The organiser of this event had a bit of a torrid time. The original course was an interesting one, seemingly two and a half laps of the Astwood circuit (as features frequently in this blog). Sadly, roadworks on that course necessitated a course switch to a course based on the Brogborough course*. There was also a second event, a 10 mile one. I had entered because the Astwood course would be good preparation for the upcoming Duo Normand, so I was disappointed in this turn of events. It also meant that the startsheet was the longest and most complicated I can recall, seeing as it was prepared with both courses in mind, and had to describe the route to and from each course from the HQ (Cranfield Village Hall). It ran to an alarming 15 pages!

The revised 25 mile course started at the usual 10 start at the top of Brogborough hill. It proceeded across the Marston Moretaine roundabout to the Wootton RAB (the 10 mile turn), then we were routed over the flyover to a loop running through Wootton to the Marston Moretaine RAB, back to the far turn, another loop through Wootton, back to the far turn, then returning via the Marston Moretaine RAB to finish down the quaintly named Sheeptick lane.

Fortunately, the icy conditions we'd seen since Christmas had warmed a bit, so there wasn't any danger of slipping on ice. But on the other hand, the roads were distinctly damp and there was a very strong and blustery wind from the south. As Steve Abraham was calling in on the time trial (and riding it) as part of the first day of his attempt to beat Tommy Godwin's mileage record (follow his progress here), we had the presence of CNN and BBC Local News together with a large number of cyclists, many of whom decided to take part in the race. The new course devised by Tony Farmborough and Bryan Scarborough was being used for the first time, and this turned out to be something of a blessing, as there was much more space for people to meet and park near the start than at the assembly point for the earlier version. We'd scheduled Steve to start as #1, with NBRC riders starting behind him, though the #2 spot was left vacant. Out on the road, the starting section was really quick, with a stiff tailwind. Of course once we turned left at the first RAB, things got a bit twitchy in the wind, particularly for those riding with aero wheels (such as my H3).It got a little bit more twitchy after the second roundabout where riders turn left to join the main Stoke Hammond bypass, indeed at that point I not only had to dodge a sizeable diesel spill, but found my front wheel being wrenched violently from side to side. This soon passed, but really one needed to pay close attention and try to predict when the gusts might be worst. The new course's turn is one RAB further along that the earlier version of the course, and while this additional section is quite short, it's uphill and (today at least) into the teeth of the wind. After the event, riders were complaining about how slowly they completed that section!Round the turn, and we had a nice tail wind along the bypass before turning right to retrace to the finish. The final RAB sees riders doing a right turn. This did concern some people on safety grounds, but in practice it seemed fine - riders just need to keep an eye out for traffic and move into the right hand lane in good time. The final stretch was tough, into the wind to the finish.All in all a tough morning for a time trial. I think most of the riders felt for Steve, who by the time he started the time trial had already covered 116 or so miles.I finished in 24:55, a measly 1 second behind the winner, Richard Wood. As one wag observed, that probably corresponds to one wobble too many out there in the head wind! Still, I was fastest NBRC rider on the day.

The first club event for 2015 came around all of a sudden (for some reason, the New Year’s Day ’10’ formally belongs to the previous year’s calendar). It was to be held over at the Stony course, which in the version used by our club is at about 11.4 miles. It’s a tough course, and not one I enjoy, with a lot of climbing in the first half, and as usual, the winter, though mild, has seen further potholes open up, particularly between Beachampton and Nash.Unfortunately, I chose to ride with my deepest section front wheel - a Hed Stinger 90. I say unfortunately because by the time we got out to Stony Stratford, the wind had picked up considerably. The wind also made it feel quite chilly, though actually it was well above freezing. By the time I’d lined up at the start, my thigh muscles were shivering vigorously! Also by the time we were starting, several TeamMK club run groups were coming by, of which more later.Immediately I started, I realised I was going to have problems controlling the bike, at least on the outbound leg. The strong wind was throwing my bike all over the road. As it turned out, I had to keep off the tribars pretty much all the way to the turn. I came up behind the TeamMK club run a bit before Beachampton. Despite a Landrover being held up behind them, they didn’t delay me more than a few seconds. Unfortunately that doesn’t represent much of an excuse! Once out of Beachampton, it was a case of dodging many potholes, whiel gradually reeling in my minute man.I reached the turn after what seemed like an eternity of wrestling with the bike and fighting the headwind. But once round the turn, things were a fair bit different, and I found the going pretty good. There were one or two hairy moments when the wind gusted through gaps in the hedge, but really it was pretty much OK. Well, apart from the moment it felt as though the bike and I got lifted bodily off the tarmac for an instant.Shortly after passing through Beachampton, Jason G. came storming past like an express train, catching me for three minutes. He looks pretty fit, and has already ridden a few event. Gossip has it he’ll be focussing on time trials this year, so we should see some good times from him.Apart from a hairy moment with traffic, that was pretty much it. I finished in a lacklustre 29:42, though frankly I was pleased to just get under 30 minutes! Before the start, I said I was keen to find out if I’d recovered from the hideous cold that derailed my training in February. I have to say that I’m none the wiser given the conditions this morning. Still, at least it blew the cobwebs out of my system before next week’s Port Talbot Wh 2-up ’25’ in South Wales.Equipment note: I rode with a pair of these sunglasses,  complete with reading lens bifocals. These were recommended by Tony P. after the NYD ’10’. I think both Tony and I suffer from age-related problems reading bike computers, and these sort that out quite nicely.Results

