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Norlond 50 race report
Myself and Jason raced the Norlond 50 today, on the F1B/50. It was my first ever 50, and Jason's first for 2+ years.
It's the first time for many years this variant of the course has been used, it heads south to Baldock services, a short bit of the A507 and then back up to Tempsford, x 2. Pretty lumpy, two big hills.
There was a SE wind so the outleg was tough in places, but it was a flyer back up to Tempsford, once I had got one lap in the bag and clawed back some decent average speed heading north, I realised you could empty the tank back into the headwind and cling on for the final stretch home (that's how you pace a 50 right, just cling on!). That said the wind speed was increasing so the second lap was tougher in places.
I started to feel it at 1hr 45 and annoyingly my 2 minute man, who I had passed, then got passed by him, then passed him again all on the first lap reappeared. I learnt afterwards he was doing negative split pacing so was onto a flyer on the home leg, but it made me question whether my legs had died and wasn't going fast enough (thankfully not true, I was over a minute up on him in the end)
I posted 1:58:22, relatively happy but I was a way off the fastest, Matt Smith won with a 1:43, there were a few other fast guys sub 1:50. I was 1-3 minutes down on guys I had beaten in races last year but they have the experience at this distance, and being my first 50 I was more pleased my nutrition worked fine and I didn't die away at the end.
Jason did 1:59:33, he thought he could have started harder, and he has been playing around with his position which he needs to adapt to.
Thoroughly recommend anyone trying a 50, it makes 25's feel easy!
It's the first time for many years this variant of the course has been used, it heads south to Baldock services, a short bit of the A507 and then back up to Tempsford, x 2. Pretty lumpy, two big hills.
There was a SE wind so the outleg was tough in places, but it was a flyer back up to Tempsford, once I had got one lap in the bag and clawed back some decent average speed heading north, I realised you could empty the tank back into the headwind and cling on for the final stretch home (that's how you pace a 50 right, just cling on!). That said the wind speed was increasing so the second lap was tougher in places.
I started to feel it at 1hr 45 and annoyingly my 2 minute man, who I had passed, then got passed by him, then passed him again all on the first lap reappeared. I learnt afterwards he was doing negative split pacing so was onto a flyer on the home leg, but it made me question whether my legs had died and wasn't going fast enough (thankfully not true, I was over a minute up on him in the end)
I posted 1:58:22, relatively happy but I was a way off the fastest, Matt Smith won with a 1:43, there were a few other fast guys sub 1:50. I was 1-3 minutes down on guys I had beaten in races last year but they have the experience at this distance, and being my first 50 I was more pleased my nutrition worked fine and I didn't die away at the end.
Jason did 1:59:33, he thought he could have started harder, and he has been playing around with his position which he needs to adapt to.
Thoroughly recommend anyone trying a 50, it makes 25's feel easy!
Comments
Good luck!
Great ride Chris and Jase BTW.
Nutrition is individual but what you've suggested is way too much. I've learnt through training all I need for a 50 is 3 x Gels, all in a gel flask in a bento box, nice and aero. No bottle as I don't feel I need hydration, I hydrate a lot before the race. It does depend on the humidity though, if I were to race at 18+ degrees I would consider taking a bottle.
As John says you can't absorb more than 100g of carbs per hour, in fact I've thought it was lower at 1g per kilo of bodyweight.
Take any nutrition at the turns, then you're not wasting time when you should be at your fastest.
It all gets more scientific and aero-considerate when you don't have the luxury of a mussette in RR!
Aero pastie has had a setback with the UCI. With a higher ingredients to meal ratio of 3:1 it's been deemed illegal.
Good luck Will, have a good race.
Good luck but you'll probably have to play trumpet sitting down until you straighten up again.