NBRC Stoke Hammond '10' 11th June 2025

This time trial didn't go according to plan! We did have quite a nice evening - warm but maybe a bit windy out there on the dual carriageway section. Issues began with a missing magnet on my helmet, which meant my visor wouldn't stay attached. I rode with my Bolle sunglasses, which meant I spent a lot of time peering over the top of the frame - plus my helmet was rendered quite non-aero! 

Also the traffic flow out on the course seemed a little odd. This was noticed by a number of other riders, and meant I got a bit held up at three of the roundabouts.

I was off #4, a minute behind the rider who would win the event (which wasn't much of a surprise in fact). I started and immediately failed to clip in to my pedals. That's not usually an issue, but having difficulty clipping in has been happening more often. And it shouldn't - these are double sided Speedplay X pedals, sadly now discontinued but lovely pedals nontheless. Once I got going, I was struggling to get my power up and it was some relief to enter the slight uphill gradient. But not without having to slow right down for a van on the roundabout. 

Just after the start (photo by Jim Eastment)

I settled down to ride up to the next roundabout, where I joined the dual carriageway section. At that point I realised I could see #3 ahead of me! Despite being on a road bike, he was absolutely flying. At the next roundabout I once again had to slow right down, and then get going up the slope to the turn. All this time I'd been feeling a bit tight-chested. Perhaps this was due to pollen levels on a warm and humid evening, though I don't ever suffer from full-blown hayfever.

Round the turn and I tried to get things rolling, with was was by now a bit of a tailwind. Just after the right turn, I was passed by #5, who was going pretty well as you can see from this video.

One more slowdown at the final roundabout, then it was eyeballs out to the finish. 23:27, about 23 seconds slower than my previous ride on this course. With lower power that wasn't too surprising, but it was disappointing nonetheless. Here are the data - as usual click to enlarge.

And here's the wind chart: