Ouch, ow yow. That was me last night, before, especially during, and after the training bash. Well those MK guys were really motoring. 24 mph up past Blackrod School, we usually do 20 mph max ! As soon as we went off I felt knackered. Just a bad day, riding to meet them my legs felt sore. 1st time up the hill I just went off, caught them back on the next lap, then going along the top of the resr, they slipstreamed a car off at 40 mph ! I notice they dropped a couple of their own guys. Tossers. I went off and did a lap of the full CG course.
The mountainbiker lasted until the start of the laps, a guy from Horwich CC stopped doing turns in Adlington.
I met Allan from Road Peace on the way back, he turned round and we rode up Chorley Old Road, up over Matchmoor then stood yakking opposite the Jolly Crofters. He said most of the MK guys that ride the bash don't race very often, and when they do they usually get shelled out !
So they are like lots of riders, they train to ride the bash, and us stupid lot that train to race get a hammering. Is this a British trait ? I heard an ozzie cricketer saying that he hated training, like most of the team, but when it came to playing he would be keen as mustard. The English team all trained like mad, but when it came to playing they were so-so and would be happy to watch from the sidelines. I noticed this when I last raced as a senior in the 1980s, lots of guys would be there riding hard in the winter but never raced. Why ? Why spend money on bikes and put the effort into training and not race ? Is it to be fit ? For posing ? What is that all about ?
Well I went to Asda and got some Radox stuff that is supposed to rejuvenate tired muscles. Then made the mistake of going to the bar. I had a few tins of Marstons then a couple of vodka & red bulls, and a good yakk with a couple of the guys that were there 2 years back, but managed to get myself to bed at 12.30 and not make an early morning session. Phew. Phone call off H. then so that was good timing from me !
This morning sat for 5 minutes in the Radox stuff, it seems to have worked ! I'll have a longer soak this evening, don't know whether to have a long steady ride or do some intervals this evening. Bought some vitamin E as well, I used to scoff loads of these before a race. Vit. E is supposed to increase the bloods ability to carry oxygen. I won't go back to taking a little bidon of brandy to glug just before I made a big effort, or take 3/4 caffine tablets. Nor will I try the experiment with thick black coffee. I tried this in the 1977 Tour of the Clees, and left lots of black sick over the roads of Shropshire ! I finished 6th ? 7th ? 8th ? in that.