Training Log Archive: GD44

RTW

No HR belt

Legs still feeling a little tender!

Arup Cardiff Bay > Atkins Tyndall Street

Event: Long Score Event 7 mtbo score
 

Black Mountains MBO Event - Talybont

Results: http://www.bmbo.org.uk/images/event/dd7671853f4249...

Mark Morgan - 432 (1000 points)
Michael Holloway - 425 (984 points)
Ian Cartwright - 403 (933 points)
Richard Haynes - 401 (928 points)
Mark Rowley - 400 (926 points)
Gary Davies - 393 (910 points)
Nick Dallimore - 380

S>22: Slog up the tram road
22>14: Ditto
14>5: Back down the tram road and down to the Talybont Dam and then over to Aber and up the steep tarmac road
5>18: Continue up the steep road and down to the Clydach valley
18>6: Didn't expect that climb! Up and over.
6>25: Gradual climb
25>19: Down to the road and into the forest and up the forest road.

This is the point that I may have screwed up my sequencing of CPs as I doubled back on myself. Post-race I determined that I lost 14 minutes by doing it this way instead of the better sequence of 6>25>18>05>22>14>19. I determined this by comparison to Mark Rowley's times. Following that, his splits were similar to mine so I consider this to be a valid comparison.

19>08: No problem. I found the exit from the gravel road to the Byway this time round unlike July 2016!
8>15: Brute of a climb and longer than I had remembered

[Post race analysis: The optimum route choice would have included dropping 19 & 8 as did the top two]

15>23: All fine
23>12: I was in two minds at this point as to whether to go for 12 or not as it meant losing approx 120m. I decided to go for it as it was worth 20 points.
12>02: For some stupid reason I had decided which route to take to the next CP (02 or 21) and didn't re-evaluate at 02. I ended up taking the less ideal route. Post race analysis determined that I lost 5 minutes in going from 12 to 2 via CP23 i.e. go back up the road west of Tor-y-Foel. I should have continued down through the fields to the canal from 12 and up to 2. This would have resulted in less climb and gates.
2>21: OK but I noted that my legs were being to suffer a little by this point. It was like I'd lost a gear.
21>13: I was held up by two cars parked on the road talking to each other. I had to lift my bike up and over (between) the cars.
13>17: Along the road and then along the canal. I was stuck behind an old lady driving down the road and there was no opportunity to pass. Lost a minute or two
17>10: A couple of km along the canal and then across Llangynidr bridge. Lost a little time as had to wait for cars to come over. I didn't make the same mistake as last time and go flying past!

[Lots of choices to make at this point as I only had half an hour left. Having considered them all I think I made the right choice]

10>16: I decided to go for 16 first instead of 03 as it meant I could climb on a gravel road and not on a bridleway and open a gate.
16>03: Never been on this bridleway before.
03>11: Never done this bit before either. CP11 was next to an old wartime bunker!
11>F: Done this before but as an out and back.

I finished lower than I would have liked as a result of messing up on the sequencing of the first few CPs as described above (lost 14 minutes) and also losing 5 unnecessary minutes on the route choice from 12>2. Those extra 19 minutes would have meant that I'd been able to get CP9 (15 points) and CP7 (15 points) and have 423-425 points and finish 2nd or third.

After the MBO event we cycled over to watch the Tour of Britain cycle race near the canal.

I then collected 7 CPs for Sion James. Legs were buggered!

CPs 11>16>3>24 (big climb!)>3>7>one just clipped off scanned map>HQ.

Fforest Fawr loop

Stopped on the descent from Castell Cosh to chat to Janet Holmes and Richard. This gave me time to recover before ploughing on.

Janet and Richard are interested in joining MDC.

Post work poodle with Barry Woodman who is 60+! Discovered a few new roads that i’d Not driven or ridden before.

Tongwynlais loop anti-clockwise with no GPS log as 920XT was playing up. Surprised by speed.