Author Topic: Mersey Roads 24TT  (Read 48333 times)

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #275 on: 27 July, 2016, 05:03:37 pm »
Quote
I tried to give blood yesterday but couldn't - I failed the haemoglobin test. My score of 12.3 was well below the threshold of 'normal' which is 13.5, so I've now been banned from donating for a year  :facepalm:

By coincidence I donated on the Tuesday after the Mersey in 2015, and all was fine.

for that reason i only donate in november and march, after the cycling season is over and before it starts. kudos to you for doing a good deed.
Bad luck on that on Michael, but indeed kudos for keeping it up dung the season.

I just keep donating throughout the year, but I've never had one fall that close after a big event.
37.9 miles from Marsh Gibbon

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #276 on: 27 July, 2016, 05:29:24 pm »
I tried to give blood yesterday but couldn't - I failed the haemoglobin test. My score of 12.3 was well below the threshold of 'normal' which is 13.5, so I've now been banned from donating for a year  :facepalm:
By coincidence I donated on the Tuesday after the Mersey in 2015, and all was fine.

Welcome to my world - I have thick blood, thanks to genetic clotting disorder but low red cell count, thanks to who knows what. Negative EPO...

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #277 on: 27 July, 2016, 10:09:55 pm »
When I got my results from my blood tests from the physiologist/nutritionist during my HAMR ride last year, I was found to be borderline anemic (among other issues) Iron simply gets used up and you need to eat lots of it. I was advised to eat more lean red meat. I did and further tests when I had the stomach trouble showed a big improvement.
I take strong iron supplements as well now.

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #278 on: 27 July, 2016, 10:21:13 pm »
I spoke to Mark Florence on the TT podcast again tonight about the outcome of the Mersey Roads 24 and our new competition record   :)

Make tea, find comfy chair, listen.

http://cyclingtimetrialpodcast.libsyn.com/

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #279 on: 28 July, 2016, 07:29:11 am »
Thanks WoF...I am starting to get that post big event comedown feeling so maybe that will help! Guess I'd better enter something else before I start getting too fat and lazy. Never done a 12 hour but it just doesn't appeal right now.

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #280 on: 28 July, 2016, 11:48:39 am »
Thanks WoF...I am starting to get that post big event comedown feeling so maybe that will help! Guess I'd better enter something else before I start getting too fat and lazy. Never done a 12 hour but it just doesn't appeal right now.

Me too. I'm supposed to be packing for a family trip to France... but I just feel very tired  ::-)

rob

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #281 on: 03 August, 2016, 04:34:10 pm »
Write up I did for club newsletter here :-

The decision to ride another 24hr time trial appeared not long after my first attempt in 2014.   I had targeted 400 miles and achieved 410 on the lumpy ESCA course.   Despite over-achieving I felt that I could have done better having had issues with feeding, drinking, back pain and, eventually, a collapsed neck.   Nevertheless I achieved 18th place in a National Championship.

2015 was filled with some more time trialling and my 5th Paris-Brest-Paris.    I worked on my position and acquired some new aero equipment before settling into some hard Winter training.   

The Mersey Roads 24hr takes place on roads on the Shropshire/Cheshire borders very close to Whitchurch.   It lends itself to faster rides by virtue of the fact that it is quite compact.   Studying the course with my supporters (Richard Thomas and Chris Tracey) we worked out they could camp out at the same roundabout – Prees Heath - for virtually the whole of the event and I would be passing there in different directions from Saturday afternoon through to Sunday morning.

I had tested my nutrition and hydration on a series of recent training rides settling on a mixture of Zipvit gels and Torq energy bars, providing me with just over 60g of carbohydrate per hour.   Hydration would come from Hi-5 hydration tablets dissolved in plain water.   With a new large top-tube bag I could carry 6hrs worth of food so planned to stop at 6, 12 and 18hrs to refill the bag.   On the 6hr stop I would pick up a tracksuit top, lights and reflective kit.   I would then give this all back at the 18hr stop.   I chose to ride my usual fixed wheel TT bike but lowered the gear slightly to 50*15 (88”).

