British Time Trial Championships

Today was the British time trial Championships and I have been excited about this since entering. When leaving home it was raining but at we got closer and closer to the the course it got better and better! At the headquarters we had to get a bike check by putting the bike in a jig to check everything was within UCI rules. My bike past, but the man checking it did measure my saddle and then said it was all OK, after that it was a gear check to make sure top gear was within 7.93 meters for one pedal turn then off to sign on. As I got on the turbo to warm up I did a few mins and then it started raining only lightly to start with and then after warming up really well I went to the start and felt OK and it rained a bit harder. I started the time trial and felt good and soon got to the first left hand turn and found out that it was into a headwind in parts without trees. After getting to the end and turning left I had a hard cross wind and felt like I was fighting it with my tri spoke getting push constantly into the side of the road. But after turning left it was a good tail wind and into top gear for some of it and then turning left and a junction in a village and down another small road with a few hills to get over. I the turned left yet again to pick the head wind part but this time it was a bit left time into a head wind but still raining and getting harder. I found if I pushed back on the saddle and sat up a bit more I could get a bit more speed and by doing this helped in the cross wind part and I was so glad to get to the last road to head to the finish, this was longer than any other road on the course but with a good tail wind all the way ...and a few rolling hills ...and rain. As I hit the big hill I sat up to get over it and kept it in the big ring and by this point I was wet every where from the rain that just got harder and harder since I started. At the top of the hill there was a house with an exercise bike for sale in the garden, maybe hoping a cyclist would buy it for training ...it made me laugh. After more rain and a hill or two I was caught by a rider who was off after me I got to the turn off for the finish and just sprinted as hard as I could. Once finishing I had to have another gear check and then I got to ride back to the car (still in the rain). My time was 49:58 for 20.9 miles and I think about 14th in the juniors so a good day racing even if it was raining. Henry Latimer also from Zappi did a quick time of 48:57. Alex Dowsett won the men's event and Wendy Houvenaghel won the women's.




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Results are here