Is Osteo-Arthritis ruining your life?
It doesn’t have to... it hasn't stopped me

January 16, 2012 - Age Discrimination...

Judging from the events calendars that I have seen, UFOLEP appears to be practicing discriminatory ageism in cycling. They are using the 'catch all' grouping (GS) that they started last year in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to sideline veteran riders. It means us older riders are competing with others at least half our age.

Many Brit cyclists are either leaving France or contemplating travelling to the UK to ride in ‘Veteran’ classified races. What is wrong with these so called sporting bodies? When age groups were in place there were good attendances by riders of all age groups. Now you will be lucky to see two or three in the older riders, hardly surprising because if you are starting in a group with young, fit men that you can give 30+ years to.

Riding on your own during a race is hard enough at the best of times, but with the added disadvantage of being forced out by ageism it’s even harder to stomach.

I have been seriously considering looking into the pros and cons of putting on events just for the older riders, because there are a lot out there who really enjoy their weekend races. Not only is it good for morale, it is also a tremendous health advantage to older people to take part in sport.

Its’ about time these licensing committees got their brains into gear and really did something for the sport they purport to love, or is it that they are involved not for the sport, but for the power it gives them within the committee culture of France.
So when you go to the road races and see some poor old bloke on his own... it could be me!

January 9, 2012 - 2012 and All That Jazz

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very prosperous New Year with good health and great results in all your endeavours, be it on a bike, playing musical instruments or if you are living here in France, not having to pay too much tax.

I am very pleased with the training so far this winter and I am putting a lot of effort into VO2 Max Intervals - which is proving a lot harder than writing about it. I have found some quite challenging routes for my winter training, ones which test out the VO2 max training to the limit. I have also been trying to work on ‘Time Effective Training’ by cutting out 'lost' hours on the bike.

Does it work? I am certain it does, because when I first read about this type of training I thought it was just self promotion by the author, Danish Doctor Jesper Bondo Medhus who specializes in training riders and other sports people often to far above their expected potential. At first, his methods could be looked at with scepticism, but I am now a convert to this style of training and I am feeling the benefits. As in all sport, until you are in competition, you will never know for certain. But I am reaching levels that I have never achieved before, so as racing is a combination of tactics, psychology and fitness through training, I am quietly confident.

The other factor with this type of training is you do not have to suffer hours in the saddle during really nasty days, or set off when the roads are covered in frost or inches of rain that hasn’t had time to disperse. So instead of just going out for a ride, I have slipped into the ‘if there isn’t a benefit from riding, it isn’t worth doing it’ mode. With the recent strong winds, I have also been doing some work on a home trainer, something I do not like because I miss road work and as something of a ‘sweater’, I need quite a bit of cooling.

Less can be more, plus it does make home life better, because it's possible to do a lot more than just being a ‘cyclist’ when the other half is not of that persuasion.

December 1, 2011 - Winter Rides

Well, another racing season has come and gone, so now I’m into the winter sessions - the foggy mornings, frost, wind and rain. Those days when having set off for an easy ride, you soon wish you were back in bed, or at least somewhere warm.

It makes you think of warmer climes, like southern Spain. Although it can be windy, especially around Jerez, it’s still warm enough not to give you goose bumps. You often see some of the professional clubs out with full support vehicles and coaches, encouraging the riders and also protecting them from vehicles coming up from the rear.

Reminds me of that long climb - well long for me - from the coast up the C339 to the fabulous town of Ronda, where they claim to have had the first bull fighting arena. It is somewhere I find quite special, with its centuries of history and fantastic views.

Back to reality and the trials and tribulations of riding in the Poitou-Charente from November through to the end of February. Fog is one of the biggest hazards, plus the occasional Brit who has forgotten he is in France and hasn’t the patience to stay behind for a few second. So he overtakes barely a cigarette paper thickness away leaving a coat of dirt on you.

The one thing that spurs me on to ride here in France is the camaraderie. It is the very warming aspect of cycling - the cheery ‘Bonjour’, or the pack stopping to ask you if you need any help when all you have done is pulled up to adjust something.
A very happy Christmas to one and all and above all, have a really good New Year.

Momento from my racing days -
the footrest went through the side
of this helmet!

June 18, 2011 - Helmet Safety

Just recently, there have been two very serious accidents involving pro riders. In the most recent, Mauricio Soler receiving serious head injuries. Now I know a thing or two about head injuries from racing motorcycles professionally in the 60’s and 70’s. I still suffer a headaches on a daily basis, so I am beginning to wonder if modern cycle helmets are actually fit for purpose.

A couple of weeks ago, in a perfectly innocuous randonnée, a cyclist touched another rider’s rear wheel and came off, breaking his collar bone. What was particularly disconcerting was that his helmet split in two on impact. I have no idea how old the helmet was or what had happened to it during its lifetime, but it does seem to raise concerns about the very light air friendly helmets we are obliged to wear in any activity run by clubs affiliated to UFOLEP or the FFC etc.

