Welcome to the forum
National 12 hour TT
Brilliant ride by James who completed 243 miles in this event on Sunday in Wales.
Hope you are recovering well James?
Hope you are recovering well James?
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Comments
Yes last Sunday I rode the National 12 Hour TT – my first 12.
First of all I would like to extend my thanks to all those who have helped me in anyway:
• On the day support and emotional propping up for last 2 months or so – Roz M
• Bike building and setup – Richard G
• Long distance training – Jeremy P
• Equipment loan – Richard G, Andrew R, Gareth D & Janet B, Jim R
• Advice and other help – Richard G, Luke D, Justin L, Jim R, everyone at Flamme Rouge Cycles, Martin from Tribe Sports Massage
At the outset it was fairly clear I was a novice (even at my ripe old age). The National 12 Hour was in Wales this year and having driven down the day before to stay near Monmouth we still had to get up at 4 in the morning for my 6:23 am start. It was all we could manage to have breakfast (regulation porridge), drive 20 miles to a last minute moved HQ (the wrong side of Abergavenny) and then back again (9 miles) to the start in order to get everything set up and literally with a 30 second warm-up I was on the line. Contrast this to number 53, the inimitable Steve Abraham who was staying 12 miles or so from HQ who rode to HQ then to the start, did the 12 Hour then back to HQ followed by cycling back to his digs – a whole 14 ½ hours or so, I’ve definitely got a lot to learn. It turns out he is planning another attempt on the Highest Annual Mileage World Record. Apparently this time he is going to try to get fit before he starts!
The field contained a fair percentage of women compared to most TTs (12 of 65) with overall two thirds being vets. There was also quite a mix of novices and hardened long distance riders. This race was a big departure for me as it consisted of a mixture of major and minor roads including about 50% dual carriageway. In order to mitigate the danger from behind I invested in a Scorpion rear light for which I had to get a special extension bracket for my Adamo and also the unit needed to be returned for extra dimpling with just a week to go. Although I didn’t exactly feel unsafe suffice to say I definitely won’t be embarking on a campaign in the pursuit of fast times.
I was very glad to take Jim’s advice and get a really good night on the Friday as sleep did not come easily on Saturday night. Although I had worked out how much fuel I might need on a hourly basis I suddenly realised that the how this would be provided was a bit scant and so at 2am I was busy making notes for Roz so we at least had a decent plan A.
A 12 hour is totally unlike any other TT where it is a case of turn up and everything is largely ready to go, there was an enormous amount of preparation needed, along with specialist equipment to buy. Switching to a new TT machine 5-6 weeks before the event meant there was a great deal of fiddling around to do to get a position with which I felt I could be comfortable for that amount of time.
So at 6:23 I duly set off from Raglan in dry conditions (9 deg C). In training I had worked out a power level that I felt I could sustain for the whole ride and at first this seemed far too easy but I decided to stick to it. Average moving time power ended up just 1 watt below my target of 163 (NP 169). The effort level for a 12 hour tends not to be at the ‘difficult to converse’ level so on overtaking or being overtaken by other competitors there was scope for a little banter. One female rider I passed after 45 miles or so complained they were feeling sick and I managed to offer a few words of encouragement whilst giving her a wide berth.
The course included a 22 mile drag up to Hereford and back on the morning circuit with traffic lights half way. On the way I was help up for what seemed like about 5 minutes at the lights but Strava tells me it was just 27 seconds, fortunately they were in my favour on the return. Overall I stopped for a total of 8:43 for bottle exchange, food collection and calls of nature. Once on the mid-day circuit it was clear it wasn’t going to be quite as quick as I felt it might be and after about 7 hours the expected rain started, off and on at first but soon became consistent and fairly heavy, remaining for the rest of the event with the temperature having peaked at about 12 degrees dropping back to early morning levels.
As time went on it became harder and harder to maintain the power levels but I felt strong throughout with no mental or physical dips. My mental state clearly wasn’t quite normal as early on I swore at Roz a couple of times for not having my expected food intake ready.
It was still very wet when I finished and by the time we got back to HQ I was shivering badly with (according to Roz) a blue tongue. Having been supplied with a survival blanket and then sitting by a radiator things started to improve although strangely another competitor in a similar state asked if there was a first aider and they were told ‘no’. Fortunately I managed to get showered and changed into something dry. A result sheet finally came out 2 ½ hours later but had numerous issues.
I completely overestimated my fuel intake
• 6 – bananas (had 2 + 1 piece of melon and 1 piece of peach)
• 6 brioche (had 1 which didn’t go down well)
• 6 Torq bars, 12 Nakd bars (had 5 Torq and 2 Nakd)
• 9 Litres of Carb/hydration mix (had 3 ½ litres of varying strengths)
No mechanicals and the Garmin 520 still had 16% battery left when finished.
Would I do it again? I’m still mulling that over, maybe yes as I feel I could have possibly gone harder early on and still maintained the effort. Several old hands we spoke to said that 24s are easier so who knows? :-) The mileage is a new club record but I am hoping to have it upgraded when the organiser comes back from holiday. I would recommend anyone to have a go and good luck to Jeremy who will be doing the ECCA 12 in August.
Ready for the off
Out on the road and before the rain
Thankfully all over and still smiling (just looking a bit grey)
Have you seen this:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=NhEe4POu2V4
2:54 in for a short clip on you.
With the experience under your Lycra and determination you have I think you will go better next time.
Chapeau JMac
12 hours on a bike, that's more time than some of our firefighting racers work in a week!