When I went out to get some last-minute christmas presents and I took my camera. on the way back I took a scenic diversion.

These are some of the pictures I took: I used to be quite a keen photographer before I started cycling.

the best type of transport

these kept falling on my head

this has a rather good motion - I twisted the camera when it was being taken

the icy pavements

this has great shades of blue and cold colours

 Hopefully when the weather clears up I can get back to writing about cycling, as thats what I’m would prefer to be doing.

a local field

 For the last week I’ve not ridden (actually not since I went to calshot velodrome last weekend- I’ll write about it later) and more recently the snow has stopped me.

The last week it has being snowing a bit but yesterday, snow was still on the ground, I went to the pool in Basingstoke. Just for a quick visit.

By 2.00 i’m done (and it is snowing very heavily), me and mum go to the car, go to the exit (now 3.00-the traffic is gridlocked), and then we get around the first roundabout (now 4.00), by 5.00 we are halfway round the eastrop roundabout outside festival place, after not moving for 1/2 an hour we decide i will get the train, i dash for the train: there’s someone at the ticket box thing with no idea how to work it i finally get a ticket, dast onto the train, thinking it will go, 10 minutes later (5.30) the speakers say “sorry for the delay, there is no driver” by nearly 6.00 we get on a another train (where i met some people i know) and by 6.30ish i get in hook and spend 1/2 an hour having a snowball fight, then i walk to the anchor in north warnbrough (over 2 miles) later; now with dad and my brother, i leave to get up my lane, helping other cars get up first, then one lady gave me £5 and i walk home (around another mile), back from my quick visit to Basingstoke at 8.00 pm

So today i went for a 4 mile walk: i was trying to at least keep active so a have some base for next season, where i took the above picture (sorry for the poor quality, i took it on my phone as i couldn’t find my charger for the camera. Later it was in the middle of the desk: How did it get there?). I also saw the Basingstoke canal frozen and almost 20cm of snow on the ground in some places.

During my ”short” visit to Basingstoke yesterday i got 220 Triathlon and there was a free calendar. I’m using it to plan training around events and it’s getting worrying, last year i had a week where i was riding 30/40 mile most days, this year that week is being taken up by a ski trip, but i wont have much time on the bike, but I’m planing more regular long rides to have that endurance, hopefully.

But on the upside i seem to have a good season’s racing planned. Now I need to be fit and fast enough to do well in the events.

On saturday I went to the bike shop in Farnham and got a set of mudguards.

I got home but, being November it wasn’t raining  (until i got to the shed and it hasn’t stopped raining since: it’s now sunday afternoon). The rear one clipped onto the frame nicely; after a bit of tweaking it didn’t rub the back tyre.

The front one on the other hand needed a couple of hours away from the increasingly frustrating task. The angle it was when you put the bit that sticks to the fork was, at one end, 10cm in from the tyre- you couldn’t even fit the wheel.

I managed to get it to fit ok as Iput some padding on one end of the frame grips, wrapped on to the frame with some stretchy rubber band thingy (a very techincal term I know).

This morning I was hoping to test them but it is yet to stop raining, mabee later?

But i’m still in summer mode.

So on i ride today (the 30 mins i can squeeze in between getting home from school and it getting dark between), I rode down a lane where there were sheep with condensation in their breath, trees at the roadside with no leaves, the hedgerows were dead.

So on this moist road in the cold i realised that have not yet witnessed the transition from summer to winter. After the last TT of the year I took my add-on areo bars off and since then i havent touched my bike: no mudguards or good lights. My clothing has also stayed in the summer: it was mid october before I started using leg warmers: I still don’t have overshoes or a proper cycling Jacket.

So today it dawned on me that i needed a proper mudguards at least, before I stain my  white jersey.

The rides happen all over the country and you only need 1 ride for each distance.

This was created in the 1930′s so people could compete in a national competition without traveling over the country.

In 2008 & 2009 it was won by Farnborough and Camberley CC rider Nik Bowdler with an average speed in 2009 of 27.206.

This year I had the privilege of riding a 10 mile club Time trial with Bowdler – he beat me by around 5 minutes and that was my personal best for the season .

There is also a Women and Junior BBAR: the Women competition is run over distances of 25, 50 and 100 miles meanwhile the Junior have average speeds taken from two 10 mile TT’s and two 25 mile TT. The men also have a 2 distance BBAR.

If my times next year are strong I might enter the Junior BBAR.

So, what have i being up to?