In my racing days, your helmet had to be passed by scrutineers before you were allowed to race. Now, I can enter a cycle race wearing an uninspected helmet which could have been in an accident or worse still, used as a football (no joke - I have seen this done).

Used and fitted properly, helmets are a life saver, but all too often you see them with straps so loose, they would fall off probably before the rider hit the ground. No one seems to be taking responsibility despite the fact that we pay our subs which include our insurance cover.

On a completely different headgear note, mine was recently attacked from behind by a Montagu’s Harrier, then on another ride, by a female Honey Buzzard. So what is it about Bell helmets that attract birds of prey?

Answers please to: contact@winerider.com

May 30, 2011 - Chaunay Randonnée

I decided to try a randonnée at the weekend, just to see how the treatment on my neck was progressing. Although leaving home at 7am is not my idea of fun, the 21kms to warm up was good, but I hadn’t taken into consideration just how cold it could be at this time of year so early in the morning. Arriving at the ride HQ shivering from the cold, the welcome cup of coffee became two, which started the thawing process while I signed in and paid my €3.50 fee.

It was nice to catch up with lots of old friends. After the photographs had been taken, we were off. Riding with my mate Tony, we led out the randonnée at quite a brisk pace. Just before Vanzay, we both pulled to one side and let some of the young bloods take over and set the pace for the first climb of the day - about 2kms on the road from Vanzay to Pers.

The pace picked up considerably with the climb now being led by a former Couhé club rider. He started piling on the coals and soon gapped the main peloton. I just couldn’t resist the temptation and hooked up two gears sprinting from the peloton to pass him over the crest of the hill, where I waited for him to catch up and went back just behind the leaders to ride with Tony.

We both made the conscious decision to stay close to the front and keep out of the ‘danger zone’. This proved good thinking, when between St. Soline and Lezay, a rider touched someone’s back wheel and went down in a big heap, breaking his collarbone and splitting his helmet in two. Glad to report that he only suffered the collarbone damage and no other serious injuries.

From then on I stayed in or around the front, through Rom and on the road towards Brux, where we joined the original RN10, then heading back to Chaunay and the feeding zone, where many of the peloton stopped for breakfast. Four of us decided to carry on and headed by various lanes towards Romagne, then turning for Blanzay and back to Chaunay passing one rider who had set out far earlier than the timed start. He stayed with us all the way back to the finish, where I rode in fifth place.

The neck was OK although I did take a pain killer half way round because the roughish roads were starting to cause some discomfort, but at least I got round. Our average was just over 31kph which is quite fast for a redone.

Am I pleased?.... You bet!

May 22, 2011 - Championnat Départemental - Mazières-en-Gatine

For the first time this year, the authorities have split a race entry into age groups. It was great to set off with riders of the same age ,even though there were the usual differences in ability. My group of 16 set of at just after 1 o’clock on an overcast and windy day, but rather than the usual mad dash up to 40kmh, there was a controlled start on the long 67 kilometres ride made up of six laps of this demanding circuit.

From the start, a false flat part of the circuit had a strong cross wind - not too bad - then into the first right hander for a long, gentle climb to Grattloup (a small village in the Gatine) where the speed slowly increased to 37kmh before coming down to almost zero for a right handed hairpin bend with the continuing very slight uphill climb.

The wind was more noticeable now, but was not a problem once in the group. So far, I felt really good with no trouble staying on the pace. Then came the technical descent, which saw me lead the group down the hill and catch two youngsters who had been at the front. I felt in great shape going up the hill the other side until halfway, when I had the most horrendous stabbing pain in my neck causing my eyesight to go completely out of focus. This worried me because riding quite quick in the group, I didn’t want to be responsible for a crash.

It took about two hundred meters to get back on the rear of the peloton, but it was still worrying. I had visions of my vertigo coming back or worse still, had I any trapped nerves that could cause a temporary paralysis - short lived but dangerous for other riders - or cause me to lose consciousness.

So I backed off from the race and for 1k road slowly back to the finish and retired, thinking it wiser to live to fight another day.

I have an appointment with my Doctor for a check on the possible causes of the pain and I expect to have some x-rays or ultrasound to verify the cause. So it’s back to the drawing board for the moment.

May 15, 2011 - Club Race organised by the CC Nanteuiallse

Already a testing course, the wind did nothing to help at St. Martin de St. Maixent this weekend. It was uphill from the off, turning off the main road to Melle on to a narrow road that seemed to include every bump man had made. The filled potholes left it more like a mountain bike course - ‘interesting’ to say the least. Plus, it was a deceiving climb, far more difficult than it first appeared, not helped by the wind as it had to be done eight times in the short seven kilometre course.

