Diss & District CC TT B25/17, 25 August 2019

This was my first 25 for a couple of months, as various things including illness and events being cancelled due to weather had got in the way. For once the morning dawned with perfect conditions, clear and sunny with very light wind. It did mean a very early start, and it was still dark when I left home. It was a little chilly while I was warming up, but you could feel the morning was already starting to warm up before my 7.55 start time. I had driven along the course on the way to HQ, and it’s a very attractive single carriageway course which rolls the whole way.

Setting off from the start there is a fast section (with slight tailwind on this occasion). The course has no major climbs but is constantly either up or down, with far more gear changes than is normal in a TT. I tried to keep my average power to my target but it slipped downwards gradually over the ride. I completed the first 10 miles in around 22 minutes, so on track for a 55 minute total if the way back was as fast as the way out (I was expecting it to be only slightly slower due to the light headwind). At the turn I still felt fairly ok and tried to keep pushing on as best I could towards the finish. The last couple of miles were the first fast section in reverse, so of course were pretty slow. I tried to keep it going until the end and crossed the line in just over 56 minutes. The official time was 56.16 - in fact a single carriageway PB for me. I was disappointed to miss a podium again, coming 4th for the second time this season, but I did get first vet!

Tim Phillips