This was my first time trial in some weeks, due to being on cycling holiday, returning with a cold, and then work commitments. Not only had this restricted my racing, but my training has been affected by that dratted cold. This event had been entered some time back and I was keen to have a first ride on the F11/10, a local fast course based on the A41 Tring bypass. The course itself is  characterised by having a fairly steep descent about halfway through (see the Garmin trace below) which you don't have to come back up.In advance of the event, there had been some internet chatter about the road surface on sections of the course. Apparently the formerly smooth surface had been 'improved' by top dressing with gravel. In places, this was supposed to be dangerously deep in loose chippings. But according to others, there was no problems, just a rough road surface. In any event, Tony and I drove round the course beforehand, partly to have a look at the chippings and partly to recce the course's turns (the first turn is a poorly sighted double roundabout that passes under the A41).The event was actually two events - one with male, female, juvenile and tandem categories, and the other with another 150 riders! The HQ was in a pretty good cafe/sports place in Aston Clinton (The Hub), and after driving round the course, we parked near the HQ, collected our numbers and set the bikes up.  A brief warmup later, and I was about to start on a slip road leading down to the A41. By this time a rather blustery wind had built up, though it wasn't clear what effect that might have.Setting off, I rolled down the slip road, building up a decent speed. Sadly this seemed to evaporate as I joined the A41 and encountered the dreaded road surface with chippings. This really had a bit of a negative effect on my speed - all of a sudden, I seemed to be struggling to keep things above 25mph! Well, it did get a bit better, but then I got stopped at the first turn. The marshal was doing an excellent job of indicating that there was traffic oncoming from the right. The line of sight isn't great, and I slowed to see what he was warning about. Sadly it was a line of about eight cars, and I ended up having to stop. Annoying, but the safer approach!Moving again, I got round the turn with no further traffic problems, and set off again onto the A41. Again, the lengthy patches of newly chipped road surface were horrid to ride, rather like riding a pneumatic drill, but I did see some decent speeds on the descent and beyond. The second turn isn't too bad, a roundabout that you approach directly on the road rather than by slip roads. I had a clean passage round and headed back up to the finish. This final section was really quite tough at times, with the blustery wind causing my speed to fluctuate quite markedly. I crossed the finish line with around 22:20 on my computer (actually 23:20, since I started my computer's timer when the guy in front started), leaving me wondering just how much time the hold-up at the first turn had cost me. Back at the HQ, however, I'd been given the time of 22:31, which annoyed me a bit but, hey, I hadn't done a stellar ride and I never go questioning the timekeeper. Tony P. did 21:53 and Geoff B. 21:57.There was much chat about the conditions of the road and weather, with most riders complaining about both. Apparently the wind direction wasn't the ideal direction for this course. And everyone hated the chippings. So, the usual time trial grumblings! Anyway, despite the road surface and the wind, the event was won on an 18.I regretted my choice of wheels. I'd chosen to ride a Hed Stinger 90 front and Corima disc rear, both with 20mm tubulars at 140psi. I think I'd have been a bit better with the H3 front and Hed-Powertap disc rear with the 22mm clinchers at about 110psi. I think those would have dealt with the rough road surface a bit better.

