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I think 44 miles on the commute and 25-30 on the weekend is likely the most I’ll manage. At least the commutes are on a fixed gear over decent hills. And my silly winter goal is to get up the 13% 1 mile climb by Otley on my fixed. Failed miserably last time.
Kit wise I think I’m there (there’s no more cheap gains to be had, beyond shaving my legs). If I have the time or motivation over winter I’ll convert the cockpit. Maybe see if a cheap 10sp wheelset pops up (but I’m happy to save my money). I’d thought about the road bike option, but really I enjoy the speed and aero side. I’m happy to be mediocre.
I’m ready for Sunday to be a disappointment. Had a very stressful week of professional exams. Been feeling v fatigued. Been mostly off the bike this week but cycled in today. Slowest I’ve been since July and my legs are dead.
Weirdly relieved - no pressure to perform now!
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Nef
hippy
Hi Nef,
Slow response again after another off grid trip, but your performance certainly merits comment.
That’s a great start to a TT career – I’m pretty sure your first 25 is faster than Tom Simpson’s. Don’t be too disappointed if your next ride is slower, you’ve set yourself a high standard, but you will improve; my prediction is a sub-hour ride next year.
Returning to my post 20268 and your response, it is striking how little riding you were doing to achieve that 1.4. Of course individuals vary in the amount of mileage they need for basic fitness but I can tell you, having interviewed many TT and road race winners for race reports, that a surprising number of them regularly do ‘old style’ big mileages – 200 miles a week is not rare. Don’t let this put you off; these are elite riders. At your current level perhaps 100 miles per week would be a reasonable target and one which I’m sure would lead to improvement next year.
Your Bike
As I said, I think you have been over focussing on kit. However, looking at the photo of your TT machine, it strikes me as a road bike with clip on bars tacked on almost as an afterthought. Perhaps you should consider removing them and entering the currently popular ‘road bike’ section of events - quite possibly you would soon be competitive there. It sounds as though Tester might approve of this idea.
Good luck next weekend. If you want to tell us the outcome, do include the winner’s name and time - this will give us some clue about the conditions on the day.
Finally, hats off to Tester for his amazingly accurate prediction!