I rode my final road race of the season at Hillingdon. I only needed to get a point for 10th and I wasn't contesting the overall series win so this was just a see how it goes, get as much high energy work in as I could.
I went for an out of control long sprint from basically at the club house I wound the pace and opened a sprint on the bottom corner.
I started to fade at 100m to go. I always hold the sprint off until 200m to go.  Meh, but I had nothing to lose and in the end 3 riders came past me just at the line.

Then I raced on Sunday. In a double header weekend. The cross was way more successful. But it was like an road race. The grass was hard and compact. I ran my pressure at about 38psi .
I got into a group on laps 2-4 but because it was flat the guys were just alittle bit more powerful and I was finding myself in and out of the saddle after every turn.
After lap 5 I had a good lead and I eased up, well could no longer hold the wheel of the group. My times went out from the 6.20 per lap to 6.42 and then I decided to knuckle down for the final lap and got a 6.33.

Having to dismount and sprint up stairs 21 times was good for the ol' technique though and my dismount to the steps I managed to refine to keep up the speed but not take more than a step before the stairs. 

She rode the Nocturne 2011 and various Tour Series races, National Road Races.
I've ridden cross against Miss Garner and she smashed me then. I cannot believe that I might one day turn up to a National Series race and ride next to somone that has a rainbow jersey. Such is the dumbness of the British Cycling scene for girls.
But at the same time, there is some serious talent, Armistead, Hannah Barnes and Garner. And they don't look like a horse, or an ugly butch boy under a helmet and glasses (if you know what I mean).
Chapeau to Miss Garner. May you lap me at a cross race whenever you want.

I have S-Work road shoes for racing and S-Works MTB shoes for cyclo cross. I train in Specialized Pro shoes to keep the race shoes crisp and white. I've spent alot of time in my training shoes and feel fine. I did two rides in my race shoes and now the lateral side left knee super aches even on my road bike.
My cleat on that foot for that shoe must be out a few mill or something.
I decided to use this roll of Garmin edition Rock Tape (a brand of elastic therapeutic tape) as an experiment. So I can keep on riding. Seems to be working out fine. Just look like a bit of an idiot walking around with an argyle pattern on my leg.


I'm no orthopedist, chiropractor, or physio but I have visited all three for a torn shoulder issue that has plagued my bike riding for the last five ish year due to an accident with a car (their fault). After an hour and 20 minutes of cycling I get this pain in my left shoulder. Usually painful numbness. From neck to the rotor cuff. I'm going to try the tape through the cyclo cross season and see how I get on.
http://rocktape.com/how-to-use/

I have made it a mission of mine to earn as much cycling related 'garb' as possible.
Amongst my collection I have a 'green jersey - esq Mark Cavendish balloon man' and an Eric Zarbel signed PMU foam hand.
Anyways that all pales to my aim to get a podium SKODA Yeti (a 3ft massive toy). I met a real big one today.

I saw this video ages ago and its a good race.Then I saw @crossjunkie's had written on his blog about womens raceing and reposted the video on his blog (http://crossjunkie.blogspot.com/). So I've been watching it, over and over and over again.

Firstly I like how Vos in the first lap sprints super hard from the front. Now that's how you start a race.
Secondly Vos comes out of the long descent onto the muddy climb and makes it look flat, while her competitors behind are already grinding away.

Vos, Kuppenagel and Ferrier-Bruneau then just solidly smash away and smash each other until they start to crack.

Done my first proper cross race. It was muddy and then the sun shone. I was hot and the mud went to sticky heavy gloop.

Made mistakes on laps 1-3 by running the short sharp climbs when I could have ridden them.
I was riding them in the second half of the race but that was too late.
The leaders were always just 30 seconds away. I saw them at exactly the same place and junctions where the course doubled back every single lap.
I rode a 44t and I couldn't get enough speed. I think my smashing around on a road bike means I need to upgrade to a 46t.
I was consistent lap after lap and finished 3rd. But I think I should have been with Nikki and Delia, trying to at least challenge for 2nd. Need to improve my fitness on smashing into the wind.

From the Garmin data, I wasted lap 1.  I let people get infront of me and slow me down, my heart rate never really trips above 180 not like the other laps. I should have been pushing through and taking risks, getting past these guys who think they are strong but can't handle a bit of twisty singletrack. Go head butt a tree.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/113650792