We arrived early and I spent a fair amount of time faffing with race numbers on my skinsuit and my night jacket.   I met Catford member Keith Hyatt and chatted briefly about other Catford riders and the history of the event.   My start time was 14:17 and I strolled around the start area watching the early starters go off one-by-one.   It felt quite humid at the time so I continued to drink and tried to stay out of the sun.   My start time came round quite soon and I rolled away, joining the main road for the 16 mile ride to the main circuits.   On the way down I spotted Dave ‘El Supremo’ Hudson in a lay-by who had driven up from Sussex to spectate.   I noticed my heart rate running a little higher than normal on the climbs and tried to keep a lid on it by breathing steadily and controlling my RPE.   I put this down to the humid conditions and made sure I kept drinking.

From here I rode 2 legs of the main circuit which involved heading to Espley and back and then Battlebridge and back, twice.   The leg from Prees Heath to Battlebridge turned out to be quite lumpy so I tried to ride easily on the climbs and not over extend myself.  After this point we joined the 13 mile Quina Brook circuit.   I did one lap and then stopped with my support team.   I had been getting through a bottle each lap and was still thirsty.   I noticed a few riders had removed their helmets so figured they were feeling the heat as well.   I put my extra layer on, refilled my food bag, fitted lights and was off.   I continued to complete 4 more circuits before being moved onto the night circuit as it got dark.

The night circuit is a 20 mile out-and-back course from Prees Heath to Espley and back.   The first leg had some rolling hills before a flat and fast run along the Hodnet by-pass.    I had a nagging feeling that I had been pushing too hard so decided to take the night leg a bit easier and turned the light off on my GPS in order to ride by feel.    On each lap I picked up a bottle, making sure that I had emptied the last one.   At around midnight I spotted Peter Hayes and Steve Airey who had made the trip up to provide support overnight.   At around 2am I made my second stop and picked up additional food.   Shortly after I checked my 12hr distance which showed on the GPS as 245 miles.    This was only 13 miles short of my 12hr PB.

Staying hydrated, I was managing to feed well without any stomach problems.   My neck and shoulders ached, but I was stretching out regularly and able to get onto my aero bars for most of the circuit, riding out of the saddle on the climbs.    I completed 7 laps of the night circuit as the sun had risen and was moved back onto the Quina Brook circuit.    It was a welcome return to a slightly more interesting laney route with only one climb.   I started to get some discomfort from my lower back and my feet began to hurt but, at the same time, my neck started to feel better.   The last 6hrs were going to be quite interesting.

At around 8am I made my third and final stop, dumping jacket and lights and picking up my last stock of food.   Whilst taking the jacket off my left arm cramped up and I had to be helped out.   After a couple more hours of riding I was routed back towards the finishing circuit.   I was briefly elated, knowing I was getting towards the back end of the event, only to realise there were still 4hrs to race.    The run back to the finishing circuit was fast and had a tailwind and I felt good despite my back starting to hurt.   My average speed was running at 19.6mph at this point.   Knowing that an average of 19.3 would get me the club record I started to entertain thoughts of maybe beating it.   The finishing circuit was quite technical with a few bends, a couple of drags and one climb.   The pain in my back and feet started to get worse and I was crawling on the drags but riding quickly on the flat, still using the aero bars.

Richard and Chris were outside the event HQ, handing me bottles each time round.   I also spotted that Richard Parrotte had joined them.   The atmosphere on the finishing circuit was outstanding with all helpers and supporters cheering you on and applauding each time round.   I was starting to wish I could put a better show on.   With about 45 mins to go I passed the HQ and estimated I would do one more lap.   I was feeling a little wobbly so emptied what was left of my food bag and re-packed with jelly babies for that last gasp sugar kick.   Eating a couple every mile I pushed harder checking the time as I passed each time keeper.    I saw my clock tick over 24hrs and put a final sprint in to pass the last timekeeper with 24:02 on the stopwatch.    My GPS said 462 miles, about a mile and a half short of the club record.

It was about 500 yards to where Chris and Richard were sitting and I was helped off my bike to sit in a deck chair.    I removed my shoes and socks and emptied my last bottle.   It’s an odd feeling finishing an event like this.   It’s something short of elation as you’re too exhausted and in too much pain to process any rational thought.    I mingled around the HQ for a while, congratulating others on their rides and being congratulated by others.

