ECCA E2/10 and VTTA F2A/25, 10-11 Sep 2022

Another double TT weekend for me, with a 10 mile on the same course as last weekend followed by a 25 the next day. Both are on fast courses and so was hoping for decent weather and some fast times.

The forecast was for much lighter winds than last week, but during Saturday there were also showers about. My start time was relatively late (15.36, almost the last off) and driving over there was a heavy shower, followed by the sun coming out! It seemed to be clearing up but with my bike on the rollers ready for my warmup, there was another unexpected downpour - wet bike, wet rollers and wet me! This certainly interrupted my warmup, which then wasn’t ideal, with wet roads etc and more wind than was ideal. By the start time there had been no more rain so I set off with the plan to ride slightly easy on the way out ready for a slight headwind back (the complete opposite of last week). Everything was going pretty well, other than a slight holdup at the turn, but in the last couple of miles it went very dark, the wind got up again and it started to pour down. I had been hoping for a sub-20 and looked to be fairly on track for that but a very slow last mile cost me a few seconds and I rolled in for a bedraggled 20.07 - a bit faster than last week but short of the sub-20 I was hoping for. My 19th place was a bit better than the predicted 25th. Time to go home, wash and dry bike and kit and be ready for day 2!

Picture from a club TT earlier in the season

On Sunday morning another weather change, with some fog meaning the start times were delayed by 30 minutes. By my start time the sun was out but there was a bit more wind than hoped for (again). I was able to have a nice chilled warmup and spin the legs (which felt fairly ok after the day before). I aimed for a fairly conservative power target and hoped to ride this course better than I did early in the year (when I nearly gave up at halfway because I felt so awful). This course is out and back twice, so four main sections. The first section out was fast - worryingly fast - and sure enough this meant the back section was much harder. I averaged >30mph for the out leg but only 27 on the way back - no chance of a properly fast time! I did manage to pace it better this time, saving myself a bit on lap 3 to leave something for the hard last few miles. I came home in 52.53, a PB for this course and for the season. This was a similar time and placing (28th versus 29th) to my Spindata prediction as well.

Just one more TT to go for this season, which has been reasonably successful (and a whole lot better than 2021!).

Tim Phillips