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

London-Brighton-London

The picture is not from today's ride but it works well to illustrate the post

 “I’m exceptionally keen for a chatty k2 pace” said the ride organizer.

And I was exceptionally happy with that approach. As soon as the pace as agreed I started to plan in my head my assault at my PR at Ditchling Beacon, 5:46 on 15th of June 2018 (https://www.strava.com/activities/1639823822/segments/41070478301), more than 5 years ago.

In that ride I had also targeted a PR at Ditchling Beacon. I had a very simple strategy. Ride easy all the way to Ditchling and give it all at the climb. And I did it. PR by 26 seconds!!! From 6:12 to 5:46.

A “chatty k2 pace” was my opportunity to repeat that strategy. 

Unfortunately for me it didn’t work. I did 5:53 (https://www.strava.com/activities/9949387676/segments/3143200626457728218). 7 seconds too slow. 

To make it worse I was beaten at the KOM by Sep Kuss.

The funny thing is I didn’t know it at the time. In fact I was convinced I had beaten my PR.

I was so happy with my performance that I didn’t care I didn't take Juniper’s KOM or Horton’s sprint despite having great legs. 

I’m not that happy now. 

I could be sillier but I’d need to train for it.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9949387676

Take care 

Javier Arias Gonzalez

A Few Plan Execution Failures

This picture is from a similar ride to Brighton in May 2021

Not-flat, endurance ride (https://www.unbiciorejon.com/2019/02/javiers-ride-classification-criteria.html)

After all the doubts I was having yesterday (https://www.strava.com/activities/6916608361), knowing this is a challenging route and that I was accompanied by three very strong riders to say that I started riding conservatively is an overstatement. 

I was in panic mode. 

I was lucky the first two climbs were ridden at a steady pace. That meant I wasn’t dropped.

That also meant I started to warm up and feel a bit better. So much so that I moved to the front. 

It was around km 30, just about the time a short and steep climb was about to start. Not exactly a “ride conservatively” great execution. 

Funny enough I felt ok(ish) on that climb. The Pope took the KOM of course but he wasn’t that ahead. Could I have closed the gap? I think so. Did I try to close the gap? No way. I’m bad at executing strategies but not that bad. I was just happy passing the climb and not feeling terribly.

That was the tone for the next few kilometers. That is, me trying to ride conservatively but not feeling that bad. 

With not feeling that bad came the unwarranted optimism. I might get a PB up Ditchling Beacon I started to believe. Nothing justified that thought but that was exactly what I was thinking.

Sure enough as soon as the climb started I went for it. As always happens (to me at least) I started a bit too hard. But I was still optimistic. The Pope had started the climb a few seconds after me so my great plan was to jump on his wheel as he passed me.

The Pope passed me and once again my execution of my own plan was not great. Meaning I didn’t jump on his wheel. 

In fact he was climbing so fast that I almost gave up in my PB attempt. 

I didn’t give up but I didn’t get a PB either. Not even close. 31 seconds slower. Although looking at the numbers 6:17 at 330 watts, it was a decent effort.

Coffee stop at the Regency as tradition dictates.

I don’t like the start after the stop at Brighton. It is uphill from the go, it is normally windy, and today was not an exception. I fell back to my “ride conservatively” strategy. 

A strategy I managed to stick to for 15 km. I honestly don’t know why I bother with strategy planning. 

What took me away from my plan was that I found myself again and again following The Pope’s wheel up every single ramp. And there were lots of them.

But I was feeling fine so why not. 

That feeling fine was most likely the product of the coffee I got at the Regency. I was not only feeling fine but also feeling optimistic.

I started to plan where to attack The Pope. 

I even tried to execute on that plan…

With even less success than the “riding conservatively” plan. 

It went like this. A short climb approached. I recognised it. I moved to the front. I standed on my bike. I pushed the pace…

For about 20 meters. Then I realized I didn’t have the legs for such a magnificent plan so sat on my saddle and slowed down.

The Pope passed me and opened a gap that looked like 30s in about 200 meters.

