My Ryedale Challenge

Ryedale Grand Prix (9 July 2006)

Phew! Am I glad that race is over. To say it was hard is an understatement. There's no way with my current time allocation that I can train for 185km races... let alone in the North Yorkshire Moors hills.

Paul, Bob, Alex H and I had a great trip up to the event. Got to meet Bob's wife, Maggie, who seems to be a real hoot (a lot of fun). I had a quite chuckle to myself when she said that she'll have a party the night Bob's away. Sounds like Bob is a 'handbrake'. A top bloke and a real help at the race.

I felt a little sorry for Paul (Coleman)... he did an amazing 1200 miles in 2 days. Carting us around the countryside and helping is beloved son (Neil) with repair work after his nasty crash 2 weeks ago at Nationals. He sure deserves a 'pat-on-the-back' for his efforts.

As for the race itself - HARD! The first half of the race went ok, but I started to really suffer with my chest infection. My legs just kept burning. As soon as I went uphill or put in a big effort my legs ached and my chest burned. I know I shouldn't really have ridden, but I was keen to ride and to do it with the team again... and I've never ridden in North Yorkshire.

The course consisted of 2 circuits: 4 laps of the first and 4 laps of the other. The finish was a brutal uphill dash. My stats for the race:

HR: 160/191
Dist: 185km
Asc: 2300m
Time: 05:03
Temp: 23 degrees ave.

The result:
1. Evan Oliphant
2. Ben Greenwood
3. Matthew Stephens
9. Kev Dawson
13. Alex H
15. James W
24. Gazza
25. Neil C
33. Rob E

Go to the BCF website for more on this race.

Les Ingman Memorial RR

2 July 2006

The more I think about this race the more satisfied I am with my result (9th). There was a quality field there and it was hot (bloody hot), but I felt strong and had no problems with the hills or the heat. If I need to find an area of weakness yesterday then it was my tactics. It only takes 2 mins for a small race-winning break to disappear. This is what happened. For most of the race I was never more than 10th from the front, but just for a moment I slipped back and they were gone.

The PCA guys were very dominant and had a good game plan. They had a man for each attack ensuring that they never missed a beat. Then, there was Malcolm (Elliot) who waited patiently for his turn... and when it came he went.... and won the race. Well done to them. I think if I had a few more team mates there we would have made a good challenge of it. I suppose, though, it was nice to just be left alone. Afterall, my plan was not to be too aggresive, but to rather see how my form was doing for next weekend (Ryedale Classic RR). The last 2 weeks have been challenging for me... chest infection, blocked and infected sinuses and 15 sutures in my chest/neck, which come out on Friday. And, with the doc appointments last week I had a disruptive training week. So, as you can see my result was that bad. Now I'm feeling better ;-)

Stats:
Distance: 143 km
Time: 03:44
HR: 164/193 bpm
Temp: 30 ave.
Ascent: 1610 m

Results:
1. Malcolm Elliot
2. Rob Hurd
3. Daniel Lloyd
9. Rob Enslin

More:

British Cycling report
London Cycle Sport report