Category: Events

VCC explores a one-hour TT

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We don’t know if this is feasible but for quite a while at VCC we’ve been looking at the possibility of running a one-hour time trial event and would love to hear from anyone interested in taking part, either as a rider or as a volunteer.  The idea is inspired by cycling’s one-hour record and our local Welsh 12-hour TT event.  So with regard to the latter, we’re exploring the idea of using the finishing circuit as a base for a Welsh one-hour TT — an anticlockwise loop of approximately 15.4 miles.  

To make this work there are a few things to consider:

  • We’d need a lot of timekeepers.  The 12-hour event uses nine TKs and we should aim to match that.  We wouldn’t necessarily need that many but, to state the obvious, the more the better.
  • We’d need a few riders too.  Whilst having more TKs is a good thing it also pushes up the cost of running the event, so we’d a decent number of entries to make it viable.
  • We could possibly run it as a club event first, then apply any learned lessons in a subsequent open event.
  • We’d have to consider riders’ likely performance levels and aim to have them finish towards the end of the dual carriageway section, or on the “back road”.  We wouldn’t want them to finish near the start of the DC, as that would leave them with quite a trek to get back to the HQ.
  • The ideal HQ would be Llanarth Village Hall.

If this sounds interesting then we’d love to hear from you.  Please click here to give us your thoughts on the idea.  Whether it’s to register your interest as a rider/volunteer, or to give us some food for thought, all contributions are very welcome.

Closing date approaches for our 15mi TT

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We’re a few days out from the closing date for our next open TT event, which runs on the R15/5 course and offers a rare opportunity for a PB over the 15-mile distance.

If you’re familiar with the south Wales dragstrip known as the R10/17, this is effectively that course with a couple of miles tacked on at either end.  The course records are 28:58 [male], 30:55 [female] and 29:42 [tandem].

Entries will close 23:59 on Sunday 10/7, with the start sheets published the following morning for an event that takes place on 17/7.

Here are the links you need.

And of course, you’re assured of the standard VCC treatment when it comes to the HQ experience at Llanarth Village Hall.

Hope to see you there.

VCC 100-mile champion for 2022

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In an unexpected turn of events on July 3rd, Simon Kinsey walked limped off with the VCC 100-mile title for 2022.  He claimed it by default as the only VCC finisher on the day.  As the saying goes, you’ve have to be in it to win it!

Pre-race favourite was triathlete Tom Danter, who had recently signed on with VCC following a stint with our friends at Cardiff Ajax CC.  He had no recent TT form so was flying below the radar of the boffins at Spindata, but it was clear from his Strava profile that Tom was no stranger to two-wheeled transportation and would merely need to stay upright to bag the 2022 title — much like fellow triathlete Kyle Blackmore who had done precisely that in Carmarthenshire a year earlier.

These days, Simon claims to be using TT events as “training rides” to bring himself back towards some semblance of respectability.  Yep, training rides.  Always good to get the excuses in early.  Simon’s ranking had plummeted over the last two seasons, with Spindata placing him in the D18 category and predicting a finish time of 5:02:55 for this event.  He had been mildly encouraged by this forecast, having previously hinted that five hours would be a reasonable target for the day.  He would start at 7:13am, 27 minutes ahead of Tom, fully expecting to be overtaken on the first lap.

Number-cruncher Simon likes likes to perform in-ride calculations to gauge how he’s doing relative to his pre-race goal.  So he was less than impressed to find that his newly-acquired Garmin Edge 1030 device was far too clever for its own good.  Its constant bleeps, alerts, screen-changes, weather forecasts and other distractions were not conducive to Simon’s effort, and he spent much of the ride longing for his older less sophisticated device.  The kerfuffle probably added about 5 bpm to his pulse, but he had no way of knowing — the gadget providing a constant stream of worthless trivia.  All that said, when you ride at Simon’s pace you don’t need fancy technology to track your progress; a calendar is a perfectly adequate option.

So, operating solely on perceived exertion, Simon was unsurprised when at mile 45 he saw what he believed to be Tom come past him with a considerable speed delta.  He gave “Tom” a few words of encouragement and returned to his own suffering.

And so it continued, for a second lap and then a third lap.  Plus an extra ten miles for good measure.  Simon passed his parked car on seven occasions during the self-inflicted misery but did at least manage to resist all temptation to pack up his bike and call it a day.  Small wins!  Eventually he reached the finish after a particularly gruelling last fifteen miles into a fresh headwind, and made one last seven-mile trek to get back to the car and then onward to the HQ to congratulate Tom.

It was there that Simon discovered that the overtaker at mile 45 had not been Tom at all.  The rider in question had taped his number onto his jersey, so it was slightly obscured at the time.  This, combined with the rider’s speed and Simon’s discomfort all added up to a case of mistaken identity.  It turned out that Tom had sent his apologies in advance and had instead opted for an impressive training ride of his own.

So that was that. Simon missed his personal target by just under fifteen minutes but ended up reclaiming a title he’d held in 2018 and 2019, then stuck around for the formalities before heading home to “rehydrate”.  But there would be little time to rest, with the championship season now in full swing.  

Analytics

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The VCC website now features an interactive tool that shows members’ stats in UK time trialling events.  The initial launch provides details of personal best performances by rider, distance and course (or any combination of these).

Click here for the visualisation.

VCC events for 2022

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We’re very proud to be promoting SIX open TT events in 2022 at various distances and disciplines.

