Championnats du Monde Part I

Dealing with adversity prior to the gran depart for Albi, Midi-Pyrenees

You know that feeling when you've been preparing for something for so long and then all of a sudden it's crept up on you... Yep, that is just how I felt in the final run up to the World Amateur/Masters Championships! Just to keep me on my toes that little bit more I had an altercation with a pot hole the weekend before we were due to leave. Although initially thinking I'd come away unscathed within half an hour it transpired that I'd evidently 'upset something' in my upper back/neck. I struggled to complete the remainder of the ride home, even with Paul pushing me up the hills! I have to confess that my immediate thoughts weren't all that positive and went along the lines of why now, I can't not be at my best for the Championships! However, such negative thinking was not going to make anything better - some rest, ice and an emergency appointment at The Lilleshall Clinic were all much more positive approaches!


Fast forward a few days... I was still struggling and in quite a lot of pain, hadn't been able to ride my bike but had secured an appointment with Gill at Lilleshall. I'm not entirely sure she was aware of the weight of expectation placed on her shoulders as I walked in! Thankfully after much crunching & even more discomfort it looked like any damage was purely musculoskeletal and would hopefully be overcome with continued rest and stretching. I hadn't lost hope yet I just had to keep a positive mindset, be patient and not dwell on the fact that the final week of training had slipped away. All the hard work had been done; I couldn't add to my fitness now but I could easily throw it all away by trying to train whilst injured.


Firstly, thanks to NoPinz for designing a fabulous skinsuit designed specially for the team heading to Albi. I'm particularly proud to say that I've been fortunate enough to receive some support from, GymGear, Black Mamba Gloves and Pro Vision Clothing, as well as the unwavering and constant support from Swinnerton Cycles throughout the year - if it wasn't for their goodwill, patience and expertise, there would have been more than one situation this year where I wouldn't have been able to race. Discharging Di2 batteries, a punctured tub two days before a major race, chain ring swapping... you name it it's never any trouble and thank you doesn't come close. Alan and Jenny Matthews of Fortress Distribution/Black Mamba Gloves & Richard Lambert of GymGear thank you for believing in me enough to sponsor my race kit, it really is much appreciated. Steve, Ben and Jason at ProVision thank you for the fabulous off the bike kit - it turned a few heads!

Kit Sponsors GymGear & BlackMambaGloves

Harry from Revolver Wheels kindly added a special touch to my Asymm Disc and 60 front for the occasion and both have shiny new tubs on (hopefully this will help to prevent any punctures on the day, fingers and toes crossed).

Spot the GBR decals from Harry

Accommodation was booked a while ago; a lovely gite in the Florentin countryside about 10km outside of Albi shared with some friends also travelling from the UK and a Canadian friend who I met at the Championships in Australia last year (who also happens to be defending World Champion)! This was our bolt hole, training hub and place of quiet contemplation for ten days; it was far enough out of the hub of Albi but close enough to easily recce the course and attend the rider briefings etc. You'd think there weren't any supermarkets within a 100 mile radius given the pre-emptive shopping that I'd done, however I think it's important to try and keep as similar a diet as I would back home, until after racing has finished at least. Clair - you did brilliantly in finding this place!

Welcome gifts from Francois at the gite

Having eventually arrived and settled in to the stunning gite in Florentin attention turned to getting our bearings, finding race HQ, the course and all the other important race related tasks.

Circuit D'Albi taken over by the UCI

Permanence was set up in the expo centre at the famous Circuit D'Albi race track, which was a hive of activity three days prior to the Championships starting - testament to not just the size of the event but all the work, by volunteers, which goes on behind the scenes. The TT course was already signed, so this made an initial recon easier, although we were grateful of the GPX file as a key directional sign was missing!


Initial thoughts on the course were positive - it was a reflection of what the UCI have presented at the last two World Championships - a challenging course but with something for everyone. By this I mean it wasn't a straight power course or a climbers paradise! It had technical elements; a short climb, a nice descent with a 90 degree left at the bottom, a tight off-camber right hand bend, some mildly undulating sections and a couple of turns with road furniture. There was plenty to keep your interest with the three technical elements to think through and the climb and associated descent - not paying close attention on these sections could easily prematurely end your race! After my first ride around I was feeling positive. The surface where we were to leave the circuit and join the main road wasn't the best but given this would be the same experience for everyone it would be about picking the best line.


After a couple of recon rides, on both the road and TT bike, it was time to take advantage of an early opportunity to have my UCI legal set up checked. This is always a nerve-wracking moment, even when I know that 'Percy' is 100% UCI legal and nothing has been altered since he was checked at the Worlds last year...

UCI Commissaires reporting they are happy with my set up (still on training wheels here)

There were plenty of people who were having to make fairly major adjustments. This always comes as a surprise as it is the one thing that you can check many months in advance in preparation. Indeed in our case it is check, check and check again! The relief when the Commissaires both indicated that they were happy was tangible, not only had Percy passed, I had 19mm clearance at the front (mostly to prevent any discrepancy between our measuring and their jig).


Now the focus was on race day...