Time for another genius plan. “Stay on The Pope’s wheel and be happy if you manage to do just that”. 

That’s exactly what I did for about 25 kms. I managed to stay on his wheel and I was happy with it. Even if that was only because he wasn’t trying to drop me.

Something I only realize now, I didn’t appreciate it at the time. 

At the time I was thinking about keeping on his wheel up Box Hill and taking the KOM passing him in the last meter.

A fantastic plan for me. Not fair, but what a great achievement that would have been.

Because it didn’t happen. As soon as Box Hill started The Pope accelerated the pace and I was dropped. I don’t think I lasted 100 meters. Another fantastically executed plan.

Didn’t have much time to mourn. Horton sprint was coming and I needed a plan. A good one.

So I figured out a good plan. Stay on Denis and The Pope’s wheel all the way to the last roundabout and outsprint them 10 meters before the line. It took me a while to figure it out, but a good plan. Not fair, true. But a plan with chances of success. After all Denis is a GC rider and The Pope, a pure climber, had been riding in the front for the last 80 km. I figured I had my chances.

I still failed to execute it correctly. Somehow I found myself taking turns with Denis with The Pope sitting on our wheel 🤦‍♂️

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with myself. All my plans were great plans but my executions were failing. 

Luckily for me I still took the Horton sprint. 

All's well that goes well

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/6921123459 

Take care

Javier Arias González

Let your endurance come to the rescue

 Not flat endurance ride (https://www.unbiciorejon.com/2019/02/javiers-ride-classification-criteria.html).

I’ll admit I was worried about this ride. I knew I was the weakest rider of the group. That, when you are going to ride all the way to Brighton and back, is tricky.

I suspected Seb would put the hammer down from the get go and I feared I was going to be dropped early in the ride. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened to me. 

So I had a plan. A coffee at home to make it easier for me to react to the initial intensity. Total focus on energy conservation the first part of the ride. Let my endurance come to the rescue as the ride goes.

I have to say I executed the plan to perfection. You can bet I had a coffee at home. The first part of the ride I was so focused on holding the wheel in front of me and saving energy that I think everyone that was riding next to me thought I was being rude. Didn’t say a single word. Talking consumes energy. As the ride progressed my endurance helped to make it “easier”. Did a decent climb up Ditchling Beacon and felt surprisingly well up Devil’s Dyke, always challenging for me as it comes straight after the coffee stop, although pasteis de nata, a bolo de arroz and a large latte at the stop might have helped (yes, two cakes at the stop, can’t say I’m on a diet). 

Once we passed Devil’s Dyke I knew I was going to be alright. In my view that is the best part of the route but it can also become hell very quickly if legs don’t hold. Luckily for me the pace slowed a little bit and my legs weren’t that bad. I started to properly enjoy the ride. 

That was the moment Declan joined us. He did very well sitting in the front keeping a reasonable pace for the group. Well, him and Alice. Alice did a fantastic ride today, not only she smashed it in the climbs but also, as always, sat in the front for kilometres to end. Really impressive. Sitting on their wheel felt fast but comfortable.

Juniper’s climb went well until Declan moved to the front, the pace went up ever so slightly and that was enough to drop me close to the top. Still I’m happy with my effort. Better time up Juniper than most of my KW 2 Hills evening rides, considering I had 150km in the legs I won’t complain.

The Horton approach was a bit messy. Attacks, red traffic lights, stopping at two roundabouts, not a steady approach. I knew Declan’s wheel was the right one so when he started the sprint I tried to follow. He took it by a country mile, obviously, but I managed to get second. Pretty happy with that sprint despite numbers not being anything special (600w for 20 seconds).

About numbers… I suspect this power meter (Quarq) measures a bit higher than the one I have in the other bike (Power2Max). That bothers my slight OCD and the data geek in me but today was quite convenient, it gave me a huge morale boost every time I look at my power. Yes, I lie to myself that easily. 

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/5388597338/

Take care

Javier Arias González