A lovely evening brought out a good field of 25 riders for this NBRC club event. I had a bit of a mad dash to the event after getting held up at a level crossing waiting for two trains to pass, eventually signing on after the first riders had started. Still, I got there and managed my first ride for a few weeks (cycling holiday, illness, then work commitments being collectively responsible).After I started, I found myself going pretty well on the main road through Chicheley. My modifications to the saddle seem to have helped solve the problems I'd had sliding forwards on the saddle. Sadly, modifications like this are UCI-illegal - fortunately, CTT sanctioned events don't insist on UCI-legality!Rounding the first turn after Chicheley, I was still pedalling smoothly, and it wasn't until the approaches to North Crawley that I began dropping speed. This little climb always saps my speed, and I didn't regain my momentum until I'd exited North Crawley. From there, it's the usual ups and downs of a sporting course, but I was hopeful of recording a '23' in this event. (I couldn't read the smaller numbers on my computer by this time due to sweat in my sunglasses!).I approached the descent before the finish squinting at my computer - was a sub 24 ride still possible? On the first bit of climb to the finish, all seemed possible, but I flagged a bit on the main bit of climb to record 24:11. Oh well, not too bad given my lay-off from time trialling over the last few weeks!Results at the NBRC website (I came 7th, in the midst of a stack of riders who'd done 24s). 

Another lovely evening saw a good turnout of 16 riders for this event on the Stony Stratford course. Sadly, we were unable to use the regular course due to roadworks, so we switched to an alternative. Instead of heading to a turn on the A421 via Beachampton and Nash, we headed out via Calverton and Whaddon, to turn at a different roundabout on the A421.This road isn't one I ride frequently, and it was the first time I'd raced this course. I found it a particularly technical course, with many sharp turns, and frequently dubious road surface, so I was off the tri-bars quite frequently (deciding discretion was the better part of valour!). There did seem to be cars parked along the course, which one needed to be aware of, but the most alarming event was when one of my racing colleagues took a turn rather fast and appeared to be heading for a head-on collision with me! I say "appeared" because  his bike handling skills were pretty much up to coping with the turn.At one point I found myself on an unexpectedly sharp (though fortunately short) climb after a lengthy and fast descent, which reduced me to grovelling up in an entirely inappropriate gear. I'd actually be quite keen to have another go on this course, now I've got a feel for it.The event, 10.6 miles, was won by Anthony Batt with an excellent 25:43 - despite one of his tribar extensions coming loose. I was fourth with 27:40.Results at the NBRC website.

Another long day at work left me tired and uncertain how well I’d ride at this club event. We did have a good turnout, possibly because it wasn’t a bad evening, with a light and variable wind. 

Lining up at the start, as number 17, I was rather aware of traffic coming past, fresh out of the newly ‘upgraded’ roundabout behind me. As usual, my passage through the first roundabout was somewhat cautious as a result, with the next being quite straightforward. On up the drag to the roundabout where we turn left onto the dual carriageway, and I was pleased o feel rather good, keeping a decent speed up until the roundabout itself.

This was rather a cool evening, cooler than we’d experienced for a while now. Not bad conditions, with only a fairly light breeze. I was hoping for continued good form, though after a couple of hard days at work I wasn’t so sure things would pan out OK. We had a good turnout of 22 riders for this club event.

As we lined up for the start, we were rather appalled to find a small car parked exactly on the line. We quite properly resisted the idea of using the car as a starting ramp, and took the pragmatic decision to move the start a couple of bike lengths forward (the two lads who’s car it was moved it after a bit). There was quite a bit of combine harvesting going on, and at times a large cloud of dust and hay fragments could be seen billowing up from a field just ahead of us. Indeed, some starters appeared to vanish into it!

Each year, the North Bucks club event calendar includes one event run over two laps of the Atwood circuit. This is one of the longer events in our calendar, at a shade over 20 miles. It’s a fun event, given the nature of the course, and one that I always look forward to.

I tried my best to get out of the house a little earlier than the last time we rode at Astwood, but failed to avoind the level crossing en route to the race. Once again I found myself held up while two trains passed and ended up dashing to the start. I arrived after the first few rides had departed!

Once again, we were forced onto the replacement course that runs from Stony out via Calverton and Whaddon to turn at the A421. This time, of course, we were rather better prepared for the legions of parked cars and sharp turns that characterised the course.  The evening itself wasn’t too breezy, but was overcast and hot and muggy.

I got off to a pretty good start, and settled into the predominantly uphill outward leg. Really the only issue started at Whaddon. On the run up towards Whaddon, I could see Graham desperately trying to get round a slow moving tractor. As I approached him, we were passed by a couple of cars, who then had to trundle along behind said tractor. Neither Graham nor I could make it past the tractor once it started going uphill, and by the time the entire procession of tractor, cars and cyclists reached Whaddon, we found ourselves static as the tractor gave way to oncoming traffic, and the two cars did odd manoeuvres. Eventually we were moving again, though somewhat slowed by the tractor, which went all the way to the turn. 

