Cambridge CC '10' 3rd May 2014

The rather sunny conditions belied the actual temperature as Tony and I got our bikes ready to ride in this event. It was actually pretty nippy in the car park, but once we got racing, I found it quite comfortable. For this event, I'd got out my trusty old Corima disc wheel and paired it with a newly refurbished Hed Stinger 90 (I removed the yellow tub and the yellow and red stickers). I was rather pleased that the chain wasn't jumping on the new cassette I'd fitted to the Corima. I was rather less pleased with the astonishingly loud howl that emanated from my bike every time I applied the rear brakes! That will need a bit of attention, I think. The F2D/10 uses the A428 dual carriageway, starting on the old road and joining the DC at the Cambourne interchange. It turns at the Madingley road junction. Conditions were pretty good, and I found the outward leg pretty quick. I like the turn as it feels a fair bit safer than Caxton Gibbett. The return was a bit tougher, particularly at the interchange that we ride past - there seems to be a striking descent at that point! Annoyingly, the finish of this course is just off the dual carriageway: you exit up the slip road at the Cambourne interchange, and take the first left to the finish. I was just about to catch my minute man when a small car entered the roundabout and displayed all the driving courage of a minnow. This held me up a very little but enough to annoy! I finished with 22:14 (my best '10' time since the 2010 season). Tony finished with 21:41 - so I'm gaining on him! All in all, quite a satisfying ride. Davey Jones was out on the course photographing - here's a picture of me near the turn (with my skinsuit leg riding up!)