The Nationals

I woke at 10am this morning....."jings, crivvens, help ma boab" I thought. How do I fit in a 3hr bike, doing the shopping, washing and attending the village show. That's only in the first half of the day too. The track nationals were on in the evening and I wanted to see/photograph a few of the races.

First thing I headed into Glossop to get my fruit, veg' and weekend treats. The coffee cake in Praze is amazing. It's made by a Michelin starred chef too but they don't advertise who that chef actually is. Then, it was back to the village and to the village hall. I was delighted to hear that I had won 3rd place in the photography competition. Jo, my neighbour had downloaded a photo of Clara, her daughter, from flickr and printed it off to submit on my behalf. Ha...I am aiming for the Sony World Photographer of the Year, next year.

After an espresso (a rather impressive Grumpy Mule blend from Holmfirth) and an oatcake, I headed out on the bike for a bit of a shorter ride than planned. I did my loop round Mellor, Hayfield, Chunal and Glossop. As I'm quite a bit leaner and fitter than I've been for many years, I expected a PB for the loop. By Chisworth, after the 1st climb, it was clear that it was going to be tough. The wind was strong and I was having to work harder than expected. The legs were feeling fine, but I had a bit residual fatigue from my swim the previous night....onwards and upwards though. After the descent into New Mills, I was surprised that I didn't have the expected tailwind! Hey hum! The wee climb through Rowarth really hurt but I was still pushing hard. I certainly didn't expect the wind to be so strong when turning out of Hayfield towards the Chunal climb. I didn't even notice the descents! Chunal is only 1km long and it averages 8.4% but with a few nasty kicks. Not ideal for an 87kg diesel engine but I drilled it as hard as I could! Damn! I was being pushed back to the valley floor by wind and gradient! I have to go under 5mins for this climb but I'll need another attempt to do so. Feeling sick, dizzy and ready to fall off the bike and all for nothing! I definitely felt as if I'd done a race when I got home. As it was now 3pm, I had my lunch and dinner together! I felt sicker than at the top of Chunal but the treats were good.

Then, it was off to the Velodrome. I arrived just in time to miss Callum Skinner beat Dave Daniell, in the sprint. An excellent scalp for the Scots youngster. He was happy but very focussed on the final! Ever the consummate professional, he insisted he had his top on when I took his photo! Sorry ladies! It was great to see so many familiar faces in the track centre. Finlay Young was down for a few events but he'd been racing in Belgium for most of the season and track hadn't been his focus. He'd enjoyed his time in Oudenaarde, which is a major positive in itself. It's an area with some of the toughest bike racing in the world going on. I know at least 3 youngsters that have gone and then been home crying to mummy after a few weeks! It's a place only for the seriously committed.

I was looking forward to the woman's team sprint. My own club, Edinburgh RC had Eleanor Richardson and Lauryn Therin reach the final. I work with Lauryn too. She's a remarkable athlete, having competed at an international level in javelin, rugby, bobsleigh and been on a talent squad at cycling. I don't know Ele' but she was delightful and enjoyed posing for a few photo's. A bit different to Lauryn who politely declined on one occasion through the use of profanity! They were up against Rachel and Becky James, a very strong sisterly duo. As final 'man' Lauryn did a great job but the James' were just too fast. Great job all the same even though Lauryn seemed quite down. I'm proud of her though. The team did their best and the pair of them still have a bit to go before they reach their best.

So to Callum's race. He was favourite against Bristol rider Lewis Oliva, but lost out by just under a bike length in the first race. 2nd time round the race panned out in a similar way with Oliva winning 2-0. That was until it was judged that there had been a transgression with Oliva coming out of the sprinters lane, so the race was awarded to calum. The decider was so close with Callum leading into the final straight. I was screaming, while still trying to take pictures! A photo finish! Too close to call. Callum said he didn't have any idea of the result until it was called by the judges! Yesssss! A win for the Scot! Well done lad! Very proud!

There was good representation from the Scots girls in the 15km scratch from Eileen Roe, Kayleigh Brogan (Team Ibis), Charlene Joiner and Louise Haston (CoE). I got a few pics in the riders pen of the Team Ibis girls as they have Karen Breneman's yoga school as a sponsor. Eileen got 3rd with a surprise win going to Janet Birkmyre who is 46 years old! Hope for me yet!!