My first open event for some weeks, mostly due to personal commitments and a seeming paucity of events in London North. The organisers were using the Sandy Sports Centre as the race HQ, which is a bit slicker than the traditional HQ over at Tempsford, but a bit further from the race start. It was a pretty good morning - quite warm, but not as humid as of late, and with a gentle 7mph wind from the northwest that promised to be a headwind on the longer northbound leg. This was to be the debut of my new TT bike, a rather extravagent purchase of a Cervelo P5!

We had around 64 riders on the start sheet - I was #46 with the scratch rider at #70. The numbers didn’t correspond to start times in the usual way, which may have contributed to three late starts! I wandered over to sign on and collect my number before returning to the car to set up my bike. I was using my old Hed Stinger 90 front and Corima disc rear, both with Conti tubs (though the Stinger had a more budget tub than the disc wheel!), so no power data were to be collected.

This was another warm and humid evening, with a rather noticable blustery wind. It wasn’t obvious where the wind might benefit the riders, and this wasn’t helped by conflicting comments from riders who’d been warming up on the course.As it turned out, I found some assistance on the ride out to the dual carriageway section, but actually there was enough side wind to make my front wheel a bit twitchy at times. Once out on the dual carriageway, we were on the newly chipped road surface. Thankfully there were no loose chippings left, but the new surface was a little rough. On the other hand the potholes have gone!The dual carriageway was a bit heavy going at times, due both to the new surface and the nagging wind, which was most definitely catching my front wheel. Round the turn, and I was going a fair bit faster.After leaving the dual carriageway, I felt like I was losing it a bit: the breeze here was definitely a hindrance, especially on the false flat in the run-up to the finish. As I crossed the line, I stopped the timer on my Garmin and looked at the time. I couldn’t actually read it (blame age-related visual issues!). It also turned out I’d not stopped the clock anyway. My best guess was that I’d done a short 23.Back at the meeting point, the riders congregated for the usual deconstruction of their efforts. No-one seemed particularly delighted with their expected times, and there were several of us around the 23 minute mark. Eventually the timekeepers returned clutching the clipboard. It turned out I’d won with 22:56 by a narrow margin!

Another glorious evening brought out 15 riders, including six North Bucks members, to this event on the Stagsden course. There was only a gentle breeze which, while it did make the outward leg a bit harder than the return, was rather nice as it was bearing the summery scent of wheat harvesting from the the nearby fields. OK, poetic bit over, how did the race go?

The Stagsden course is never as fast as one might expect, mostly because it’s quite undulating. Indeed, the opening part involves a nasty drag up to Astwood. I was off as number 13 (it’s a good job I’m not superstitious), so I had to opportunity to catch a few riders, and to see how others looked on the return leg as I approached the turn. Unfortunately, I felt like I was riding through treacle, and the sight of other riders flying back from the turn didn’t serve to increase my optimism! Still, sense prevailed and I kept up the effort. The explanation, of course, was that the return leg has several significant descents which (though shallow) serve to give the rider a spell of 35+ mph riding. Oh, and I guess a slight tailwind can only have helped!

A sunny but breezy morning saw a field of around 80 riders signed up for this event, possibly the last that will be held on the F1/25, owing to the impending installation of traffic lights at the famous Black Cat roundabout.It was pretty clear while warming up that the southbound legs of the event were going to be the most challenging, and so it proved.Just after starting, as I was riding up the drag to the Tempsford flyover, someone (evidently warming up and with a later number then me) pulled out of a side road, causing me to have to deviate from my path. This was a bit annoying, and also a bit uncalled for! But no serious damage caused. Once over the flyover, I raced down the slip road to the A1, and found the going quite tough, due to the headwind. There was some unfortunate on the roadside who’d evidently had a mechanical - he was wiping his hands on grass as I passed. I circled the Sandy roundabout, and as soon as I set out northbound, things felt pretty good. The bloke on the roadside was still fiddling with his bike, so presumably it was race over for him. For the northbound leg, I was cruising along faster than 30 mph a lot of the time, with serious doubts about how easy the return leg would be.Once round the Buckden turn, things got a bit more interesting, with the nagging headwind threatening to derail my efforts. Bizarrely, my speed seemed to fluctuate quite a bit, with some sections being quite quick (probably a combination of descent and shelter from the headwind), while others were a bit slower. Unfortunately, the latter predominated.[caption id="attachment_3253" align="alignnone" width="640"] Just after the Buckden turn. Photo: Davey Jones[/caption]At the Black Cat, the road surface leaves a lot to be desired - I dodged the curved tarmac trench that threatened to dictate my passage through the roundabout, and emerged in good style on the other side, with rather less than two miles to go. I grit my teeth and tried my damnedest to keep some speed up until I reached the line.I finished in 56:34, good enough for 12th place. With the 2014 Duo Normand in less than two months from now, it seems my form is finally beginning to surface.Here are the top 12 finishers (full results can be found at the CTT website):