We start with an early season 10-mile event on the R10/22a in Resolven.  This is a flat course turning at the Aberdulais roundabout and the event is ideal for beginners looking for an introduction to time trialling.

In May we move to the beautiful town of Usk for a 25-mile event on the R25/7 course.  This is one of the quickest 25-mile courses in the UK, offering a generous downhill start and a predominantly dual-carriageway main section.  

 

A couple of months later we have a 15-mile event on the R15/5 between Abergavenny and Raglan.  For riders familiar with the rapid R10/17 course, this is effectively an extension of that (at both ends).  This is a rare chance to set a 15-mile PB and the event features as part of the popular Celtic Series — allowing riders to collect points for themselves and their clubs towards the WCA seasonal awards.  But there’s more!  We’re also including a 4-up team time trial at this event.  If you can rustle up a team of four you’ll get the chance to measure up against some of the quickest in the UK.

In August we return to Usk for a second spin around the R25/7 and this time our event incorporates the national VTTA championship.

We finish with two events on one day as we welcome riders to Treorchy, home of the best high street in the UK (and that’s official).  These are a pair of hill climb events on the famous Bwlch and Rhigos mountain roads.  They’re ideal preparation for the WCA hill climb championships the following week, if that’s your thing!

So we’re hoping that we have something for everybody here.  Click below for more info.

VCC 10-mile title changes hands

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Regular readers will be familiar with the 2020 battle that saw three VCC riders contest the 10-mile title on the U7B course near Bristol.  That particular event went the way of Jeff Rees who simultaneously became the oldest and youngest rider to ever hold the prestigious award.  And he has a trophy to prove it.

On June 20th the same three riders contested the 2021 edition in northern Wiltshire.  For the south Wales contingent this meant a 4am alarm call and a trip down the M4 for an appointment with Tetbury Velos on the U47R course.  Dan from the West Country faced a similar trek, but could afford an extra hour under the duvet.

Odds-on favourite was Dan who had recently set a course PB on the aforementioned U7B so was clearly on a decent run of form.  Jeff’s season was steadily improving too, but he was a little short of his 2020 levels.  Making up the numbers was Simon who is currently using racing events as high-intensity training sessions.  Well, that’s his excuse and he’s sticking to it.  For him to win, he’d need his rivals’ wheels to come off.  Literally.

The boffins at Spindata provide the ranking system for TTs in the UK and they know a thing or two about predictions.  Their system works on all courses even if the riders in question have never ridden there.  It’s a thing of beauty, if you like that kind of thing (which we do at VCC).  The number-crunchers pointed to the following outcome:

  • Dan Laasna Reuter, 24m 21s
  • Jeff Rees, 25m 35s (+74s)
  • Simon Kinsey, 26m 10s (+109s)

First to face the starter was Dan, rider number 26 on the day.  He’d previously been spotted on the outskirts of Cricklade indulging in a spot of secret training.  It seems that he hadn’t slept in after all — but had got to the HQ in good time, signed in, kitted up and helped himself to some early-morning miles around the Cricklade lanes.  Scandalous.

Dan disappeared into the misty morning and would not be seen for 20+ minutes.  Well, 24+ if you ask the guys at Spindata.  Next up was Simon, number 52.  As he joined the queue he noted number 50 ahead of him, waiting on the start line.  All was going like clockwork until suddenly, in a blur of purple socks, Dan came flying into view and passed the finish line with number 50 still waiting for the off.  This suggested a time below 24 minutes for Dan.  He’s certainly capable of it (PB 22:55 on the R10/17) but this would be a spectacular result if confirmed, especially as rider #50 was not even close to starting out.

Simon and Dan exchanged a few words of wonder and encouragement while Jeff (#56) had time for a longer conversation with the man who most probably had just relieved him of his 10-mile crown.

Simon and Jeff went about their rides on enjoyed their trip to a new course that reminded them of the dual carriageway tracks of south Wales.   Jeff later remarked that the out-and-back course had appeared to be “uphill in both directions”, an excuse that Simon gleefully added to his library.

The final results were as follows:

  • Dan Laasna Reuter, 23m 24s
  • Jeff Rees, 24m 41s
  • Simon Kinsey, 25m 14s

So the riders finished in the expected order and all three were ahead of the forecast.  But the gaps between riders were very close to the projections from Spindata: expected margins +74s and +109s; actual margins +77s and +110s.  This reinforces the credibility of the Spindata model but suggests that this course suited the riders better than the ones where their baselines had been set.

Back at the nearby HQ the three riders exchanged stories of the day and were introduced to Dan’s pal Matt who, the previous day, had signed up for a VCC event on the R10/17 (yes, THAT course).  Simon and Jeff were delighted to meet the new guy, but somewhat less delighted to hear that he had just knocked out a 21:04 to finish eighth overall.  That was mildly disturbing on its own.  But next they heard that this was just the youngster’s third race.  The cumulative effect was highly alarming to the 50-somethings in attendance.  But then came the final insult as the group discovered that the rookie had had the cheek to ride the event on a road bike rather than a conventional TT rig.  This led Simon to immediately disqualify Matt from the upcoming VCC event, a decision that he reversed (also immediately) when he realised that the youngster could turn out to be quite an asset to the club.  

The ever-forgetful Simon had not brought the VCC championship medals to the event, but he had at least remembered his helmet and shoes this time so there were signs of improvement.  The awards would instead be distributed at a post-season event.  In the meantime, all four riders (plus Dan Kinsey) would line up on the R10/17 for a low-key practice ride ahead of the main VCC event there thirteen days later.