As it's the last day of 2011 I thought I would write up a small post to round out the year. 2011 was my last year as a Junior rider as I now move up and into the under 23 and Senior ranks. To say I'm excited about the prospect of next year is an understatement. I can't wait to start my preparation for the season and sort out my racing calender, it's going to be a big year for experience, as I will be racing in big races home and abroad, testing myself and looking for results in my first year as a Senior.
The new year also brings a new Colnago bike, supplied by Windwave through De Ver Cycles, I really look forward to getting my hands on it, will post pictures and info when I get it.
My first race of 2012 is tomorrow, the Madison Cross race at Herne Hill. I am pairing up with the legend that is Mick Bell, hopefully we can both start 2012 with a win!
I decided to ride out to Richmond Park and do a zone 3 ride for my last ride of 2011, not too nice a day out but hopefully there aren't too many of those left in the next couple of months. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/137784713
Happy New year everyone, when it comes. Hope you all have a great 2012!
Taylor
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
Last real test before Nationals.
This being the last real test before the National Championships on 8th January, I was hoping to put in a good performance. This didn't quite go to plan, I had a pretty poor start, getting to the first corner outside the top 10 and struggling to get myself into the front 4 or so riders which would dominate the first lap.
After a lap or so of getting through riders, I got myself into a group of 4 riders just behind the top 3 and settled into a pace. I was riding pretty strong, although lacked some zip and speed which I needed to move into the top 3 and seperate myself from the group I was in. As the race wore on, a couple of riders in the group dropped off the back, I kept the pace as high as I could trying to make up ground on the riders in front, but failed to get much closer and finished disappointingly in 5th place.
I didn't have the result or performance I was looking for, but being the third day into a tough 4 day training block I can't expect much more, and with a bit of rest next week, I am confident I can put in a good performance at the National Championships, which will be the only race I look to get a result in as my focus predominantly now lies on the road.
If you want to check out the results, report, pictures and possibly a video of the race check out: http://www.ukcyclesport.com/
That's all for now, I might write up another post in the next few days so stay tuned if you're interested!
Thanks
Taylor
After a lap or so of getting through riders, I got myself into a group of 4 riders just behind the top 3 and settled into a pace. I was riding pretty strong, although lacked some zip and speed which I needed to move into the top 3 and seperate myself from the group I was in. As the race wore on, a couple of riders in the group dropped off the back, I kept the pace as high as I could trying to make up ground on the riders in front, but failed to get much closer and finished disappointingly in 5th place.
I didn't have the result or performance I was looking for, but being the third day into a tough 4 day training block I can't expect much more, and with a bit of rest next week, I am confident I can put in a good performance at the National Championships, which will be the only race I look to get a result in as my focus predominantly now lies on the road.
If you want to check out the results, report, pictures and possibly a video of the race check out: http://www.ukcyclesport.com/
That's all for now, I might write up another post in the next few days so stay tuned if you're interested!
Thanks
Taylor
Sunday, 18 December 2011
First win this season at Herne Hill!
Where to start!
To the racing, two starts later and the race was off (First start, course tape wasn't moved in time, so we all headed to the line to start again). There were the usual 5 or 6 riders vying for position at the front of the race, with such tight tracks round the back of Herne Hill, its vital to be in the first 2 positions in a small group, to avoid getting held up by back markers, or wasting energy trying to stay in contact with the riders in front through tight corners. Anyway, for the first couple of laps I was sitting in 2nd or 3rd with the first 6 or so riders starting to spread out over about 20 seconds. Destroyed rear mechs and punctures played a part in most riders races today, with many riders in that front group either suffering from punctures or busted mechs, including myself (get to that later).
