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.