Micky Aycliffe TTT - Great Result - Great Report

- report by Steve Richards - photos by Deano

With a verbal agreement one Sunday training ride in June that four of us on that ride would be up for riding the Micky Aycliffe Surrey League 4-up Team Time Trial Champs, we eventually arrived at the start line many e-mails later with one training session together in our legs and a team consisting of myself, Dave Creeggan, Jamie Newall and Dan McCarthy. Sadly we could not quite pull together a second team, however it was good to know there would be willing replacements and for those there on that Wednesday evening beforehand, the experience of 9 riders riding through and off in full Tour de France TTT style was an experience in itself.



As the date approached the list of entries shown on the Surrey League website grew and grew as did the quality of the teams. On paper Sigma Sport RT undoubtedly looked the strongest with two of their riders having finished in the top 10 behind Bradley Wiggins in the British Time Trial Champs. Otherwise all the VC St Raphael riders had known abilities against the clock as did individuals within the (3) London Dynamo teams, whilst other clubs with good road riders such as Norwood Paragon also looked like they could cause problems. We however knew that we were a tight team with not too much difference in ability, just a mixture of different racing miles over the course of the year.




Conditions on the day were just about perfect with a nice temperature, not too troublesome wind and dry roads. The Alfold HQ was abuzz with exotic TT machinery and riders warming up on turbo trainers. We all got ourselves prepared with only Jamie perhaps leaving it a little late on the day as he set up his turbo with Dave and I to get a quick 10 minute warm-up in his legs. Two o’clock quickly arrived and Jo time checked us to ensure we all made the start line on time with no embarrassing late starts. All lined up as the seconds counted down Jamie was his usual upbeat self shouting encouragement whilst I dreaded knowing that within 30 seconds my HR would be through 170 and would stay there for the next hour and a quarter.

We were off, and after two hundred metres we had our first 90 degree bend and already Jamie was showing how seconds could easily be gained on such sections, and after this we just needed to settle into our formation and rhythm. This was easier said than done however as the section after Alfold was just so bumpy as well as twisty, that when you’re riding at close to 30mph on aero bars and inches away from the wheel in front it is quite hairy to say the least …. especially when you’ve broken your collar bone already this year. Eventually though we turned onto the Dunsfold road and were able to relax into our positions a little better and already had the carrot in our sight of the ladies team that had started in front of us. We passed them smoothly on the drag up to Plaistow and then had the fun of a tailwind section through the sweeping lanes, at times hitting 35mph before we got to the downhill on the Kirdford circuit where we hit 41+mph. The rest after this was just about smoothness, some communication and ultimately hurt as your turn on the front rolled around all too soon.



Heading through to the end of the first lap we had caught the remnants of other teams and clocked by my reckoning just inside 38 minutes which I knew would be a reasonable time given that in 2006 when we won, we did 1:17:48, and that in subsequent years the event had been won in 1:17s or 18s. Every year though, the field seems stronger and you never know until the times go up on the board. We also had our second lap to finish which is quite often where things can fall apart either through fatigue or luck. Fortunately though, neither really beset us apart from myself with a mile to go paying the price for not recovering properly after Jamie’s acceleration through the corner onto the Loxwood Road. I skipped one turn to see if I could pull back from the red that I had gone into, but that’s team time trialling …. you just don’t have the time or luxury to sit at the back. Approaching the Loxwood hill and realising that if the guys eased for me, or if I threw the formation, we would lose precious seconds, I shouted for them to ‘Go, Go, Go’ as I knew it was the time of the third rider that counted. Rather than roll in though, I kept them in sight and turned off my computer at the finish on 1:16:55 and so they must have clocked somewhere around 1:16:40. Already I knew we had a good time, it was just a case of seeing what others could achieve.

Back at the HQ Dan professionally warmed down whilst Dave was already talking about beer and Jamie was getting the low down from others experiences. He immediately found out that Sigma had lost a rider on their first lap with a mechanical and there was even a rumour that Wouter was riding a slow puncture. We also knew that VC St Raphael had lost a rider as we saw him riding back to the HQ whilst we were racing. So, in the back of our minds we even started to think we could be in with a chance of the win and for a long-time our time was the fastest on the board. Eventually though, Sigma’s time was written up and they had clocked a staggering 1:12:40 and so we knew we had been beaten by a great team. The pride of staying on the podium was therefore our next objective but it was a nervous wait seeing that London Dynamo had clocked a 35 minute first lap and that both VC St Raphael and Norwood Paragon had gone sub 38 minute on their first laps. Eventually though their final times were posted where both London Dynamo and Norwood must have fallen apart on their second laps to lose a lot of time, and VC St Raphael came in some 12 seconds behind us. Jamie’s crit riding of the corners was probably therefore what helped make the difference for us, even if I did pay the price right at the end!

All in all it was a really satisfying day as in a sport at a level where we all pay our own costs and have our own ambitions, it was great to truly do something as a team. Moreover, the team stretched beyond us four riders with the club paying our entry, Jo supporting as back up driver with wheels if we punctured, and even an official Meudon photographer in the form of Deano ‘Bailey’ Frost. Thanks All.



Additionally it was great to secure second place and therefore get the eight points that Dave needed to get his Elite licence, well done DC! I’m sure we will all definitely do it again next year and hopefully give Sigma more of a run for their money.