After about 5 laps, the race started to take shape and spread itself out. I was still at the head of the race with one other rider who has won a couple of the London League's this season so he's no slouch. We stayed together for a couple of laps, one of which I did on a flat. As it was so muddy, I was running pretty low pressures anyway but realised I was constantly riding on the rim and clocked that I had a flat. I did the best I could and only managed to lose about 10 seconds in the whole lap, I got to the pits changed bikes and caught back up fairly quickly not willing to give up the chance of victory.
This was now 2 laps to go, with time running out, I got to the front and raised the tempo. I managed to get a gap soon after and from then on built my lead to win by over 30 seconds I reckon, a nice win that I was pretty pleased with and another indicator that my form continues to improve as we get closer to the National Championships.
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| It's been a while! |
 |
| You guessed it..Spam! |
...And this set of wheels.
 |
| A set of Shimano RS80 C24 wheels! |
This was by far the best prize I have ever recieved at a race and couldn't quite believe it when they were handed to me...Along with the Spam.
Very pleased with the day and looking forward to the race at Footscray on the 27th, another win? We will have to see but I will do everything I can to repeat today's result.
That's it for now, if I don't 'blog' before next Sunday, Merry Christmas everyone!
Taylor
Friday, 16 December 2011
National Trophy Round 5, Bradford.
Sorry for the late post on this race, I won't bore you with excuses.
So, as predicted this race was a quagmire. Waking up on Sunday morning with the rain splashing off the window, I knew it was either going to be a slick, slippy race or a tough, sloggy hour in the mud. By the time the Elite race began it was the latter.
Once again, I was gridded on the dead last row trying to gather a tactic to get through the mass of riders quickly, to avoid any hold ups. I had a crap start, and having a crap start on the last row of an elite cross race leaves you in last place. This only lasted for a couple of hundred metres though and I soon found myself amongst the riders where I feel my level is at the moment, roughly the top 20 at Trophy's I reckon. It was going well, a crash on the steep and slick descent raved about after last years heroic crashes lost me time and places. Its so tempting to bang on about excuses for why I crashed but hopefully you can see (from the video at the bottom) that the first crash wasn't really my fault. Anyway, I got going again and found myself getting back into the group of riders chasing a top 20 position. In a race like this, aswell as power, strength and fitness you need to use you're head and keep you're cool. Deciding when to run and take you're time can be vital in tough sloggy races where decisions like these can lose you minutes over the duration of an hour. Personally I feel that I made some poor decisions in this race, for example I rode a part of the course which was so sloggy and slippy that it was probably quicker to run. I put this down to a lack of cross racing this year so my head is still not quite 'in the game' but i'm getting there.
I corrected some poor decisions mid-race and started to move up the field, not as high up the field as I'd like but I showed a marked improvement from Derby a couple of weeks back. I settled in around 30th place for the last 20 minutes of the race and finished in 28th position a fair whack of time down but in races like that, seconds can become minutes almost instantly.
The race was a long one, 10mins longer than it should have been for the winner but it was a great event. I always find myself going strongest in the last half of races anyway so I could have gone round for 2 hours and might have won... There were a few complaints afterwards about the length of the race but I won't go into that, don't agree with those complaints to be honest, that's all i'll say.
It is now a month to go to the National Championships on the 7/8th of January in Ipswich. It should be a good event, the course map has just been released http://www.ip-cross.co.uk/cx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20&Itemid=18. It's all go in terms of training now, these last few weeks can be the most vital in the build up to the Nationals, staying fit and healthy aswell as getting some proper hard training in. I really can't wait to see how my form comes along in about 3 weeks time and then having no gridding disadvantage at the Championships is perfect, so will be looking forward to testing myself against the best in Britain when everyone wants to raise their game to come out on top.
Here are a couple links you may be interested in:
Video of the crazy muddy descent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT0kNL-wV0I&sns=fb My late bid for crash of the day was a favourite!
Full report, results and pictures of the day: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross/article/cyx20111210-Report--National-Trophy-Round-5--Bradford-0 Corine Walder's video is pretty cool, recommended!
