Tour of Cambridgeshire

[Banana Boy]

yellowjack said:

Ye'll be reet.

I did this... https://www.strava.com/activities/593949802 ...on Bank Holiday Monday just gone. Drizzle in the morning, grim'n'grey all afternoon, the whole day with about 20mph worth of Northerly, or North Westerly wind blowing, a good deal of the route with it in my face. And I rode well into the dark hours, it was nearly 11pm when I got back to my hotel.

Similar part of the world, even if a good bit further south and with a bit more shelter on the rolling lumpy bits, but I'm sure ye'll all be reet...

Yeah, I'm sure I'll be fine too, just on a bit of a mong at the mo. The blue sad face sums me up perfectly this week! (Although I fully realise that I have nothing to feel sad about really!)

j00pY said:

We had 13mph+ North wind last time IIRC. The weather looks okay for Sunday. I guess my current plan is to find a fast(ish) group, do some turns on the front and stick with them especially on the open flats into the wind where I struggle a bit. I couldn't find any big groups to work with that was a similar speed last time so hopped up from group to group never quite having the speed and energy at that point to tag onto the very fast groups coming through. I've set myself a time goal and I want to qualify again, but last year I just rode it for fun not aiming to qualify and had a blast, so have to keep reminding myself to enjoy it.


Hopefully there are signs out this year, but for new riders please watch out for speed bumps on the runway. I saw a group crash and lots of broken bikes by the side of the road last year and was pretty annoyed they didn't indicate that hazzard. Also, some of the junctions had heavy gravel.

It was a good 10-15mph north westerly last year, which is nice at the start when you're feeling fresh and heading south. To be fair it doesn't matter which way the wind blows in the last 3rd, it swirls like a bastid out in the fens!

My plan is to also tag on to (a) similar paced group(s) if I can, altough it will be interesting to see how the new pen grouping will affect the spread of talent?! Last year there were plenty of fast riders and groups caught at the back from a slow get away. My plan is to queue as early as possible again to try and negate being dropped by the faster riders too early. I'm aiming to avg 20mph/32.5kph to clock a 4hr ride over the 80m/130km.

[Banana Boy]

JustinF said:

remember it's not a race, even if you are in the race pen.

It very definitely is a race! It's referred to as a race in the race book and it's a timed event with podiums, prizes and qualification for the amateur worlds later in the year.

Fair enough, many people are just riding and I'm only competing against myself imposed time target but I, like many, many other people will be 'racing' on Sunday!

[Banana Boy]

Have to say it was another bloody brilliant year! Well done ToC Organisers, the army of volunteers and the goo people with the various local authorities! Amazing.

Also a massive thanks to all the people by the road side cheering and clapping! Makes a huge difference, especially towards the end when you're totally bksed and your legs are screaming at you!

Made it round in 4hrs 4mins 35secs on the timing chip! My evil plan mostly worked and I managed to tag onto few decent groups although I did make a total balls up of the crucial Fen section and ended up on my own, face first into the stiff north westerly, struggling to maintain 20kph let alone 20mph!

I also made the school boy error of riding a new kit combo for the first time! Muppet! Donned my skin suit with spares in the pockets and fuel in the musette... fking thing kept getting caught up on the mini pump and was a complete tt to get from the back to raid it for food!

And on that subject I have to make an unreserved apology to the group behind on the short stretch of the old A1 just before we turned onto the Alconbury Airbase. In my faffing I managed to unintentionally, and unknowingly (I only realised it was missing some time later) throw my empty bottle out behind me! I sincerely hope I didn't cause too much trouble, I heard some shouting but didn't realise that it was at me! (I didn't hear any crashing though so I guess it wasn't the end of the world?!)

I have a plan for next year, I'm pretty sure I know where my lost time is and that I can be capable of a sub 4hr time... I might even bite the bullet, join a local club and work with a group for the whole ride properly! Just got to work on my social skills...

[Banana Boy]

The way the wind swirls across the Fens is really quite impressive! (With nothing to channel it into a uniform direction) The Western loop from Ramsey through Benwick and up to Whittlesey was killer into the wind from the North West!

On balance, having ridden much of the route between last year and this, anything above 10mph is preferable from the North West as it seems that you spend less time exposed that way with the lie of the land etc.?!

I've just been looking at the photos from this years event... yet another set of unheroic pictures perfectly capturing my lumpy physique and weird face pulling?!

So, the plan for next year:

1. Ditch the 8kg of excess flab
2. Get quicker (this will be partially achieved with the completion of part 1)
3. Sort my face out! (I might have to grow a beard for next years event?!)

Edited by Banana Boy on Tuesday 7th June 20:23

[Banana Boy]

Banana Boy said:

The way the wind swirls across the Fens is really quite impressive! (With nothing to channel it into a uniform direction) The Western loop from Ramsey through Benwick and up to Whittlesey was killer into the wind from the North West!

On balance, having ridden much of the route between last year and this, anything above 10mph is preferable from the North West as it seems that you spend less time exposed that way with the lie of the land etc.?!

I've just been looking at the photos from this years event... yet another set of unheroic pictures perfectly capturing my lumpy physique and weird face pulling?!

So, the plan for next year:

1. Ditch the 8kg of excess flab
2. Get quicker (this will be partially achieved with the completion of part 1)
3. Sort my face out! (I might have to grow a beard for next years event?!)

Edited by Banana Boy on Tuesday 7th June 20:23

Ha! I'd forgotten about this thread!

Still no heroic pictures from Sportograf... managed to get a good 6kgs though off which has made a noticeable difference to getting quicker but I couldn't be bothered to grow a beard so had to put up with my stupid face pulling again!

This was my third year at the ToC (the roads are local to me as I live less than 5 miles from the Showground so it'd be rude not to...) but my first year in the race pen!

Posted 3:26 in the end, the pace at the front was fking BRUTAL! At one stage early on we were hossing along at nearly 60kph on the flat! I managed to stay with the lead group in my age category (35-39M) for nearly an hour but got fully dropped at the Alconbury Hill passing over the A1 at the south end of the circuit!

It was a really good lesson for me though and I now have a better idea of what I need to work on (lots of hill repeats intervals! The ebbs and flows were fine but the hard efforts associated with the concertina effect of the peloton really took it out of me!) I've signed up for next year already with the aim of finishing in the lead group... I know that's going to be a big ask - many of those guys 20mins up the road from me can put in many more hours training and some pay for professional coaching! But with a plan, some time trialling and crits I hope to close the gap enough to cling on all the way round!