Some easy riding, then the 4th of October, one of the most memorable rides of the season. Bike Blenheim place. This is one of the only UK Time Trials on closed roads, of the top of my head the national hill climb championship is on closed road and a couple of other Hill climbs. It was a 3 laps of a rolling course around the grounds of Blenheim place that added up to 20km.

It turned out to be a great day out, watching the Brompton world championships-a kind of folding bike which is raced at rather scary speeds.

Anything else?

In mid October I finished 4th in the club hill climb championship (i’m only a lanky 14-year-old)

since then I’ve being on a break/not being bothered to go for a ride/lazy.

Now i’ve back (well for 2 days of consecutive rides) and had a very good climb up the hill home-probally due to the core work/press-ups i’ve being doing recently.

Next year

For the while now i’ve being planning next year; this year was not well planed only doing club events and the occasinal open.

Next year I plan to ride round 2 of the Rudy project TT series which will be reasonably local, the Charlotteville cc 50 mile TT - planing to step up the distance (at the moment i’ve only done 10′s two 20′s and one 25), and a handful of open 10′s and 25′s .

Hope to update again sooner than time.

The day started with a 111 mile drive to Alcester, in the midlands (thanks mum). then signing on and getting a medal and certificate congratulating me on my ride; yes before the ride.

We then drove around the course seeing the starters riding.

I went to get changed, then rode on the rollers listening to Hendrix through my headphones. Mentally preparing.

There was a great atmosphere at that time seeing everyone sitting in cars, on turbo’s and putting bikes together. All people calm but focused.

As my time got near I took the 4 mile ride to the start and waited for my start.

Quite soon I was off and well above pace, powering up the hills as if they weren’t there. After 3 miles i was probably averaging 26 mph but then it was a matter of holding on. At the 5 miles my time was 12.29 - on track for a personal best. the first climb back i got out of the saddle: bad decision. I struggled on the way back and had lost it on the last 2.5 miles.  Unfortunately where the spectators were the and i felt weak for going “only 20″. I had totally blown up.

I finished in 26.28. An ok time but i felt a bit disappointed at the end for not doing amazing. looking at the times most people seemed to struggle in the last bit as the person slower than me and the person faster than me had faster and slower 5 mile times.

I was 15th/30 in the “boys 14″ category and 76th overall…the winner was Ryan Mullen, Rhos on Sea CC, in 21.37.

I feel quite pleased considering at the start everyone around had disc wheels and i had my £500 Giant with a few add (areo bars and new wheels, the origanal ones broke so the shop replaced them). I only started riding in a road bike 6 months ago.

For the final i’m aiming to be at the best i have all season. This is hard as with my club TT’s over i have no racing to gauge my form, Dispite all the training.

Not letting anything to chance i got myself a club skinsuit. Not specifically for the final but i ordered it in April and it has taken this long to get it as their was an issue with sizing and waiting for their to be enough people to make an order.

So yesterday i finally got to ride in a skinsuit, and what a difference! it’s like being a fish. why spend £1000 on a disc wheel if you are wearing a flappy jersey. This should hopefully make me faster .

The Skinsuit also has very good padding.

It was produced by impsport and cost £69 with the Club design on it, but they are under £50 for a plain one.

Phillip Graves

Phillip Graves is a triathlete who also is racing in UK time trials. After a a poor season last year. He rode onto my radar winning the second round of the Rudy project TT series. He went on to win two more rounds in a row taking the lead of the series.

That was led to a stunning performance in the UK Ironman 70.3, which he won. Followed by the full Tri UK Ironman win, earning him a place in the Hawaii Ironman World championships.

For those who don’t know an Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile Marathon run to top it off. astonishingly Graves finished the UK event in 08:45:52.

As part of the buildup for Hawaii he won the Team Swift 100 mile TT in 03:33:56 beating Best British all Rounder Nik Bowdler and holding an average speed over 28 mph.

For me 100 miles is a great endurance feat but an Ironman is much more and racing it all the way.

Good luck Graves.

And finally, he is aged just 20, this extremly talented young man has a great future.

I was only going 25-30mph and the road surface was fine. Turning a corner to the left I spotted a Partrage!

The road being only a couple of meaters wide i moved as near the middle of the road as safley possible but the daft partradge flaped out of the hedgerow almoast hitting my wheel and making me slam the brakes on and swerve.

Fortunautaly there was no contact just a lot of flapping from the bird and shock from me.

This near miss was lucky as i’m sure that i would come off worse.