As with my last event at Sanxay on May 1st, we were in the group GS which has become a group of exceptionally fit young guns. Waiting at the start, I realized that there were none of the ‘old guard’ from 2010 - they have all given the new UFOLEP system the thumbs down by not entering any races so far this year.

Just like Sanxay, the pace was very hot from the start, too hot for me and even some of the younger, fitter riders who stepped off and called it a day. But being me, I carried on, disillusioned by my climbing abilities but buoyed up with my flat 38 kmh, 55 kmh downhill and my cornering speed.

I was caught by the quick boys, who conveniently shelled some riders out of the back on the first climb which fortunately gave me a wheel to latch on to for some slipstreaming and a little rest for my tired legs and burning lungs.

At the tight corners, they were riding like ‘tarts’ all over the road, and were so slow it seemed a joke that they were actually Cat2’s. I slowly lost the tow on the climbs but carried on to the finish, or at least, I think I did, because I lost count of the laps. But some of my group looked pleased with themselves so I assume that I did finish albeit the ‘Lantern Rouge’.

So I have to make vast improvements to my climbing - easier said than done, but I’ll give it a go.
Next Sunday see’s me in the Championnat Départemental at Mazières-en-Gatine, with hopefully a few more of my age group to ride with - it gets just a tad lonely out there on your own!

snaxay1-may May 1, 2011 –Championnat Départemental de France - Sanxay

This was my first ride since the accident last August, and boy, was it a baptism of fire!
UFOLEP - in its wisdom - has altered the criteria for Cat.4 creating the GS category, which includes all age groups from youngsters in their 30’s to ex-Pro’s, who are just big fish in a very small pond. They delight in rubbing the noses of lesser mortals in the proverbial!

On arriving for signing on it was a delight to find that after letting the club know this was to be my first ride, they had forgotten to enter me. So I had to wait till the very end of the ‘TT’ to start my 9km ride against the clock. Good start.....

Then, after waiting two hours plus after my anticipated start, the announcer called me Martine!! Small and dainty as I might be, the one thing I ‘aint is effeminate, so this just added to my already somewhat rattled state.

It was my best TT to date coming in 20th, 30 seconds faster than last year on the same course and nowhere near last. Mind you, it did help when at 6k’s I was caught by a Cat.1 rider then a second towards the end. I was surprised to find they were both just marginally quicker than me on the uphill sections but were slower than me downhill, so I came in at 17:26:10 on my second TT.
There was the usual long wait for the races to start and at 1400hrs the black clouds came over and deposited a few spots of rain – though not enough to settle the dust or dampen the enthusiasm of the supporters. Then the sun came out and the temperature climbed quite high.

The ‘off’ came round for us tail-end Charlie’s after the Cats 1, 2 and 3 were introduced to the crowd and set on their way. Our turn for the intro’s (this time they called me ‘Maurice’) and we were off....

This must have been the fastest start of any group. After the first 250 meters one rider attacked as we were pushing along at over 40kms an hour. I thought that this was utter madness, but stayed in the group as we hit the first longish climb.

The rider up front had about 400 meters on us and was visible all the time. The gap didn’t get any bigger and as we funnelled into the very tight right-hand bend in the centre of Curzay, which is just about wide enough for two bikes abreast while avoiding the pot-holes, bumps and metal manhole covers. Then it’s head down and hang on to the shirt-tales of the young riders in front for the long gentle climb away from this idyllic French village - while hiding as best as is possible from a fairly strong breeze.

From then on it was very hard and I lost the tow and protection from the breeze. Now I was alone in no-man’s land, ahead of all my age group but losing ground to the stronger riders. I never saw the fast young-ones again. But I did my best and at the end of the first three laps had managed to sprint past the finish and keep going, albeit alone.

The encouragement from the crowds was brilliant and as the last 500 meters arrived, I was caught by the ‘big boys’ of Cat 3. Doing the right thing, I kept out of their way and toured over the line to finish. I don’t think I was last because others were behind me and not in sight, but I do know that many climbed off and didn’t finish. For me I think I discovered something about myself today - keep going for it and don’t give in. The sense of achievement keep’s the adrenalin flowing for hours after and the euphoria is infectious. Bring on the next race!

February 2011 – Country Rock Rules

An operation can be a big worry for many of us, particularly when it involves work on an eye. But with my long history of motorcycle race accidents and a major incident some time ago when I was driving a truck, I am rather used to it.

But the surgeon was taken aback at my one major concern during my first cataract operation a few weeks back – the awful piped music in the operating theatre! So when my second eye op. was bought forward, I took his advice and provided my own sound track..... a compilation CD of some good ol’ country rock.

It went down really well with most of the nurses and surgeons, and made the second cataract removal far more bearable listening to some of the best of Marie Dazzler and the Cowboy Deluxe, Waylon, Vince Gill and many more.

