1190

Time flies, you cannot, their flight is imperceptible.

VI) I managed 10 miles in 1190 seconds in the Las Vegas Institute of Sport 10 (great name). That is 19'50 at 48.8km/h in the new money, which means that I broke the 20 minute barrier :-) And I came second in a field of ~170 riders, which I did not expect at all. Didn't get close to the winner (Rich Bradley, 19'34) but that's OK.

It was a reasonably fast day: warmish and windy, but the wind was behind you coming back, which is when you need it. Also because I started at 6:21pm, there was still a bit of traffic on the road. That is one reason why these events are so quick - probably worth 1-2 km/h compared to a traffic free event. That's not to say it was really busy, but even one car coming past you every 10 seconds makes a difference.

In power terms, I had a good ride: 340W average, which is +10W on my previous best 10 this year. I'm looking for another 15-20W, but I'm slowly getting there.

For comparison, Brad Wiggins (a few kg heavier than me) did a 10 on one of the fastest courses in the country at Levens. He clocked 18'00, just two seconds slower than his own comp record. And to do that, he needed 490W(!) according to his team manager Jonathan Vaughters. And a front wheel that was too deep according to CTT regulations, but that would have only given him a couple of seconds.

So I just need to boost my power by 40% and I'll be a contendah in the Tour de France ;-)

VII) I backed up last Tuesday to do the Dursley 25.1, round 10 of the hardrider series. I was 11sec quicker than last year (for 15W less power) but this time Ben got the better of me by just one second! That balances things out after I beat him by a second in the Somer Valley hardrider event. Pretty funny that we're that close - in power terms that's about 0.3W.

What that means is that I'm probably the leader in the hardrider series, having now done six races. I really need to do one more of the last three races and finish top three to secure it, because I only finished 7th in one of my six races. Strangely, despite missing several, I'm in a better position than last year because the wins have been shared around between Ben, Gavin Poupart, Dave Kiddell, Chris Madge and Rob Lyne.

VIII) El Tour is interesting this year, despite the likelihood of an Astana 1-2 (it ain't over until it's over though). In fact, it's the battle between Lance and Contador that is creating the drama. I'm still tipping Contador but you should never discount Lance in the Tour, no matter how old he is.

If you want to know how good the pros are at descending, check out this video of Fabian Cancellara chasing back on after a puncture. 4:05-4:25 is incredible.

IX) Had a nice visitation from Ma for a few days, involving various fine dining options. Bath is OK if you know where to go. And pretty ordinary if you don't.

X) Rode across Salisbury Plain yesterday and didn't get blown up or run over by a tank. There was one bit that I thought was public road but it very likely wasn't. I won't be doing that again, although it did make a nice change.