It was clear that Mike Broadwith had won again and the Arctic Tacx had added over 100 miles to the team competition record, with all 3 riders doing over 500 miles.   Mike also complained of the heat and sore feet.   In the end he did 2 miles less than the previous year and was given 532.8 miles.   The first 4 riders all did over 500 miles.

When all the processing was finished I was given 9th place and 461.4 miles.    I had added 51 miles to my PB and missed the club record by 2 miles.   Downloading my GPS a few days later it showed that I had only been stopped for 13 minutes in the whole 24 hours.

Would I do anything different if I tried again ?    I think I’d likely ride without a helmet or one that was better vented.   I probably wouldn’t use overshoes again as I think the small aero benefit is outweighed by the additional heat and resultant ‘hot-foot’.   It took a week for my legs to recover and stairs were very difficult for 2-3 days.    I had my neck and back loosened by my osteopath after a week.   The base of my left foot is still very sore and I have been ide packing it to reduce the swelling.   I think I would do more long weekend rides and less speed work.    It is definitely comfort issues that are the main problem as I’m sure my legs can go further.

Thanks to everyone that supported me on the weekend and through the long hours of training.

Will I try again ?    I don’t know.    My focus is on riding the Breckland 12hr in early September and then taking a bit of a break.

zigzag

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Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #282 on: 03 August, 2016, 05:36:47 pm »
nice writeup rob, i've been visiting physio/massage therapist today to have my back and neck muscles untangled - feels good!!

i've made a few rookie mistakes that cost me a couple of miles - 1) hitting a pothole, losing water bottle and retracing to collect it, 2) not attaching my race number properly, so needing to stop to attach it with pins, 3) going the wrong exit on the roundabout where i should have exited for quina brook circuit.

without these "issues" my stopped time would have been 3min (cost = 1mile), i'm happy to accept it as my limit

rob

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #283 on: 03 August, 2016, 07:41:51 pm »
The Osteopath worked on my back and neck on Saturday morning.   My neck is still a bit sore.   In good news I'm back to pre-race weight.

I've done a couple of turbo sessions this week and will try a long ride on the TT bike on Sunday.

I can't find any glaring errors in the way my ride went.   The legs managed OK, but it's the rest of me that gives out over time.   I probably need a Winter of more core work.

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #284 on: 03 August, 2016, 07:43:02 pm »
Sounds like you're already analysing in preparation for the next one ;-)

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #285 on: 03 August, 2016, 07:51:48 pm »
Rob, it's interesting that you say you would do more long rides and less speed work, as I believe it is the exact opposite that gave me an improvement in my distance this year. My riding has mostly focused on speed work, with my longest rides being 140 miles in the Tour of Flanders Sportive and a 100 mile TT. I don't think I've done any other rides over 100 miles this year.
To be honest, I was worried beforehand that this would cause problems after 10-12 hours, but that never transpired.

rob

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #286 on: 03 August, 2016, 09:06:48 pm »
Rob, it's interesting that you say you would do more long rides and less speed work, as I believe it is the exact opposite that gave me an improvement in my distance this year. My riding has mostly focused on speed work, with my longest rides being 140 miles in the Tour of Flanders Sportive and a 100 mile TT. I don't think I've done any other rides over 100 miles this year.
To be honest, I was worried beforehand that this would cause problems after 10-12 hours, but that never transpired.

Last year was my first year of structured turbo work combined with PBP qualification and training.   A real mix of long miles and hard efforts.  My times improved massively at all distances.   This year I did a lot of turbo work all on the TT bike, but most of my road rides were about 100 miles.   I did one 200 mile ride about 6 weeks before the race, so was gambling on holding my endurance fitness from previous years.

If I trained for an event like this again I would do a few more long rides of 200-250 miles on the TT bike.  For me it will be about being able to keep the power down right to the end and have a more consistent split.

I'm really not sure about going again.   I have neglected a lot of family and work issues this year, so I have some catching up to do.