Dr. Brousse of Niort is a brilliant eye surgeon. It was he who brought my second op. forward, and now I can see without glasses for the first time in years. Things are sharper and colours much brighter than I can remember. I didn’t even realise how bold the colours are on my own web site.

As far as the cycling is concerned, Dr. Brousse has banned me from the bike for about a week until the second eye settles down, but I hope to be out pounding the roads early in March. Changing the start date of my season has given time for all things medical to settle down. Just before my eye op., my wife Yvonne was in for surgery and is now recovering nicely at home.

What a wonderful health service we have here in France - quick, sure and a very, very short waiting times. Other countries take note!

A big thank you to Doctor Brousse for my ‘new’ eyes and to Doctor Reynaud for the surgery on Yvonne. As for the country rock, the medical staff asked to keep the CD, so hopefully it may bring some light relief to a few others.

February 2011 - Never Mind The Medics

Well, the eye op. was a raging success and it’s the first time in years that I can actually see without wearing glasses – at least, in one eye! Now the surgeon has booked me in for the 3rd of March for an operation on the other eye.

I have changed my plans for the start of the season so my first race will be at Sanxay on the first of May. In the morning there is a 9km Time Trial, then in the afternoon a race with 12.5km laps. I think there will be five laps for those of us whose legs are nowhere as young as they once were.

I have been out on the bike a couple of times this month and have been finding it hard. Not so much from the fitness side, but the pain in my neck is something else at the moment. I have spoken with the medical 'powers at be', and they have just said ’give it time’. They don’t realise I have never had much in the way of patience.

So on Sunday 13th February I went out in a strong’ish wind and pushed hard into it for the first half, then came home with the wind pushing me. What a feeling on the way back!... big ring pedalling, no worries, cruising along at a fair old rate of knots and dreaming of yesteryear when I might have been able to push at the same speed into the wind.

Ah! Wishful thinking. Well it doesn’t necessarily make be a bad person, does it?

January 2011 - On The Road Aagain

Sunday 16th January saw me back training on the road for the first time since my accident in August last year. Sitting on the home trainer is OK, but I must admit that actually riding on the road is 99% better.

My first day out went much better than I expected. There were no sore muscles or aches and pains that shouldn’t be there the following day - Osteoarthritis always gives you some aches, pains and stiffness, but living with them is the name of the game.

I took a 31.5km loop from my home, including a few small hills, and completed it in just over the hour riding at Time Trial speed or as close as I could, just to see if the lungs and legs had anything. I was pleased with the time, but it was hard... very hard, with my fitness feeling between good to not-so-good.

Now I have something to build on over the coming weeks and a very good yardstick by which to measure my progress - if there is any!

I’m taking a day off the road Thursday to have a Cataract removed, but by the weekend I’ll be back training for the start of the season.

Early season will see me doing the Bernard Bourreau Petit Frère cyclosportive and possibly the La Michel Grain. I enjoy both for a number of reasons, one of which is catching up with old friends I haven’t seen since last year and who live too far away for me to just drop in. And it will sharpen up my group riding skills.

Back in the Saddle

Well, it’s been a long hard road since the accident at the end of August and although the will has been there to get on and ride, the body has taken a long time to respond to my ‘mental’ pressure.

I have started the recovery stage of fitness..... but slowly. Weight training is one of my favourite exercises using free weights, of which I have plenty in my home-made gym. They have helped me get some strength back in my core muscles, by using exercises which utilize as many muscle groups as possible e.g. squats, cleans - just up onto the chest across the collar bones without the jerk - with calf raises with the bar still across the chest.

To start off, I either skip using a leather boxer’s rope, which is quite heavy but keeps the swing going where ordinary ropes are too light and looses their shape. Or I sit on my bike on the home trainer to warm up. I must admit that this at present is not my favourite position - I find my neck muscles are complaining about the position, so I do less on the bike and more with the rope. But I am getting there.

I bought myself a Sanitas SEM40 tens, ems and massage machine, a little gadget that has proved it’s’ worth in getting the muscles back into shape after exercise or to relieve pain caused by my arthritic joints.

I don’t like the cold weather at all, but am planning a full winter training program so I can start 2011 in the best shape I can.
So look out next year..... that’s if I get where I want to be in the fitness stakes!

September 2010 - Bad Driver Creates Secondary Arthritis Problem

Words come back to haunt those who proclaim many things, and in my case it’s my comments of how safe it is to cycle on the roads of France. Minding my own business on the small road to Lavasseau, not far from the Roman Amphitheatre at Sanxay, a speeding motorist came dangerously close forcing me onto the gravel at the side of the road.

I went across a grass verge, into a very shallow drainage ditch, and then attempted to demolish a stone wall with my face. Luckily the stone had a light covering of weeds which took some of the potentially lethal force out of the impact. The motorist, of course, did not stop.

