Trail run with The Pope and JFW

They were chatting all the way while I struggled at the back

Very disappointed with my performance in this run. 

I was expecting more of myself. I was expecting myself to be fine with the pace, to hold myself behind JFW and The Pope for the whole run, and, still, feel fine at the end. After all, the plan was to run “slowly” in the hills for “only” three hours.

Whenever you cross a river prepare yourself to climb. I learnt it works also for running

As soon as we started to run I knew I was up for a hard day. The Pope and JFW were running at the front, chatting casually and the effort I had to do to sustain their pace felt harder than it should have. I had to walk up the climbs four or five times, including the steps up Box Hill.

I used to think I was great going up the steps... until today

By the time the question of what to run next was asked, two hours and a half into the run, I begged to go straight to the car. I had been running slower and slower for a while and even if nothing felt particularly painful I was tired and really looking forward to stopping running. 

The further we run the further back I was

I thanked JFW and The Pope for taking me to the car, for slowing their pace to keep me in the run and apologised to them for my lack of performance. As I said above, I was expecting more of myself today.

Now, if I want to look at it from a positive angle, all I have to do is to remind myself that this has been my longest in kilometres, longest in time, and with more climbing trail run so far, that I have run it with two riders way stronger than me, and that I’m not feeling that bad after the mandatory siesta.

I’ll go with the positive view.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15567834683

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González 

Sumners Ponds with Javier, Nestor and Quico

Probably one of the easiest wins of my cycling career. All down to strategy and race craft.

I knew Javier, Nestor and Quico are strong riders so, when they said they wanted to ride one of the Kingston Wheelers route I offered them a menu of a short and flat ride to Windsor, a short ride to Tanhouse and a decent ride to Sumners Ponds.

Apparently they don't like cinnamon buns, nor are they interested in short rides to a farm. They chose Sumners Ponds. They took the bait.

I gave them all types of details about the Esher sprint as we were riding out. Not that they needed them, we were coming back through a different way. I just was building with them a reputation of a fair competitor. 

We rode all the hills at a friendly, chatty pace. Being tired from the (skimmed) LEL was an adequate excuse. Saving my legs was the real reason.

I saw Javier taking a cheeky sprint at the top of the last ramp before the coffee stop. I duly took note of who to mark at the sprint. Maybe there is something in the name of Javier that makes great sprinters.

At Sumners Ponds I went for a latte (and a scone with cream and jam). I didn't feel the need to disclose the effect caffeine has in my performance. They didn't disclose the effect the cakes they devoured had either so it was all a level playing field. 

We took on Box Hill as the final climb. I thought it was a nicer hill to show off than Juniper. Nice stop at the top to admire the scenery (the real reason being to recover my legs) and the first challenge appeared.

My di2 ran out of battery, I was stuck in the small chainring. A bit of a setback if you want to take the Horton roundabouts sprint. 

But you know me. A man of infinite resources and capable of coming out with a winning strategy even in the most adverse circumstances.

As soon as we left Epson I told them "this section is a bit tricky to navigate with so many roundabouts, let me lead the way" (notice the detail that I didn't mention how many roundabouts we had to pass. genius touch).

What a clever move. They all agreed thinking that would be me killing myself at the front. 

And I pretended to work hard. At the very least I was pedalling fast. But I was taking every roundabout with care, showing them the way. Making sure they got the impression the line was still far away. Looking back to see who was still in contention. A bit worried seeing all three were still there. Javier very well situated at the back of the group. Not looking good for me. 

I did the same in the last roundabout. Approached it with care, got out of it without pushing it too hard. I knew there was a slight downhill section before the finish line. It was critical to keep them thinking the sprint was still far away. I knew they were ready to sprint and I wouldn't beat any of them on my small chainring.

About 30 metres from the line I increased my cadence, looked back and I saw a gap opening. I took them completely by surprise. 

I looked back again and I saw I had time to celebrate. Arms in the air, smile in my face, satisfaction in my soul. Nice and easy win.

They complained saying I wasn't clear explaining where the line was but I put it down to the typical Spanish bad loser attitude. How quickly they had forgotten how fair I was explaining all the details about the Esher sprint.

