London By Sea- Sussex CA G25/93

Under the CTT codings G courses are 'London South', I have heard Brighton described as London on Sea and in the world of Time Trialling it can be pretty much true. The G25/93 out of Steyning, having take you up through Partridge Green and down the A24 to Washington heads out to the fringes or Shoreham before turning back in land. 

I have never ridden this course before as a 25 but have horrible memories of parts of it. The last 30 miles of the SCCU 100 features these roads heavily. The drag along the A24 has in its time been a personal Calvery.

Today's event boasted a celebrity entrant in the form of DrHutch, sadly he decided to give if a miss. It's not a course for a moral boosting fast time but it was a decent enough morning though some of the skinnier whippets like Brighton's James Stone were shivering a little. 

Events at the start had an extra level of excitement as there was a triathlon in Steyning at the same time. A poor Marshall for that event kept trying to send me into the transition area when I was trying to warm up.

I felt pretty good, and it's amazing how much easier a road can feel when you haven't got 70 miles in your legs. Steady improvement continues with a 1.04.36. Winner was Brighton's Steve Kane with an impressive 53.

Back Home? Addiscombe 25 27.4.14

Sunday's Addiscombe 25 was run on the G25/53 out of Broadbridge Heath. If there is any course I consider home this is it. It was where I did my first open TT (and went off course, turning back only when I saw the M23 slip road), and where a couple of years later on a lovely September morning  I went under the hour. If the rumours are true this course will not be around for much longer. Development in the area is happening apace, with new roundabouts and slip road appearing. Along with this major road works will be kicking in from the summer. All progress I guess but I will be sorry if the G25/53 is a casualty.

Not that the course exactly spoils us. Yesterday was wet with a wind that just seemed to never do you any favours. With lots of standing water it was as Bashers said, a day of 'tiptoe round the roundabouts' or risk ending up like Dan Martin in the L-B-L. However it nearly didn't happen for me. I got up in time, and was sitting reading the paper and eating breakfast. I checked my watch, 6.15, maybe should start thinking about leaving soon. It the dawned on me,  I was off at 7.32!! I reached the hall flustered at 7.10. Addiscombe's Andrew R Green kindly pinned my number on as I signed the start sheet. I the end I got a mighty 8 minute warm up riding to the start.

Bash was already on the road and Paul King was due to go off a little later. The upside of tearing around late was that I did not get the chance to brood on the crappy weather, and just got on with it. A couple of days before, Des at Cadence had worked on my position and warned me to expect it to feel a bit strange, but once I had finally warmed up and got into my stride it felt pretty good. I could have dug a bit deeper, but my 1.5.20 marked a bit more progress.

Paul King came in with a 1.4.47 but top dog was Bash with a 1.1.12, and excellent time on a tough day. Pete Tardros won well with a 53.49.

Crawley Wheelers Sporting 41.59 - Back to sparrow's fart

With British Summer time now locked in, its goodbye to post 9am start times for us Testers, and a return to leaving home while loved ones are still tucked up in bed. I recall a TT in Horsham a few years back when during my warm up I found myself racing an owl. In truth I didn't mind the early get away today, it meant I would be safely on my way before my fellow City dwellers started storming towards the coast for bank holiday fun and games.

Anyway, this course, the GS/196 was a new one on me. When I mentioned it to James Stone of Brighton Excelsior (something of a Guru on all things cycling as far as  I am concerned) I got a laugh and a wry smile. The main benefit of doing a 41 mile time trial is that it makes 25 mile TT's feel shorter, and 'sporting' designation for this one told me I was not in for a moral boosting fast time. Despite the sun, it was a chilly start, with envious glances being cast towards those with the foresight to pack full finger gloves and knee warmers.

Starting from Handcross it opens with a long section with a fast downhill bias, building lots of baseless confidence. It levels out, but while there a few sections where on can push a big gear and get a nice rhythm this are the exception. Lots of short rises to stop you getting to comfortable. But the real sting is in the tail, and the tail is about 8 miles long and very stingy. As Dave Churchill of Bigfoot said, 'I was on hour pace after 40km.' Erm yes. Because all that lovely fast descent at the start has to be paid for with a long drag uphill into a headwind at the end. That chequered flag just never seemed to what to appear and time ticked by.