Another occasion on which the alternative Stony course was required - due to the same roadworks issues as before. Mind you, no one had repaired the dodgy road surfaces on this course! On a muggy and hot evening, a stellar field of 10 veterans turned out to contest the event.

The weather forecast for this event was pretty dire and led to quite a few riders not starting. As it turned out, the early starters got a dry ride, whereas us later starters had a pretty soggy time of it. The pretty cool and damp conditions kept my HR down (one might say dampened it).The event was on the F1B/25, which runs from Tempsford to the Baldock interchange and back, and which is rather more severely undulating than the F1/25 (see the reports on the Verulam CC and Finsbury Park CC time trials). There was an irritating 9mph wind from the SE (according the the weather reports - but it felt stiffer), which made the outbound leg quite tough. More annoyingly, the rain had started by the time I reached the Sandy roundabout, and just got heavier as the race progressed. The motor traffic was on the whole not excessive, and kept a good distance, for which I was glad, given the conditions I was racing in.The Biggleswade South roundabout has had a major makeover - extra lanes and a spanking new tarmac has been laid. Scorching across obviously greasy new tarmac in the rain seemed a bit risky, so I took this carefully. By the time I rounded the turn, the rain was absolutely throwing itself down. I felt quite sorry for the marshals having to stand out in the elements![caption id="attachment_3260" align="alignnone" width="474"] Exiting the F1B/25 turn in heavy rain - Photo: Davey Jones[/caption]The photo above is another fine one from Davey Jones, who commented

I think I would close my eyes if I took a wet RAB at that angle!!

As the season moves on, we reached the penultimate evening event in the NBRC time trial series with another event on the Stoke Hammond bypass course. A field of 16 riders turned out on a slightly blustery evening of sunny spells and pleasant temperatures. Not too bad for the ride, though I expected a head wind up to the DC section (and I was concerned that my Hed Stinger 90 might be slightly twitchy).

The start was less affected by the windy conditions, at least until after the second roundabout, when the road rises towards the DC section. I kept the effort up, only to be forced to a sudden tub-scraping skid of a stop by a car overtaking me just before the roundabout and stopping! Up to speed again, on the DC, and I could see riders in front of me, getting closer. I was feeling pretty good. Couldn’t read my Garmin other than speed, so I had no idea what HR I was on, as as for recent events was riding mostly on feel.

The Port Talbot Wheelers 2-up '25' has been a regular fixture on the Team Grumpy calendar for a number of years. As usual, the two evenings prior to the event were characterised by conspicuous consumption of Leffe and curry. This was an acceptable preparation, since both members of Team Grumpy had seen their pre-season training somewhat derailed by illness. We also avoided any serious bike tinkering on the day before the race. Indeed, the only issues needing dealt with were (a) Gerry's disc wheel needed to be replaced with his trispoke owing to braking issues, and (b) my left shoe wouldn't clip onto my pedal. This turned out to be due to tiny fleck of mud in the shoeplate springs! Pretty quickly all was in order.This year's event was held on the R25/25, which runs down the A465 dual carriageway from Resolven to its first turn at the Tonna roundabout, back up the A465 past the start to turn left down the B4242, turning at Ynysygerwen to finish some way past the Resolven junction. Usually the dual carriageway section is quickest, with the B4242 being quite slow, owing to its hilly nature.The morning of the event was pretty cold and bitter, despite being far from frosty. But with long sleeved thermal vests under the skinsuits and decent gloves, we were pretty much set. New kit this year included new aero hats and the addition of Nopinz number pockets on the back of our skinsuits. The Nopinz pockets seem pretty good, though getting the number in place is a bit fiddly. No pin damage to expensive skinsuits, though!After a brief warmup, we lined up and were off. Though not before an unfortunate wobble made me think we'd collide. The outbound leg to the first turn was very quick, with a stiff tailwind. We'd planned for me to take some long pulls at the front to avoid Gerry's breathing issues in the cold air - as it turned out, I think I took longer turns at the front throughout the race, Gerry still suffering the aftereffects of his recent cold.All too soon, we reached the first turn, which we rode in good style, and set off back up the dual carriageway into the headwind. For most of this leg, this just slowed us down, but for the last two miles or so, I found my Hed Stinger a bit of a handful. No real difficulty or danger, though. Round the second turn and we joined the hilly road southbound. This part of the course features some shocking road surfaces (on at least three occasions, I heard Gerry grumping about some hole or other that he'd cycled through!), and some pretty stiff climbs. We made good progress to the third and final turn before heading back to finish in 1:03:16.We weren't too disappointed with the time - it's a tough course, and anyway, our 2-up technique was pretty well oiled throughout, with both riders making appropriate accommodation to the strengths of the other. In any event, we were 15th team out of a full field of 60 teams (only three teams didn't start), and won third composite team.[caption id="attachment_3385" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Team Grumpy's first ride of 2015                                       Photograph  copyright Pete Hamer[/caption]Results (first 15 teams)