Luck was certainly with me as the bike was undamaged, so I rode into the village of Lavasseau where I was cleaned up by one of the locals, to whom I owe a huge ‘Thank You’. I then took what was later described as a ‘stupid decision’ to cycle home... about 37kms. A quick shower and inspection of the damage showed a strange shaped nose (not too unusual!), with bruising to the face, forehead, eye and mouth. So a drive to Niort Hospital was required.

As I have said many times before, French Hospitals are some of the best I have ever been treated in. Niort is no exception with courteous, thorough staff. The one question on all lists was; ‘Were you wearing a helmet?’ Answer: ‘Yes - I never ride a bike without one’. Thank you Bell for producing a helmet which saved me from far more serious damage.

But the major problem is that the accident has damaged and broken away many of the Arthritis crystals that have formed in my spine, especially those in the cervical section (neck) and they have got into my system causing violent vertigo.

Even after years of arthritis, I never knew this could happen. I only found out when I had an attack on the way to my follow-up appointment at the hospital which then became a blue light, siren blasting ride in the ‘Pompiers’ ambulance for emergency brain scans and X-Rays, more test’s than you can shake a stick at, and a prognosis that makes interesting reading.

The after effects of my cycle accident are proving slow to disappear. They tell me it will go, but only over time. I have been given the possible ‘Start cycling again date’ in about 10 to 15 days, but with a huge proviso - no dizzy spell between now and then.

Mmm. Old age is not being kind, but age and arthritis wouldn’t be issues for me if were not for a lunatic car driver.

30th May 2010 Championnat Dépatemental de France

Awake at the allotted hour of 7:30, I started the day with a good breakfast to set me up for the 1 ½ hour drive to the tiny village of La Chapelle Gaudin, just north of Airvault in the Deux Sevres department of France. I arrived with time to have a good look at the eight kilometre lap.

The main problem was going to be the very strong wind. Although there was some protection, gaps in the hedges would cause some problems no matter how well you were prepared. After two warm up laps, my fears were proved right. It proved quite hairy in a couple of places on one of the long descents.

But having warmed up thoroughly and with a good sweat on, it was time to join the group for the start. I am not the jovial type on the start line, settling in to a world of my own, or ‘zoning’ as the specialists say. I have been that way since the beginning of the sixties, when my road racing started. Then came the delay for one rider who hadn’t appeared on time – apparently he had been given the wrong start time. We waited past the customary two minutes to follow the younger riders (50yr olds) and with much muttering from some participants, we were finally off. Then, low and behold, the late arrival joined in about 50 meters from the start!

The slight uphill start was no problem and the first bend onto rougher tarmac went without problems. But it became clear that at least three riders had major plans to annihilate the opposition with a fast and furious start. We were all fresh and as there is safety in numbers, it was a fast TGV line that was created. I was OK and found myself in the mid section, well protected from the effects of the wind, but it was obvious that this pace couldn’t be maintained. Up the two kilometre hill back to the start and finish line we raced, crossing the line in 6th or 7th, breathing hard but feeling OK.

Lap two started with us going even faster. I realized that a recent holiday in Italy was taking its toll, so I decided to just sit at the back and hang on for a few laps - how wrong can you be. As the front of the group started to sprint up the first section of the hill, and back up the long uphill section to finish lap two, I was in no-man’s land with riders behind me and the gap getting wider. Out of the saddle, and trying to bridge the gap, I looked back and saw I was pulling all the others behind me. None wanted to do any work, so I sat up and made them go past, then I tagged on behind them and we rejoined the others just as lap three started.

I was now riding on empty and was dropped, so I carried on at my speed and slowly started to catch tail enders. I knew I would be pushed to finish and went through a very bad patch on lap six, but I was still catching riders and so pushed on just a bit harder and got through the ‘no legs’.

By lap seven I was feeling really bad and although still going quite well, I knew I was not going to be able to finish. The encouragement from the spectators was heart warming but wasn’t putting anything in the tank other than a will to carry on. On the long climb to the finish of lap seven, I was caught by the two leaders of my group who were travelling like the wind. The rest of my group were out of sight, so as I crossed the line I decided to climb off - and live to fight another day.

1 May 2010 - Championnat Départmental de France

May Day at Sanxay in the Vienne department of France will certainly rest in my mind for a while. It could be described as the day I came of age in the world of cycle racing.

At 9:20am I set of for my first time trial - a hilly 9 kilometre route. The course was there to test individual skills and also stamina, and it certainly did the latter. There were only 18 Cat 4’s and I came in 17th. At least I wasn’t last!

But as I have said in other write-ups, this has to be a learning process for me this year. I can’t say I enjoyed the ride, but I was happy with my performance and felt that the legs felt good. Perhaps I could have gone faster, but we can all get things right with hindsight.

We all had to wait until 15:00 for the start of the actual road race, plenty of time to get some nourishment into the body and digest it. Well that’s the theory. Nerves are a funny thing and I had forgotten how I used to be during my road racing motorcycle career. Must be getting old.

