Cold, bitterly cold.
After a full cross season that ended in mid January, today signaled a return to the clinical environment of the road. But these early events never feel clinical. They actually feel awkward, disorganised and a downright shock to the system. Despite having ridden literally hundreds of these, the first event for me each year is as much about relearning how to pack the van, warm up and not panic.
If I was to say that I hadn't even laid one digit on my TT bike since September, this would be a lie. I actually put a pair of robust 50mm wheels in her yesterday and gave her a wipe over with Pledge! So going from a relaxed cross bike to a razor sharp TT bike with a 11mm higher seat was always going to be a big ask.
The old A1 at Brotherton is at best a rollercoaster of a ten course. 20mph in places, 40mph in others. With todays cold NW wind, it a was a lot more 20mph and not much, if any 40......Suddenly my unfeasibly skinny legs found the resistance of the bigger gear a struggle and despite being away from competition for six weeks, my lungs had forgotten what it felt like.
But then at about seven miles, despite the cold, I got into the zone and the rhythm started to come. Despite it being 3deg C the sweat was dripping off my chin end and the heart had stabilised at near enough 170.
So that was that, 2.27 slower than on a good day, three minutes slower than my best on there, but a solid 25mph ride on a hard course in a bitter wind. Good enough for 2nd place, fastest vet and a few good scalps.
On a technical note, pre event, I rode a load of stuff on the net about the road surface being shot to bits and wheel breakingly bad.......all I can say is 'not from a cross riders view it wasn't' Yes I was on the heaviest tubs known to mankind, just blown up to just 100psi, but I seriously think some people need to get out and ride on real roads a bit more. Put those VR trainers where they belong....
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