Addiscombe CC
How long have you been racing?
Well, I have been taking part in events since 2002, not sure you could really call what I was doing to start with as racing, I was more just trying to complete events. My first ever event was a duathlon, The Ballbuster in 2002. I have just looked up the time and it was absolutely awful, it brought back some great memories, you can't beat flogging yourself up Box Hill 5 times. God knows what made me enter that race as my first, was probably one of the toughest races I ever did.
I started road racing not long after a season of doing Triathlon, think it was 2003. I started off with one of the beginner races at Hillingdon, managed to crash as I came over the finish line. Keith Butler told me to pick up my bike and ride back to the HQ, was the best thing otherwise he said you may never get back on the thing. Still have the dent in the top tube of my old racer to remind me.
What type of races do you do?
I will do pretty much anything. I absolutely love the cut and thrust of road racing, it is such great fun especially when you have some team mates in the mix. I also do Duathlon, Triathlon, Sportives and I recently did my first 5km running race in Banstead. I have just got myself a mountain bike and I am contemplating entering a mountain bike race later this year once I get the confidence up to ride the thing fast on the rough stuff. Judging by the amount of times I have fallen off the bliming thing in the last few weeks it may not be until next year.
Where do you race?
Tend to focus on the weekend Surrey League and South East Road Race Leagues, I also try to get back from work to do the Thursday night handicap races run by the Surrey League which are really good fun, I would recommend these to anyone who is just getting started in road racing as they are a great place to learn the ropes. I have Polish links, and when I get over to Poland in the summer I try to enter the odd local race, they tend to be very tough, but they get good support and is always fun to be shouted at down a megaphone as the only English rider in their races they give you a big shout (especially when your off the back).
I also treat a few of the sportives as races, in particular a few of my buddies and I focus on going around the Tour of Kent route in September in the fastest time. Am doing the London Triathlon this year and may throw in a couple of sprint Tris such as East Grinstead and maybe one of the Eton Sprint Tris which are good fun.
Can You briefly describe a typical training session?
I don't have a typical training session as I just tend to keep things pretty varied. I like to do a really long hard ride a week or so before a race, this seems to be enough to knock me into some shape, I then just keep the fitness up with the odd run or swim at lunchtime. During the winter I may get on the dreaded turbo and a few weeks before the season starts I do a few interval sessions on the Turbo to try and get a bit of fitness up. The Addiscombe CC training group that meets on Saturdays is very good as is really quick and hard work, this once a week seems to keep me in reasonable shape. Am also throwing in some mountain bike sessions as well when I can, these are great fun. Tilgate Park and the lanes around Peaslake in Surrey are great fun, you get the aerobic benefit of cycling up the hills and then the handling and fun going back down them.
What are your Goals for this year?
I would like to go under 2hrs 30mins in the London Triathlon, I would also like to sneak a good position in a 2nd cat road race. Most of all just want to have a laugh and help some of the other guys in the club to achieve their road racing goals. Having 2 kids and a city job does not exactly lend itself to setting too extravagant goals, although I would actually like to win every race I enter.
Have you got any training Tips?
Yep, when your out on your bike go as hard as you can for as long as you can. After a while you should find yourself going faster. I always remember the quote from Sean Yates, "It never gets easier, you just get faster."
What have been your best races so far?
A couple of years ago I won the Alfold 3/4 race. I was on extremely good form that day and managed to break away with one other and then drop him on the final climb to take the win. Was one of those days where everything seemed to just click into place, don't get many of those. Have also had a couple of lower placings in other Surrey League races where have been in a long hard breakaway for much of the race and these have been really satisfying. Dunsfold with the 2nd cats in peeing rain, Paul Hone and I broke away on the first corner, managed to get a placing but it was one of the hardest races I have ever done.
One of the races I will always remember was the Wivelsfield Surrey League Handicap a couple of years ago. I got put in a group of 5 riders of much higher quality than me. I managed to hang onto their coat tails and do a few turns, but riding with these guys was awesome fun but very tough, they were super fast and in that 1 hour I think I learnt more about racing than I had learnt in the previous 3 or 4 years. Two of the guys in the group went on to get 1st and 2nd, I was pack fodder after we had caught them up, but I was just happy to have finished with the bunch after the blast that we'd had to catch them.
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