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #287 on: 04 August, 2016, 09:18:25 pm »
New post on the FB page with updated results:-

https://www.facebook.com/MerseyRoads24/posts/1051812911561408

Is there an official final result yet?  The facebook link is to a revised provisional result, so I won't go to the trouble of updating my original provisional result list for AUK purposes just yet.  It looks like Chris Hopkinson on the Tandem is the highest ranked Audax member, with Rimas Grigenas not far behind.  I can hardly wait for the final confirmation.

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #288 on: 04 August, 2016, 09:41:42 pm »
Forget all the winners – McNasty rode his 57th 24hr. 

zigzag

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Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #289 on: 04 August, 2016, 09:53:31 pm »
Is there an official final result yet?  The facebook link is to a revised provisional result, so I won't go to the trouble of updating my original provisional result list for AUK purposes just yet.  It looks like Chris Hopkinson on the Tandem is the highest ranked Audax member, with Rimas Grigenas not far behind.  I can hardly wait for the final confirmation.

i think the final results are here (as confirmed to me via email)

Forget all the winners – McNasty rode his 57 24hr. 

respect to McNasty, it was good to see him live in action! :thumbsup:

Karla

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    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #290 on: 21 November, 2016, 11:11:45 am »
CTT have just published their official video of this year's Mersey Roads.  I can see several people we know, and lots of thousand yard stares. 

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #291 on: 21 November, 2016, 12:07:05 pm »
CTT have just published their official video of this year's Mersey Roads.  I can see several people we know, and lots of thousand yard stares. 

I was talking about the film with Michael Broadwith at the Mersey Roads dinner on the Saturday before last. Jill Wilkinson was the guest speaker, and Andy Wilkinson was there, as was Chris Hopkinson. It was a real privilege to be able to discuss the long distance cycling scene in such company.
Hoppo's got some interesting plans with UMCA, Michael fancies a go at LEJOG, and Wilko is concentrating on helping Jill to try to get the Ladies 12 hour record, now that she's had her iron deficiency diagnosed.

essexian

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #292 on: 21 November, 2016, 01:01:06 pm »
Excellent film. Many thanks for sharing.

I must do this one year..... when I say "do" I mean sit by the road and watch or help a rider out! There is no way I can ride for six hours without sleep let alone 24. I think the riders who do this are very special indeed.


 

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #293 on: 21 November, 2016, 05:04:10 pm »
CTT have just published their official video of this year's Mersey Roads.  I can see several people we know, and lots of thousand yard stares. 

I was talking about the film with Michael Broadwith at the Mersey Roads dinner on the Saturday before last. Jill Wilkinson was the guest speaker, and Andy Wilkinson was there, as was Chris Hopkinson. It was a real privilege to be able to discuss the long distance cycling scene in such company.
Hoppo's got some interesting plans with UMCA, Michael fancies a go at LEJOG, and Wilko is concentrating on helping Jill to try to get the Ladies 12 hour record, now that she's had her iron deficiency diagnosed.

What a lot of names you've dropped!  Are you sure Beryl Burton and Tony Martin weren't there too?  ;)

When was Jilko's iron problem diagnosed?  Did she have it at the time of her 12 this year?

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #294 on: 21 November, 2016, 05:29:22 pm »
I hadn't realised that Mersey Roads are a very small club. I'd envisaged them as a consortium of clubs coming together to mount 12s and 24s.

There were about 30 at the dinner, over half were guests. All the trophies apart from the 24 were won by a single Mersey Roads rider, one of the Williams  family, who are the backbone of the 24. When it's called a 'family event' that's almost literally true.

Heather and I got an invite, and we had a hedging competition in Yorkshire on the same day, so that made more sense than the AUK reunion. I was a bit surprised to find so much depth of talent.
It was the ideal setting for Jill to try out a more personal type of speaking, as she was among those who knew about long distance. She was diagnosed before the Breckland 12, which was windy. There's a feeling that she or Bronwen Ewing stand a chance of the record next year.

Michael was there with his son, and received a huge trophy for the team win, he was due to go on a tour of Anfield, and then home on the train.


rob

Re: Mersey Roads 24TT
« Reply #295 on: 23 November, 2016, 08:38:35 pm »
My I was climbing that hill slowly towards the end.