Just after 2pm I set off with some of my club mates on a recce. The course included a couple of sections we had used during the time trial. Some others I knew and didn’t like, because they were so rough and badly potted from the winter. It really did unsettle quite a few.

At 15 :00, we were all getting into position for the off. Cat 1’s first, Cat 2’s, Cat 3’s and then the old men, us Cat 4’s, set off. This is the first time I have started using the big ring, and boy did I need it. The oldies around 50’ish set off at an alarming rate, but believe or not I felt at home. My legs felt good and I just sat in the bunch with no heart rate going through the roof.

Through the picturesque village of Curzay-sur-Vonne, and a really sharp right hand bend with bumps and pot-holes all over the place, out of the saddle sprinting to get back up to what I would have described in the past as break-neck speed. Along a narrow, windy and rough road to Les Chaumes, then getting onto descent tarmac to get back to Sanxay. Down the hill into Sanxay at quite a lick, over the bridge, then the TGV boys got into the action, pulling me along faster than I have ever been through the town.
One of my club mates made his move for the first sprint, with a rider from my old club, UVC Couhé, doing his best to deny him. But I had the bit between my teeth, sitting on the wheel of the guy from Couhé and as we hit the 300meter mark, I knew I couldn’t pass either but that I was safe in third spot. Third in my first sprint - it took nearly the whole of the next lap to wipe the smile off my face!

As we came down the same hill for the finish of lap two, I was a marked man, with a couple of riders doing their best to block me in. Years of racing motorbikes and the wide shoulders helped as they closed in for the kill, then two other riders started to TGV it and a space opened in front of me. Accelerating forward who should I catch up with but the same two riders from the sprint of the first lap. Both had their heads down and their bums up, and again I hitched a tow. This time the rider from Couhé won the sprint and I just missed out by a wheel in getting second spot from my club mate.

I have been suffering from tendonitis of the shoulder for a while and started the day with pain killers. But now I could feel the pain coming back with a vengeance because of the very rough roads, and possibly I had overdone the pulling on the bars in the sprints. My legs still felt really good, but as I went into the right-hander in Curzay, a rider in front nearly lost the plot and in taking avoiding action I hit one of the ‘bomb craters’ in the road which completely finished the shoulder. Although heavily strapped, it could not take that sort of punishment.

I climbed off at the end of lap three, but this time I am not at all disappointed in my performance. I’m getting used to the tactics, the pacing and knowing that it is only a matter of a few more races and a lot more training before I will actually finish in a better position.

18 April 2010 - St Maixent l’Ecole

I am old enough to know better but I got talked into a race on Sunday 18th April at the garrison town of St Maixent l’Ecole, once the home of Eleanor of Aquitaine queen of France and England. I should know better...but!

The weather had turned for the better with blue cloudless skies and a nice warm day of 22°C - so far so good.

9:30am saw us Cat. 4 riders off up a longish slope, nothing too drastic, but then the fun and games started. This was a real criterium race with lots of tight bends with masses of huge potholes in the road from the bad winter. Soon after leaving the town, we headed off on a long, slightly down-hill section, followed by a short, sharp, downhill piece at 50’ish kilometres an hour, then into a narrow tight right-hand bend which ran along a valley bottom before joining another wide road back towards St Maix. But this was the opposite of the longish downhill section - all uphill, followed by more of the tight in-town bends and pot-holes before finishing the lap up the longish slope with speed bumps, gravel and more pot-holes!

At the end of lap one I was in the mix and enjoying myself. Lap two was where the speed started to pick up and the effort of last weekend’s hard ride at the Bernard Bourreau (Petit Frère) started to take effect. At the end of lap two, I was still hanging in there, but I was starting to suffer. Lap three no change, but by lap four I had been dropped on the longish climb and was eventually caught by the Cat 1’s, who I hung on to until the finish where I ‘climbed off’.

So, another learning race that is starting to make some sense to me regarding to what I need to do in future training sessions.

My race head is fine at close quarters and mixing it.

Braking and cornering are one of my very strong points.

On the flat and down hills I’m fine and quick.

My downfall is I am not climbing good enough to get my other attributes into play.

I am determined to try my hardest to actually finish a race in a good position. I can do it in a Sportive, which is longer and a fraction slower, so with a bit of application I should be able to do it in these races.
Times for my laps:

14:22:7

14:45:1

14:17:3

15:08:1

11:59:4

The last time is because I hung onto the ‘maillot’ tails of the Cat 1’s. The only thing that can be gleaned from these times is I was consistent, but it doesn’t make me any happier.

Like some of my old school reports: Must try harder!

11 April 2010 - The Bernard Bourreau (Petit Frère)

Copyright© 2010 Photopro

Saturday April 10th saw the weather start to smile on us… sunny, warm and with a stiffish north-easterly breeze for the start of the « Sportif » La Bernard Bourreau Petit Frère. There were far more riders than I can recall from two years ago, when a broken front derailleur mech. stopped me after thirty kilometres.

