First race and recovery ride.

Well it soon comes around my first race of the season all the training and anticipation was soon reality as Sunday morning brought a damp but dry morning early doors.

I had a start time of 10:39 so i got to the HQ around 09:15 so i could set up my turbo and bike as to have a good warm up. As i started my warm-up 2 friends of mine turned up to offer support Ian wilkins an old friend of mine since school and lifelong cycling nut and Ian Duggan who is a really nice guy i dont know duggy that well but he's a good laugh.

With the warmup complete i pulled on my aero helmet and rode of to the start where my father in law and fiancee were waiting for me along with my ex boss and close friend Roger Bell.

All these great people were there to support me gulp,gulp.....i cant let them down gulp,gulp,gulp its was the most nervous i have ever been before the start of a race so here we go 5,4,3,2,1...GO!!

The cheers and shout from my friends was incredible a real lift so i headed off up the Stratford road towards sunrising hill.

Realistically i wasnt expecting to break any records but i had kind of said to myself if i can do a 57 i would be delighted forget the rest this is my first one which is always hard especially since i havent ridden my TT bike since last August or raced since then as well.

I climbed Sun rising a swept up the last 200 metres with the shouts of encouragement ringing in my ears for a moment i didnt think that my 57 was on but i blasted the final 4 miles and come in with a 57.53 so really pleased on paper it looks like i got spanked which indeed i did but it was my first race done with spoked wheels so it was just done for training more than anything else but given my previous history with this race i have managed to exorcise some demons and had enormous fun to boot.

The following day a went out for a recovery ride with Ian W a really steady hour to flush the toxins out of my legs and have a laugh and catch up with my ol pal got to sat it was the quickest hour ever chatting and laughing cant wait for the spring i reckon Ian will be bang up for some 3 hours rides cos his fitness levels are improving all the time.