boards and cheering. Unfortunately by that stage i couldnt do the sprint justice as i was getting cramp if i tried to stand on the pedals so had to sit and spin instead!
 

 
With the flat course, closed roads and big groups I managed to get a time of 4.34, which i was really pretty pleased with. It was an unusual event as the course is not challenging nor is the scenery in the countyside particularly remarkable (its not bad it is just not much compared to a Marmotte or Maratona or alot of events in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK) nor does it have the cycling heritage appeal to follow in the tyre marks of legends over the Koppenberg or Arenberg Trench but what it does have is closed roads through a major city passing iconic landmarks and a general experience that is quite different to anything i've done before. If you ever want to pretend to be a pro then this is the event for you - and frankly it is a hell of a lot of fun pretending to be a pro for a day

Alex Dowsett was in Paisley today taking his wheel into Dooleys to get fixed!
 

Good night for it
 
Got dropped coming out of Bishopton, got back on again on the sliproad and then got dropped again at Finlaystone. Took the shortcut then wheelsucked most of the way back with the elastic almost snapping a couple of times but made it along to see the sprint happening which is an improvement at least. Long, long way away from being able to make it up the Clune with the bunch though!

Good night tonight, nice to finally meet you all.
 
Pretty surprised at winning a couple of races. The last one just seemed to fall into my lap somehow - my legs were pretty much gone by then but there was a Nightingale rider on the front who for some reason pulled everyone along at a good pace for about 15 laps so i had a chance to ride along and not do much work, by the time of the bell i was sitting third wheel and pretty much in an ideal position for the sprint, without having done anything to get the position.

Good night tonight, nice to finally meet you all.
 
Pretty surprised at winning a couple of races. The last one just seemed to fall into my lap somehow - my legs were pretty much gone by then but there was a Nightingale rider on the front who for some reason pulled everyone along at a good pace for about 15 laps so i had a chance to ride along and not do much work, by the time of the bell i was sitting third wheel and pretty much in an ideal position for the sprint, without having done anything to get the position.

Good night tonight, nice to finally meet you all.
 
Pretty surprised at winning a couple of races. The last one just seemed to fall into my lap somehow - my legs were pretty much gone by then but there was a Nightingale rider on the front who for some reason pulled everyone along at a good pace for about 15 laps so i had a chance to ride along and not do much work, by the time of the bell i was sitting third wheel and pretty much in an ideal position for the sprint, without having done anything to get the position.

Actually on closer inspection of the map i think it goes down Gibson street rather than up it!

The courses were announced today for the events in June - 20th for the TT and 23rd for the road race
 
The city centre circuit isn't a surprise but now the roads are known - Think Gibson Street could be the best bit for viewing, its not a huge hill but think the atmosphere there could be pretty good. The time trial course starting and finishing in Stewarton is a bit out of left field.
 
For more details http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/events/NRRC/Courses/Pages/Courses.aspx

Just a heads up incase you havent noticed on the online booking yet but there are now DST sessions available at the velodrome. 2 hours for £20 either focusing on sprinting or endurance. Not sure if it will involve the derny but I hope so!