2013 Hounslow & District Wheelers 100 – 100mi TT on the A31

A whole 17 minutes knocked off my 100 mile TT PB and about bloody time too! Still not quite under 4 hours for this distance but given this ride I know it’s doable.

I was the second last rider off, just before last year’s winner Adam Topham (he did a 3:37 last year!) so I was expecting to be caught quickly and Tops didn’t disappoint, riding past me yelling encouragement after only 10 minutes. Thanks for the yell, Tops. He was the eventual winner, riding a 3:41, on a borrowed bike after an accident on his own some weeks earlier!

After last week’s Norfolk 100 where I missed second place by 1 second to Westerley’s Andy Halliday, this race was going to be an interesting grudge match. Andy was off just 2 minutes before me! I wasn’t going to worry about it though as all I had to deal with was pacing and ensuring nothing hurt too much like last year’s glute problem. I think it was 45 minutes in and I caught Andy. We high-fived which was a nice tough and then I carried on, keeping a sharp eye on my power meter to ensure I didn’t blow up and crumble like I did in the Norfolk 100.

I was baulked a few times at the top roundabout – once by some bikers and another time by a stream of cars. Coming to a track-stand mid-race sucks! I tried not to let it phase me as every time I get angry my pacing goes out the window. I was on track for a sub-4hr ride each time I checked my computer so was happy with my pace but I wanted to lift it on the final headwind leg, knowing I’d be all out for the final tailwind leg. The roar from Scherrit and Mal from the other side of the road raised a smile on my dial which was a cool lift. But..

The 100 is still cursed. I knew this as I eeked out the last of my energy and rolled past the finish line. “Why?” You ask. Well, I’d already sat up when someone sitting behind their car said “finished”… only it wasn’t the finish line. I had sprinted for the wrong ‘guy behind a car’ and it wasn’t until I soft-pedalled past the chequered board I realised what I’d done. Angry? Much? I was so freakin’ angry with myself!

Never stop until you see the REAL FINISH LINE!

Anyway after ranting about the brain fail on my part to my team I calmed down a bit and was pretty happy with my new PB. It was roughly where it should be, given my 25 and 50 mile times. Knowing how ‘easy’ most of this race felt to me, relative to the horrible Norfolk ride, at least, it seems pretty clear that on a good day I should be able to do a sub-4hr. So I think I might put the 100s away for a while and focus on 24hr training again.. oh wait.. I’ve entered the Icknield 100 next week. 🙂

Thanks again to Mal and Scherrit for the cheering and flawless handups.

S.B.