That's all for now, keep an eye out for any more blog updates but for now you can follow me on twitter @TaylorJohnstone
Adios
Taylor
So, as predicted this race was a quagmire. Waking up on Sunday morning with the rain splashing off the window, I knew it was either going to be a slick, slippy race or a tough, sloggy hour in the mud. By the time the Elite race began it was the latter.
Once again, I was gridded on the dead last row trying to gather a tactic to get through the mass of riders quickly, to avoid any hold ups. I had a crap start, and having a crap start on the last row of an elite cross race leaves you in last place. This only lasted for a couple of hundred metres though and I soon found myself amongst the riders where I feel my level is at the moment, roughly the top 20 at Trophy's I reckon. It was going well, a crash on the steep and slick descent raved about after last years heroic crashes lost me time and places. Its so tempting to bang on about excuses for why I crashed but hopefully you can see (from the video at the bottom) that the first crash wasn't really my fault. Anyway, I got going again and found myself getting back into the group of riders chasing a top 20 position. In a race like this, aswell as power, strength and fitness you need to use you're head and keep you're cool. Deciding when to run and take you're time can be vital in tough sloggy races where decisions like these can lose you minutes over the duration of an hour. Personally I feel that I made some poor decisions in this race, for example I rode a part of the course which was so sloggy and slippy that it was probably quicker to run. I put this down to a lack of cross racing this year so my head is still not quite 'in the game' but i'm getting there.
I corrected some poor decisions mid-race and started to move up the field, not as high up the field as I'd like but I showed a marked improvement from Derby a couple of weeks back. I settled in around 30th place for the last 20 minutes of the race and finished in 28th position a fair whack of time down but in races like that, seconds can become minutes almost instantly.
The race was a long one, 10mins longer than it should have been for the winner but it was a great event. I always find myself going strongest in the last half of races anyway so I could have gone round for 2 hours and might have won... There were a few complaints afterwards about the length of the race but I won't go into that, don't agree with those complaints to be honest, that's all i'll say.
It is now a month to go to the National Championships on the 7/8th of January in Ipswich. It should be a good event, the course map has just been released http://www.ip-cross.co.uk/cx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20&Itemid=18. It's all go in terms of training now, these last few weeks can be the most vital in the build up to the Nationals, staying fit and healthy aswell as getting some proper hard training in. I really can't wait to see how my form comes along in about 3 weeks time and then having no gridding disadvantage at the Championships is perfect, so will be looking forward to testing myself against the best in Britain when everyone wants to raise their game to come out on top.
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| Steep Muddy Bank, hardest part of the course, tough enough to walk up let alone run..with a bike on your shoulder. |
Video of the crazy muddy descent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT0kNL-wV0I&sns=fb My late bid for crash of the day was a favourite!
Full report, results and pictures of the day: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross/article/cyx20111210-Report--National-Trophy-Round-5--Bradford-0 Corine Walder's video is pretty cool, recommended!
That's all for now, keep an eye out for any more blog updates but for now you can follow me on twitter @TaylorJohnstone
Adios
Taylor
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Regional Championships!
After another decent weeks training and a harder ride yesterday I wasn't sure whether I would recover enough to go for the win. However, two practice laps and a good warm up later I was feeling pretty good but was unsure how I would go with no real indication of form since last weeks result at the National Trophy. Starting on the second row was a nice change from past races as it gave me the chance to get to the front of the race straight away instead of trying to fight my way through a mass of riders.
Within a lap, I managed to move into second place and was sitting fairly comfortably, but a crash a couple of laps later meant I lost contact with Jaime and he powered away.This sure enough led to a battle between me and Darren for second place as Jaime soon gained a lead of close to thirty seconds. In the last few laps this gap was halved but it wasn't enough as Jaime pushed on again and held that lead all the way to the line with Darren gaining a couple of seconds over me in the last lap. I am confident that if I hadn't of crashed then I would have at least kept up with Jaime, but mistakes can shape bike races and all I can do is learn and look to my next race.