The usual jockeying for position at the start and the crashes in the first five kilometres brought home that bike riding skills and awareness are something that is not taught – or else is completely forgotten in the heat of competition. Then, after the shock of seeing riders and bikes in the ditches with one rider receiving medical assistance in the middle of the road, sanity returned to those who had temporarily lost it.

From Ligugé in La Vienne to Iteuil, it was fast a furious and by the decent into Iteuil itself, the legs had started to warm up and function. Then a short sharp climb out of the village and on to Aigné, with its picturesque Château over-looking the small village. With the speed picking up all the time we headed for La Villedieu du Clan, via another early tester of a climb.

By now we were getting up into the high 40km/hr and I must admit that it was very exhilarating to be in a group of riders younger that me and holding my own. From then on to Aslonnes and Château Larcher, the pace was a little too hot for me and I joined a slightly slower group of riders. For the next 25 to 30 k’s we rode as a unit taking turns on the front until we reached one of the worst climbs of the ride at a place called Voulon - not a long climb but very testing indeed and as the saying goes it sorts the men from the boys.

On this climb I found I was an adolescent... neither bad nor good, just average. But once over the top I found that I had legs to spare into the strong breeze and managed to latch onto a youngster, who I hope he won’t mind me saying, was the biggest wind break I could have wished for. He had so much fat round his middle, he could have doubled for ‘Monsieur Michelin’.

Through Minières de Payré, the pair of us put some distance into the following group while a guy from the French Foreign Legion who was just up ahead stayed the same distance, tantalizingly close but I was not able to bridge the gap to him.

With the breeze getting stronger, it began to hurt and I was riding on a tank that was getting low. It meant inner strength was needed and the ‘I will not be beaten or give in’ attitude was the order of the day. After the climb from Celle l’Evescault to Marcay, I just dug deep and worked like an automaton, but it was working.

There was no casual banter in the small group I found myself with. All were suffering and breathing was the order of the day. But they proved stronger than me and I got dropped in the last ten K’s. I had to settle for the hardest 10 k’s alone in the strong breeze. Ligugé arrived and with print works on my left I managed one last sprint to the roundabout marking the last decent before the dreaded uphill finish, which I managed on the lowest gear I could find to get across the finish line.

After the 84 kilometre ride I finished 197 scratch and 24th for my age group at an average speed of 28.8Km/hr.

How did I feel? Better than a couple of weeks ago when I climbed off during the first race of the season. Buoyed up and chuffed is I think how I feel, after all, six years ago when I started riding a bike I couldn’t walk too far, had two knees that would work properly, a spine that gave me trouble through osteoarthritis. So all-in-all, I’m over the moon. I know I’m not the best but I do the best I can and so can others if they put their minds to it. Age and Osteoarthritis doesn’t have to stop you enjoying life.
Remember ‘LIFE IS FOR LIVING’

March 2010 - St Loup sur Thouet

Sunday 21st March 2010 was my baptism of fire at a small town just south of Airvault in the Deux Sevres department of France. Just a short 8.5km race lap x 6 laps, total 51km. The circuit was in an idyllic spot taking in both sides of the river Thouet, with one long climb connection to a fairly quick downhill section, then back over the river to start the long climb again.
With all categories taking part it sounded simple, but I had no idea just how quick it was going to be. Moving up to the start line just before the brow of the first part of the hill; the five second countdown for the start; and then the fun - if you can call it that - started. Off like the proverbial hare, at what to some of us was a breakneck speed. To others it was a stroll in the park.

Bike handling skill is not the strong point of some of these seasoned riders, to put it mildly. But years of racing motorcycles professionally puts a person in a certain advantageous position - broad shoulders, boney and well spaced elbows, and a certain amount of ‘after me - you first’.
I stayed in the bunch for the first lap and even managed to outbreak many at the quick downhill bend just before the climb back up the hill to complete the first lap. Within a very short time the bunch was reduced considerably and I found myself with some on the younger Cat.4s... that’s 50ish, not mid 60’s, but I had learned something; after a slowish corner it is out of the saddle and sprint to get back up to their ‘ramming’ speed. So as we approached the slowest corner on the lap I was to the front of the group and didn’t have to expend to much energy to keep up with them.

But now the speed had really been turned on with the downhill section nose-to-tail and side-by-side at well over 60km/hr. But those years as a professional road racing motorcyclist paid off and I was really flying up the hill to start the third lap.

By now I knew I wasn’t going to last the full six laps, so I kept going with the bunch until the hill for the start of the third lap, and just before the start/finish line I was spat out the back of the pack. I had to look down at the road to see if I had actually stopped! But no... I was still moving quite quickly, but nowhere as fast as the boys up front. So I went as fast as I could for the rest of the lap and decided that discretion was better part of valour and it might be better to live to ‘fight’ another day. I climbed off the bike just before the finish, having learned a lot in a very short space of time.

