GLCC Hour Record Attempt Success
The GLCC Hour Record Attempt success, of course it was, I was the only one that attempted it. That’s a success. I did, however, hold off posting until 4pm on the last day of the month. Yeah, coy, aye! My Whoop Strap gave me the go ahead. I was 96% rested. I’d slept well. It was all on.
So I decided that I’d give it a crack. I did a very light ride on Sunday. Woke up early Monday morning. Arrived at the café, as usual at 6:30. Had my caffeine fix. 3 coffees and a roll before 7 is what kick starts my day. And that may have also been my downfall.
I set off for Olympic Park Velodrome at 9:30. A casual cruise to warm up. Then it was just coincidence that I arrived at 9:58. That gave me 2 minutes to get prepped. Bang on 10 am I set off. The first lap was good. My Garmin was ready. That was until I past the line of the segment. Then it all turned to shit. I couldn’t see my stats, my heart rate, power, and speed. And when I swiped to the page that gave me that data, I was again crossing the segment line. I tried putting my Garmin issue out of my mind, and pace my ride on feel. Now, I’m a sucker for data. I always have been. My mind functions on the visuals.
I’d forecast that I’d ride 50-60 laps. So when I’d ridden 30 laps I swiped to see the time. Fark, I’d only ridden for 20 minutes. This wasn’t going as planned. That’d make it 90 laps, or so. That’s a lot of laps, and a lot more than 60. Holy hell, was I really mentally prepared for riding 90 laps, no!
So now I’d ridden 60 laps. I was starting to feel the effects of only having 3 coffees and a roll for breakfast. My heart rate felt high, not that I could see it. And I definitely felt as though I needed some more food. I had a gel in my rear pocket, but every time I swiped my Garmin I noticed I slowed down. So I daren’t try and get the gel out of my pocket.
After 60 laps a large rain squall passed through. It may have only lasted a couple of minute, but long enough to drench me. The track remained wet for the remainder of the ride. This coupled with a fierce headwind on the stretch beside the clubroom, made for a long hour. See, you didn’t know that hours can last for more than 60 minutes. Nor did I. But this hour felt like 3.
After 86 laps the pain stopped, but the hunger didn’t. I wanted food, but didn’t have any. A quick dash to the nearest garage allowed me to get a pie. See, as of Sunday night I’d quit sugar. No the brightest of ideas, but I have plenty of residual fat to burn.
On reflection I’m glad that I did it. Definitely type 2 fun. It is also something I’d do again. Actually I’m keen to do it during the Summer months. No one’s going anywhere soon, so I may as well prepare for another attempt. Although I didn’t achieve the distance I wanted, I did as well as I could given I’d not ridden the velodrome for quite some time. Actually, I hadn’t ridden outside for some time!
There are a few riders that I’m lucky to ride with that would be awesome at this. I’m looking at you Tony, Ian, Craig, and Co. Peter, if he were riding, would also be great at this event.
The velodrome, well I’d really love to see this place get some love. It’s definitely in need of a resurface. It would be amazing if that were to happen. It would be equally amazing if local school kids held events here. It’s a great place to learn to ride and race. Within the current climate, it’d be great for obesity, health, and green transport. If Herne Hill Velodrome in London can do it, then so can Auckland. Let’s see what happens.
So, I challenge you all to go ride an hour at the track. And it shouldn’t be too hard to beat my time, and if you do, then post your ride below. Until then, ride hard and smile.