Can't wait to ride with my British friends, they are much better at losing sprints.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15387980356 

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Kingston Wheelers Cycling Club Annual London-Brighton-London

 A ride that felt harder than the numbers suggest.

Maybe it was starting at 6:30. Maybe it was not having coffee in the morning. 

I’m sure that chasing The Pope in the first few hills helped. He normally takes one or two climbs to warm up but today he was on it from the beginning. 

I received a small blow to my left knee as a result of a minor fall. Nothing serious, but a small nuisance for the rest of the route. That also contributed to making the ride feel harder than the numbers suggest.

Trying to hold Bidders wheel when he sets himself in full pacing mode is definitively a factor. Made worse by how easy he makes it look like. You, killing yourself to hold his wheel, and him looking like he is going to buy some bread around the corner. That’s psychological torture. Definitively a big contribution to making the ride feel harder than the numbers suggest.

Anther psychological torture was climbing Ditchling Beacon. Bidders went ahead. I was pacing the other three riders. Not feeling great but proud of the work I was doing. A solid work in my mind. Demonstrating, once again, that what goes on in my mind doesn’t necessarily correspond with the reality a few seconds later everyone passed me. I struggled the rest of the climb to not being dropped. Psychological torture.

A very welcome stop at the Regency gave me the opportunity to load in caffeine. A coke and a latte. Caffeine did its thing and the ride started to feel easier than the numbers suggest.

But only until Bidders hitted the front again. 30 seconds later the ride was, again, feeling harder than the numbers suggest. Bidders hitted the front as soon as we got out of Brighton. Fair to say the ride didn’t feel easy for very long.

My performance improved though. I almost held his wheel in every single climb in the return leg. I was so full of myself that climbing Box Hill I was considering outsprint him for the KOM. A bit of a cheeky move if you consider he sat in the front for most of the climb but I have a peculiar honor compass when it comes to taking KOMs. The problem was a rider passed us. A rider positioned in his bike as riding with imaginary aero bars. Well, if you are going to pass Bidders up Box Hill riding imaginary aero bars you better be a very strong rider. 

He wasn’t very strong. 

But he was strong enough to drop me and kill my chances of getting a very well deserved KOM. I’ll admit feeling some pleasure seeing Bidders passing him at the top. Mainly because that meant I was close enough to see it. 

That gave me a moral boost. For me, a moral boost at the top of Box Hill means I fancied my chances of taking the Horton sprint. That’s quite a statement when you have Nick, a real sprinter, in the ride.

Long story short, I was last in the Horton sprint. I was so far back that I couldn't even tell who took it (and I didn't ask so the rest didn't realize how far back I was).

I hope you now understand why this was a ride that felt harder than the numbers suggest.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/11993086258

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

End of the "season"

 That’s it. This is my 2021/2022 “season” done. 

(Mind you that I use “season” only to pretend that I have all my cycling perfectly planned. Something that is only partially true, like all my riding reports).

I’m now going to take two weeks off the bike. As if I needed to rest.

The reality is this break comes due to the circumstances. 

On one hand it’ll be good (I guess, I hope) to have a break and to reflect on my objectives for my 2022/2023 “season” (oh, this sounds so pro).

On the other hand, it is a shame to have to stop now that I’m in the form of my life. Not every day you get a PR up Broome Hall Road (https://www.strava.com/activities/7930304942/segments/3013809713553065704) with 95k in the legs, 75 of them ridden solo, followed by another PR up Box Hill (https://www.strava.com/activities/7930304942/segments/3013809713546034920) and end up beating Rupert at the Horton roundabouts sprint. 

Two weeks of imagining my form slowly disappearing and anticipating how bad I’ll feel in the first ride. It is well known that if you take two weeks off the bike on your first KW Saturday ride you’ll be mercilessly slaughtered. 

Still, the naive, positive thinker in me, believes that finishing this “season” this strong is a great sign that next “season” I’ll get even stronger and it is going to be amazing.

As if I knew for sure how to get stronger.

All delusional thinking but it feels good. 

The ride in Strava:

Take care

Javier Arias González