D is for Deadheat on the D10/1

For the 9th round of my 2018 race schedule I finally got to sample the D10/1 course again tonight as 29 riders faced the timekeepers. I drew number 3 so was assured of an early dart should I have needed it but strangely I wasn't really going through the gears mentally like I normally would. Is that a sign that I've lost my explosiveness and I should try longer challenges? We'll find out one day I suppose. For now it was off to do a warmup round the Bickerstaffe road race course where Planet X Man, AKA number 4, looked very purposeful. I thought he would likely catch me so started thinking about how long I could hold him off for and then I went to the loo one last time before downing anenergy gel in readiness for 7:03. Finally, with the marshals discussing a rock festival complete with tribute bands (including the IMUK favourite AC/DC) the countdown was given and I could set off for 10 miles round the Rainford bypass.

My first couple of miles certainly felt like a speed rush, perhaps too much so because on the descents towards the roundabout my vision wasn't exatly that clear; whether it was not enough hydration or a recurrence of previous balance issues on hard efforts, I'm not sure. It certainly hadn't bothered me at the triathlons earlier in the year but now it was making the bumpy sections (which you know I really like) all the more unnerving. The sweep onto the A570 was much better than last week on the 25 and I held a reasonable average speed all the way to the M58 island though the sight of a motorbike passing me rather too close was very disconcerting, in fact coming up behind me he sounded like a disc wheel and I really thought I'd been caught already. I got a cheeer from the new Phoenix superstar Christophe Moeri who was watching at the roadside with his Giant Trinity having powered it to a 4:50 100 mile result on Sunday (wonder if he can swim and run, his bike colours are perfect for some other club you might have heard of) and now I was off down the A570 towards Rainford for the usual tailwind leg. And what a segment it was; raising the seat had me further over the bottom bracket than before, and while I can't see that working over 56 miles it worked a treat for a 10, as I could basically push my rear end against the nose of the saddle and effect a "running" stance as, unlike riding a road bike, running is one of those sports I'm actually quite good at. Between the Holdi and Rainford roundabouts Planet X Man did indeed pass me, but he seemed to struggle more with the headwind on the return leg than I expected and I did't drop all that much more time to him in the second half of the race. On the contrary, I spotted my two-minute man just up the road (my minute man proving impossible to catch on his fixed wheel bike, though I would edge him out by six seconds) but Number 1 was overtaken with about a mile to go. It was here that I simply didn't have the power I wanted but a slightly higher cadence than normal (yes you read that right) saved the day and I passed the chequerboard in a time of 23:07, my second-fastest time over the last three years and indeed my best apart from that anomalously brilliant 22:42 last July.

On the way back to base I was a bit disappointed that I hadn't broken 23 minutes but my spirits were raised when the printed results came out because I'd made up quite a chunk of time on people who either beat me last week or were very close to my time, and so too had Tom Hanlon who is yet to break 21 minutes on his Cervelo P2 but took a resounding victory tonight. However, the most interesting aspect of the results table was my never-ending attempts to reel in the legend that is Arthur Winstanley. We've been on this course together something like 45 times over the years with the all-time great prevailing every time; here, at long last, I didn't lose to him. Why? Because it was a dead-heat! We'd set the same time and tied for 12th place, so at least I moved up a position from last week. After taking a photo of the results page I enjoyed tea and an apple pie from the selection boxes on offer and went to quiz a couple of East Lancs RC members about their Canyons, which certainly look excellent value for money (at least until the people at the head office read this and remember that we're no longer in the United States of Europe). I put J-Lo the Jaguar in the car and enjoyed one last chat with Tom and Arthur before heading for home, spotting the HMCC chainey groups coming in as I drove past the turn-off for my future home as I did so. Nice to get back to some short-course sprint power, let's go for another one next week.

Now for the results, brought to you by the official bike of East Lancs RC, the Canyon Speedmax SL:

Distance: 10 miles

Time: 23:07

Final Position: =12th out of 29

Motorbikes: 1

Riders Who Didn't Change Gear: 1 (and it wasn't me)

Post Race Nutrition: 10/10 (Happy Pear shepherdless pie and beetroot, pineapples with Alpro ice cream and a Brewdog Punk IPA at home)

REJECT OF THE RACE: Motorbike Man

(Imagine what TT's will be like if silent engines and rolling wheel sounds become the norm in the electric revolution)

Time to watch the Tour highlights on the plus box. Well done to everyone who rode tonight especially during the peak of TT season. Who's going to put a number on their rear end next week?