And The Season Begins.....

so the racing season has begun again, and after what always seems like a winter that lasts forever, the racing comes round so fast.

no matter how many times you go training, do intervals, or have training weekends away, nothing can prepare you for racing as good as racing itself (in my opinion!)

so my season started on Saturday, in the Nova CC 2up 25 mile TTT, near Gawsworth. i was paired with team mate Mark Hassall, who was sporting his very nice new disc wheel - flash barsteward! also in the race we had another team of two, Giles and Mark Astles, which seemed to please DS Hinde that we were all having a go, in an event he has won on countless occasions back in his hey day.
myself and sparky rode the event together last year, a race which i try to forget about. all i can remember was temperatures of about 3*C, a howling gale, pain, burning chest, and legs that didn't want to work. however this year we were treated to a perfect day for time trialling. mild, hardly and wind and dry!
we rode well together, sharing the turns well. Mark went through a rough patch mid way through, but came round well towards the end, putting in some big turns.
after last years grueller, this year seemed easy in comparison, despite the obvious burning in various places in and on my body - the new saddle being a major culprit! we finished with a time of 58 mins 38 secs, which wasn't bad considering the time of year, and the rolling course. good enough for 3rd place. i can live with that.
Giles and mark rode awesome, both on standard road bikes too!

not 24 hours later and we were up for an early dart to Skelmersdale for the CDNW RR at Pimbo Industrial Estate. or "Pimbo World Champs".
rain, wind, cold. what a difference a day makes! and how true is that.....
after yesterdays race, feeling good and positive about things, i started the race with the mindset of giving myself a tough ride and getting into a few moves. with big showings from teams like rapha-condor, NFTO and the like, most people knew they were in for a fast race.
pace was high from the off, as is always the case on Pimbo. the flattest course of the season (probably), wide roads, mostly smooth and pretty much no corners means fast - my kind of circuit!
i dug straight in, trying to get into an early move, and was feeling good, despite yesterdays "titty" efforts. a sprint prime after about 5 laps, saw a handful of riders clip away, which i got across to. usually after a sprint, an attack goes. as everyone sits up to take a breath, so i thought it would/could be an opportunity. it was. the sprint came and went, and straight after a few riders hit the gas. i went with it - sort of...... BANG!
i looked down to see the remnants of my chain wildly slapping around the tarmac.
shouts from my mate Tom Bracegirdle of "don't sit up FFS GO GO!!!" as he covered the move rung in my ears, as i sat helplessly with the whole field going past. neutral service had everything covered in the wheel department, but nothing else!
my race turned into a duathlon for a very short while, shouldering the bike and legging it back to the start/finish area to beg for help. running in cleats isn't a good look!
despite some of the biggest teams in the UK being in attendance, it appears that spare chains are as rare as hens teeth at races. even though there was a team van full of spare bikes, wheels and hell knows what else, but not one chain!

after my (as people who know me will know) customary slinging of the broke chain, swearing, helmet throwing, and blaming everyone i could think of, i soon smiled and calmed down.
sitting in the back of Hindeys van, chatting to some of the Weaver Valley Crew, it was soon the place to be, as the wind picked up coupled with the driving rain. with a relentless pace being dished out at the front.
Giles and Sparky Mark were still in the bunch, and riding really well. as some riders decided enough was enough and packed up.

what was worse, that by 10 in the morning i was sat in the van, race over, thinking "I'm here all day", as i was down to marshall the event in the afternoon. 4 hours to kill at pimbo.....that took some doing!

so a mixed bag for the first weekend of racing. good result and ride Saturday, shite Sunday.
shame, as just before my chain snapped, i was certain that i would have won.....(honest!)

I will upload some pics of the races on here at some point, but until then, check out the teams facebook page Dave Hinde RT for updates and pictures. some taken by our very own DS Dave Hinde, others (where credited) by Martin Holden who goes out to loads of races across the NW and beyond, taking some fantastic shots.

A Follow Up....

after my post yesterday about people getting the wrong end of the stick, and after receiving abusive anonymous texts and emails , coupled with people writing on their facebook pages about how they are going to "give me a good kicking", here's more.....

as i have repeatedly said, and as it stated on the first blog post, these thoughts and opinions are my own. they are my take on life as an amateur racing cyclist, and trying to have a laugh along the way.
however it appears that some people have totally lost their sense of humour, and instead of reading it for what it is - a generalisation of 99% of cyclists - they have decided to take it personally, and decide that it is directed solely at them. which is a shame.

do these same people watch the video "shit cyclists say" and take it as a personal vendetta against themselves!? i seriously doubt it. they take it as a generalisation, such as its intention.

as in my original posts, most people can relate to what was said. for example, everyone has sat and listened to someone talk about how they were "just about to win". we have all been there, and probably all been guilty of saying it at some point. but should you take it to heart and get upset about it? probably not.

if you have decided to take what was and/or is written on this blog personally and get upset about it, then please accept my apologies.
please could i also encourage you to go on twitter, facebook, other blogs and social media and have a read of what people write. again, most people on there are taking the piss out of themselves and others, and I'm sure if you read into it enough you could get upset about it. but, as i say again, I'm sure its not aimed at individuals, but as friendly banter.
the amount of times i go on twitter and facebook and see a status or post and think "i bet that's about such n such" or sometimes about myself, but there is no need to take it to heart and get all upset. seriously, twitter is well worth a look through. the amount of stuff that is said on there about various cycling aspects in the north west could well be taken out of proportion - especially if people have read this and think its directed at individuals, if you saw that...... but then you have to realise that its friendly banter. not something to get down about.

also, if you are not happy with what i write, please don't send me messages about how you are going to "give me a good kicking", theres no need for that.
and if you have genuinely taken what i have written personally and think it is aimed at you directly, instead of it being a generalisation of cyclists, then instead of making idle threats anonymously, please contact me and explain why you have taken it to heart so much. I'm a big enough person to sort out differences and talk about why people have become so upset, as apposed to being threatened anonymously.

like i said, if you decide to take everything on here seriously and personally then please accept my apology.

but from now on, lighten up and take it for what it is. a laugh.

stay safe folks.

Sense of Humour

after originally stating in the very first post of my blog, that everything was written "tongue in cheek" and that things written were/are light hearted, it appears that several people have lost their sense of humour.

for the last few days i have had nothing put pathetic messages saying "is this about me" when in reality the previous posts were a collection of observations intended to make people laugh, smile, and have a joke about.

obviously, some people who have read them have dismissed this, and decided to get upset about things. which is pretty disappointing.
you only have to look as far as facebook and twitter, and see what people talk about. and I'm talking about various peoples opinions on local racing and racers in the North West. obviously if it is on a blog then that means its serious and everyone has to get upset about it......

as for the people who have said "who do you think you are", i know exactly who i am. i don't think I'm anyone or anything else other than me. i DO NOT take myself very seriously, i am well aware of my "cycling talent" and have absolutely no doubt of the level that i am at - i am not in a dream world.

pretty annoying as the vast majority of people who have read the blog posts will know me, and know that i will say what i think and feel, however it appears that some people have read far far to much into my previous blogs, and got all upset about them, by (for some reason) linking themselves to what was written.

its a blog. my thoughts and opinions, of which are not to be taken seriously.

from now on, i will just write about my favourite colour bar tape and why, and which i think is the best rim tape, and other boring topics.

disappointing when you try and have a laugh, and people get up tight about it. shame.

stay safe everyone, and try to cheer up.....

P.S.

my favourite colour bar tape is white.