I came in with at 1.57.48, which I was pretty happy with as had been able to go the distance without dropping off in the final 10 . Dave C wasn't thrilled with his 1.50.09, noting dryly that if he had done a personal best he'd have an excuse to never come back. But as he as entered a lumpy little TT around Devil's Dyke on Monday, I suspect he is made of sterner stuff.

The winner was the ever marvellous Steve Dennis with a 1.37.12, an excellent performance on genuinely testing sporting course. Have to say a big that you to Stuart Nisbett and his team from Crawley Wheelers for putting on a fine event. It is a tricky course and the marshalling was universally excellent. 

Weather Forcasts and the Redmon 25

In my way of dividing up the racing season, the Redmon 25 is the start of Time Trialing proper. January and Feb kicks things off with the Reliabilty Trials (that didn't really happen this year tbh), March is all about the sporting courses, Hardriders and the like.

Today was also the 3rd round of SEWTTS, with another strong field of women riders. They enjoyed the dubious pleasure of going off first. Rebecca Slack, the mastermind behind SEWTTS earned the Michael Fish award for optimistic and inaccurate weather forecasts, with an early tweet suggesting that the women riders would miss the rain. Hmmm, as I arrived the first salvo of women riders were on their way. Their grim faces, and the work my windscreen wipers were having to do, suggested that whatever she turns her hand to a glittering career in the met office doesn't await.

The course was a new one on me, and a change from previous years, the G25/46. On a first acquaintance I can't say I liked it much. But the combo of wet, nagging cross winds, and headwinds probably did not let me see it at its best. I was the only Old Port in this one. The other Testers either in deepest Kent or applying salvon to their cobbled parts in Flanders. It was a day to get through, and I managed a less than sparkling 1.08.09

For the Men, it was Conal Yates who I think came out on top, with a 54.44.  At the start he was my minute man, at the end, my 15 minute man. With the outstanding rider of SEWTTS round 1, Natalie Cresswick a DNS, there was a well fought battle for the women's prize.  However looked like Jasmijn Muller had good minute on the rest to finish with a 1.01.06 . Great rides by both the winners on a tough morning.

Home wins butter no parsnips at SCCU Sporting 25

'Scoring goals for Palace, John Terry, John Terry' ah heady celebrations in the Palace world.
It was only after the third pint of Guinness at the windmill on Saturday that it occurred to me I was meant to be racing in the morning. It had been emotionally draining enough without the beer and by the time I got home the arrival of the British summer and the loss of an hours kip was a growing cause for concern.
The G25/44 is the lumpy part of the 45 twice, and a course you need to attack with a bit of vim, something I was decidedly lacking. Also today we were treated to two sets of traffic lights. Two laps meant 4 potential stops. Nice.
The organisers were full of apology for something way outside their control. When my already unwilling body can across the first red on the A24 the motivation went a bit flat and never really returned.
Three ports had entred but Mr Warne decided he had other things to do, so it was me and Bash on parade, for what was weather wise a perfect morning, or as near to it as you can get in March.
Bash, by his own standards had a poor ride on the Bletchingly course last Sunday but put this behind him today. He had already laid to rest any doubts about his form with a PB for the sporting 10 on Saturday. Despite road works he came through the 25 in a commendable 1.02.43
I, lethargic and unwilling added a minor off course in the closing 2 miles to do a very humble 1.09.56
The young gun from Rapha JLT, Elliot Porter, took the win with a blinding 53.50
Great to see James Stone from Brighton racing today. Been too long.

Time Trialing, Ladies and Lipstick

Having made the bold stride of allowing online entry to some events, if the organisers feel like it, I was looking forward to further progress now that a modernising wind of change is blowing through the CTT. Then a friend told me yesterday of her experience at a 25 last season. There was a small but strong group of women riders including one Jo Rowsell. The organisers had put them together on the start sheet to create a race within the race. All very encouraging.
One shouldn't get to carried away. The riders were talking amongst themselves before being called forward. When my friend clipped in for her start one of the organisers asked 'what were you ladies chatting about? Lipstick?'
It's hard to poke somebody in the eye when you are being held up on a TT bike. We speculated whether he would have said the same to Jo Rowsell. We agreed, probably.