I was pleased with my performance though as it proved to me that I am getting fitter and stronger every week and it gives me a lot of confidence heading into the final month before the National Championships in early January.
Check out this link for pictures of the race by Phil Jones. http://www.flickr.com/photos/30401683@N06/sets/72157628278427063/
Next week is the 5th Round of the National Trophy Series up in Bradford, it has always been my favourite course so hopefully I can get myself a good result!
Thanks
Taylor
Within a lap, I managed to move into second place and was sitting fairly comfortably, but a crash a couple of laps later meant I lost contact with Jaime and he powered away.This sure enough led to a battle between me and Darren for second place as Jaime soon gained a lead of close to thirty seconds. In the last few laps this gap was halved but it wasn't enough as Jaime pushed on again and held that lead all the way to the line with Darren gaining a couple of seconds over me in the last lap. I am confident that if I hadn't of crashed then I would have at least kept up with Jaime, but mistakes can shape bike races and all I can do is learn and look to my next race.
I was pleased with my performance though as it proved to me that I am getting fitter and stronger every week and it gives me a lot of confidence heading into the final month before the National Championships in early January.
Check out this link for pictures of the race by Phil Jones. http://www.flickr.com/photos/30401683@N06/sets/72157628278427063/
Next week is the 5th Round of the National Trophy Series up in Bradford, it has always been my favourite course so hopefully I can get myself a good result!
Thanks
Taylor
Friday, 2 December 2011
National Trophy Series Round 4, Derby.
Well, this was certainly more of a shock to the system than I expected for my first National cross race back but it definately made me realise that I am not quite dialled back into cross racing yet. Gridded on the last row, I left myself a bike length or two behind the last row to give myself a run at getting through the crowd of 60+ riders. This seemed to work pretty well i'd say as I managed to get myself into around the top 30 by the first corner, but this effort took its toll and as we turned onto the next straight, into a headwind I tired and lost places quickly. I spent most of the first lap trying to hang on to as many wheels as I could, in such windy conditions it was vital to stay out of the wind as much as possible.
Once the race had settled down 2 or 3 laps later, I found myself yo-yo ing with a group of about 8 riders, never really being able to get into the group comfortably I spent the race chasing it and passing the riders that were dropped from it. This was probably more difficult than working within the group but I struggled to settle and in so doing, made it harder for myself. I finished the race in 42nd, minutes behind where I aim to be come January time but with a poor grid position and lack of true race fitness it was never going to be an easy task. I am sure those minutes will become seconds as my training increases yet again in December, and I look forward to getting closer and closer to the front of the bike race in my remaining races this cyclo-cross season.
This weekends race is the Regional Championships in Welwyn, where I am hoping to show further improvement and get myself a decent result. I'm looking forward to seeing how my form is coming along after some good 'sensations' midweek.
Check out this link for pictures from the National Trophy at the weekend: http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/6414866551/in/set-72157628181334827/
Thanks
Taylor
Once the race had settled down 2 or 3 laps later, I found myself yo-yo ing with a group of about 8 riders, never really being able to get into the group comfortably I spent the race chasing it and passing the riders that were dropped from it. This was probably more difficult than working within the group but I struggled to settle and in so doing, made it harder for myself. I finished the race in 42nd, minutes behind where I aim to be come January time but with a poor grid position and lack of true race fitness it was never going to be an easy task. I am sure those minutes will become seconds as my training increases yet again in December, and I look forward to getting closer and closer to the front of the bike race in my remaining races this cyclo-cross season.
This weekends race is the Regional Championships in Welwyn, where I am hoping to show further improvement and get myself a decent result. I'm looking forward to seeing how my form is coming along after some good 'sensations' midweek.
Check out this link for pictures from the National Trophy at the weekend: http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/6414866551/in/set-72157628181334827/
Thanks
Taylor
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