C is for Chelford, Carbon Clinchers and Cake

For the 9^th race in my 2014 schedule I headed south and east through some very busy Bank Holiday traffic today for the Withington Wheelers “10” on the J2/1 course near AstraZeneca on the A537. After being held up in a queue on the M6 thanks to the first of many phantom incidents that would characterise the entire day, I arrived at 2:30pm to collect my race number, squeeze into a car parking space and head out of Siddington Village Hall to warm up. My trusty Ksyrium Elite wheels wouldn’t pickup the speed sensor at first which made gauging form and effort a little tricky during the 30 minutes prior to the start, and the adrenaline levels ramped up a bit as well which led me to eat the cereal bars I’d stashed away in my back pocket, but at 3:38pm it was my turn to head off as number 98 for 10 lumpy miles on a very tricky course.

I was surprised when such a good surge of energy was forthcoming early doors; indeed on the run to the first roundabout I averaged 25mph despite the evident headwind. Either that or the London bus which passed me just as I was setting off really did give me an illegal speed boost…………The roundabout itself was pretty bumpy and I didn’t really smash my way through like I do at Bickerstaffe but soon I was up to speed once more, but not as quick as those who set off as numbers 99 and 100; they passed me not long after we cleared the Egerton Arms, where lots of race fans were cheering us on and drinking that cider I gorged on three weeks ago at the same venue. It transpired that they were two contenders for the title and they zoomed past, giving me particular envy (ENVE) for the WHOOSH coming from their rear wheels. As the final rise before the roundabout came into view I was struggling to keep a decent cadence up and actually had to change down to the middle of the cassette. Yes, you read that right. The halfway point was a real nasty slow turnaround not much quicker than those found at the St Annes and Fleetwood triathlons but at least I could turn into tailwind heaven and see if I could get under 23:30, the first five miles having been completed in exactly 12 minutes leaving me with quite a deficit to make up.

Upon resumption of full speed ahead I struggled to make best use of the descents; something says I went to the aerobars a bit too early given how responsive my Profile Svet Zero base bar really is. Even so, I now knew what was lying in wait for me and with the route generally tending uphill - but also comprising several steep descents - I could kick things into a higher gear. Two gears higher actually; for some reason the golden gear of 52x13 which was offering me the ideal cadence wouldn’t run smoothly and I was left with a choice of the 14 sprocket which was a hideous leg-twiddler or 52x12 which was a real hard labour when the Col de Chelford Train Station came into view. This was the last real kick of a climb and from here on in it was a case of sprint all the way to the chequer board marking the end of the race. I sprinted for the line and passed the black-and-white marker in a final time of 23:21, slower than my PB on Bickerstaffe but still quicker than the night a few weeks ago when I had my aero-brick wheels on.

On the way back I chatted to a husband and wife tandem team who got under 22:30, and also Paul from Lyme RC who really should get back into triathlon; if I could place 5^th at the Macclesfield Triathlon I think he might well have won the race outright. We turned into the car park of the lovely Siddington Village Hall and gardens, and helped ourselves to hearty ginger rocky road cake and tea which was delicious, before heading for home on a journey which was even more eventful than the race; yet more phantom “incident slow down” boards appeared, and then there was no warning at all for a load of thrift shop clothes from the back of a lorry which were strewn all over the M62! Just as well it wasn’t a crosswind or that might have been one wrecked KA EDGE and a trip into town to look at the Renault Clio I spotted in the car park. French flair or German grunt for my 2015 wheels? Decisions, decisions.........

Now for the results, brought to you by the Egerton Arms, Chelford:

Distance: the usual

Time: 23:21

Average Speed: 41.11kmh/25.55mph

London Buses: 1 on tour

Title contenders spotted: 2 who overtook me

Troublesome Gearboxes: 1

Race Fans: At least a dozen at the aforementioned pub

Post Race Nutrition: 10/10 (Steak and chips plus plenty of Pinot blush - I’m sure Kimi Raikkonen would approve even before tomorrow night’s HMCC club bash)

REJECT OF THE RACE: Vision T42 Rear Wheel

(For getting buckled so bad it was rendered unusable for race day - why didn't I offer Howie a wheel-swap for the weekend)

See you all tomorrow for (not) the Wild Wales Challenge, plus a few beers!