I now know I have to improve my climbing ability considerably, which will mean losing some kilo’s and get more hill kilometres into my legs.

La Sostranienne (112km)

Saturday September 2nd saw me leaving home to go to La Souteraine, 50 kilometres north of Limoges, the pottery capital of France. The weather forecast was OK, but knowing this area of the Creuse, nothing could be taken for granted and rain could arrive without warning. Signing in was a formality on the Saturday afternoon, having paid up early in July. Just give your name and number and you receive a ‘T’ shirt gift with a number to attach to your ‘maillot’ or jersey.

Up very early - 5:30 - on the Sunday race day for a hearty breakfast of muesli…by the ton. Good carbohydrate in this stuff, but to me it's like munching wood shavings – dry and hard to get down. Drank lots of water to hydrate and fill as many cells as possible. It was still dark and cold as I went down to the start area and joined some 1,600 riders from all over Europe, taking part in either the l’Ecureuil or the La Sostranienne. We were allocated start areas by number designation and I joined those already waiting for the off, trying to keep warm and focused. This is where my professional road racing days of yesteryear help, as I felt the adrenalin start to rise and my concentration going into an area where its is almost impossible for someone to break in through my ‘barrier’. Now I can focus on the first part of the ride.

Top of the 5km climb at the Bois d'Echelle and still going strong...

8:30 and I was off from the second block to start. I released all the aggression which builds up at the start of anything competitive. Even at 61 years of age I am still an aggressive, competitive sort, and the jostling for position as we took a gentle climb from the start zone away from La Souteraine was quite exhilarating. By now my legs had started to work OK but as usual my mouth was dry and my lips were sticking to my teeth… like someone suffering from stage fright.

Kept pace easily with the second grupo, (most of the riders were a lot younger than me) and close riding was the order of the day as the huge start mass slowly thinned out becoming more rider friendly. Then the climbs started, like climbs I have never experienced before, but with the voice of my training partner and mate Tony ringing in my ears: “get into a rhythm and don’t try to go to fast at the beginning. On the climbs let your legs spin and don’t fight the bike or the hill - ride easy”.

Good words, but we were now on a mountain climb that I swear if I’d known about before, I wouldn’t have entered the event! Five kilometres of climb ranging from 9% to 13% with some nasty hairpin bends thrown in just to make your rhythm go to pot. With Tony still talking in my head, I just blanked out everything around me and got the rhythm of both pedalling and breathing into sync and although I did loose some places, I crested the summit, took a long mouthful of carb drink and started the descent.

Riding motorbikes for a living in the 60’s and 70’s had instilled in no fear of going fast, especially down hill. We had thin tyres in those days, not the fat sausages they use today, and I felt really at home plunging down the narrow forested road with plenty of sharp bends and quite a lot of loose gravel along with the dreaded pot holes and leaves. It felt really great and I hit a magic 74.3kph on those skinny 23mm Michelin Pro Race tyres. Not only did I make up the places I’d lost on the climb, but gained some more, out-cornering and braking many a seasoned rider on the steep descent.

There was a wonderful view off to my right, and made all the more beautiful because I was looking through a pink mist as I flew down the mountainside through forests with the cool wind blowing cobwebs from the brain and allowing this ancient osteoarthritic body to recuperate.

We still had lots of long climbs to get through, but the sun was shining, there was no wind and the company of the other riders was now to be enjoyed. Up, up was the order of the day as we slugged our way to the feeding station and some respite. What a joke! The feeding station gave a break from the long, long, climb, but we hadn’t reached the summit. So after stopping, replenishing the ‘bidons’ and cramming nourishment into pockets, it was a question of restarting on one of the steepest sections of the hill. A lot of grunting could be heard along with some gut-wrenching moans.

The course had now plateaued and we were on the final run for the finish. I had the slight embarrassment of getting cramp, my contortions and attempts at relieving the pain and locking muscles caused some hilarity from my fellow group of riders. Spinning in a low gear and doing my best to stretch or massage the rigid muscles helped and the spasms eventually past. I got my 'second wind' and on one of the longish climbs dropped my group and set off for home, picking off quite a number of riders who had bonked, either from possibly going too fast at the start or who were finding the going just a bit tough. I know I was.

With the finish bridge coming into sight, I caught another rider and we both made a sprint finish, but I just couldn’t get past him and had to settle for 142nd scratch but did finish 10th in my age group.

Roll on next year, when I plan to do one event a month from March to July, then a few more at the end of the year, possibly eight in all.

Is Osteo-Arthritis ruining your life? It doesn’t have to... it hasn't stopped me

Is Osteo-Arthritis ruining your life?
It doesn’t have to... it hasn't stopped me