It was clear several days beforehand that the Hardriders 20 mile time trial was going to be ridden in seriously tough conditions. And so it proved. On a hastily relocated course (due to roadworks on the original course) involving two laps of the Astwood circuit, seven hardy souls faced rain (heavy at times) and wind (blustery and increasing in force).I rolled up already damp (but not too cold) to what seems to be the new HQ for our Astwood circuit events, the Bikebus cafe, to find several windblown and damp riders huddling for shelter. After the usual chat about how wet it was, the seven riders got themselves sorted out. I ended up as #7, and with no others deciding to brave the elements was the last starter.All too soon, my minute man was off. I took off my jacket, gritted my teeth and listened to the countdown. Then I was off.It always surprises me how quickly one can shrug off adverse conditions. One minute you’re at the start line just getting wetter and wetter, the next you’re off...and pretty soon you’re not actually too cold. Anyway, this was two laps of the Astwood circuit, and soon I was hurtling down the descent before the Astwood climb. I could see my minute man up ahead of me on the climb. But I couldn’t really give it full effort due to the blustery wind, which tended to buffet me rather too much. I got up to Astwood having taken the climb reasonably conservatively. Out onto the main road with no holdups (unlike last week), and I tried to get into a better rhythm.The wind was building a bit, but wasn’t too much trouble with the trispoke. I passed my minute man just before Chicheley. The blustery conditions didn’t seem to offer much wind assistance at all, sadly, but did cause some hairy twitches to the steering as I rode past gaps in the hedgerows. As it turned out, I reached the finish line to complete the first lap in about 24:43, a bit quicker than the single lap event the previous weekend - I was oblivious to this, since I couldn’t read the bike computer! As I rode past the Bikebus, I heard a nice cheer from Bryan and some others, which gee’d me up a bit.The second lap was pretty much the same story as the first - though the wind seemed to have got a bit stronger an the rain stopped halfway through the lap. I finished in 50:14. Despite having passed several riders, I was surprised to find I’d won the event - by 2 seconds from Richard Golding. I repaired to the cafe for a hot cross bun and a double espresso. And some fun banter about “secret training” and comments that I ride a big gear. Usual stuff.The ride home was pretty grim. I wasn’t feeling cold, despite being quite wet from all the rain in the ride up to the event, and the event itself. But the wind had seriously strengthened, and I was having trouble keeping the bike on the road. All in all, though, this was a pretty good start to the club event series - I think maybe my form is falling back into place after February’s nasty cold - my placings have steadily improved through the three club events I’ve ridden so far.

Time keepers:- Stepanie Cousins & Tony Farmborough (NBRC)

Pusher-off:- Bryan Scarborough (NBRC)

This was the first of our evening events in the calendar, and was on the revised Stoke Hammond ’10’ course, which moves the start away from the Kelly’s Kitchen roundabout. It’s potentially quite a quick course, I think, though the short stretch on the outward leg between the penultimate roundabout and the turn roundabout can be a bit challenging, as it’s uphill.

Anyway, it was rather nice evening that followed a very nice spring-like day. We saw more than the maximum field size turn out - 22 riders. I was pre-entered as #7 owing to the fact that I went home from the previous event (the Hardriders) with #7 still pinned to my skinsuit.